Weight Loss and Anxiety Support

lindsschou

Hello, I'm pretty new to MFP and trying to lose a significant amount of weight. I also suffer with anxiety. Was wondering if anyone else is in the same boat...?

spcr0428

I do! I have horrible anxiety, and need to lose and lose and lose.

missziathediva

I do. It sucks Feel free to add me if you would like to chat.

gumby101ca

tons of support here guys, work hard and eat right .. good things will happen for you !!

ItsAsha

I've never really suffered from anxiety, but i use to get anxious when I was going to the gym. For a long time, I would go to the gym, then sit in the parking lot and say oohhhh helll nooo and leave.

I think it's a lot of mind over matter. You have to want something really really bad, then nothing else matters. I overcame my fear of working out in front of other people, you can too :happy:

You just need to find your inner strength and let it become bigger than your inner fear

gottabekd

I don't have a ton of weight, but I do have a lot of anxiety. It's escalated into full on panic attacks lately. So I can relate, in part. I find going to the gym and doing a hard workout - 30+ mins of cardio plus 30 mins of weights - really helps.

LilBrat71

Hi There!

I had a very unfortunate incident a few years ago and was given meds in the ER that I was allergic to... ended up on life support for 3 days. I battled panic attacks for 4 years, convinced myself every single day that I was "dying again", sought more therapy that I would like to admit and just recently learned how to live with them. First, let me say that I know how debilitating they can be and how hopeless life feels.

I learned that anxiety (more specifically, panic attacks) are simply fear feeding off of fear. What you need to try to do is beat the fear rather than letting it consume you. I know what you're saying... "it's not that simple" but... it really is that simple. I used to go into the bathroom, look into the mirror and just kickbox until I had absolutely no strength left in my body. In my mind, I was fighting back... fighting the fear in me... the panic attack. It worked.

So... attempt a good workout session when you feel anxious. When you fear the panic attack, you give into it and it only escalates. If, in your mind, you fight back, you can win! Beat it! It can't control you if you don't allow it to. YOU are in control of your body and mind and the mind is a very powerful tool. If it can convince you that you are dying (or whatever your anxiety feeds off of), it can work in your favor too.

I hope this helps. Again, I totally relate to what your going through. You could have the best of all worlds here. Give it a shot and add me as a friend if you would like.

Best of luck to you in your happy, healthy, anxiety-free life you are about to embark upon!

bmontgomery87

I've had a lot of trouble with it in the past. Mine was maybe social anxiety. So getting to the gym was a little nerve wracking at first. But once I got used to it, I was fine.

Proper diet, along with excercise has really helped reduce my anxiety to the point where I rarely have trouble with it anymore.

dianajanelangford

I just joined myself. I've suffered from anxiety for as long as I can remember. Can't wait to see some results!

gretahausen

I do for sure. I get panic attacks when I walk into the front door to the gym. Being there is not so hard, it's the people and not knowing what the hell you are doing yet. (I was never this way in high school or college) My heart rate shot up to 145 just walking into the gym yesterday. It happens to many of us, but I think the more tenacious that you are the better that will get. One workout at a time, or one meal at a time. Try not to stress about the goal. Enjoy the journey. We are here for each other, remember.

lindsschou

Thanks everyone for their replies. My anxiety isn't necessarily about the gym, or eating, or anything like that...I'm not even sure what causes it all the time, but I'm looking forward to conditioning my mind along with my body and learning to think about things differently.

gottabekd

Thanks everyone for their replies. My anxiety isn't necessarily about the gym, or eating, or anything like that...I'm not even sure what causes it all the time, but I'm looking forward to conditioning my mind along with my body and learning to think about things differently.

A book that's helped me (my anxiety is not at all related to eating or the gym) is Feeling Good by Dr David Burns. It taught me to recognize my thought patterns and realize when I'm making the anxiety worse. It hasn't made it all go away but it's an extra tool in my tool box to help me cope.

Lyndzo

I suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I was on Paxil up until February of this year. I decided to ween off the medication last year and couldn't do it but in February I finally did. Every day is difficult but I am learning to cope without medication.

Last year I could not lose more than 10 pounds no matter how healthy I ate or how much I exercised. I believe it could have been because of the Paxil. So I am back at it and hoping to conquer both. Feel free to add me for support

briar_rose

I'm glad that you are also looking into supporting your mind as well as your body. I don't suffer from anxiety but I'm always a PM away if you want to chat!

dianajanelangford

I am reading 'feeling good' now and it is great. There are studies that actually show that this book can be an antidepressant. In place of medications. Stay positive. Our minds can be our own worst enemies. Good luck through your journey.

craftylatvian

I get panic attacks. Anxiety is more the anticipation of a situation or fear of something, panic attacks are a "fight or flight" reaction. When you have a panic attack, your brain misfires and sends the fight or flight signal out. My panic attacks can happen anytime and anywhere. I am never really anxious about situations, but the panic attacks cause some unwanted effects physically.