My depression vs. Food

bremcdonnell

I am 23 years old and have been on antidepressants since I was 14 or 15 and am now on Bipolar medications as well. I am just now starting to realize that when I am having a more "depressive" day I am over eating much more than on days when I am feeling good. I have not really ever noticed this because I have not really ever had a site like this or been accountable for what I am eating. BUT the more i log my foods and try to stay accountable the more I realize that my depression has a major affect on my eating habits. I know this is common for alot of people, but does anyone have any advice on how to try to handle this type of situation?? Does anyone have a good routine or way to handle this?

I would appreciate responses to be kept towards the eating/food aspect...not the depression. I have seen many doctors and am in treatment for it so I would appreciate you to keep your opinions about those topics to yourself as I feel my treatment is working for me personally. I hope you understand. Thank you in advance.

lloydrt

welcome, welcome.............great to have you. I hope you enjoy this site as much as I have, people are really cool and supportive

I wish you the best in your journey for weight loss and good health.............Good Luck., Lloyd

megsta21

Welcome!!! Maybe try to keep a few things on hand for the not so great days....

Hummus & Carrots (or celery)
Sultanas & Mixed nuts (unsalted)
Fruits & Veg

OR maybe Popcorn?? I love popcorn... (coles Sweet & Salty) is awesome and pretty low cals too!!! Or make your own air popped popcorn?

StacLegg

I am a huge stress eater! that is what brought me to this journey I am on! My Mom passed away suddenly and my weight sky rocketed!! I have found that when I get stressed out I go for a power walk and it really helps me with the stress level and the not eating!!! I have been on this site for 30 days today, it gets easier I promise, you just have to keep on keeping on!! Never give up, because if you do then you are giving up on YOU. I've only lost 11 lbs, and I don't see a difference yet, but I FEEL different. I feel more peace, and believe me in the last 30 days I have had some major stressful situations.... and I made it! You can too!!
Welcome and congrat's on starting a new life.
Stac

bremcdonnell

That's a good idea. I need to get better at keeping snacks with me anyway. Thanks!

MichelleWagner50

I do the same thing. I haven't been on meds for a few years. I have found that when I work out, I definitely feel better! Don't know if that will help you but it can't hurt!
Even when I don't feel like it, I try to at least get outside for a walk. The fresh air and sunshine always helps too! I live in Michigan, so we don't get much of that in the winter!
Best of luck to you!:flowerforyou: Don't give up....it will get easier! Just keeping track of the junk I was eating helped me get better with my eating habits.

elmct57

you are not alone in turning to food for comfort on a bad day or at a bad time. i started "distracting" myself, doing laundry, going for a walk in the sunshine, picking up the living room, etc. anything to put it off and go on to some other train of thought. the walks helped the best tho. that and stumbling across this site. best of luck to you!

summerblunden

I have no experience with depression, and every situation is certainly different. But I wonder if you "allow" yourself one bad thing when you're having a bad day, and don't feel guilty about it, if it will help curb your eating for the rest of that day? I know that prior to tracking my eating, I would go on a binge, and then feel bad about it, and then eat because I felt bad. So if you tell yourself that on those bad days you're allowed to have one bad item, if it will help?

Or how about researching the not-so-bad alternatives to the foods you turn to? I don't advocate doing that all of the time, because then you're not learning how to eat well, you're just learning how to but the healthier, but still not healthy, foods you like. But that might help you get through those days without totally messing up your calorie total for the day.

I'm also with everyone else on the exercise, it is a proven mood enhancer, and I know, personally, when I work out, the last thing I want to do is eat crap food and undo everything I just worked my tail off to do.

Good luck, this is a great site, and the people here are awesome!

RaeN81

Honestly, many of us on this site are emotional eaters...so don't feel alone in that! I noticed when I started journalling my food as well that I would be reaching for food when I was stressed out or blue. Sometimes, just having a healthy snack helps, something that's refreshing like fruits and veggies can do the trick. However, there are other times when I have a small amount of chocolate, or another treat food. I learned early on that I needed to limit the portion sizes on these (to avoid binging) but the natural mood altering effects of something like chocolate could occasionally be helpful too. Food is not the enemy, it's a tool. Feel free to enjoy it in moderation!

bremcdonnell

Thank you all SO much for the ideas and support. I do think (summerblunden) that allowing myself 1 "bad" item isn't a bad idea! If I can tell myself that only 1 bad item is allowed I think that will help. I also KNOW that I need to exercise more and thanks to the motivation and support on this site I feel that is in the works as well. I would've liked to have started kickboxing on Monday but ended up with the flu and haven't felt great since then. But tomorrow is a new day. Thanks again.

Scorpiomom222

I am a recovering addict, so I know how it is to replace my feelings with food or drugs. I know how you feel. I am clean almost 18 months now, but before I started this website, I started noticing I would eat more to cope with feeling sad or lonely.

Bonnie555

Good Morning,

Another thing I do is not keep the food that adds to the hips in the house - If I am depressed and having a melt down and must eat I actually have to go and get the food. Which in turn gets me out of the house and lifts the spirits a bit.

Have a great day:happy: