breaking free of anxiety and starting my weight loss journey

illusionist121

So for half a year I've been homestuck thanks to severe anxiety and depression, I've gained considerable weight and now I need to break free of this all and do something about it, I don't have much of a social life right now so it would be great to talk and meet some supportive amazing people , any advice and tips would be extremely helpful and appreciated

vivmom2014

Welcome to MFP. There's lots of good information & support on these boards, take a long look around.

Are you working with a therapist? Anxiety and depression are tough.

Good for you to decide to make a change. A food scale will be invaluable for accurate calorie counting. You can keep eating everything that you enjoy - just less of it. Adding exercise will give you more calories to work, besides being great for mind & body. Start with something doable - a morning walk, for instance, or a short home DVD workout - and build up as you go along.

My advice would be to not rush the process. There's plenty of time.

illusionist121

Thank you so much for all your advice, yeah I'm currently seeing a therapist and trying to get my mental state in more of a stable position, I feel deep down it's may be only then that I will truly change otherwise my eating habits and patterns won't change, I currently find I'm starving myself for multiple days then eating loads of rubbish at weekends

vivmom2014

illusionist121 wrote: »

Thank you so much for all your advice, yeah I'm currently seeing a therapist and trying to get my mental state in more of a stable position, I feel deep down it's may be only then that I will truly change otherwise my eating habits and patterns won't change, I currently find I'm starving myself for multiple days then eating loads of rubbish at weekends

That's often the problem with a lot of restricting. You're going along, going along and then bam! You raid the kitchen and throw all caution to the wind.

A sensible (read: not too aggressive) calorie goal will be your friend in this endeavor. It's always good to have more calories! Exercise can play a key role here. But exercise is not necessary for weight loss. It's all about the food, and staying under that calorie limit.

illusionist121

Due to my circumstances my exercise levels are quite low but my calorie intake is usually pretty low in fact most days it's around 700 calories it's just I tend to go slightly over on my fats including saturated. I have however managed to cut out takeaways completely, I had over 200 nights of takeaway in a row and stopped and never looked back, I feel so much better just for doing that but I think my issue now is either I eat just 700 calories a day or 1200 from just eating something bad like a large tube of pringles (pringles are my weakness)

vivmom2014

Well, 700 calories a day isn't nearly enough. In fact, you really shouldn't eat under 1500 per day - unless you have medical orders mandating otherwise.

illusionist121

Today I had nothing to eat until 7pm , I had some meatballs and a energy drink followed by water and a kiwi it came to I think 800 calories

vivmom2014

I hope you've disclosed this to your therapist. It's really not healthy.

illusionist121

Yeah he knows my diet is bad, other times though I can eat a whole packet of cookies and tube of pringles and milkshake , I don't cook because I'm currently in financial problems

vivmom2014

It's a lot to sort out, and I can appreciate that it may feel overwhelming. But you're starting down a much healthier path, so feel good about that.

These forums are filled with helpful information. Read up on nutrition, shopping & cooking on a budget, easy recipes to toss together at home, etc. You can do it!

illusionist121

Thank you

Helloidentitycrisis

illusionist121 wrote: »

Yeah he knows my diet is bad, other times though I can eat a whole packet of cookies and tube of pringles and milkshake , I don't cook because I'm currently in financial problems

Please only take this as advice from someone who had to be told too, but the cost of healthy food versus Pringles and such often aren't too far apart.

You don't need to cook - raw veg are great for you! I often slice carrots, celery and/or beetroot to eat raw!

illusionist121 wrote: »

Due to my circumstances my exercise levels are quite low

One step at a time, but if you start to push yourself to go for a 10 minute walk (I used to do it at night when anxiety kept me locked up) and to eat better, the energy and the hunger will come!

Exercise can help to relieve depression, which I have experienced first hand! Try not to think of it as "I can't exercise because I am depressed" but as "Exercising can help me feel less depressed" - this really helped me.

Feel free to add or message me - I recently was declared "healthy enough to work" after being signed off for two years with anxiety, so I can maybe relate to what you're going through!

illusionist121

Yeah I actually love vegetables, I could eat so much , I've started going out for just half hour walks at night (most nights) I'm thinking of getting a home workout DVD maybe the insanity workout. I'm really happy for you being declared healthy enough to work I think that's fantastic, thank you I will add you as a friend

Helloidentitycrisis

Honestly I'd much more highly recommend Fitness Blender videos from youtube - like insanity it focuses on HIIT (high intensity interval training) and is free so if you can't stick with it, you didn't waste any money!

Great that you're already going for walks!

illusionist121

Ok then I will definitely check them videos out on YouTube, thank you, yeah I feel like I can leave my house at night as nobody is around but unfortunately the weather has been terrible these last couple of nights so I haven't been able to

kalie8789

I'm kinda in the same wagon I have severe anxiety and depression. I take it out on food though . I wake up in the middle of the night and binge eat sometimes I don't even know what I ate till that morning when I see the wrappers. I'm trying hard to drop 100 pounds

illusionist121

Yeah I completely understand that , just remember although it might not happen as quick as you would like just remember it will eventually happen of you persist on working hard enough

Helloidentitycrisis

illusionist121 wrote: »

Yeah I completely understand that , just remember although it might not happen as quick as you would like just remember it will eventually happen of you persist on working hard enough

You already sound like a pro

illusionist121

Or a hypocrite I need to change my ways and learn persistence myself lol

LittlePikinini

Is very basic and important that you eat every 3-4 hours

illusionist121

I eat twice a day at 12 and 4 , I only consume average of 800 calories a day which I know is bad but it's what I feel comfortable doing

alexandraroxanne

That's great you're deciding to be proactive! I think it's brave of you to post this, I know most people don't like talking about mental illness. I'm also hoping changing my lifestyle and getting into fitness/healthy eating will be a positive thing to keep my mind on (and out of the house). I hope everything works out for you! Best of luck! And feel free to add me if you need some motivation, I'm new to this so I'm still trying to figure out how everything works!

vivmom2014

LittlePikinini wrote: »

Is very basic and important that you eat every 3-4 hours

I'm not sure why you bolded your advice, because it's wrong. Meal timing is irrelevant to weight loss.

Vanessalookingood

I understand how depression makes you feel. You are working on it and that is great news. Try not to isolate yourself too much and keep reaching out to others. You are severely restricting your caloric intake and I am positive that this is setting you up for failure. Also this cycle is going to add to you feeling worse about yourself. Please don't overly restrict your calories and you may want to try 15 mins of exercise (helps boost your mood) If you do this in a healthy way your whole outlook will change. Set your self up for success, this is a journey not something that will change overnight. Small changes over time= big changes for a better life. Blessings to you.

benzieboxx

Feel free to add me if you'd like! I too suffer from anxiety and depression and have been trying to slowly overcome it.