Fake Weight "Gain"?

[sep]

Does anyone have any experience with what appears to be obvious weight gain without actually gaining any weight at all?

I have been taking Lithium for about a year and a half. I was always concerned about weight gain so I kept track in the initial months of my weight (and exercised, and ate "more" healthy than normal for me). I never gained any real weight overtime. After about a year, and especially recently, I have noticed that it looks like I have gained considerable weight (solely in my abdominal area). It is very noticeable especially when I went to the beach recently (having not worn the same swim trunks for about a year). Basically I look like I have a beer belly now.

If I had gained 15-20 pounds then I would naturally think I would have to work harder to lose that weight, and it wouldn't be as much of an issue. However I have only gained 3-4 pounds since I started the Lithium. I am still within the 'normal' weight range for BMI, and am 5"11 and 170ish pounds, but my abdominal region looks so different (rest of body the same). I have not had any major changes in appetite, types of foods consumed, alcohol consumption, etc. So what's the deal? I plan on discussing this issue with my psychiatrist whenever I get to see him next, but was just wondering if anyone else has experienced this phantom weight gain? Is there anyway this is not medication related? The timing seems incredibly coincidental if it has nothing to do with the Lithium.

[astronaut]

Hi sep,

I never gained much weight on meds. I usually lose weight when I'm depressed or anxious and because most meds have never worked for me, I often continue to lose weight on meds, or just stay the same.

Have you lost muscle mass lately? --You probably know this already but it can have a bigger impact than we think--muscle weighs more than fat. If your body has been metabolizing and storing more of your energy as fat than muscle, you could gain volume, so to speak, but keep the same average weight. This happens to me sometimes when I am training, except it happens in the opposite way: I will be the same weight as before but my pants will be looser because my fat will be replaced with muscle. I have no idea if lithium can effect how we metabolize or store energy, and likely no one else knows that information either. It probably hasn't been studied. And even if lithium was having that sort of effect on you, I would imagine that it would be a part of a chain reaction and not a direct cause.

What you are describing can also be caused by long term, not-so-healthy drinking patterns.

sorry I'm not more helpful. Good for you for keeping your diet and exercise under control to protect against unhealthy weight gain with the med you are on. That isn't always easy to do.

astronaut

[paul m]

Hello Sep. Astronaut is corrrect in pointing out that muscle weighs more than fat, so a little weight gain can really look like a lot if part of our body muscle turns into fat at the same time.

I don't know if taking lithium causes a bigger belly or not or not, I had those problems before I ever took lithium. I do know that Lithium did take away the sporadic hypomanic episodes that I used to have. During those episodes I would often lose weight.

I know that I haven't given you much of an answer, but I have included a link to what the Mayo clinic has to say on the matter of belly fat. Take Care. paul m

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/belly-fat/mc00054