Too depressed to start

kellysmith410

I struggled with depression and my lifestyle of overeating made it worse. I started seeing a therapist, who helped me focus on the positive things I have and the support systems that I neglected to appreciate.
Realizing all of this helped me make a change and ultimately choosing a better life for myself has helped me remove antidepressants and therapy from my life all together.
I've never been happier than I am now so take it from my experience, you'll be so happy that you made a positive decision from yourself.

It's gonna suck and be so hard in the beginning but always choose yourself, be kind to yourself and appreciate yourself for the ability you have to keep pushing forward through every obstacle. Find strength in that. The time is going to pass anyway so spend it doing something right for you.

Best of luck - you have the strength and power to choose the right things for yourself, even if you don't realize it now!!

3rdof7sisters

It is difficult for many of us. Take it one day at a time. Make small goals and acknowledge each one of them!
If you stick with a program, six months from now you will be happy that you did.
You are worth it!

SueSueDio

snickerscharlie wrote: »

But for a lot of people, especially those just starting out, there's this belief that in order to be successful, you have to give up the foods that you love. I'm living proof that that's not the case. The option that I used (and lost 75 lbs in a year several years ago and have been maintaining ever since) was to chose moderation over elimination. Because I knew myself well enough that if I put any foods on a Forbidden List, I would simply want them even more.

This was me. I stayed fat for far too long because I thought in order to lose weight I'd have to be hungry and miserable and spend hours in the gym, and I wasn't prepared to do that! I love chocolate and sweet things too much, and every "diet" I saw required me to cut out something I didn't want to. (And I, too, would crave things even more if they were forbidden.)

I lost some weight a few years ago using a meal replacement plan, but I gave it up because although I was seeing results the plan was very expensive and rather dull, and I wanted to eat food rather than drink shakes. And because it had taught me nothing about portion control, I gained all the weight back and a whole lot more over the next few years.

A good friend recommended MFP to me some time ago, but it wasn't until last January that I was finally ready to give it a try. It's been like a miracle for me, to learn that I can still eat what I want to - I just can't always eat as much of it, or as often, as I want to! I'm certainly not perfect, and I go over my calorie allotment at least a couple of times a week, but not usually over my maintenance calories. I'm not "on a diet", I'm just trying to eat like a person of a healthy weight rather than a baby elephant... My losses have been slow but relatively steady, and although there are many fluctuations and temporary stalls (as Jerome mentioned upthread) I've managed to lose nearly 50lbs in the last year.

OP, are you having trouble staying committed because you're trying different "diets" that want you to restrict too many things or to be too perfect? If so, then give up that idea and follow the advice others have given you here. Just start by logging your food every day, regardless of what it is. (And don't forget drinks, condiments, oils, etc.) You can keep your diary private if that helps you, but you need to be honest with yourself about what you're eating now. (I used to believe that I didn't really eat much, and I must be eating "the wrong foods". Let me tell you, weighing your food and counting the calories is eye-opening! There are no "wrong foods", just too much food!) Then start trying to find ways to cut down. Take it slowly, don't try to change everything at once or you'll be overwhelmed. Don't expect to lose weight every single week (some people do, many don't), but take measurements and photos regularly and take note of how your clothes fit, so that you have other ways to gauge success.

Also let go of the idea (if you have it) that you need to be perfect, and that if you eat a donut one day you've failed and might as well give up. Realise that one bad meal, bad day or bad week doesn't ruin everything, and pick yourself up and start over. Don't let your past failures define you or limit your potential for eventual success. Failure is a great way to learn what doesn't work and to try something different!

If you are truly unhappy with your weight then you do need to commit to doing something about it, and like someone else mentioned it's best to deal with it now while you're young. But you don't need to be starving and miserable while you deal with it. Read the stickied threads in these forums and just make a start... you've taken a great first step by joining this site and reaching out, now take another one. And another one. Keep putting one foot in front of the other, and if you fall remember that even if you're just crawling you're still moving forward.

snickerscharlie

@SueSueDio :
I agreed with your entire post, but just wanted to emphasize this portion for the benefit of the OP:

SueSueDio wrote: »

Also let go of the idea (if you have it) that you need to be perfect, and that if you eat a donut one day you've failed and might as well give up. Realise that one bad meal, bad day or bad week doesn't ruin everything, and pick yourself up and start over. Don't let your past failures define you or limit your potential for eventual success. Failure is a great way to learn what doesn't work and to try something different!

Every single day, we are given a brand new 'clean slate' opportunity to do better. If you learn from previous missteps and forgive yourself future ones, the successful days will start to far outweigh the not-so-good ones and you'll be well on your way to achieving your goal.