Weight loss and depression

emdeesea

I've been thinking about this for a while now, I wonder if anyone has had the same experience.

I was a heavy kid, my weight started to creep up around maybe age 12-13 and went up from there. Heavy teenager, heavy young adult.

Around the same time, I developed clinical depression. I got myself treated for it in my very early 20s and remained on antidepressants until around my late 30s. I weaned off of them because I was tired of feeling "drugged."

And around that same time, I started to work on getting healthier and more physically fit. I've lost a significant amount of weight through diet and exercise, and I realize that I feel great and have no signs/symptoms of depression.

So what is it exactly that led to this? Is it the exercise? Is it the feeling that I've gotten my life under some sort of control? I'm not sure.

Because like everyone else I do have stressful days and, well, life happens. But I feel way more suited to take on these challenges than I ever did. And sure, I have those "off" days, but they are few and far between and I'm more likely to shrug it off than I am to ruiminate about it.

What do you think?

dkabambe

It's well known that exercise and a health lifestyle can help with depression (and anxiety). Having said that my worst period of depression coincided with my being at my healthiest physically, (about 2 years ago), although there was a lot else going on in my life at the time.

Soon the depression took over and the exercise stopped, putting me on a downward spiral and it's been really hard to recover in those circumstances. Just yesterday I've gotten back into exercise and continued today and right this instant is probably the best I've felt in a while - though I've only been able to start exercising now the original stress factors have decreased, (though not all gone yet). I'm hoping I can now reverse the spiral and use exercise to help alleviate the depression, and in turn feeling better will make it easier to motivate myself into living healthy and doing exercise, as well as sort out those remaining issues!

In other words, for me the two are definitely related but it's a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation. Not sure that helps at all...

Forty6and2

I've struggled with depression for most of my life and I've found that exercise does help quite a bit. Although, it definitely wasn't a cure for my depression. I still get very down, even when everything seems to be going right.
The process, for me, is definitely cyclical. I get depressed, lose motivation, stop exercising, eat like *kitten*, start feeling even more depressed, and on and on.
When I started this process, I thought that being skinny for the first time in my adult life would solve all of my problems. I was wrong. So, so wrong. Losing weight definitely solved some of problems. I can walk to campus without getting too winded, I can wear most things I like comfortably, and I can exercise longer than I ever have in my life. But I definitely still have depression and I still struggle a lot.

LaceyBirds

I've suffered from depression all of my life - all of it, from a little kid on. I'll be 61 in November. My usual state is dysthymia, chronic low-grade depression, and anxiety, followed by long bouts of clinical depression (all diagnosed, with PTSD in there too). I've been on every drug in the book (Prozac was the only one that helped but lost it's effectiveness after a couple of years), and I started therapy at 23 and was in it on and off all of my adult life until nine years ago when I lost my insurance and my therapist dropped me like a hot potato. Now I struggle through on my own and one tri-cyclic antidepressant which is really to help me sleep.

I grew up too skinny, not anorexic, have gained weight and lost it a few times over the years, but was never obese until the late 90s. Although I've certainly had a lot of major ups and downs throughout my life, my depression never really fit any pattern. I could be in my darkest places when I was thin, in shape and backpacking all over the California mountains, and happier when I was fat and sitting at home staring at the computer. Life circumstances can make things harder, but with me, it is apparently just a part of my make-up and can hit at any time.

Since starting to log and weigh my food and lose weight in April 2015 (but not exercising), I felt my mood was better, and it stayed pretty high until a few months ago. I went home to visit family and friends for three weeks, and coming back left me pretty low - but that was to be expected.

But in the last month or so, my mood has plummeted and continues to fall, and my anxiety is out of control. I stopped my last blood pressure drug at the beginning of July, and I'm sure that plays a part, although my blood pressure has been normal for the past week, but at the same time, what I'm experiencing now is the same old thing that has plagued me all my life. I don't want to get up, and when I am up, I want to go back to bed, and it's getting worse. I was having some trouble for the first time sticking to my calories, and seem to have gotten a handle back on that, but that's about all I can do.

All that to say that, for me, clinical depression has never been affected by fitness or weight or youth or relationships - it is its own beast and will have its way, and I just have to wait it out. At least I've been able to do that all these years.

I hope what you are doing and experiencing sustains itself and that your depression will be a thing of the past. Good luck to you and to all of us who suffer with this lovely disease.

PandaCustard

I have dysthymia, which is a constant, persistent low depression, and have experienced several bouts of major depression, the worst of which was two years ago that had me suicidal, but I've recovered from. I gained a lot of weight during the severe episodes because I just hated myself too much to take care of myself. I ended up hitting rock bottom, managed to have a breakthrough, and realized what I had to do was just stop that crap, and started eating healthier and exercising more.

The reason why you're probably feeling better is because exercise releases endorphins, which naturally combat a low mood. The hardest thing for people with depression, though, is to rile up the motivation it takes to work out in the first place. It's hard... very hard, downright tortuous and sometimes nigh impossible, but it's something you just have to stick with. Exercise (and healthy eating) is not only great for your body, but for your brain. I've been off antidepressants for two years now. Are there bad days? Of course. But people who have suffered depression are strong as hell. You can do this! Keep at it and fight!