Weight gain and anxiety

Eagles8080

Anyone notice that when they gained weight they have anxiety? Is obesity causing my anxiety?😢

L1zardQueen

Anxiety is treatable. It sucks. Hugs

pinggolfer96

Dieting causes me more anxiety than anything. My weight gain is usually sourced from bulking so I feel big and strong and most importantly full lol so my anxiety decreases a little

jbseamus83

I have struggled with anxiety/depression for years. What I have learned through studying and therapy is that it is most often cyclical. Anxiety is going on - often without our knowledge. We eat, because food is comforting, and most often it is high carb/sugar/fat because this releases "feel good" endorphins. However, those endorphins are short-lived, and leave us crashing wanting more. When we realize what we have consumed, we feel guilty/shamed and anxious over the way we look. Then, the cycle starts over again.

I would recommend really looking at what the root of the problem is - what is truly causing the anxiety - generally trauma of some sort. Working through that is the only real way of dealing with the entire cycle. Let me know if you want to discuss anything. I know exactly what you are dealing with.

dangerousdumpling

I think there is a link between anxiety and unhealthy eating, especially sugar. Most people don't gain weight eating lean protein and vegetables. A friend told me low blood sugar triggers her anxiety. Sugar highs and lows feel horrible. I wouldn't say obesity causes anxiety but I would say that behaviors that lead to obesity can often go hand in hand with anxiety.
I'm sorry you're dealing with anxiety. If you've been dealing with it for some time I'm sure you know the drill - see your doctor, eat well, consider cognitive behavioral therapy, get some exercise, feed your mind positive things, try journaling. There's a book called Feeling Good by Dr. David D. Burns that has helped many people get control over their depressed or anxious thinking. Take care.

DragonHasTheSapphire

I don't think that anxiety is a direct cause of weight gain, or vice versa. I find being stressed out increases my hunger, which would cuase me to overeat, and if I do it enough, will gain weight. I would suggest some therapy, to try and find out where the root of this anxiety is coming from.

Dani9585

I noticed that my aggressive deficit (1lb/ week) significantly increased my anxiety. When I finally figured it out (through searching on here; thanks MFPers!), I decreased my deficit to the 0.5lb/week, my anxiety subsided to its normal amount of annoyance (lol).

I'm here because I had gained weight, and wanted to lose it. I cannot say that anxiety caused my weight gain. I think lack of education and excessive amount of calories caused that.

If you're finding that there is a link for you though (I.e. You become anxious and are using food as a coping strategy), it may be helpful to use a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy book (recommendation: Mind over Mood) to try to sort out your thoughts and how they impact your feelings and behaviours. Or going to a counsellor that can support you through all of that.

Good luck!

Cbean08

I lose weight when I have really bad anxiety. My appetite is so decreased that I can go all day on just a couple hundred calories and a lot of caffeine. Anxiety is not the cause of weight gain, but your coping mechanisms could be.

Therapy is a great option, but also try to be more self aware. Notice when you feel your anxiety rising and do your best to trace it back to an event/a thought/ a stimulus etc. It might help you to say it aloud, " I am feeling anxious because of XYZ." You might find your overreacting or causing yourself unnecessary stress by ruminating on small things.

mywayroche

When men gain weight we lower testosterone. So yeah, being overweight as a man can cause low testosterone symptoms

Deviette

I would be very interested in some studies on this, does anyone know of any? From a purely anecdotal situation there does appear to be a higher than one would expect of people who are overweight/try to lose (who post on here) who also suffer from anxiety. It would be interesting to see if the link is people who are overweight are more likely to be have anxiety, or if people who suffer from anxiety are more likely to gain weight. Or if of course there is no link at all, but instead there are other factors that make this appear this way (for example, people are happier to talk about it because of the relative anonymity of the internet)

mkculs

I also know that my severe anxiety, untreated, makes me unable to eat. I’ve been fat and happy since starting anti-anxiety meds—not bc of the meds, but bc I could finally eat and I love “junk”
food. Someone already put it best: it’s not your anxiety, but your coping mechanisms that cause the weight gain.

kiela64

My weight goes up at times when I feel particularly anxious, because it's one of the results of anxious over-eating, under-sleeping, under-moving, etc which I do when I'm having a bad bout.

But I know I also feel more socially anxious when I feel like I don't look my best, which I will almost always feel if I am the largest person in the room. As soon as I see at least one other obese person, I relax a little.

As silly as it might be, I get intimidated by thin people and I worry they are judging me for not "keeping it together" so to speak. At bad times, my weight symbolizes personal failure that is visible to everyone around me.

It can go both ways for me, a result and a cause of anxiety.

ahoy_m8

mywayroche wrote: »

When men gain weight we lower testosterone. So yeah, being overweight as a man can cause low testosterone symptoms

Low testosterone triggers anxiety for me. It lasts 6-7 days and is related to delayed ovulation, not body fat changes. (Follicle rupture -> progesterone release -> testosterone synthesis). I have no idea how men experience testosterone level changes, but speaking personally, my testosterone level is extremely noticeable to me. When it’s high (after follicle rupture), I have a strong sense of well-being. When it’s low (if I ovulate later than a normal cycle, which rarely happens but isn’t uncommon in peri menopause) I get chest pain, feel anxious.

My comment doesn’t really apply to OP, apologies for that. I was just reacting to the testosterone connection. OP, I’m sorry you are contending with anxiety. Take care of yourself and get what you need to manage it.

Running_and_Coffee

Certain types of anxiety make me want to stress eat and really emotionally draining things take away my appetite. I think weight gain/loss is related to what you eat, but your appetite is likely what anxiety impacts.

VUA21

I used to suffer from anxiety pretty bad (full on panic attacks multiple times a week), still managed to lose weight. I am happy to say that I haven't had a panic attack in over a year, and over three years (1 year off for recomp) I've lost a total of 180lbs. So I know for myself that it is possible to lose weight while suffering from anxiety.

Anxiety can trigger stress eating, which would lead to weight gain. Anxiety in itself isn't causing the gain, but it's mental effects on habits (eating, lack of exercise) can lead to it.

mtforrest07

I was just talking about this...i feel like poor eating/overeating triggers my anxiety through guilt and feeling out of control when i am not paying attention to my calories. I have a little extra weight right now and notice my anxiety has increased and my mood sucks. However instead of my extra weight being the issue, i notice when i actively watch what i eat and embrace some hunger my anxiety relieves. My friend completely agrees and she has anxiety issues as well. Try letting yourself feel hungry at times and pay attention to your portion sizes...hopefully that will relieve your anxiety. Works for me!

kshama2001

Regular exercise helps me manage my anxiety. Generally when I've gained weight, my activity has decreased.