I deal with anxiety and a lot of it tends to involve health concerns.
It's a challenge to remain patient and focused on the bigger picture when I feel that just being ME is a health hazard!

I keep telling myself that this is a journey, that I must be patient, work towards my goals and that each good choice I make is a step towards a healthier me.

I just can't shake the feeling that being me is a health crisis though...I weigh 300 pounds. My poor organs are working so hard to support a system that is not balanced.

I have a difficult time not fixating on the things that could go wrong with my health just because I am so fat and my system is burdened.

I am working on my anxiety with a therapist, I am addressing my health issues (fibromyalgia, migraines, chronic pain and anemia) and working to eat the healthiest plant based diet possible while exercising regularly. I'm losing weight slowly but surely, but I just can't shake the feeling that something is WRONG with me, that something bad is just around the corner.

I feel anxious and worried...it's like every time I see how fat I am, I can't stop thinking about the health risks of being this overweight. Every pain, ache, muscle twitch or new symptom produces anxiety and turns into a potentially catastrophic disease or condition in my mind.

This wears me out. I'm scared. I'm tired of this.

I have the same problem, although since starting this "lifestyle change", it comes much less frequently. I used to get this weird feeling in my right arm and I was convinced that I was about to have a heart attack. My heart would start to beat really fast and I had to convince myself several times not to leave work or go to the hospital when I felt this way. It had gotten to the point where it was inferring with my life.

Turns out, while I sure the exercising has helped, that I could chalk most of it up to caffeine. I used to drink coffee from the time I woke up until 8 at night sometimes. When I starting limiting it in the morning and only drinking decaf later on, I noticed that the feeling pretty much went away. On the rare occasion I feel it anymore, I find it is usually while I am downing some coffee so I stop and start drinking water. If you drink a lot of caffeine, I would start there.

Now, I only have to worry about suspicious moles and things like that.

Only your therapist can really help you with this. But I can say that being over 300 pounds does not automatically mean you are unhealthy. The media loves to shame and frighten people with excess weight. They come up with all kinds of gloom and doom about being overweight. I ignore them. I know I am doing the best I can to get to where I want to be with my body and nothing anyone can say will change that. Each moment you are on plan, doing the steps you need to do, you are getting healthier, stronger and moving towards a goal. Remember, even as you fear what you cannot see going on inside you, that GOOD things are happening too.

I'm sorry you experienced that and I relate! I don't consume caffeine at all, eliminated that a long time ago as it's definitely a trigger!
You are right and I tell myself these things too...it helps to hear it from someone else!

I PM'd you, I hope you don't mind!

I have been dealing with anxiety for the past two years and honestly never thought it was anything I would ever have to deal with. It is terrible. I have been to the ER probably 5-6 times over 2 years bc I was convinced I was having a heart attack. I am almost positive it is because I put on so much more weight bc I always think I am having a heart attack. I have been to the cardiologist and had every test run including a heart monitor for 30 days and there is nothing wrong but I can't get my head to understand that! So frustrating! I am on the lowest dose possible of xanax that I take if I start feeling anxious and that helps somewhat. I think the only thing that will truly help is getting this weight off once and for all. I will say that since I have stopped drinking caffeine I haven't noticed my heartbeat or that racing feeling as much which is definitely a good thing! You are definitely not alone girl and I'm so sorry you are going through this!

Passion,
I use to have frequent bouts of anxiety. It's not so bad right now, but I understand how they can make you feel. Yes I've even driven myself to the hospital thinking I'm having a heart attack. Heck I've even had 2 EKG's a few years apart where the doctor came back into the room and said I had a heart attack in the recent past. Of course after being hospitalized and having all the test run everything came back normal. All I can say is stick with your therapist and make sure he or she is aware of how these feelings are making your life a living he**. Also your regular doctor needs to know about this also, which I'm sure you've done.
Keep talking with us, we are always here to listen and lend a shoulder if needed. Hang in there girl!

Learn

I have to point outhow far you have came on your weight loss journey. I know that losing 30+lbs seems small compare to how much you want to lose but its an awesome start!! Im know that every lbs makes a difference in your health.

Mind? NO! I appreciate you taking the time to share information and offer support!

Thanks for sharing and I'm sorry you have to deal with anxiety too! I too have done the ER circuit in the past. I have managed to not go for over a year now, dealing with it through a variety of stress management techniques and as a last resort, 1 mg. of Ativan (similar to Xanax or Valium).

Thanks and again, I am so sorry you've also had to deal with this! I've had those tests done in the past, as I also have symptoms manifest as similar to heart attack symptoms. My general practitioner knows I suffer with anxiety and is sympathetic, as well as supportive of my health efforts.

Thanks, I know it's true and these are words I just shared with another myself...it feels good to be reminded of them for ME!!! Every pound matters and means my body is having an easier time at doing the job it's intended to do.

I can relate. SOMETHING is going on with me..I just don't know what. I don't have anxiety as much as I did a year ago. But when I get the pain in my stomach I do panic a bit. When I was in my 20's nothing bothered me. It really has been since my grandparents have passed that I now realize how imortal we are I had a Dr tell me once..we are all going to die of something so stop worrying about what it will be and just live. At first I thought how friggin rude. BUT in a sense she is right. This past year I have spent SO much time worrying about this crap that my life has suffered!

Hope you find answers..HUGS

OH MY GOSH, I could have written your post a few years ago. I went through the exact same things, and it got totally WORSE at around the 30 to 100 pound lost mark...then it got MUCH better. MUCH, MUCH better.

Basically trying to cure my anxiety is what got me on the road to weight loss. My doctor and I discussed why it got some much worse before it got better and he thoroughly believes that it was because I wasn't using my "drugs" to self medicate. When I started to have these feelings I would eat them away, or drink them away, or smoke them away but when I gave all that up. I actually had to FEEL it. I can't tell you how many times I took my blood pressure, my pulse, and even temperature. Then one day it was like the fog lifted.

I still get anxiety some days, and it usually is during PMS or when I go off plan, but it is SOOOOOO much better now. Hopefully you'll have the same results as you chip away at the excess weight and continue to eat a healthy diet.

Passionista- I read your post and also felt like I could have written it! Anxiety and feeling like I'm having a heart attack, trips to the ER...I've been there too.

I wanted to tell you that it *does* get better. You're making changes to your body that it doesn't quite understand yet. But it will catch up.

And you've lost 30 lbs?! That kicks a**! you could do something similar to what my husband did to me. In the grocery store, he handed me two 5-lb sacks of potatoes. He said, "Feel how heavy that is?" I said yeah. He said, "You were carrying that times five. Holy crap!" and he smiled at me. For some reason, that was the exact thing I needed to hear. It made me realize that even though I still have work to do, I should be proud of what I've done.

Take pride in how far you've come already! I'll be sending positive energy your way!

I know what you mean about suspicious and scary pains! Still, I agree with your doctor, life is for living!

Yes...I've always been a "feeler" and am even more raw than ever.

Thank you so much! It helps to hear others relate. How is your anxiety now?

I am too hard on myself, I'm working on being gentler in some ways and more disciplined in others.

Update: I've had a good stretch of days, have went back to keeping food logs and seeing the registered dietitian, am keeping up with my pain management group, started physical therapy, am taking a good iron supplement, do not drink any alcohol or refined sugars...man, it takes a whole village to care for me!!! Vigilance is what is needed, consistency and discipline. I'm doin' it!