Depression and Weight IssuesHave you been diagnosed with depression, are possibly on depression medication, and find it affects your weight loss efforts? Post here for support!
It's a bit of an embarrassment to make this post, but I have resolved to do every thing to help myself to lose the weight this time around.
I have one simple question. How do you gather enough strength to exercise when you don't have enough strength to accomplish simple daily activities such as bathing or cleaning your teeth?
Despite my current antidepressant treatment, all I feel like doing is to lie here on my stomach and watch T.V all day. Meanwhile I've got one million things to do.
Is it the depression, or mere laziness? I don't know anymore. Why do I feel this stone on me every time, such that putting my feet on the floor to get anything done becomes a feat?
How do YOU do it?!!
Last edited by thirti4thirty; 02-04-2014 at 03:33 AM.
Is your doctor aware that your current anti depressant doesn't seem to be working? I'd check with him/her to make sure you are on the right prescription and/or dosage.
Many of us have to give ourselves a little push to exercise. The great thing about it is once you're done you normally feel wonderful, and that wonderful feeling is what inspires you to do it again!
I'd suggest starting small and something easy like walking. I splurged ($29) and got an expensive pedometer that's very accurate (cheap pedometers will count steps even when you're not walking ) Sometimes just adding some extra steps to everyday tasks can invigorate and inspire you to do more. LOL sometimes I'll even make a game of it...running up and down the steps to carry extra loads of laundry. It became fun to see how many extra steps I could get in each day. Now I walk on a regular basis, go to the gym, and participate in 5ks.
This may not be your thing it's just a suggestion. Everyone is inspired by something different. You just have to find your inspiration!
I did it. I got up, gathered my training clothes, dusted my treadmill, put the t.v on and got my usual 400 calories and 3 miles in. I was smelling bad. Because I had not even bathed in days On normal days I bath before and after exercising. The room around me was smelling quite bad, but I insisted and did it. There, I said all of it. I am soo not feeling like myself with the medication. I was so out of shape that I actually had to sit down to take my bath.
When I'm done shedding my 60 lbs (in 11 months) I'm surely gonna make a link to this tread. One day. Some day
'
Last edited by thirti4thirty; 02-04-2014 at 06:04 AM.
Thanks for your support, Vermontmom and Psychic.
I was happy I did it. I'll be seeing my therapist next week. I'll have to tell her about the drug. y'all!
You are not alone! I have those days too. Unfortunately they have been more frequently lately. It's like a inner battle to force myself out of bed to take a shower or do anything. And exercise! Moving to the bathroom is exhausting, I can't even imagine exercising! I know once I do it I feel better but sometimes that's not enough to motivate me. Then the not doing anything depresses you more, it's quite the vicious circle. Although it helps to talk to others who understand. You should definitely talk to your doctor if your meds are making you feel worse. I wish you all the best and hope your doctor figures out something better for you!
Have you had a physical lately? It could be a number of things besides depression - like hypothyroidism, adrenal fatigue, low iron, vitamin D deficiency, seasonal affective disorder, sleep apnea, etc. Whatever it is, don't settle for living your life like this. A doctor should be able to figure it out and find a combination of meds to treat it.
It's the only way I've found to both manage my depression and manage my life. Instead of getting on the elliptical and forcing myself to "WORK" out (which feels horrible and punishing), I just fall into a certain mindset, and pace.
The bedroom, the living room, the hall, the basement...doesn't matter. Just back and forth.
The motion of going back and forth puts my mind into a kind of forward-moving trance, which gets the blood flowing, and somehow that blood must make it to my brain because after that, I'm able to do other things. Also, the trance mode of one foot in front of the other, repeat, repeat, turn, repeat, repeat, turn again...mollifies the feeling of overwhelm. So, things like cleaning a disaster of a house are no longer impossible.
30+ years of treatment-resistant depression have forced me to find weird ways of coping.
Thanks for the tip, greymatter. I'll try it next time. In my case I can't even gather enough stamina to put one foot on the floor. I'm just starting my treatment so I'm hoping I'll get better soon. I'm tired of depression. I really am. Are you losing weight too?
I don't know if depression is different for everyone. I know what you mean by not being able to gather enough stamina to do things, but not sure if I understand the depth of your particular experience. I've always had a low-grade depression that's worse at certain times. Sometimes it's harder to get out of bed, but I always find a way to do it. I don't know how it would be if I simply could not muster the strength at all.
The pacing is really mental, more than physical. I know it's "my space." If that makes any sense. It's like medication for me. I can kind of zone out, tune out everything and be safe. And for that reason, I enjoy it and the will to do it comes naturally. It propels me upward. Not many things propel me. But, if I know something is going to "fix" me, then I am motivated to try it. The most important thing for me is that I hate being "made" to do stuff. I have to be intrinsically motivated. The problem with depression is being weighted down by too many extrinsic motivations that only hurt in the long run. I ask myself a lot - Is there anything at all that *you* would like right now? Often, I don't have an answer. But, occasionally, I do. Stupid things like painting my nails or reading a book (which I don't like to do often enough either). If I can find that one tiny thing that brings me some modicum of happiness, I cling to it in the moment. It sometimes propels me to the next thing. Sometimes not. Pacing usually does.
Am I losing weight? Not really sure. I don't really weigh myself anymore as I found that to be too discouraging. I pay more attention to how I feel physically, what makes me feel bad, what makes me feel good, etc. I eat when stomach hungry and if I find myself eating for comfort, I attempt to use other measures whenever possible, but don't beat myself up if I eat for comfort. I feel thinner, if that matters. I care about myself more than my appearance, although I understand that appearance matters to a degree. But, the things that bring me *unnecessary and unhelpful* pain, I avoid, such as the scale, bad photos, tighter clothes, etc.
Last edited by GreyMatter; 02-11-2014 at 12:09 PM.
It sounds like depression more than laziness to me. When I got really depressed in college I would do that. Just lay in bed and not move all day. When I moved home, my mom would have to prompt me to do everything like bath, brush my teeth etc.
Now I have more irritability when I'm depressed. I grump at my husband, I grump at my kids, I scream, I cry etc. So I went on cytalopram and it was better. I didn't scream as much. But I still just did the bare minimums.... I bathed, did the dishes, did my work. But all without joy or interest. Then I sat at the computer and wasted time, or hid in my room and read.
One month ago my doctor urged me to try a larger dose of cytalopram. I'm on 40 mg now. It took 2-3 weeks to really feel better. But now I have decided to start losing weight. I started taking my vitamins (B vitamins give you a lot of energy!) Now I'm excercising, I'm smiling more, and I generally feel alive again.
I would recommend getting your meds evaluated! You may be able to feel much better than you do now.
Good luck! And Good job on walking on the treadmill!
My PSA for this thread is a reminder that 3FC has an ignore function that can occasionally be quite helpful when people come trolling and playing know-it-all Internet doctor.
OP - good luck. Whether it's depression or another medical issue, I hope you find something that helps. From what you've shared, it does sound like something to explore further with your doctor.
No stamina to bath/brush teeth. Exercise?!
) Sometimes just adding some extra steps to everyday tasks can invigorate and inspire you to do more. LOL sometimes I'll even make a game of it...running up and down the steps to carry extra loads of laundry. It became fun to see how many extra steps I could get in each day. Now I walk on a regular basis, go to the gym, and participate in 5ks.
Yay to you that you got up and did the treadmill! 
My PSA for this thread is a reminder that 3FC has an ignore function that can occasionally be quite helpful when people come trolling and playing know-it-all Internet doctor.