Can the doctor do something to speed it up? Should I bother seeing one? I don't find it healthy to be anxious and depressed all the time in order to lose weight.

I've been struggling to lose weight for the past 6 years. I seem to be stuck at the same weight which is 150lbs (I'm 5'3). I have gained a few pounds a few times but then gone back to my 150lbs after exercise. I don't usually seem to lose more even if my diet is fine and I exercise 5 days a week. I eat between 1200 to 1500 calories per day so its not as though I stuff myself.

But recently I started a new job and I am always very anxious (I have social anxiety) at work and depressed when I come home. The more time I spend around people the more anxious I get. I have started dropping pounds. I think my matabolism is running faster. I eat the same so its not the food. I've also stopped exercising but I'm still losing. I sit at the desk all day so its not as though I'm doing any activity. This has happened in the past when I had my last job. As soon as I left the job (6 week contract) I went back to my 150lb weight.

I really hope someone can help. I feel so low

Anxiety can alter your metabolism, sure. But that's not a reason to stay anxious!

I would definitely suggest you talk to your doctor about your anxiety and how it affects you around people. You may be able to get some help for this--either medication, therapy, or both.

Any good doctor is not going to prescribe something to speed up your metabolism, by the way.

If you have stopped exercising, then you could be losing both muscle and fat. Is there any way you can keep up at least some exercise?

Good luck!

Jay

Hi Milly. Welcome to 3FC. For me, I can tell you without a doubt that anxiety totally increases something in me to lose weight...(as long as I ride it out and don't self medicate myself with food & booze which I did for years before I knew what was really wrong with me.) Basically my whole new healthy way of life was a last ditch effort to cure myself from "it", although I didn't know what "it" actually was. I finally had to turn in my rapid weight loss in for medication. The anxiety was getting so bad that I felt like total crap all of the time. MY weight loss has slowed down majorly (but has not stopped) since going on meds, BUT I feel like a human most of the time again. If your anxiety is causing you to be unable to preform at work, then I would consider some form of treatment plan.

While a responsible doctor won't prescribe something to speed up a healthy metabolism, if you have a metabolic disorder or a physiological reason for the slowed metabolism, a doctor will prescribe medication to correct the problem.

There are several medical issues that can result in a sluggish metabolism - such as insulin resistance, diabetes, thyroid and other hormonal issues, some sleep disorders, among others. For some of such conditions, medications can help, tremendously - so a checkup isn't a bad idea.

That you lose weight when anxious, would make me wonder if you might have a thyroid issue. (Do not consider this medical advice, I have no medical background except a few required courses in human biology and anatomy in college and graduate school). Because if I remember correctly from those classes, one of the effect of low thyroid is reduced adrenaline production or reduced response to adrenaline. I'm sure there are a thousand other reasons that anxiety could affect metabolism, some of which you might not even notice (like not getting as deep a sleep, or figiting more - which burns more calories). Still, a checkup couldn't hurt.