You Don't Have To Gain Weight On Abilify, Lithium, Risperidone, And ...

Endurance Sports

While HIIT burns lots of calories in a matter of minutes, endurance sports like running or swimming laps can be equally effective if you’re willing to put in the time. Some of my personal training clients prefer steady endurance activities over the bursts of energy required in HIIT. It’s up to you what you prefer, although I would recommend a fitness program that combines the two for maximum benefit.

Calorie Counting

Even a small increase in calories can cause significant weight gain. It’s very hard not to eat more when your medication hijacks your appetite and makes you crave sugary, fatty foods. If you just go off how you feel, you will very likely eat more food than you need when taking medications like Abilify.

To counter this, I recommend tracking your calories in a fitness app like MyFitnessPal. This will make you more mindful of how many calories you’ve eaten and help you balance your intake with what you’re burning through exercise.

Yes, calorie counting is a pain when you do it day-after-day. But it’s such an effective way of seeing your trends in your diet and keeping your eating in check. It’s also helpful if you end up seeing a dietician or other nutritional specialist as they can see at a glance what you are eating.

My recommended calorie and macronutrient goals vary by person. For me personally, I shoot for less than 22 grams of sugar per day (almost always in the form of fruit). I also try to keep my healthy fat intake at 25% of my calories.

If you’re actively losing weight, you want to prevent muscle loss, so it’s important to increase your protein intake as well. Specifically, aim for .7 to 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day. This may seem like a lot, but a higher level of protein will help you maintain muscle mass and also makes you feel more full in between meals.

Paleo Diet

I’ve personally gone back and forth on the Paleo diet over the years. Whole grains (which are not Paleo) are a great source of fiber and healthy carbohydrates, but I go through phases where it seems like my body doesn’t tolerate them well.

However, if you’re dealing with weight gain (or trying to prevent it), I would say that Paleo is almost non-negotiable. There are lots of studies showing that Paleo is effective for weight loss, probably because Paleo encourages eating fewer carbs, healthy fats, and more protein.

(I know the ketogenic diet is very popular right now, but I personally haven’t had success with it. As someone who trains intensely every day, I can’t seem to become “fat adapted” and need the glucose from carbohydrates to fuel my workouts.)