question-

zericaaaaa

when people gain weight from psychological issues, what is the process that happens there? does CICO still apply? like, if you suffer from depression or any other mental illness, is there another process going on in your body that could cause weight gain besides an excess of calories? in the middle of a debate here lol

CariJean64

There's probably an excess of cortisol (stress hormone) but I don't think actual weight can be gained without the excess calories. Some people LOSE weight during stress. I think it depends on what/how much/if you eat when you're stressed.

zericaaaaa

yeah see that's what I figured. just wanted to see if I was missing anything or if CICO really is the bottom line

W8G0

The issue is a little more complicated when you start considering that many who are mentally ill are also on psychotropic meds. These drugs can have a wide range of side effects, but there are quite a few that will slow your metabolism significantly, for example.

So, technically while it still is calories in vs calories out, it's not a change in how much you're eating, it's a change in how much you're burning (even while holding your activity level constant.)

Maryam2014mfp

I think it can affect you in the short term ... Over a few to maybe 5 days; but in the long run you would end up losing, based on CICO. I know when I have been stressed (ie about things with house renovations or my son) it has impacted me in the short term (ie. gaining a bit over a few to give days); but if I have been averaging my goal calories for weight loss, I do lose. FYI

justcat206

From a personal perspective: When I'm depressed or stressed, I binge and gain weight. When I'm having an anxiety episode, I heavily restrict and lose a ton of weight. When depressed, I lose motivation to be active. When anxious I will work out like crazy. I'm not always aware I'm doing it, however, until later when the scale moves one way or the other and I stop to take a moment to reflect on my emotional state. Just my two cents.

mathjulz

The most common cause is that people end up eating more because they don't track or don't care (that's why I put on the weight ... I stopped caring). Or use the food as a way to ease the problems.

There are potentially other things going on - someone mentioned cortisol, for example. However, this doesn't mean that CICO doesn't apply. Those other things just mess with the calories out part of the equation.

zericaaaaa

thanks for the input guys- I definitely agree, I've had some issues with stress (hasn't everyone? hehe) and have noticed a trend with overeating for sure. I was just having a conversation with a friend and she was telling me that you can gain weight strictly from having psychological issues, specifically with a severe calorie deficit. before I got defensive I just wanted to see if there was any truth to that

raysputin

The fact is that the way the calorific value of food is calculated is flawed. The food is incinerated, the energy released measured and the heat generated is given as the calorific value of the food. But not all food is created equal and not all calories in all foods are available to the body. However, until we get a more accurate calculation of food energy availability, we are stuck with the burning food method.

An individual's bodily chemistry and hormones have some affect on food energy availability within that individual. Changes in a person's chemistry caused by stress, lifestyle, moods etc will effect weight balances. As will behavioural changes causing a relaxation of food intake discipline.

The technique that works is to keep an eye on your weight - if it is too high, eat less: end of story.

Kalikel

I've never seen anything that says depression has any chemical effect on wright gain...but I've never seen anything that says it doesn't, lol. I've never read anything about it.

I think a big reason (if not the only reason) that depressed people gain and lose is that they just don't care what they eat. So, some eat nothing. Others shove in tons of food. Depressed people are well known for not exercising, so the ones who eat a lot will gain a lot.