DEPRESSION / PTSD

lcshuman

I know depression plays a great deal in weight gain. If someone battling depression or PTSD what is your motivation to start a healthy life style or even working out?

lcshuman

lcshuman wrote: »

I know depression plays a great deal in weight gain. If someone battling depression or PTSD what is your motivation to start a healthy life style or even working out?

I Am Not What My Condition Says I Am...I Am a Conqueror!!

Mr_Bad_Example

lcshuman wrote: »

I know depression plays a great deal in weight gain. If someone battling depression or PTSD what is your motivation to start a healthy life style or even working out?

Get treatment for the depression and PTSD first - that's the best first step towards becoming healthy. I had depression for years (without realizing it) and it's only when I got treatment that I started to actually feel and look healthier.

Veryana

Yup, I started to feel better with different medication and now I'm using that leftover energy I have for controlling eating and losing weight. No way I could have started when I was in worse condition. You need to have that will to do stuff before it works.

PudgyPanda91

I have depression and have struggled with it for a long time.
Fortunately, my issue isn't necessarily starting something, but it's that the moment I stop at all, I drop a million times lower than I started. Instead, my issue is staying motivation to continue working out and eating healthy.

For me, it comes down to doing more or better than I did the day before, even if it's what other people would see as a tiny change. Today I'll only have one bottle of pop instead of two, and tomorrow I won't have any. Things like that.

nbookman

I don't know that you have to treat your depression first in order to focus on eating better. For me, eating healthier foods and keeping track of it through MFP *is* an integral part of helping manage my symptoms. Also regular exercise and supplementing with fish oil are very helpful for me. Thanks for bringing up such an important topic!! Wishing you well

Veryana

nbookman wrote: »

I don't know that you have to treat your depression first in order to focus on eating better. For me, eating healthier foods and keeping track of it through MFP *is* an integral part of helping manage my symptoms. Also regular exercise and supplementing with fish oil are very helpful for me. Thanks for bringing up such an important topic!! Wishing you well

You can always eat better when you have depression but keeping it up can be super difficult sometimes, especially if you tend to eat "comfort food" for negative feelings. It can be even harder if you have to control eating for weight loss. That's how it went for me at least

mbaker566

I eat well. Got Dr help. Got someone I could talk to about my problems-not professional. Started yoga and meditation. And started running. Gets me out and gives me a space to work thru stuff.

PrePosthumous

Mr_Bad_Example wrote: »

lcshuman wrote: »

I know depression plays a great deal in weight gain. If someone battling depression or PTSD what is your motivation to start a healthy life style or even working out?

Get treatment for the depression and PTSD first - that's the best first step towards becoming healthy. I had depression for years (without realizing it) and it's only when I got treatment that I started to actually feel and look healthier.

This.

Also, I found that making trusted friends aware of my conditions has enabled them to help keep me on my diet plan even when my depressive phases would make me want to just give up on all of it.

But, as Bad Example said, get treatment ASAP. It won't make your conditions go away, but it will make you better able to manage the ups and downs and keep your life goals on track.

Yes, you can eat better starting now and treatment will take a long time, and a healthy diet and exercise will actually speed your recovery besides the weight loss. So it's a win-win.

lithezebra

Exercise is part of my self-care, whether I'm getting treatment or not. It's a necessity if you suffer from PTSD: exercise helps you emotionally, and mitigates the health risks that PTSD increases, like diabetes, high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome, and substance abuse. I'm not always seeing a therapist. I have seen one every time I've had a meltdown. I always exercise regularly, preferably every day.

P.S. My dad is the same way. He had panic attacks, and would go out for a run to make them go away. It's logical that one very good thing to do for an overactive fight/flight response is to move your body.

barkingpaws

I think this is a great topic. PTSD can cause everything to be so difficult, let alone trying to focus on beginning or restarting a healthier lifestyle. From my perspective, as I deal with a lifetime of trauma and depression, finding small ways to move such as walking or krav maga classes began to ignite faith in myself and opened up healing. It helped establish groundedness and reconnecting with my body. Which is a big effect of PTSD. You disconnect, which I always call autopilot. I eat without awareness, negative talk myself, and in the end accomplish nothing. Start small and find activities the make you laugh and you can enjoy. Making healthy choices after you begin to enjoy the movements really starts to come naturally. I wish you the best with a sincere heart and hope you find peace on your journey to a healthier life, mind, and body.

lcshuman

Omg...I thought I was totally alone on thus matter. Thanks everyone for great advice. I don't put it out there, but since I am trying to make a commitment to myself I figure why not...THANKS EVERYONE. Looking forward to hearing more...

lithezebra

You are definitely not alone, @lcshuman . FWIW, my motivation to exercise comes after I do it, not so much before. Sometimes I just plain get out and do something because I know that ANYthing I do is going to be better than doing nothing.

kshama2001

lcshuman wrote: »

I know depression plays a great deal in weight gain. If someone battling depression or PTSD what is your motivation to start a healthy life style or even working out?

I often have to force myself to start exercise. Like today. It was 11 degrees F outside. But I bundled up and went for my lunch time walk anyway, cuz I know that if I don't get some exercise at lunchtime, that afternoon I'll be like the sloths at the DMV:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY73vFGhSVk

My motivation is the feel-good hormones exercise provides, plus I sleep better and just feel better all around.

cnbbnc

I've suffered from clinical depression and the first thing I've always been asked by doctors/therapists is...."are you exercising." My answer was usually "no", which would earn me lectures about the benefits for stress reduction and boosting overall mood. It's very true though, because when I'm working out regularly I notice a big difference in how I feel.

I know it can be very hard getting started if you're not feeling well. I've had to force myself during those times, but it really does feel good. That's my motivation to continue now.

lithezebra

kshama2001 wrote: »

lcshuman wrote: »

I know depression plays a great deal in weight gain. If someone battling depression or PTSD what is your motivation to start a healthy life style or even working out?

I often have to force myself to start exercise. Like today. It was 11 degrees F outside. But I bundled up and went for my lunch time walk anyway, cuz I know that if I don't get some exercise at lunchtime, that afternoon I'll be like the sloths at the DMV:

My motivation is the feel-good hormones exercise provides, plus I sleep better and just feel better all around.

First of all, kudos to you. I have not had to force myself to exercise when it's anywhere near that cold. And yes, I've been sleeping better for so long that I forgot how much exercise helps. Meditation helps me sleep too (as in it makes me fall asleep, so maybe I'm not doing it right, but I'm not complaining).

maroonmango211

Honestly for me it was realization (the hard.... years of back and forth) that eating healthier, being a healthy weight and exercising made my depression and anxiety so much easier to handle. So much so, that now I am not taking any prescriptions for it anymore (vit d during winter and b12 still).

Now I feel horrible the evenings after days I don't get exercise and eating badly makes the fatigue so much worse.

kshama2001

lithezebra wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

lcshuman wrote: »

I know depression plays a great deal in weight gain. If someone battling depression or PTSD what is your motivation to start a healthy life style or even working out?

I often have to force myself to start exercise. Like today. It was 11 degrees F outside. But I bundled up and went for my lunch time walk anyway, cuz I know that if I don't get some exercise at lunchtime, that afternoon I'll be like the sloths at the DMV:

My motivation is the feel-good hormones exercise provides, plus I sleep better and just feel better all around.

First of all, kudos to you. I have not had to force myself to exercise when it's anywhere near that cold. And yes, I've been sleeping better for so long that I forgot how much exercise helps. Meditation helps me sleep too (as in it makes me fall asleep, so maybe I'm not doing it right, but I'm not complaining).

That was probably a bad example. I sometimes have to force myself when it's nice as well. But today was on my mind cuz I had a huge internal struggle before I committed to walking. All my sabotaging thoughts came up and I was trying to run out the clock with procrastination.

lcshuman

Everyone thanks...it has been hard for me but I am getting through it. I have started eating better and paying attention to what I am eating. I have also started meditating and praying more. I got up and Ran in place last night...it felt good. Little by little I am moving. Thanks for all of the motivation. I love all of the ideas and knowing I Am not the only one is good to know.

jsa_mason

I had severe PTSD from combat in Iraq which lead to really bad depression. My motivation to loose weight is simply because it makes me feel so much better about myself. I guess it's a combination of feeling less self conscious and feeling more energetic and willing to be active. Therapy helped me more than anything though.

PrePosthumous

lcshuman wrote: »

Everyone thanks...it has been hard for me but I am getting through it. I have started eating better and paying attention to what I am eating. I have also started meditating and praying more. I got up and Ran in place last night...it felt good. Little by little I am moving. Thanks for all of the motivation. I love all of the ideas and knowing I Am not the only one is good to know.

Breathing exercises (like meditation) have done wonders for my PTSD and the general anxiety that can come with it. I can't recommend doing that enough.

PrePosthumous

jsa_mason wrote: »

I had severe PTSD from combat in Iraq which lead to really bad depression. My motivation to loose weight is simply because it makes me feel so much better about myself. I guess it's a combination of feeling less self conscious and feeling more energetic and willing to be active. Therapy helped me more than anything though.

I'm glad you made it through over there and back home. Thank you for your service.

lithezebra

jsa_mason wrote: »

I had severe PTSD from combat in Iraq which lead to really bad depression. My motivation to loose weight is simply because it makes me feel so much better about myself. I guess it's a combination of feeling less self conscious and feeling more energetic and willing to be active. Therapy helped me more than anything though.

Good point about therapy. I sort of assumed that @lcshuman was already getting therapy, but that's not a safe assumption at all. I would probably still be cowering at home if it hadn't been for taking that first step to call around and find some professional help I could afford. It gave me the push I needed to take better care of myself.

I'm glad that you made it through combat too. Stay well!