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!
Has exercise/change in diet helped with your anxiety and/or depression?
Hi everyone! I'm new here (see bio if you want...just posted it). I suffer from major depressive disorder, anxiety and PTSD.
I recently switched psychiatrists because the old one didn't take my serious anxiety symptoms serious and offered no solutions, medicinal or otherwise. The new headshrinker wants me to exercise every day...doing something that will make me tired. She says that will help with the anxiety. I've heard before that exercise is very good for depression, but I just wanted to hear what people with anxiety/depression had to say about it.
Also, has anyone found that there is a connection between unhealthy eating and depression/anxiety? e.g. I think that eating too many carbs probably throws my brain chemistry out of whack and makes me moody...of course, that could just be me trying to blame my moodiness on something!!!
Last summer I decided to give the Atkins diet a try and I can honestly tell you it has made a huge difference in my depression. Every year from October - April or so, I have SAD, it didn't hit me until January of this year (DUH!!) that I didn't suffer from any depression and we had a rough winter. I was AMAZED!! and thrilled to death that I didn't have to go to my doctor for medication
As for the exercising, yes!! I only just started walking and in fact yesterday I started weight training. As much as I was fighting exercising because I don't like it, I have to do it and YES it makes my moods much better.
I see in your signature you lost quite a bit of weight, GOOD FOR YOU!!!! how did you do it?
I know for me that I feel so much better if I go for a walk, have a good housecleaning or exercise session etc. Even putting my swimsuit on and hitting the pool makes me feel better.
I am not sure if the depression leads to the weight gain or the weight gain contibutes to the depression.......but I know I feel a whole lot better in every way if I am eating healthy.
That being said I am not exercising regularly or eating well consistently....today is another day.
I also have SAD.....have had it for at least 21 years....maybe longer......the last 3 winters were worse....depressed all fall & winter.....but was just diagnosed a few winters ago. Over the years....have been on antidepressants on & off. I find the depression changes over the years....not only am I depressed in the fall & winter....but now....in the spring & summer....if we had cloudy or rainy days....I start to feel sad on those days.
As far as diet goes....for the 2 decades...when I didn't know I had SAD.....the winters were terrible for eating....I couldn't understand why I wanted to eat all this starchy food....which I did....& gained all this weight over the years.....would lose weight in the summer....then gained more back in the winter....about 50 lbs. altogether. Then a few winters ago....when I found out I had SAD....& found out that one of the symptoms is eating lots of starchy foods.
Since then....with antidepressants & using a light box & trying to lose weight....have lost about 20 lbs. in 10 months....it isn't easy....there are ups & downs on the scale....but now I at least know why I was eating all the starchy foods.
Exercise.....for the last 20 or more years....when the depression wasn't as bad as the last 3 winters....I did walk...sort of regular....but when The depression became bad....I stopped walking....have only done it sporadically since.....when the depression is bad....I stopped doing a lot of things I used to do....but through counselling.....have learned....you have to make yourself do things. It's the one thing I need to change.....exercise.
First off, I'm glad to hear exercise is making a difference. I know for sure that it helps my self-esteem to exercise, and that when I exercise I tend to eat healthier, as I consider exercising an "investment".
I am on the Discovery Channel National Body Challenge plan. I eat 5 meals a day, 1 meal every 3 hours. The theory is to keep your blood sugar level as even as possible to avoid insulin spikes, which can cause your body to retain fat. I eat 1220 calories a day, 95g protein, 110g carbs, 45g fat, 35g fiber. Each meal is around 244 cals, 22g carbs, 19g protein, 9g fat, 5-7g fiber. The meals were good, satisfying, frequent and easy to prepare.
Things that worked:
---keeping a food/water/exercise journal daily
---eating flavorful foods that were satisfying
---planning, planning, planning (meal plans for the week)
---preparing (I cooked 5 lbs of chicken breasts at a time & froze them in individual portions.)
---drinking lots of water
---eating every 3 hours
---having a support network (such as this)
---weigh and measure everything
This is the plan that seems to work best for me, but I think the key is for each person to find something that fits their lifestyle and eating habits.
I have fallen off the wagon over the past two months. I decided that having a "cheat day" would be harmless and actually keep me sane. I WAS WRONG. All "cheat days" did for me was lead to cravings and then not eating right most of the time. It was a slippery slope. For me, it snowballs out of control. Maybe for some people, cheat days are okay, but for me they are catostrophic...I just don't have that kind of control.
I look forward to getting on my meal plan again soon!
I've been going walking the past 4 days and I think it does make me feel better somewhat. I wish more people with depression knew what a difference exercise can make. I have a friend who has bipolar disorder, and she swears by exercise. She can tell the difference when she is and isn't exercising. Thanks for your input!
Chris, the 5 meals a day (every 3 hours, some times 2 lol) is exactly what I've been striving for, its not an easy change from some one who used to eat once a day, dinner, and would consume all my calories in that meal. I did lose weight, it was hard, and I know now it is not healthy. So this little bit of calories a few times a day is a challenge.
I couldn't agree with you more about having cheat days, OMG when I do cheat it just throws me for a loop, but then feeling deprived sucks as well LOL. Lots of folks have a cheat day once a week. I try to hold off as long as I can, like every two weeks or three. What I have to learn is not to have a "cheat day" and just have a "cheat meal", now THATS!! gonna be hard.
I replied to your post already, but for some reason it didn't show up...so here I go again...forgive me if it shows up eventually.
Before I swayed from my program, I was only managing about 4 meals a day on most days. If I would have eaten the 5th meal, it would have been at like 10:30pm, right before I went to bed and I didn't want to do that. So, I'm happy with getting in 4 meals. I used to only eat once or twice a day, too (and definitely didn't eat breakfast)...and I still managed to gain weight! Eating smaller meals every 3 hours REALLY kept the cravings away for the most part, and I was never hungry.
Cheat days- I've come to the philosophy that I will no longer plan them, and I will try to avoid them. I am convinced that had I not tried to be cute with the cheat days, I would have stuck to my meal plans. HOWEVER, if I do happen to eat something unhealthy, I will gently remind myself that I feel best when I eat on plan. I will not beat myself up about it.
One of my biggest cheats is pizza, and I really don't have to cheat to eat it: on my meal plan, I can make a delicious one using pita bread, lowfat mozzarella, chicken and veggies. The food addict that lurks in the dark corners of my mind insisted that I needed Pizzeria Uno's Chicago Deep-Dish pizza, which is just soooooo fattening!
Now, if I could just get that food addict out of my brain, I'd be a-okay!
I forgot to say this when you asked how I am losing weight:
My extra weight was partially a safety blanket (I've had abuse/assault issues). I don't think I was strong enough to do without it until recently. Now, I am ready to shed my cocoon and be a butterfly! I truly believe that you can want to lose weight all you want. You can dislike your body and call yourself every name in the book, but until you are truly ready (mentally) to lose your weight, it's going to stay. And at least in my case, that was sort of a healthy thing. But now, I am growing as a person. I am ready to morph!
Hi, new here as well...I have SAD, PTSD, Depression and just plain StReSsEd!! Dieting and exercising helps so much!! I've only been exercising for a couple of weeks but for about 4-5 months now I have eliminated red meats from my diet and my depression has all but gone away. Now if I do have a lil beef, even just a hamburger, I am SO cranky the next day...I mean EVIL cranky. There are so many additives in that meat..there's no telling what we're REALLY eatting!
In the last 2 weeks I have been going to Gold's Gym 4 days a week for about an hour per day and I've been feeling so much better!! (Except for the stresssss..aaaaayee..lol) Everything you can do to better yourself will make you FEEL better too I think...be nice to yourself, it works
Welcome to the board, fellow newbie, and congrats on the weight loss! I don't know if it's because I have been physically active lately, or what, but for the past two days (especially today), I've been on an energy high! It's weird...it's not just energy, but I am being "super-me". I'm thinking more clearly, making a budget/dealing with money issues which usually stress me to pieces, and tackling clutter.
If this is from exercising, man, I'm gonna do it every freekin' day!
I rarely eat red meat or pork, either. Mainly because my fiance doesn't eat it. I don't know if I can tell the difference or not. But I tell ya, I DEFINITELY feel the difference when I am eating to many refined carbohydrates and fat!
Thanks! I am absolutely Pug obsessed...it is SCARY. There is an anual pug party in San Diego where about 1000 pug owners get together and there are costume contests etc. I've been to it several times and always make "costumes" for my pup. He won one year: he was a chinese emperor...I made him a satin yellow and black kimono...I painted a colorful dragon on the back, he had a black satin cap (kind of like those ones that have the propellers on top, though it didn't have one) that had a long gray braided ponytail hanging out of the back. He looked so cute! And believe it or not, he actually starts jumping around in happiness/excitement when I get one of his costumes out to put on him!
I needed to read this today. I am feeling so tired; all I want to do is sleep, but I need to be reminded that if I move, walk, do anything, I will feel better. I promise you and myself that I will go walk on the Nordic track as soon as I finish this. To use an old cliche- I am sick and tired of being sick and tired!
Yes, definitely...sick and tired of sick and tired. I've been walking almost every day for the past week, and it has seemed to help some. Another thing I noticed is that when I go walking, I tend to eat better all day...I guess when I go walking, I consider it an "investment" in myself and I don't want to lose on my investment! We go walking around this lake that is surrounded by tall trees and has squirrels, owls, birds, geese and ducks. It makes it really fun. And I noticed yesterday that they put stale bread outside of the ranger station (no, I'm not thinking of eating it! hehe) for people to feed the ducks. I've decided that can be my reward for going (I love to feed the ducks).
Well, good for you for getting on your NordicTrack. Did you feel better afterwards?
Has exercise/change in diet helped with your anxiety and/or depression?
How I did it...
out of my brain, I'd be a-okay! 
It's weird...it's not just energy, but I am being "super-me". I'm thinking more clearly, making a budget/dealing with money issues which usually stress me to pieces, and tackling clutter. 
Exercise
