Depression, unmotivated, and addicted to food.

imaluvbug98

I’ve always been over weight, I’ve been through a traumatic childhood and since I’ve been little, I’ve been dealing with depression through eating. I’ve tried making better choices but I’ve become addicted to food. I won’t have to be hungry, I think of it 24/7, it’s the only thing that makes me happy. I’m a picky eater and grew up eating more easy-made foods. (Mac & cheese, pizza, pasta) Ill start becoming healthier by trying to eat better but after 3 days I binge. I need help.

crohaley2008

I’ve been struggling with the same thing since I was a child myself. I’ve always been overweight and over eating has always been an issue. Throughout my life I’ve tried different “diets” and I found the thing that works best for me is counting calories. At one point in time I lost 80lbs doing this and a little exercise and I felt great! Soon after I became pregnant and had two children 11 months apart, was in a bad relationship for many years and let myself go once again. Food is always a comfort to me as well... but.. I know what I’m capable of and I know I can do it and you can too honey. You can always continue to eat the things you enjoy, it just has to be in small portions and a little walking/exercise will work wonders. You can start slow and easy and work your way up little by little. I will be here with you throughout this journey bc I know exactly how it feels to feel like no one understands or gets how hard it is to stop turning to food to make you feel good. Keep your head up love! Hugs.

kommodevaran

Depression and child abuse are both horrible. But you lose weight if you consistently eat less, just like everybody else. You aren't addicted to food (that's impossible), but you may be compulsively overeating. Binge eating or eating all the time doesn't make you happy, it just numbs your emotions. And memories about traumatic childhoods hurt.

Fast food is easy to eat and easy to like. To get used to a greater variety of foods, you have to challenge yourself and give yourself time. You need repeated exposure and patience, and an open mind.

If you force yourself to eat too little and/or food you don't like, you'll cave and overeat more than before.

You don't have to eat anything in particular or cut out anything to become more healthy. A healthy diet is just about getting in all the nutrition you need, and over time, not eat too much. You can eat anything you like in moderation, but a varied and balanced diet is the easiest way to get in what you need withot eating too much.

Cooking at home will give you a range of advantages - it can be done cheap, you will know what's in your food, you can decide what to put into your meals. You don't have to be a great cook, and you can make simple meals.

Learn about the food groups. Eat some food from each food group every day. Eat some food from several food groups for every meal. Prepare meals that look, smell and taste appealing to you. Enjoy it. And try new recipes from time to time.

abbynormalartist

If you're not already, please see a doctor about your depression. Please, please, please. Where my husband was 10 years ago, sounds very similar to where you are. I can't speak to your situation but I know for him, without medication, he would not have a chance at a happy life. Until his depression was addressed, he couldn't tackle his issues with food, didn't have the energy to work out, and wasn't sleeping well. Once he had a slight hold on his depression (not "cured" or completely better by any means) he was able to work on the other areas of his life. When he felt like there was no hope and everything was awful, sure, he wanted to eat all the time to feel better. But, once he felt like things were okay and he could get into hobbies, etc, he didn't think about food all the time. Other things made him happy. And then his depression greatly reduced by the better diet, exercise and more sleep. It's all connected.

asviles

Listen carefully. You have no reason to give up the foods you love if you just want to lose some weight. Just plug in your numbers and be honest with yourself. Eat fewer calories than your daily goal every day. Need a snack? Hit that bike for an hour first, then have a snack that is fewer calories than your exercise. The secret to beating depression is to make yourself feel capable, and the only way to do that is to experience accomplishment. The real secret no one will talk about is that happiness is not a worthwhile goal. Instead go for serenity. Be at peace with your suffering and accomplish your tasks anyway. If some days you feel like it's hopeless and the world is out to get you remember this. Of course the whole world is against you, because it knows the second you realize that you CAN... even with the universe against you it isn't a fair fight.

vingogly

I suggest seeing a psychologist or clinical counselor, who can evaluate your depression and determine whether a referral for meds to help with the depression might be helpful for you (often the best approach is meds plus talk therapy). It sounds like it's difficult to focus on losing weight with the long-standing depression going on.

A classic self-help book for depression is Feeling Good, by Dr. David Burns, available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Here's his site:

https://feelinggood.com/books/

For the behavioral part of weight loss (help with the tendency to self-medicate with food), I recommend the book The Beck Diet Solution (also available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble); it's a cognitive-behavioral approach to modifying the negative beliefs and self-talk that can defeat your weight loss attempts. Here's the site:

http://diet.beckinstitute.org