Hey there Michelle, I couldn't help but notice your question about weight gain and depression. I'm not a doctor or medical professional, but I have dealt with depression as well as obesity for as long as I can remember.
Many people say that depression and weight gain go hand in hand. You have to remember that when most people gain weight, its a result of eating unhealthy foods. When I say unhealthy foods, I usually mean foods with a lot of empty calories, chemicals you can't pronounce, and ingredients so refined that they have lost most of their nutritional value.
So you can imagine when your eating unhealthy, your body isn't getting the right vitamins/minerals/and nutrients it needs to stay healthy. Often times when I eat unhealthy I get into a "Blah" mood, where I feel crappy, tired and don't feel like doing anything at all.
Aside from the physical effects of weight gain, it has psychological effects too. Everyone is different of course, so this may not be the case for you. But for me personally, being overweight caused so much emotional pain and hardship in my life.
The media that we are exposed to every day is covered with tall, beautiful, and thin women. It may not bother you, or you may not even notice, but eventually you might start believing that is normal and is how you should look. For me, this is one of the things that lead to a lifetime of feeling worthless, being ashamed of how I looked, and having almost no confidence in myself.
Last spring I started eating healthy foods and began loosing weight. I went from 245lbs to just under 200. (This was before I gained it all, and then some back after Christmas) My depression started to fade as I lost the weight. It didn't go away completely, but I felt good about myself. I was proud of my accomplishments and I finally thought I looked beautiful. Not only did I feel a lot better psychologically, I had felt better physically. My energy level pretty much doubled, I could finally breath again after going up a flight of stairs too.
I truly hope that things start looking better for you
I'm also very proud you have the courage to seek help. It's a situation that can leave you feeling vulnerable and scared. I hope that I didn't ramble on too much in this post, but when I saw it, it reminded of some of the issues I was going through and how it was directly related to my weight.
I know that it can be hard to keep hanging on sometimes, but never give up hope, and never stop believing in yourself. If you ever need any help or support in getting through rough times, we are all here for you
Well...... I made the call to my DR today
