Depression and Weight Loss

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  • robertw486
    robertw486 Posts: 2,399 Member
    Sorry to hear that a couple had kinks in their holiday plans, or extra stress involved. December is usually a tougher month for me regardless of my mindset. Several deaths in the family happened in December, and I share a birthday with my mom who is also now gone. So for me, as much as we enjoy Christmas, overall December can just be a big reminder of people I care about who are now gone.

    But I just try to make it a positive thing, and I'm glad I cared enough about all of them to miss them.

  • serasmommy
    serasmommy Posts: 61 Member
    How is everyone surviving the past twenty-four hours? It's been hard for me! Black hole type thoughts and emotions..... I'm still fighting.
  • melkd82
    melkd82 Posts: 2 Member
    amypocock wrote: »
    One of the biggest lessons I've been taught, particularly when I'm feeling depressed is to try and just nourish my body with good stuff rather then comfort food. See food as a fuel only and before I know it, the feeling will pass. I've always suffered from depression and emotional eating but right now, with the combination of cutting out refined sugar, good meds, great counsellor and exercise every day, I'm the best I've ever been. But I did change everything in one go, I've very much eased in to this over a three month period.

    Thank you! Food as fuel!
  • melkd82
    melkd82 Posts: 2 Member
    I feel your pain, with the changing of seasons I have a harder time with my depression as well. This is a great thread thank you for asking the question and getting the discussion started :)
  • shelleygold
    shelleygold Posts: 178 Member
    Hi group
    There is little doubt that moods can be correlated with time of year, anniversaries, holidays, medications, medication changes, diet, exercise, genetics, biology, thought processes, and even moods and behaviours of others. So....those of us who have become susceptible to dramatic shifts in moods, such that our daily functionality becomes changed and even impeded have to search for so many possibilities , so many triggers and sources and of course strategies, skills and solutions so that we can continue to carry on and live out our lives with some sense of purpose; dare I say enjoyment and happiness.
    As the calendar year has just turned "over a new leaf" let us take a moment and applaud our courage and persistence in making it to 2016 and claim success! We are hear to tell the story of what we have learned about ourselves and that we will continue to thrive and pursue what is most important to us. I look forward to spending time here in this thread and be a part of something meaningful and important as we journey together to find what is important and necessary. May all of you have a blessed, productive and healthy New Year and lets keep things moving, changing and unfolding as our lives move forward.
    With love and appreciation
    Shel
  • shelleygold
    shelleygold Posts: 178 Member
    Hi again,
    I find it interesting that I stumble upon our thread (daily :) not really knowing if I have much to offer.I still have my moods, still struggle with excessive belly fat (was reading about it on the internet today...awful connotations: mid-life spread, deadly fat which surrounds organs etc.) and my little world which truly reflects the choices I have made until now and the choices of the people around me that I have included in my inner sanctum. So....we all live in a context don't we? I guess we show each other our contexts (bubbles) with each breath we take, each posting, each decision and virtually everything we say and do. Somedays, I think I am in charge of my world and most days I am at it's mercy. I imagine that the instant we are catapulted out of the womb (rather unceremoniously), we find ourselves in the world which we have to continue to negotiate and problem-solve around. For a few years, we rely on the intelligence, values, priorities and choices of others as our brains continue to develop and complete its essential growth and construction...And then, we decide how we are going to manage the uncertainty and complexities of our world, our relationships, our work, our families and our needs. I think where I am going with this is that the expectations we create, and the demands we place on ourselves and others may offer some hints in terms of why we might find ourselves moving into moods and belief systems that stop us from being present, interfere with being content and create deep feelings of unease and ongoing confusion. My big stomach is not the biggest problem. How I respond to it is. MY body is not the enemy of the state. It is a reflection of so many of my patterns and choices first taught to me, then influenced by my world and then solely my responsibility. Wow, if that is true, then I can develop a positive relationship with this persistent and rascally part of me and create for both of us a friendship which would allow me to treat it with respect, dignity and careful, INTENTIONAL choices. Hmmmm. So, when I feel like getting back to old patterns and choices, I may just move myself to this awareness level, one which requires my brain to activate and who knows... I may actually create new patterns and decisions.
    Hey, here is a challenge. If you go along with my rambling.. Let's each start with baby steps.
    Once a week, write on this post ONE thing that you choose to do differently . Something small and easy. And reflect on how that choice changes an outcome or more than one. Let's test this theory of the brain "that changes itself". Lets expand My Fitness Pal to I choose to see myself as my fitness pal. You in????
    S
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    shelleygold wrote: »
    Hi again,
    I find it interesting that I stumble upon our thread (daily :) not really knowing if I have much to offer.I still have my moods, still struggle with excessive belly fat (was reading about it on the internet today...awful connotations: mid-life spread, deadly fat which surrounds organs etc.) and my little world which truly reflects the choices I have made until now and the choices of the people around me that I have included in my inner sanctum. So....we all live in a context don't we? I guess we show each other our contexts (bubbles) with each breath we take, each posting, each decision and virtually everything we say and do. Somedays, I think I am in charge of my world and most days I am at it's mercy. I imagine that the instant we are catapulted out of the womb (rather unceremoniously), we find ourselves in the world which we have to continue to negotiate and problem-solve around. For a few years, we rely on the intelligence, values, priorities and choices of others as our brains continue to develop and complete its essential growth and construction...And then, we decide how we are going to manage the uncertainty and complexities of our world, our relationships, our work, our families and our needs. I think where I am going with this is that the expectations we create, and the demands we place on ourselves and others may offer some hints in terms of why we might find ourselves moving into moods and belief systems that stop us from being present, interfere with being content and create deep feelings of unease and ongoing confusion. My big stomach is not the biggest problem. How I respond to it is. MY body is not the enemy of the state. It is a reflection of so many of my patterns and choices first taught to me, then influenced by my world and then solely my responsibility. Wow, if that is true, then I can develop a positive relationship with this persistent and rascally part of me and create for both of us a friendship which would allow me to treat it with respect, dignity and careful, INTENTIONAL choices. Hmmmm. So, when I feel like getting back to old patterns and choices, I may just move myself to this awareness level, one which requires my brain to activate and who knows... I may actually create new patterns and decisions.
    Hey, here is a challenge. If you go along with my rambling.. Let's each start with baby steps.
    Once a week, write on this post ONE thing that you choose to do differently . Something small and easy. And reflect on how that choice changes an outcome or more than one. Let's test this theory of the brain "that changes itself". Lets expand My Fitness Pal to I choose to see myself as my fitness pal. You in????
    S

    I'm in! I am going to go to bed earlier!
  • 68myra
    68myra Posts: 975 Member
    I'm in as well. thought i posted last night, but apparently a case "operator error"

    I am going to wake up before my children, have at least 10 minutes of meditation/stretching/focus before starting the morning "get ready for school" routine :)
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    danced my butt off on new years which made me happy, ran 13 miles sunday and still had a "rough" few days. thank you TOM. i'm looking forward to settling down.
  • shrcpr
    shrcpr Posts: 885 Member
    Hi, there. I've been lurking around this thread for quite some time now and appreciate everyone's candid thoughts and feel for your struggles. (And, hi, Myra! We're friends from the JFT commitment thread - honestly not stalking you - I have some issues but that's not one of them! :))

    One thing that's I've been trying to change lately is the way I talk to myself. I've managed my depression fairly well over the years with diet and exercise, although there have been long periods of time where it got the better of me. My secret weapon has always been high-intensity, high-impact workouts where I am so physically exhausted that there is no room for mental noise. Doing that a few times a week really seems to keep me on more of an even keel. Well, recently I got plantar fasciitis and was told no more high-impact workouts. So now I'm terrified of falling back into my old pattern of drinking to dull the mental noise.

    The doctor recommended swimming as an alternative exercise for me. She thinks it will be physically hard enough and yet easy enough on my foot to help. Except to swim you have to wear a swim suit. So yesterday I went to look for swim wear suitable for lap swimming. I had several moments of panic when trying them on and really felt like I wanted to give up right then and drown myself in a bottle of vodka. But, I've been practicing talking myself out of panic thinking and into rationale thinking and instead of reaching for the bottle of vodka I talked myself off the ledge and was able to move forward and find a suitable suit. I still don't love the thought of wearing it but at least I bought one and didn't drink myself into oblivion. My conversation with myself went something like this:

    Panic me: OMG. I look horrible. My legs are so huge. I am so disgusting. I'm never going to be able to do this. I might as well give up. I'll never be able to wear a swim suit or shorts or be out in the summer or do anything fun ever again in my entire life. I'm just old and blah, blah, blah.

    Rationale me: Breathe. Calm down. You've lost 15 pounds so far. You can either cave in and make this worse or you can suck it up and focus on what you can do in this moment to make it better later. The only thing you can do to change how you look and feel is make decisions that move you toward your goal and not away from it.

    So, this time anyway, I was able to change my course instead of giving in to the panic and self-pity. Today I am really happy that it worked out. Plus, I'm really happy that I don't have a hangover right now. That was a super long post but that seems to be acceptable in this thread so I won't feel too bad about it. :smile:
  • shelleygold
    shelleygold Posts: 178 Member
    Dear shrcpr
    What courage and focus. In a very pertinent way,you decided which voices in your head to listen to and which ones to ignore. You are already successful and don't even know it. I'm so impressed with your story. Well done
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    I think my funk is getting better. I enjoyed running these past few days. I enjoyed yoga yesterday. I'm still evil crabby and I keep getting negative thoughts about how much i hate this or that but my body is getting better and my mind is sure to follow.
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
    edited January 2016
    Depression hasn't gotten in the way of weight loss, for me, probably because I made exercise a coping mechanism, early in life. I can't (or rather I don't) eat if I'm at the gym or out taking a walk. It often is nothing more than walking, with a friend, and often a camera. I credit exercise with being the thing that gets me out of bed, and out of the house. I don't claim that this is completely healthy. I treat exercise like a drug sometimes. It's better than drinking too much. I do take an SSRI, and I do see a therapist when things get bad.
  • 68myra
    68myra Posts: 975 Member
    shrcpr wrote: »
    Hi, there. I've been lurking around this thread for quite some time now and appreciate everyone's candid thoughts and feel for your struggles. (And, hi, Myra! We're friends from the JFT commitment thread - honestly not stalking you - I have some issues but that's not one of them! :))
    So, this time anyway, I was able to change my course instead of giving in to the panic and self-pity. Today I am really happy that it worked out. Plus, I'm really happy that I don't have a hangover right now. That was a super long post but that seems to be acceptable in this thread so I won't feel too bad about it. :smile:

    @shrcpr .... I'm watching you, you stalker! LOL nice to see you here. :)
    your accomplishment is HUGE! and it involved a swimsuit... DOUBLE HUGE! KUDOS to you! too bad we don't live closer.... i'd don a swimsuit and hit the pool with you. i've been trying to con myself into it for months with no success. too many other mini-goals to work on ;)
  • 68myra
    68myra Posts: 975 Member
    moyer566 wrote: »
    I think my funk is getting better. I enjoyed running these past few days. I enjoyed yoga yesterday. I'm still evil crabby and I keep getting negative thoughts about how much i hate this or that but my body is getting better and my mind is sure to follow.
    I'm glad to hear you are better! hopefully it will continue. after living with chronic pain for 7 months, I can empathize. I can't imagine doing it for years on end though. (i understand it fluctuates, but still) you are a super strong human being!
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    68myra wrote: »
    moyer566 wrote: »
    I think my funk is getting better. I enjoyed running these past few days. I enjoyed yoga yesterday. I'm still evil crabby and I keep getting negative thoughts about how much i hate this or that but my body is getting better and my mind is sure to follow.
    I'm glad to hear you are better! hopefully it will continue. after living with chronic pain for 7 months, I can empathize. I can't imagine doing it for years on end though. (i understand it fluctuates, but still) you are a super strong human being!

    69dc6f98cc8c50e69ed0fe27e5430d4e.jpg
  • PKM0515
    PKM0515 Posts: 3,089 Member
    I hope this thread continues...
  • 68myra
    68myra Posts: 975 Member
    SaraKim17 wrote: »
    I hope this thread continues...
    me too! i guess that's up to all of us! :)
    this first week back to school after the holidays was rough! but, i do have a report on Shel's proposed experiment.
    I chose to do one thing differently: get up early enough to provide some self-care before my children got up to get ready for school. I found that the two days I spent that time doing physical therapy or stretching exercises, with a quiet mind.... i was better equipped at handling the arguments that happen between two little girls, one of whom is NOT a morning person. the morning after i ate sugar the night before.... i woke up stuffy and not wanting to get up and spent that time 'liking' things on MFP. that morning ended up in tears, my own.
    so, there you go. IF i continue changing my behavior so that i'm quietly reflective and stretching for 15 min..... i deal better with the challenges of a typical morning in this house. :)

    keep up the good fight everyone!
  • Hannahlosing
    Hannahlosing Posts: 32 Member
    segacs wrote: »
    Speaking from experience here: Weight loss is REALLY tough while you're battling depression.

    To successfully lose weight, you need to feel like you're worth it. You need to have enough self-esteem to want to do this for yourself, and enough self-confidence to know that you can.

    Depression is a double-whammy: It cuts away your self-esteem, and it cuts back on your desire or ability to do the things that could make you feel better -- including (and especially) seeking out help.

    And depression lies to you, telling you that "if I could only lose the weight, I'd be happy". Wrong. It's the other way around: If you tackle the depression and get it under control, then it will be MUCH easier to lose weight or to do the million other things you want and need to do in life.

    My advice to anyone who comes on here with this question is the same: Deal with the depression first. Then deal with the weight loss.

    I cannot agree with this more! Especially the last part, of course it is easier said than done as if you struggle with body image issues the weight gain will be feeding the depression and negative thoughts.

    First off, I am sorry to hear you are struggling with ongoing bouts of depression. I know from experience how debilitating it can be. Are you being treated for your depression? You may need therapy, medication or a combination to help lift your mood in order to get the energy and motivation to then be able to tackle the weight issues.

    I think some of the most important things are keeping lists and a regular schedule, this can do wonders to help lift mood and even if it doesn't help at least when the down times eventually lift things are not such a mess. Being disciplined in having a good bedtime, sleep habits, wake time, eating at the same times every day etc can go along way. Sometimes when I am struggling with mood I feel comparable to a toddler if my routines go out of wack it disrupts everything even more! That would be my advice routine, routine, routine. Also being as organised as possible and utilising the times when your mood is not as low, when I am feeling good I make lots of healthy nutritious meals for the freezer, this way when my mood drops and I have zero energy and want to either not eat or go for for a "quick hit" I have an easy way to get good meals that don't take any effort.

    Feel free to message me :smile:.

    Some links regarding routine, our 'body clock' and its relation to depression and weight issues if you are interested:
    http://circres.ahajournals.org/content/106/3/447.full
    http://www.wellnessresources.com/health/articles/body_clocks_and_weight_management_its_all_about_timing/
  • 68myra
    68myra Posts: 975 Member
    that sounds like great advice, Hannah :smile: and thank you for the links.... I will check them out tonight, when i have more time. I'm ALWAYS open to new ideas!
  • successgal1
    successgal1 Posts: 996 Member
    Been there, but currently most of my weight gain is due to stress eating, though I believe the correlation of "comfort food" is accurate. Exercise is key, however I know its hard to want to exercise when you're depressed. Sleep is very important, but easy to overdo when depressed, and hard to sleep through the night when stressed. I can suggest that you come up with healthier comfort foods. I recently purchased an electric pressure cooker (Instant Pot specifically), and found it so easy to make warm comfort foods like beef vegetable stew, beans and ham, even a whole chicken. The pot keeps all the flavor in there and cooks fast. I just got a load of freezer containers to have on hand. Easy to go from freezer to microwave when the urge strikes. So my biggest suggestion is meals prepped in advance to help keep you from making inadequate food choices. And choose activity that is fun (I ride a bike) or at the least, brisk walking.
  • catbrand
    catbrand Posts: 227 Member
    Hi guys, I hope you don't mind me gate-crashing.
    In all the years I've been using mfp, I think this is the most helpful thread I've found. So many things I've tried to say, but not been able to put into words, if only my husband would read it, I'm no good at vocalising my thoughts when it comes to depression.
    Anyway, I also find exercise so helpful in boosting my mood, but it's getting over that mental 'hump' to do it in the first place. After a long shift at work or a day with the kids sometimes it's difficult to get the motivation, and when I'm feeling especially low, it can be almost impossible.
    Food is the biggest hurdle I face. When everything is good and easy going, I can quite easily satisfy myself with a healthy meal. But when things aren't so great, I'll quickly turn to the worst foods without a second thought. I'm also anaemic, so it's easy for me to feel tired and turn to sugary food because I'm so tired, I know how wrong that is, but it gives me a boost and so I keep doing it.
    I'm resolving now to start sleeping 8 hours a night, something I have been letting slip lately, and to start exercising regularly. My diet can wait until I've got my exercise in check, Hopefully, the effects of the exercise will have a knock on effect on my diet anyway.
    Anyway, that was quite a ramble for my first post on this thread....
  • 68myra
    68myra Posts: 975 Member
    hiya catbrand. everyone is welcome here (no gate-crashing) i can relate to not being good at putting words together.... but i think you did so admirably :)
    Kudos to you for resolving to take better care of you! I know exercise doesn't help everybody, but it sure helps me a lot.... and then that makes it easier to make healthy food choices too. best wishes to you and let us know how you are doing :smile:
  • 68myra
    68myra Posts: 975 Member
    I love the idea of making dishes ahead of time! i'll keep that in my bag of tricks for later.... at the moment, I live with three family members who wouldn't think too much of that idea. good thing my husband likes to cook! LOL
  • shelleygold
    shelleygold Posts: 178 Member
    Hi everyone
    I am just impressed with the insight people show when challenges are faced both within and without. The "within" relates to our thoughts, feelings, behaviours and responses. The "without" accounts for the outside world which is ever changing. The context of our lives positions us in the centre of everything we experience. It is like we are in every scene in the movie of our existence and we play out the interactions with family, friends, colleagues, mates, neighbours, and everyone else that intersects our environments. I have a sense that we all learn patterns in our own histories which help us decide how to manage and make choices and decisions when we face problems that require solving. One example of this is how to manage weight and what to eat and what to avoid. Other examples may include how to deal with difficult people and to survive conflicts and challenges; many of which we did not even create. Our moods (within) certainly determine how we perceive the outside world and if we can look at things the way they really are and not the way we would like them to be, we made have a better chance of creating better choices and decisions. I used to think that food made me happy, comfortable and satisfied. Now I think that I can make myself feel better by creating a better relationship with my body rather than food. I guess it is how we look at it. I know it isn't easy and our moods can really knock us around. But, once we start believing that we can manage ourselves as effective choice-making organisms, the sky is the limit. We are what we think we are. Hope you are all doing well and thanks for being there.
    Shel
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    edited January 2016
    Hoping to get some adjustments later this month. Medicines are making me irritable, very very irritable. I'm sure it's not easy to live with me right now. running helps. making good food does too. and dog snuggles
  • catbrand
    catbrand Posts: 227 Member
    Thanks 68myra, I woke up a little worried about what I'd written in that post, I was nearly asleep when I wrote it and wondered if I'd been rambling or if it even made sense! It's been a rough few days but I'm off for a short break with my husband this weekend. Hopefully I can de-stress without the kids (in the nicest possible way, I need a break) and concentrate on getting back on track when we get home..

    Moyer566, I hope the med effects wear off soon. I agree that dog snuggles help, I used to love that before I moved out of my parents. Somehow they seem to know when they're needed.
  • shelleygold
    shelleygold Posts: 178 Member
    Hey group,
    This thread is for everyone.
    We all eat.
    We all have moods
    We are all challenged (eventually) to decide what meaning to assign our lives and challenges.
    May today be a day of insight and intention. No such thing as good or bad days; it's all about how we choose to see ourselves and what we learn about the complexity of our world.
    Take care
    Shel
  • 68myra
    68myra Posts: 975 Member
    Shel,
    well said, as usual. (i might be a little biased)
    a day of insight and intention. I will keep that in mind for tomorrow, and then the next tomorrow.....

  • WJS_jeepster
    WJS_jeepster Posts: 224 Member
    I don't have anything particularly insightful to say - just that this thread is so helpful to me to read. I have regular depression and then in the cold Minnesota winter I layer on seasonal depression. January and February in particular tend to be pretty rough. I'm doing ok this year so far.

    Thanks everyone for your posts. I always check each day to read more!

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