Depression/Anxiety and Weight Loss

batteryacids

hey everyone, i'm kit and i'm 21 years old. i currently weigh 272 lbs and have recently been diagnosed with depression and social anxiety and have started medication for both (100 mg of sertraline daily). i just wanted to know if anyone else on these forums has dealt with the mental illness hurdles that you face when trying to lose weight. on the days when my depression rears its ugly head, i find i don't have the energy to cook anything really and will instead order delivery or even go to a drive-thru and get fried things. i don't really have a ton of money either because i'm a college student working full time for the summer. this is mainly just me half-venting and reaching out, but if you have any advice, i'd love to hear it!

Numberwang22

Tip from Nigella, but I find having portioned meals in the freezer handy for when I'm too tired/busy/lazy to cook from scratch. I tend to batch cook when I have time and nearly always have portions of veg curry I can nuke in a hurry.

All the best for managing your illness.

deceived1

I was on fluoxetine for depression and anxiety while losing weight. I found that as long as I weighed and logged all of my foods accurately that nothing else mattered. If I was feeling too miserable to go for a bike ride or walk, so long as I weighed everything and ate at my calorie goals for the day, the results followed. With the results, brought way better mood.

daniwilford

Be kind to yourself. Until I was able to get a handle on my anxiety based depression, I was unable to have success at weight loss. Focus on things that are good for both mental and physical health like walking, eating nutrient dense foods, 8 hours of sleep and cognitive therapy along with your medication.

tomatoey

Try out some simple meals with good macronutrient ratios, and when you have an idea of what s filling for you, just repeat them.

It's ok to rely on frozen stuff for a while. When I didn't have time to cook, I liked this one brand of lighter meals (blue line by PC if you're in Canada, don't know if that's still around).

What are your favourite foods? Are there any meals you know you like and can get together in under ten minutes?

An easy one I like is a pan-fried steak (can also use a foreman grill), bag of salad, and a small piece of bread.

kshama2001

Here's my experience with pills for depression and anxiety - YMMV. I took Zoloft for a short time and found it completely killed my ability to have an orgasm. I don't remember what effect, if any, it had on my energy level, but drowsiness is a common side effect: http://www.drugs.com/sertraline.html

Welbutrin worked much better for me. It's a little speedy, which is helpful. I have Xanax as needed. My shrink always frowns and says it's addictive, and I remind him that he only gives me 6 pills every 6 months, which is not enough to form a dependency.

For not wanting to exercise due to being depressed and unmotivated, I remind myself that exercise is a great remedy for depression and force myself to just start.

For Depression, Prescribing Exercise Before Medication

Joel Ginsberg was a sophomore at a college in Dallas when the social anxiety he had felt throughout his life morphed into an all-consuming hopelessness. He struggled to get out of bed, and even the simplest tasks felt herculean.

“The world lost its color,” he told me. “Nothing interested me; I didn’t have any motivation. There was a lot of self-doubt.”

He thought getting some exercise might help, but it was hard to motivate himself to go to the campus gym.

“So what I did is break it down into mini-steps,” he said. “I would think about just getting to the gym, rather than going for 30 minutes. Once I was at the gym, I would say, ‘I’m just going to get on the treadmill for five minutes.’”

Eventually, he found himself reading novels for long stretches at a time while pedaling away on a stationary bike. Soon, his gym visits became daily. If he skipped one day, his mood would plummet the next.

“It was kind of like a boost,” he said, recalling how exercise helped him break out of his inertia. “It was a shift in mindset that kind of got me over the hump.”

Read more: http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/03/for-depression-prescribing-exercise-before-medication/284587/

WeddedBliss1992

hi...i have BPD type 1 and i am on seroquel (caused me to gain about 40 lbs) and i'm also on 3 others for OCD, anxiety, etc. when i don't feel like cooking, i have a freezer full of lean cuisine. i know they aren't the healthiest choices, but better than mcD's drive-through where you can easily rack-up over 1000 calories in one meal. last night, i had 210 calorie meal (smart ones frozen) and it was good and satisfied me. there are days that i feel better than others, today i am cooking homemade fajitas and some days when i'm in bed when my husband gets home so we have to take each day as it comes. the meds are helping and i'm just about at a 180 from where i was when i was first diagnosed. it's not easy, i log every single thing i eat, every single day, and once per month, i take a day and eat anything and everything i want (that just happens to be today!) i wish you well. sorry i couldn't be of more help.

tsalagi82

www.noamalgam.com

WeddedBliss1992

tsalagi82 wrote: »

www.noamalgam.com

ummmmm, not sure what to say. some of us have real ailments unrelated to being "poisoned."

Orphia

daniwilford wrote: »

Be kind to yourself. Until I was able to get a handle on my anxiety based depression, I was unable to have success at weight loss. Focus on things that are good for both mental and physical health like walking, eating nutrient dense foods, 8 hours of sleep and cognitive therapy along with your medication.

This.

RodaRose

Re cooking: I used to cook enough food for myself for three or four days. They were easy things like baked chicken thighs. Bags of frozen broccoli are easy to cook in the microwave.
I cook a lot of beans and lentils. They are pretty much the most inexpensive food you can buy.

dakotababy

deceived1 wrote: »

I was on fluoxetine for depression and anxiety while losing weight. I found that as long as I weighed and logged all of my foods accurately that nothing else mattered. If I was feeling too miserable to go for a bike ride or walk, so long as I weighed everything and ate at my calorie goals for the day, the results followed. With the results, brought way better mood.

I am not diagnosed, but I have had my fair share of crappy days and anxious moments. ^ This is true 100% for anyone looking to lose weight. Days that you feel like crap, that is okay. Dont workout, dont cook fresh, whatever - AT THE VERY LEAST, LOG YOUR FOOD! With that, and staying around your calorie goals, you will continue to lose weight.

angelexperiment

I have to say walking is the best mood stabilizer also when I feel absolutely not cooking bc I am depressed, having premade meals or something quick and dirty like tuna or eggsalad or even just a salad, also have some emergency meals like smartones or atkins frozen meals. Or soups. That keeps me in check. I don't have the option to eat out so think like if you had to walk there instead of drive there by then you don't want it anymore:). Besides you could just stop at the grocery store and get sushi or a sub which is healthier:)

StellaMA20

In my experience, it makes sense to turn to unhealthy and salty carbs when feeling down - carbs boost your serotonin and calm you down. But that is also something that we can use to our benefit. I used to have a baked potato with cayenne pepper and salt and a tsp of olive oil (microwave 10 minutes or bake for 45) whenever I felt my mood slipping. Some basic whole wheat pasta with salt, a few spices, and a little bit of good cheddar can also do the trick. Maybe these are better alternatives to your drive-throughs?

RodaRose

dakotababy wrote: »

deceived1 wrote: »

I was on fluoxetine for depression and anxiety while losing weight. I found that as long as I weighed and logged all of my foods accurately that nothing else mattered. If I was feeling too miserable to go for a bike ride or walk, so long as I weighed everything and ate at my calorie goals for the day, the results followed. With the results, brought way better mood.

I am not diagnosed, but I have had my fair share of crappy days and anxious moments. ^ This is true 100% for anyone looking to lose weight. Days that you feel like crap, that is okay. Dont workout, dont cook fresh, whatever - AT THE VERY LEAST, LOG YOUR FOOD! With that, and staying around your calorie goals, you will continue to lose weight.

Yes!
Keep logging even when you go over. Logging is a self-care strategy.

Mr_Bad_Example

batteryacids wrote: »

hey everyone, i'm kit and i'm 21 years old. i currently weigh 272 lbs and have recently been diagnosed with depression and social anxiety and have started medication for both (100 mg of sertraline daily). i just wanted to know if anyone else on these forums has dealt with the mental illness hurdles that you face when trying to lose weight. on the days when my depression rears its ugly head, i find i don't have the energy to cook anything really and will instead order delivery or even go to a drive-thru and get fried things. i don't really have a ton of money either because i'm a college student working full time for the summer. this is mainly just me half-venting and reaching out, but if you have any advice, i'd love to hear it!

I have to tell you, Setraline has saved my life. I've been on it since January after dealing with a 23 year depression and I feel great. As far as weight, I've found that food tastes better now that I'm on the meds than it had before - so that makes it a bit tougher with self control, but not impossible. Just keep your goals in sight and you will be fine. I've managed to maintain my 50lb weight loss with diet, exercise, and daily logging - so it can definitely be done.

gramarye

Orphia wrote: »

daniwilford wrote: »

Be kind to yourself. Until I was able to get a handle on my anxiety based depression, I was unable to have success at weight loss. Focus on things that are good for both mental and physical health like walking, eating nutrient dense foods, 8 hours of sleep and cognitive therapy along with your medication.

This.

Seconded. Control actually soothes my anxiety about 80% of the time, but there have been times in the past two years where I had to stop for a while and just maintain while I get my mental health under control.

Don't put your diet above your mental health, and don't be afraid to take breaks. I have lost all of 7 pounds in the last six months -- I could be done faster if I put my mental health on the backburner, but I also think I would have quit two months in if I hadn't balanced my physical and mental health.

melimomTARDIS

i dont have depression, I have an anxiety disorder. Which sucks. I like to say that my brain is a dick. My brain would like me to not ever try new things.

*kitten* that noise. I take my medication, and I push myself to try new things, and when I slip into an anxiety fueled binge, I dont do the shame spiral thing. I log it, and move on. Every meal is a new start.

Practical advice-
It helps me to eat similar foods, in rotation. Right now I am doing a protien powder shake every morning for breakfast. Before that I was doing a bowl of cereal with soymilk and fruit every morning, and before that, I think I ate oatmeal every morning for like 4 months.

Use a food scale. It helps alot.

Learn the calorie counts of your favorite dishes at fast food chains and chain restaurants. My husband orders a lot of dollar menu chicken sandwiches on the road (no mayo) because they are cheap, filling, and low calorie (300-350 per sandwich)

If you are too overwhelmed to cook, a sandwich makes a fine dinner get a good group on non-judgemental MFP friends to cheer you on. You got this!

phiguru

I'm clawing my way out of a massive bout of depression now. I'm medicated and in therapy, but it's still a fight every day. Thankfully, some days the fight is less awful now but gosh it's been rough. I think Daniwilford was bang on - being kind to yourself is critical. Do what you can, what is within your abilities for the day. Here are two examples:

• Going to the grocery store is such a normal thing for people. For me, it's the ONLY thing I can do that day. I've learned to go in the afternoon, after lunch, with a list. I get myself a frozen dinner because I know I won't be able to cook after.
• My therapist was adamant that I start exercising again in some way to help burn off some stress and connect with reality. It took three months of her gentle nagging but I finally started this week with something that is challenging in just the right way for me without being overwhelming - karate classes.

So do what you can. Find frozen foods or other quick foods that work for you (I'm a HUGE fan of Morningstar Farms "breakfast" patties, personally.) Hungry Girl has a good guide to what to order at some fast food places so you can start aiming yourself in a good direction. Don't beat yourself up if you eat french fries because you need them.

Oh, and depression LIES.

marynificent

Lifelong struggle over here, last year was pregnant and dealt with crushing antenatal and postnatal depression. Exercise, sunshine and a good physical lifestyle/positive body outlook are absolutely the best antidepressants I have ever experienced. Sometimes you can't get there until you feel better though - in that case, I second the wellbutrin over traditional SSRIs, because it has a similar mechanism to amphetamines (amphetamines release more dopamine and norepinephrine whereas wellbutrin prevents their reuptake) so it is a good one for someone struggling to feel motivated or who tends to gain weight easily on other medications. It's what has gotten me through the past four months and I am slowly inching back to where I want to be. Good luck with everything! You can do it!

789D789

I find it useful to recognize that food cravings for fast food and junk food are the stuff of chemical addictions, and manage them accordingly to minimize the calorie damage.

Personally, I don't treat anything processed as 'real food' - but rather than eat a processed meal or a whole bag of chips (since I will if I open them) I switch it up to get through the craving. My current trick is a diet pepsi and the smallest tin of pringles chips I can buy. I've also used buying a single small french fry and a diet pop, or waiting until a weekend and then walking to buy an ice cream. Keeping apples and peanut butter on hand works for me to get a protein/sugar kick. Poached eggs are also an easy dinner trick.