Metformin, weight, and low-carbing?

Shazzer · 09-17-2003, 10:48 PM

Two months ago, I went on a strict low-carb diet and have stuck to it. But I have not lost any weight. I'm currently on 1500 g of Metformin XR and Aldactone. I'm 5'4" and weigh 129 lbs. When I first went on Met, I lost a total of twenty-five pounds, then gained eight back. So I'm still at +8. I exercise regularly, get enough to eat, take vitamins, and feel really healthy. I know I've been gaining muscle mass since going low carb, so I may have lost a pound or two of fat. But I want to be able to lose some more fat. I think the Met is stopping me from losing weight.

Could the met be stopping me from losing weight? Does anyone have any scientific reasoning for this if so? Does anyone have any personal experiences like mine? What did you do to solve the weight stall?

christyz · 09-17-2003, 11:12 PM

How low were your carbs? Going too low causes your body to go into fasting state and as a result it hangs onto it's fat stores. I had stalled and when I increased the # of times per day that I ate and increased my carbs to 50 or so grams a day, I found my weight started dropping again.

If the carbs aren't the culprit...it may be your muscle and fat just evening out at this point...that happened to me as well.

Shazzer · 09-17-2003, 11:53 PM

I'm between 20-30 net carbs per day. I'm so scared about adding anymore in because I don't want to feel terrible all the time. Prior to lc, I had afternoon fatigue, hypoglycemia problems, moodiness, and a general lack of energy. Those symptoms are in addition to the other wonders of PCOS like horrible periods, hair growth, etc. Everything is different for me now that I'm not having many carbs. I guess the last hurdle is to shed those few pounds. I just wonder how Metformin is working with my metabolism. I'm consuming at least 1500 calories a day. I had my metabolism checked and I need a minimum of 1400 just to support it, plus extra for exercise and daily activities. To maintain my weight, I need 2000 calories per day and I know I'm not anywhere close to 2000. So if I eat 1500-1700 calories per day, I should be losing weight given the amount I exercise. But I'm not. I guess I'm at a loss.

christyz · 09-18-2003, 01:51 AM

Quote:

Prior to lc, I had afternoon fatigue, hypoglycemia problems, moodiness, and a general lack of energy

Those are signs of hypoglycemia..meaning your blood sugar was already too low *before* you restricted your carbs. I suspect if you raised them higher, your body wouldn't be hanging on to it's fat stores so tightly.

Only you know what is a healthy weight for you, but at 5'4" 129 pounds you are already at a BMI of 20.5, which is the low end of the healthy spectrum for your height medically (19-24.9). And according to the Anne Collins Calorie counter for a woman that is 5'4", 129 lbs, heavily exercising and in her mid twenties needs IN EXCESS of 2400 calories a day to maintain her weight. You are far below that, which means your body is likely in fasting state.

You also haven't mentioned any other aspects besides weight loss. Met is an insulin regulator (not a weight loss drug). Were there medial reasons (insulin resistance for example) that your Dr perscribed this medication and that you are trying to lose weight?

Good Luck.

Shazzer · 09-18-2003, 10:01 AM

Thank you, Christy. I'll try to explain my situation a little better. My doctor put me on Met in Dec '01 for my severe insulin resistance and other PCOS complications. I had terrible hypoglycemic problems before Met (in addition to hair loss, facial hair, horrid periods and cramps, weight gain). After, my blood sugar steadied and I lost weight but I was still having major blood sugar swings. Then I gained back some of the weight by following a standard American diet. I still had remaining blood sugar problems (the fatigue, low blood sugar, etc) which is why I switched to a low-carb diet.

I know what Met is for; it makes my cells more receptive to insulin. My thoughts are that my body cannot be producing/utilizing as much insulin now as I'm not eating that many carbs. I test my blood sugar regularly and with low carbing it does not deviate from the range of 70-90. Before going low-carb, even with Met, my blood sugar went from 70-140 and upwards if I ate high glycemic foods. And it would fall quickly from its peaks. It wasn't as bad with Met, but still not good.

I feel 1000 times better with minimal carbs because I do not have any blood sugar swings. The protein I eat is slowly metabolized as is the fat I consume. The carbs I eat come from vegtables, berries, nuts, and minimal dairy foods. I also had my metabolism analyzed and that is how I came up with the calorie requirements. I burn 1400 calories a day by just being alive and another 300-600 through daily activities. So at 1500-1700 calories, I should be losing weight, and I'm not. I've heard of some PCOS women and diabetics going off of Metformin with a low-carb diet because the body does not need it. I'm wondering if my high intake of Met could be inhibiting weight loss at all, ie could my insulin production/absorption be out of whack by not consuming the carbohydrates?

christyz · 09-18-2003, 12:20 PM

I doubt met would discourage weight loss. If anything it would encourage it, given how IR you are.

Because your BMI is fine, your IR is obviously not weight related, which is why I'm trying to understand why you still want to lose at least 13% of your body weight (you said you lost an additional 17 pounds when starting Met). We'll have to agree to disagree on your caloric intake...I see a deficit of at least 700 calories a day which is easily enough to put your body in fasting mode. I see that as the biggest red flag here. Just my opinion.

I'm not a Dr, but since we're problem solving, that is the only thing I can see that seems significantly off. Just my 2 cents, whatever it's worth.

I wish you luck and health.

SheriKCMO · 09-19-2003, 12:31 AM

Hi Shazzar,
I know it's not what you want to hear, but I agree with Christy. You could try to increase your intake ever so slightly, like adding a half-cup serving of whole grains per day to one of your meals. Then add a little more dairy, then a fruit like an apple or grapefruit. It really sounds like your body is asking for some more fuel. If these things are eaten with protein in the same meal, they shouldn't elevate your glucose. I'm sure that nothing about metformin would cause a person to gain weight. If you were to stop it completely, the possibility exists that your insulin would creep up again, your glucose would plummet, and you'd be back into your symptoms. At some point, talk to your doc about gradually reducing it and see what he/she says. Let us know!
Sheri