Does Contrave really work for weight loss?

Nov 14

Is this just another phony weight loss medication?

And why take it in the first place?

I was inspired to give this medication a try after watching a YouTube video posted by a gal who had success losing weight on Contrave. In fact, she lost 125 pounds using Contrave. Her name is Jill Perry-Eising and you can find her video HE RE. The video below is the first video diary/vlog I made after starting Contrave.

I made an appointment with my doctor (always talk to your doctor first) to discuss whether or not she felt this medication would be something worth trying.

To give you a little background, I’ve struggled with my weight from a very young age. Despite being extremely active playing all kinds of sports in my lifetime and some still to this day (tennis, volleyball, soccer, bowling), my body remained “stocky” and always overweight according to any medical BMI chart. But every single doctor always told me ALL of my tests came back normal and all of my levels were in the healthy/normal range. And, honestly, I never felt like my weight was a problem UNTIL one specific doctor said it was. But it wasn’t a nice sit-down conversation about it…no…it was an overheard comment at the checkout counter leaving an appointment at 10 years old. I sat in a chair by the exit door and saw this doctor lean in closer to my mom’s ear and say, “Check under her bed or in the closet for candy wrappers. She’s hiding food.” This was the beginning of the battle with my weight and food.

The question, to this day, remains:

Can you be healthy and overweight at the same time?

According to some doctors, yes. Unfortunately, I didn’t find one of those doctors until a couple years ago. And if the answer is yes and I’m coming to terms with it all at 43 years old, why would I want to take a weight loss medication to try and lose weight?

The reality of it is, being too heavy of a weight (everyone’s comfort zone is different for their body frame), for me, is taking a toll on me physically. I’ve spent this year on a self-love journey, diving into figuring out who Katie really is and why I should love her unconditionally. That absolutely, without a doubt, had to come first. Now that I have confidence in who I am as a person and see how much I matter to this world (AND YOU DO, TOO), I can focus on strengthening my body. I want to fire on all cylinders, mind, body, soul. Having said all that, my goal, if I had to put an actual scale number on it would still technically be considered overweight or even obese for my height. Who the heck decided these numbers on the BMI chart anyway?! We are not one-size-fits-all. We are all built different and some of us were born as round as we were tall. It’s just how it is.

So why Contrave?

Contrave is a combination of bupropion and naltrexone. Bupropion is an antidepressant medication used to treat major depressive disorder and seasonal affective disorder (cited from www.drugs.com). Naltrexone can be used to treat addictive behaviors. So why would these two drugs combined together have an effect on someone’s weight?

I can tell you firsthand that my weight is a mental issue rather than a physical one. It’s not a matter of now knowing what healthy food is or how important exercise is. Sure, there may be some component physically with the rate at which my body burns fat for calories, but food and my weight have been directly wrapped up in the feelings I’ve had for myself over the years (hence, the self-love journey being necessary FIRST). Contrave has helped “flip the switch” that needed to be flipped.

I’ve been documenting my journey using Contrave. You can find all my Contrave videos on my You Tube c hannel. Here is the latest update video of where I’m at as of today:

I really believe that for a lot of us, it’s not as simple as going on a diet and exercise plan. There’s more to it than that. Learning to accept yourself and LOVE yourself unconditionally is the first step. It has to come first. If you struggle, please reach out. I’d love to create a community here where we can support each other. It’s nice to know others out there REALLY get it.

(You can reach me via email at simplykatieann@hotmail.com)

And lastly, but certainly not least…