Maintaning good diet and exercise with depression

missuswells

i am 27 years old and was skinny most of my life, 5'5" and 115lbs for years. In my mid 20s I got up to 135 but was still healthy, I just filled out more.

I suffer from very severe and debilitating depression, along with anxiety, PTSD, and chronic pain. Last November I suffered from a psychotic breakdown, tried to light myself on fire, and spent a week in the psych ward.

Since that time, with my focus being getting mentally better, and the battle against depression so difficult, I gained 50 pounds.

Any tips for sticking to a diet and exercise plan, even when extremely depressed and/or anxious?

tomatoey

I'm sorry to hear you're dealing with these problems.

I'd suggest making things as easy as possible. Stick to a menu of very simple meals that you know fit within your calorie allotment, repeating some until you feel ok expanding your repertoire or have energy to make more complicated things. (E.g., the same 3 breakfasts on rotation). And, having a few frozen meals from 'lighter' brands on hand for tougher days (PC Blue Menu is pretty safe, if you're in Canada). And, having a few 'safe' take-out options for backup.

Examples from my 1800 calorie gross / 1670 net diet might be:
Breakfast
- Soft-boiled eggs on toast over proscuitto (that's my go-to)
- Scrambled eggs
- I like a Jamaican patty, lately. Into the microwave, bam, done, tasty, has protein.
- Oatmeal

Lunch
- Tuna sandwich and a banana
- Chicken wrap (these are easy to find when you're out) and a salad
- Can of soup with extra beans thrown in for protein and fiber

Dinner
- Steak and salad (takes like 8 minutes)
- Rotisserie chicken from a grocery deli and broccoli and couscous
- 2 slices of pizza and salad

Snacks
- Peanut butter on toast
- 1% cottage cheese and fruit

Exercise may help with some of your mood issues. Again, make things easy. Aim to do something physical every day. Doesn't matter what. It can be a walk, a DVD (I love DVDs, so convenient) or YouTube video, whatever.

Taking a class might be a good thing, if getting out of the house is something you struggle with. Something you like for reasons other than fitness. Dance, yoga, and martial arts are good ones, I find anyway. Dance involves music, it's uplifting and beautiful. Yoga can be soothing. Martial arts classes are structured and positive and empowering, and when you go, it helps you feel like you can do anything. Swimming, too - very soothing, the water feels nice.

Make use of support - if you can, maybe take a class with a friend. Come to MFP when you need a boost, it's available 24 hours and there are tons of people who've been through things like this.

You can do it

edit: I don't know what your limits are, with regard to pain, but in case kickboxing might not be possible, Tai Chi is very gentle, and there are gentle forms of yoga, too.

Also: some studies have shown that fish oil / omega 3 can help with depression, in some people

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/expert-answers/fish-oil-supplements/faq-20058143

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19499625

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/omega-3-eases-depression-study-1.950901

Doses for depression, I think, are higher than what's recommended for other things:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/993.html

For depression along with conventional antidepressants: Fish oil 9.6 grams/day.

and it's the EPA part that matters

fearlessleader104

Did you work out with your psychiatrist on what to do when you get anxious? I just go to MFP now and read posts while drinking water instead of eating.

Count calories and forget about exercise until you feel like you want to exercise. One day at a time, but log every day even if it's over.

cindytw

The best mood lifter ever is running! The "runner's high" is no joke once you get in shape for it. Download Couch to 5K and go from there! I have suffered from depression and honestly that is what worked the best was running.

missuswells

fearlessleader104 wrote: »

Did you work out with your psychiatrist on what to do when you get anxious?

Since I'm treatment resistant it's very hard to find things that work. Since I was 15 I've been almost two dozen medications. I've been in therapy for years. It's been so long and I've tried so much that now ECT is on the table. I'm on three different meds for anxiety alone and they help with like 25% of the symptoms

Really great suggestions, I greatly appreciate it

missuswells

cindytw wrote: »

The best mood lifter ever is running! The "runner's high" is no joke once you get in shape for it. Download Couch to 5K and go from there! I have suffered from depression and honestly that is what worked the best was running.

That's the problem, I have that app actually...but I can't seem to break through the apathy and low motivation most days to actually DO what I planned

sheepotato

missuswells wrote: »

Any tips for sticking to a diet and exercise plan, even when extremely depressed and/or anxious?

Have you heard of the idea of 'flossing a single tooth?' Basically set the tiniest most attainable goal you can for yourself, and ride the success to get to the next step.

If things seem overwhelming or impossible then break them down into things that are possible. Floss a single tooth, once you are finished you will see how little it really took and how much easier it would be to keep going and floss all your teeth. Now you see it would be pretty easy to then brush them, then maybe take a shower, then get dressed, now that you are dressed you could leave the house if you wanted to.

I have bipolar, during my depression phases sometimes it takes me longer to get dressed to go to the gym than I ever spend there. It's always worth it, if I can just make myself do it I feel so much better. During exercise is the only time I get any peace from my nagging thoughts (for me cardio is best for zoning out, I can feel all the tension leaving my shoulders) If you can swim it's even better, but just getting on the elliptical for even half an hour can do wonders. Just to have that break from the crushing negativity.

The same things goes for eating well, I want to just eat comfort foods but I realize they only make me feel better for a few minutes. If I eat whole nutritious foods I feel better for hours. I do as much as possibly can to remove any excuses, I have preparing meals down to the bare minimum effort so on days when I just don't feel like I can do it it's still an easily fixable thing. If you don't have one, invest in a rice steamer or an electric pressure cooker. It takes the same amount of effort to make steamed vegetables and rice as it does to put a frozen dinner in the microwave. (and only slightly more time)

eatnojunk

Hugs, I have moderated depression and anxiety. My motivation comes and goes my depression comes and goes its confusing, a real puzzle for sure. I'm starting meditation and it helps still the mind.

I have just started seeing a hormone Dr. mybe that might be worth investigating?

Scott

RodaRose

Are you getting enough sleep?
Try to move most days -- yoga, walking, running, youtube videos, . . .
Moving 6 days a week can lift your mood and help your body and mind repair itself.

ElizabethMaryam

I can relate to all of your issues ... Major depression, anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder and chronic pain. I also started seeing someone when I was 16 (after trying to kill myself for the second time). I'm 47 now and have learned a lot about myself and what I need to be healthy and what to try to avoid.

When I was in my thirties, they finally discovered that I was severe deficient in B12 and D3. These can contribute to depression and anxiety if you are low and/or deficient (deficient is extremely low) in these items. We also discovered I was hyperthyroid, which can cause depression and anxiety and was treated with radiation that then made me hypothyroid. It has taken a lot of time to get my levels of TSH, etc straightened around to get to normal levels. Being hypothyroid has symptoms of depression and anxiety. They also discovered after doing a 5 hour glucose test that I have severe hypoglycemia. That means my blood sugars drop significantly to a dangerous level. The day I did the test, I remember feeling overwhelmingly suicidal at a certain point for no apparent reason. I noted the time and when I met with my doctor, that time is when my blood sugars dropped, so now I try to eat a little something every 2-3 hours (protein and carb ideally as they keep the blood sugar level). Two years ago they diagnosed me with sleep apnea. This can cause you to not think well and not feel well also.

There's lots more I can say but I won't write a book here. Before most of the diagnosis' above for my medical issues, I was on a ton of meds for depression and anxiety and sleep. But nothing really helped and I was just getting worse and upping the dosages (per the dr) did not help.

I would really suggest that you ask to have some medical things checked out because if you have problems in certain areas it can really impact everything and it is not always obvious to the drs. For me, I had been in abusive situations and had tramatic things happen to me, so for years it was assumed it was depression, etc. but after the tests, and being treated for those physical aspects, it made things much better to cope with. Yes, I still have depression, anxiety, PTSD and chronic pain, and yes I'm still on long term disability; but it has made a difference in me being able to at least function at a minimal level. Please ask your doctor to check these thing to rule out physical issues that could be excaberating your symptoms and lowering your quality of life.

Mental health services are terrible where I live. You end up on waiting lists for years. But I have done a lot of reading and apply what I have learned to my life. I'm still a work in progress. I truly wish you great health and well being. I'm still trying to motivate myself to exercise also ... But like others said, try to start small ... That is what I am going to do. Take care and I hope you accept my Friend Request. Take care

ElizabethMaryam

I should add that when you know in your head that not eating properly greatly impacts your thinking and emotional well being, you need to use that knowledge to get yourself to eat more consistently. I have to remind myself to eat, because I know if I don't then I will be in a bad state of mind. It's like a battle for your mind where you have to convince yourself and/or argue with yourself and do what you know you need to do, regardless of how you feel. Feelings can mess us up.

With exercise, I think it is the same thing. A friend of mine who is a retired RCMP officer told me about a friend who was very suicidal. This friend decided he would kill himself by taking up running and hoping it would kill him. Well, the running actually was GOOD for him and his thinking and well being and instead of killing him it actually helped him get out of his deep depression. So exercise is good and important for us. Again, try to start out small if you find you can't get motivated to do anything. Even if it's to walk in your yard or whatever and then gradually increase what you are doing. That's what I am going to try to do for myself.

Good luck to you and don't give up . Take care

kristimason3

You are not your anxiety, you are not your depression, you are not your past traumas! You are a perfectly created soul with a divine purpose! Those things happened TO you they DO NOT equal you! Every label put on you that picked away at your self esteem, every med you've taken that has altered your brain chemistry and likely made matters worse...its a viscous, terrible cycle. Like being bound in chains and padlocks on top of more chains and pad locks you are constantly struggling to break free of. Who are you? Really think about that. Before all of this started who were you? A kid with talents and interests and hopes and dreams like everyone else? If you were able to bury all the crap in your life that no longer serves you in the dirt, walk away leaving it all behind you where it belongs and get back to that heart of who you are how would that feel? If you could just let it all go and move forward how valuable would all you have learned in overcoming that be? not just to you but others in the same boat you could then help? To those who have been in your shoes? You know what this world is lacking the most of? True, heartfelt compassion. Nothing teaches compassion like trauma does. Nothing. Have all those shrinks been through what you've been through? Have they walked in your shoes? Lived through what you have? Who are any of them to define who you are? They can't. You have GOT to get back to you! You've lost your center. Your balance. But as long as you are still breathing you can reclaim it. Please feel free to add me as a friend and message me if you need to talk. I'm going to be sending some serious positive vibes your way, praying for you, whatever it is you believe in. You deserve to live your life. Love and light!

karenlwashburn

Thanks for being brave and sharing such a personal experience. I've had very severe depression too. I did get over it and I want to share that with you. The main thing I did was exercise and read books about self improvement working with others did not help. I worked on myself and today I feel great all the time. No depression. I started with skating in my youth then went into fast walking now I do rowing as my body needed something else. I make myself eat well and within two weeks I automatically would hit the fresh fruit etc instead of junk. Make sure you believe in yourself and that healing IS possible and stay away from any Debbie Downer types who will block your healing. Exercise was the number one healer for me the number two was from within. Try to work out hard as you can as that will help you to focus on something besides the internal problems. Its sort of like a rock in your shoe if you have any mental pain at all , but you have a rock in your shoe you forget the mental pain and only focus on the rock, getting rid of it. The pain (exertion) of exercise, will remove the mental situation for you. Eat as well as you can to improve the physical of your body/brain. Please write to me and let me know how you are.. Karen

missuswells

kristimason3 wrote: »

You are not your anxiety, you are not your depression, you are not your past traumas! You are a perfectly created soul with a divine purpose! Those things happened TO you they DO NOT equal you! Every label put on you that picked away at your self esteem, every med you've taken that has altered your brain chemistry and likely made matters worse...its a viscous, terrible cycle. Like being bound in chains and padlocks on top of more chains and pad locks you are constantly struggling to break free of. Who are you? Really think about that. Before all of this started who were you? A kid with talents and interests and hopes and dreams like everyone else? If you were able to bury all the crap in your life that no longer serves you in the dirt, walk away leaving it all behind you where it belongs and get back to that heart of who you are how would that feel? If you could just let it all go and move forward how valuable would all you have learned in overcoming that be? not just to you but others in the same boat you could then help? To those who have been in your shoes? You know what this world is lacking the most of? True, heartfelt compassion. Nothing teaches compassion like trauma does. Nothing. Have all those shrinks been through what you've been through? Have they walked in your shoes? Lived through what you have? Who are any of them to define who you are? They can't. You have GOT to get back to you! You've lost your center. Your balance. But as long as you are still breathing you can reclaim it. Please feel free to add me as a friend and message me if you need to talk. I'm going to be sending some serious positive vibes your way, praying for you, whatever it is you believe in. You deserve to live your life. Love and light!

I appreciate your comments At the same time, you must remember mental illness is an illness just like any other. Like saying if I could 'just let it all go.' It's the same as telling a paralyzed person, just get up and walk. My brain is ill. Taking medication does not make matters worse as you say, rather just like a diabetic needs insulin, my brain needs help.

I understand you're coming from a good place but by spreading this knd of attitude, you spread the stigma of mental illness. I consider myself a mental health advocate. There's nothing wrong with being mentally ill. I'm not ashamed of it nor am I defined by it. But just as a paraplegic would be aware of their struggle EVERY DAY, and have their wheelchair wth them...I too live constantly with my illnesses. I'd ask you show compassion as you mentioned by not minimizing mental illness. If it was as easy as 'bury the crap in my life' and 'just let it go' then trust me I would have done that at the age of 8 when my illnesses developed.

missuswells

ElizabethMaryam wrote: »

I can relate to all of your issues ... Major depression, anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder and chronic pain. I also started seeing someone when I was 16 (after trying to kill myself for the second time). I'm 47 now and have learned a lot about myself and what I need to be healthy and what to try to avoid.

When I was in my thirties, they finally discovered that I was severe deficient in B12 and D3. These can contribute to depression and anxiety if you are low and/or deficient (deficient is extremely low) in these items. We also discovered I was hyperthyroid, which can cause depression and anxiety and was treated with radiation that then made me hypothyroid. It has taken a lot of time to get my levels of TSH, etc straightened around to get to normal levels. Being hypothyroid has symptoms of depression and anxiety. They also discovered after doing a 5 hour glucose test that I have severe hypoglycemia. That means my blood sugars drop significantly to a dangerous level. The day I did the test, I remember feeling overwhelmingly suicidal at a certain point for no apparent reason. I noted the time and when I met with my doctor, that time is when my blood sugars dropped, so now I try to eat a little something every 2-3 hours (protein and carb ideally as they keep the blood sugar level). Two years ago they diagnosed me with sleep apnea. This can cause you to not think well and not feel well also.

There's lots more I can say but I won't write a book here. Before most of the diagnosis' above for my medical issues, I was on a ton of meds for depression and anxiety and sleep. But nothing really helped and I was just getting worse and upping the dosages (per the dr) did not help.

I would really suggest that you ask to have some medical things checked out because if you have problems in certain areas it can really impact everything and it is not always obvious to the drs. For me, I had been in abusive situations and had tramatic things happen to me, so for years it was assumed it was depression, etc. but after the tests, and being treated for those physical aspects, it made things much better to cope with. Yes, I still have depression, anxiety, PTSD and chronic pain, and yes I'm still on long term disability; but it has made a difference in me being able to at least function at a minimal level. Please ask your doctor to check these thing to rule out physical issues that could be excaberating your symptoms

I'm glad you were able to get some help! I have been tested for all those things and more and mine is purely mental illness.

janhiness

Try going keto. If you want to talk message me.

FatFreeFrolicking

missuswells wrote: »

fearlessleader104 wrote: »

Did you work out with your psychiatrist on what to do when you get anxious?

Since I'm treatment resistant it's very hard to find things that work. Since I was 15 I've been almost two dozen medications. I've been in therapy for years. It's been so long and I've tried so much that now ECT is on the table. I'm on three different meds for anxiety alone and they help with like 25% of the symptoms

Really great suggestions, I greatly appreciate it

I highly recommend CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) for anxiety treatment.

lil_lizt

I suffer with chronic depression, OCD, generalised anxiety disorder and borderline personality disorder along with psychosis. As well as the usual apathy with the depression I'm also on a triple whammy of sedating meds (can't sleep without them) that have the wonderful side effect of weight gain. Although I'm a member of the gym I really struggle to go as sometimes I just can't leave the house. I discovered a set of DVDs on Amazon called 10 minute solutions, which I find much easier to talk myself into doing, and I leave them in clear view of myself. I also find it easier to plan my week of food in advance on mfp, and find myself repeating meals a lot. Feel free to add me if you would like support from someone in the same boat

FatFreeFrolicking

missuswells wrote: »

kristimason3 wrote: »

You are not your anxiety, you are not your depression, you are not your past traumas! You are a perfectly created soul with a divine purpose! Those things happened TO you they DO NOT equal you! Every label put on you that picked away at your self esteem, every med you've taken that has altered your brain chemistry and likely made matters worse...its a viscous, terrible cycle. Like being bound in chains and padlocks on top of more chains and pad locks you are constantly struggling to break free of. Who are you? Really think about that. Before all of this started who were you? A kid with talents and interests and hopes and dreams like everyone else? If you were able to bury all the crap in your life that no longer serves you in the dirt, walk away leaving it all behind you where it belongs and get back to that heart of who you are how would that feel? If you could just let it all go and move forward how valuable would all you have learned in overcoming that be? not just to you but others in the same boat you could then help? To those who have been in your shoes? You know what this world is lacking the most of? True, heartfelt compassion. Nothing teaches compassion like trauma does. Nothing. Have all those shrinks been through what you've been through? Have they walked in your shoes? Lived through what you have? Who are any of them to define who you are? They can't. You have GOT to get back to you! You've lost your center. Your balance. But as long as you are still breathing you can reclaim it. Please feel free to add me as a friend and message me if you need to talk. I'm going to be sending some serious positive vibes your way, praying for you, whatever it is you believe in. You deserve to live your life. Love and light!

my brain needs help.

Do you actually have a chemical imbalance that REQUIRES medication in order to fix the problem? Just curious as to whether or not you've had your brain chemical levels tested.

earlnabby

Have you also been seeing a medical doctor regularly? I have a similar story to yours regarding the depression and lack of motivation. I was in a really bad place for the last four years or so. It turns out that, for a couple of years, I was anemic and it became so severe a year ago that I ended up in the hospital for transfusions. Since receiving the four units of blood (thank you to the donors!!) and taking high potency iron, I have had more energy and have been able to take care of myself better. I have lost 78 lb so far and am feeling great.

I guess what I am saying is to not count out physical problems in addition to the mental illness. I still have severe depression and will be on medication for the rest of my life, but am currently in a better place than I have been in a long time because there was an underlying physical issue that made the depression worse.

princessnarmor

I've had some of the same issues. I don't take medications. I know that sounds weird, but sometimes I think you end up taking medications to get rid of the side effects of other medications. I noticed for a long time that when I would get really depressed,. Unless I ate sugar I didn't feel any better. That went on til recently when I just decided that sugar was not my friend. Even though I don't have any clinical basis for this, caffeine gives me mood swings.

I greatly feel for you. PTSD is such a haunting illness. Isolating is your first natural response and probably your biggest enemy.

A few things helped me, only some of which were diet or exercise related.

Walking in the sun, whether slow or cardio, was very good for me-- fresh air and sunshine. Some days I would just sit on my back porch for 30 minutes and I would feel better.

Getting off the computer, away from the television (both of which can be isolating) helps a whole lot. That includes cellphones. Once again I have no clinical data to give to this, but in my case, I think the changes in the light of the tv and the computer messes with my brain chemicals. If I watch too long, I feel exhausted.

With regard to PTSD, I was hypervigilant. I'm sure you know what that means. I had trouble relaxing or resting. I had flashbacks. Situations would trigger the response regardless of whether there was any danger or not.

The turning point for me came when I found a little dog, a yorkie. When I found her she was bones. I've never seen a more emaciated animal. The vet told me he thought she was ancient, but she was only two. She was in an abandoned house living with a bunch of cats. I took care of her. This dog, loved only me. If I left the house she would cry like someone had killed her. She was my baby. And I swear, I could sense when anything was wrong.

The day I found her she was in my kitchen. And I looked at her and I said, your name is miss muffin. And she started dancing around turning circles. I was surprised this dog could move much less turn circles. From that moment we were the best of friends. She was never more than two feet from me. She was soooo healing. No medication, no person, nothing could have ever been as healing to me as that dog was.

In all honesty, I think that depression and PTSD, even though chemical, has to be something that is resisted, even if you don't feel like it or want to. Taking baby steps, doing what you can do, and finding things that get your mind off food, and the memories that haunt you. I'm not saying its a cure, but motivation sometimes come from doing, from just accepting some of the stuff that is bothering us.

princessnarmor

kristimason3 wrote: »

You are not your anxiety, you are not your depression, you are not your past traumas! You are a perfectly created soul with a divine purpose! Those things happened TO you they DO NOT equal you! Every label put on you that picked away at your self esteem, every med you've taken that has altered your brain chemistry and likely made matters worse...its a viscous, terrible cycle. Like being bound in chains and padlocks on top of more chains and pad locks you are constantly struggling to break free of. Who are you? Really think about that. Before all of this started who were you? A kid with talents and interests and hopes and dreams like everyone else? If you were able to bury all the crap in your life that no longer serves you in the dirt, walk away leaving it all behind you where it belongs and get back to that heart of who you are how would that feel? If you could just let it all go and move forward how valuable would all you have learned in overcoming that be? not just to you but others in the same boat you could then help? To those who have been in your shoes? You know what this world is lacking the most of? True, heartfelt compassion. Nothing teaches compassion like trauma does. Nothing. Have all those shrinks been through what you've been through? Have they walked in your shoes? Lived through what you have? Who are any of them to define who you are? They can't. You have GOT to get back to you! You've lost your center. Your balance. But as long as you are still breathing you can reclaim it. Please feel free to add me as a friend and message me if you need to talk. I'm going to be sending some serious positive vibes your way, praying for you, whatever it is you believe in. You deserve to live your life. Love and light!

You know, I don't think you are that far off Kristi. Nor the epitome of all that is evil in the mental health system.

You believe in being an overcomer. I don't believe in just accepting an illness, either.
But some healing is walked out and not automatic. With PTSD, it is a process.

While I'm not ashamed of it, I am certainly not going to wear it as a badge to get attention. That's another illness all its own. Hypochondria!

I think you believe in the divine, as do I. So I direct you to the man by the pool of Siloam. Jesus walked up to him and asked, do you really want to get well? From my own self, I can tell you, that with depression and PTSD, you have to want to get well, because it is way too easy to sit back and just let it overcome you. But there are greater healing options than just counseling and drugs. Although I wouldn't ever condemn someone who chose those options.

And you are right. Medicines and a lot of the other stuff only treat symptoms. Sometimes the root are much deeper.

You were trying to be encouraging and comforting and meant absolutely no harm. Sorry you were so misunderstood. I understood.

tomatoey

I understand that the illnesses OP is dealing with play into it as far as motivation is concerned, but I think it would be great if people tried to focus on OP's question, which was about managing diet and exercise with these issues.

princessnarmor

tomatoey wrote: »

I understand that the illnesses OP is dealing with play into it as far as motivation is concerned, but I think it would be great if people tried to focus on OP's question, which was about managing diet and exercise with these issues.

So little of it is diet and exercise. Most of it is mood and inner healing. I believe I did deal with that in my earlier post.

Mood swings and medication ARE the issue with depression and PTSD and how you cope with them.

Maybe I should break it down more. Binge eating IS the issue with depression and PTSD. In my case the issue is/was eating in order to fill an empty starving hurting soul.

Sorry you misunderstood.

GingerbreadCandy

missuswells wrote: »

i am 27 years old and was skinny most of my life, 5'5" and 115lbs for years. In my mid 20s I got up to 135 but was still healthy, I just filled out more.

I suffer from very severe and debilitating depression, along with anxiety, PTSD, and chronic pain. Last November I suffered from a psychotic breakdown, tried to light myself on fire, and spent a week in the psych ward.

Since that time, with my focus being getting mentally better, and the battle against depression so difficult, I gained 50 pounds.

Any tips for sticking to a diet and exercise plan, even when extremely depressed and/or anxious?

Hey dear,

I have never been officially diagnosed with depression, but I have suffered a lot of the symptoms and have dealt with anxiety problems. Currently waiting for my TSH results to know if it may be due to that. Really hoping it is.

Anyhow, as I am not psychologist, or psychiatrist, I can only speak from personal experience…

Overall, I found that it helped me to not visualise things as restrictions, or obligations, but find a different way to look at them, so that I would actually look forward to doing these things.

When it comes to diet, I am lucky in the sense that I really enjoy cooking and trying new recipes actually is one of the things that gives me joy. So rather than seeing my diet schedule as something I have to stick to, I see it as an opportunity to try new recipes and learn more about healthy eating.

Exercise… I decided to do something good for myself and do yoga. Which is something I knew would help me but had never done before.

So, I guess you could try asking yourself the following questions: Is there something I really like about food and nutrition? Is it cooking? Is it tasty recipes? Is it gourmet food? Is there some type of exercise or sport I always wanted to do? And then see if you can fit those in your schedules.

Also, it goes without saying but having a gym close to your place, and having videos to use as an alternative, really, really helps.

Best of luck! PM me if ever you want some support or to share your successes!

999tigger

I can see you have loads of advice already, so will keep it short. I dont think theres anything that different about the depression except it will act as a deterrent from you achieveing.

Exercise, its daunting at first, but it can be a great stress reliever. When your world makes no sense, then the gym or exercise offers you the opportunity to create your own routine where you cna focus on the exercise only and shut everything else out. I can actually be a cure for mild depression and help refocus things. Once you get going then keep on and it will give you a structure and sense of achievement.

Diet. There are many things to put you off. pepare properly , especially for all those arguments that will lead you to resisting or stopping. It cna be hard work and boring, it may make you feel worse. careful planning and then get the right mindset so you know what to do is what i would suggest. Start to learn how to use MFP understand about nutrition, pick up tips from the forums of common traits of effective diets, learn to use MFP and calorie traccking, then make all your tragets realistic. Finally focus on one decision and one day at a time. That way you wont get overwhelmed, can mee your targets and build some momentum in making progress.

Please dont demonise food and above all believe in yourself and be your own best friend. You can do it if you cna keep consistently maintain a calorific defict, by eating less and moving more. Best of luck.

toscarthearmada

cindytw wrote: »

The best mood lifter ever is running! The "runner's high" is no joke once you get in shape for it. Download Couch to 5K and go from there! I have suffered from depression and honestly that is what worked the best was running.

This all day long! Let your depression and anxiety FUEL your running motivation. The first time I did the C25k I worked all the way to the half marathon app. I got sick and kind of gave up on life...

I realized that while I was running it was the only chance in my day to live in the moment. I personally worry so much about things that COULD happen or COULD go wrong that I forget to live my life. Running also gave me that amazing high that I could accomplish anything.

So I tried the Zen Labs C25k app again and found myself really bored with it, so I switched it up and started the Zombie 5k app. I just started week 8 today and it has changed my life!

Get mad and get determined to change your life. It will happen, how bad do you want it?

missuswells

tomatoey wrote: »

I understand that the illnesses OP is dealing with play into it as far as motivation is concerned, but I think it would be great if people tried to focus on OP's question, which was about managing diet and exercise with these issues. [/quote

Thank you! my thoughts precisely

missuswells

999tigger wrote: »

I can see you have loads of advice already, so will keep it short. I dont think theres anything that different about the depression except it will act as a deterrent from you achieveing.

Exercise, its daunting at first, but it can be a great stress reliever. When your world makes no sense, then the gym or exercise offers you the opportunity to create your own routine where you cna focus on the exercise only and shut everything else out. I can actually be a cure for mild depression and help refocus things. Once you get going then keep on and it will give you a structure and sense of achievement.

Diet. There are many things to put you off. pepare properly , especially for all those arguments that will lead you to resisting or stopping. It cna be hard work and boring, it may make you feel worse. careful planning and then get the right mindset so you know what to do is what i would suggest. Start to learn how to use MFP understand about nutrition, pick up tips from the forums of common traits of effective diets, learn to use MFP and calorie traccking, then make all your tragets realistic. Finally focus on one decision and one day at a time. That way you wont get overwhelmed, can mee your targets and build some momentum in making progress.

Please dont demonise food and above all believe in yourself and be your own best friend. You can do it if you cna keep consistently maintain a calorific defict, by eating less and moving more. Best of luck.

Great advice. Thanks so much

kristimason3

princessnarmor wrote: »

kristimason3 wrote: »

You are not your anxiety, you are not your depression, you are not your past traumas! You are a perfectly created soul with a divine purpose! Those things happened TO you they DO NOT equal you! Every label put on you that picked away at your self esteem, every med you've taken that has altered your brain chemistry and likely made matters worse...its a viscous, terrible cycle. Like being bound in chains and padlocks on top of more chains and pad locks you are constantly struggling to break free of. Who are you? Really think about that. Before all of this started who were you? A kid with talents and interests and hopes and dreams like everyone else? If you were able to bury all the crap in your life that no longer serves you in the dirt, walk away leaving it all behind you where it belongs and get back to that heart of who you are how would that feel? If you could just let it all go and move forward how valuable would all you have learned in overcoming that be? not just to you but others in the same boat you could then help? To those who have been in your shoes? You know what this world is lacking the most of? True, heartfelt compassion. Nothing teaches compassion like trauma does. Nothing. Have all those shrinks been through what you've been through? Have they walked in your shoes? Lived through what you have? Who are any of them to define who you are? They can't. You have GOT to get back to you! You've lost your center. Your balance. But as long as you are still breathing you can reclaim it. Please feel free to add me as a friend and message me if you need to talk. I'm going to be sending some serious positive vibes your way, praying for you, whatever it is you believe in. You deserve to live your life. Love and light!

You know, I don't think you are that far off Kristi. Nor the epitome of all that is evil in the mental health system.

You believe in being an overcomer. I don't believe in just accepting an illness, either.
But some healing is walked out and not automatic. With PTSD, it is a process.

While I'm not ashamed of it, I am certainly not going to wear it as a badge to get attention. That's another illness all its own. Hypochondria!

I think you believe in the divine, as do I. So I direct you to the man by the pool of Siloam. Jesus walked up to him and asked, do you really want to get well? From my own self, I can tell you, that with depression and PTSD, you have to want to get well, because it is way too easy to sit back and just let it overcome you. But there are greater healing options than just counseling and drugs. Although I wouldn't ever condemn someone who chose those options.

And you are right. Medicines and a lot of the other stuff only treat symptoms. Sometimes the root are much deeper.

You were trying to be encouraging and comforting and meant absolutely no harm. Sorry you were so misunderstood. I understood.

Thank you Princess. I guess I'm not that great at wording things properly. At first, I was surprised it was taken in a different way. Then I went back and re read what I wrote and was like yeah..I can see how that could totally be misinterpreted. I was trying to be kind and helpful. Didn't mean to offend anyone. I was trying to convey some realizations I had along my journey is all. And it was not an overnight process for me getting off the meds, out of the system and letting go. It took a lot of time and introspection. A lot of self work. But you are correct, I believe in overcoming, the divine and mind over matter. I do hope everyone finds peace with it all, regardless of how they choose to go about it. It was not my intention to condemn, just frustration from my own journey I guess. I really was trying to be helpful.