[hrhhyacinth]

Do you think that Depression is a cause for not losing weight?

[acw]

Hi and yes!

That old saying about a vicious cycle is true at least for me. I eat because I am depressed etc and then I get more depressed because I'm big and feel down. I'm sure most people feel that way in here. It can happen another way tho and some people don't eat and therefore lose weight because of stress etc they physically can't eat.

Anna

[Lunula]

Hmm... a "cause" for not losing weight? No... I can't agree with that.

I suffered with (and am still learning to cope with) clinical depression for years - I tried different meds, hypnotherapy, every book & audio tape you could think of, also tried 4 different therapists. All through this time, I was (and still am) overweight. I don't believe it is a cause-and-effect relationship - I believe that I just plain didn't have the energy, or the hope, to care about losing weight. I desperately wanted to, and it was easy to blame my weight on my depression - but I think you're doing yourself an injustice if you blame one of your problems on another problem, ya know? I constantly searched for an excuse for my weight... my depression, my metabolism, my genetic make-up, my knee surgeries, etc., etc., etc. - and I truly believe that I used those excuses as crutch by saying, "Oh, it's not ME, it's just my *insert excuse here*!"

I understand how amazingly delibilitating depression can be, I know the sheer hopelessness I felt a lot of the time, the suicide thoughts & attempts, the medications, the whole horrible lot of it. Sure, I ate when I was depressed, I layed around and didn't do anything, I didn't want to take care of myself. But I was overweight because I ate too much, didn't exercise & didn't take care of myself... not because I was depressed. There is a relationship there, and yeah, it can be a vicious circle - but I think you take your own person power away when you blame one problem on another problem. Just my personal take...

Anywho, I know there will be those who disagree with me - and I'm totally cool with that. We're all different & we believe different things - I just firmly believe that we don't grow as people when we don't meet challenges head-on, and how can you meet a challenge head-on when excuses are blocking it?

[Schmo]

Hi! I believe that if you believe that "your" depression is why your over weight then yes. But I myself believe that I'm over weight because I eat too much all the time! And that I'm depressed "because" I'm over weight. I have been over weight for quite a few years and am finally doing something about it by seeking help with WW. So far it is ok. We'll see...I'm really glad that I this forum was shown to me. I really think I'll be a regular visitor...later!

[hrhhyacinth]

No, I was not saying use depression as an excuse. What I meant was that I feel so low at times that I don't bother to eat. Ican go days without eating and not feel hungry, not even be interested in food.
But then I am so so tired and headachy.

So that is why I think that the depression is a cause for not losing weight, not an excuse.