Rachel - good for you! 8 lbs is good - you have had to give up a lot and I am proud of you!
As far as Adderal - I have seen the effects as far as weight loss goes with that stuff. My daughter has been taking it for ADD since February and she has lost 35lbs. She was a big girl to begin with, so she could afford to lose some weight. Her doctor is watching her closely and we make sure she eats good food when she does eat and we make sure she drinks tons of water, milk and juice. Adderal is no joke and is something not to be taken without a medical professional! I'm not going to lie and say it hasn't done wonders for her self esteem because it has. She looks great and isn't so self conscious anymore. She just needs it to focus and one of the side effects was weight loss. We also don't make her take it every day since school is out. However, we definitely notice the difference with her when she doesn't take it. She is a total space cadet.
I still havent found anything over the counter to help out. I tried Slimquick for 3 days and it has too much caffine for me, so that stuff is out. I think I am going to go with a good old fashioned chicken, veggie, fruit, water and exercise diet and see how it goes from there! We've got 3 months till our day and if I lose - that would rock, if I don't - I will know in my heart of hearts that I tried!
I will keep an eye out for something with hoodia to help give me a jumpstart.