Hi Melissa,
I'm bipolar also, and I have to echo what Leenie said: take your pills, sweetie. I know it's hard to remember, especially when it's a new thing, so put them somewhere where you can't miss them. I have them between the tea canister and the Splenda canister because the first thing I do every morning is make myself a cup of tea.
. I still forget sometimes, though, especially on the weekends when I don't have a real schedule to follow.
I ALSO know how painfully difficult it seems to lose weight, especially when you have the added issue of depression and all those hideously negative thoughts that go along with it. I've found that SO much of losing weight is a
mental battle, and when you're depressed, you just don't have the energy to fight that battle.
I used food as a form of medication. If I was lonely, depressed, stressed, or even just bored, I'd eat. And that is a HARD habit to break, especially if you've been doing it for YEARS like I was.
Here is my main advice:
1. Take your pills, and know that it sometimes takes a while for them to kick in, so be patient with them AND with yourself. If your pills DON'T kick in in two weeks or so, tell your doctor. It took my doctor and I quite a while to get the meds right.
2. Don't look at the big picture -- concentrate on little things that you can do each day to make yourself healthier. I (literally) started by cutting back from 4 cans of Coke a day to 3 cans a day. Every week, I changed something else. It's much easier -- and less stressful -- that way.
3. Set up little rewards for yourself. If you lose 5 lbs, but yourself something nice, rent a favorite movie, or even treat yourself to a snack-sized bag of your favorite chips (some people may not suggest using food as a reward, but I think it helps you to "wean" yourself off the junk food.)
4. Try VERY HARD not to talk to yourself in a negative way. I know this will be extremely difficult because when a person is depressed, negative self-talk is very normal. But really focus on being NICE to yourself; acknowledge your victories however small. If you walk past a vending machine and DON'T buy a Snickers bar, congratulate yourself.
You can do this, Melissa!
i don't know how to do this!
