Recover from depression with diet and exercise

6hourwalks

Six months ago I was severely depressed and I could not get out of bed. I was obese and lonely. I thought to myself, what if I was to walk for 6 hours per day instead of sleeping an extra 6 hours during the day. So with this, I got out of bed, and I started to fight. I hired and watch all of the Rocky movies.

On my first walk, I lasted 2 hours and 45 minutes and I was sore and injured. I soon realised that I did not need to train 6 hours per day. So instead, I walked for an hour per day six days per week for six months. I have lost 30 kg and I have recovered from anxiety and depression with diet and exercise after an 18 year battle.

I remain on MFP as I still have a little to lose, but I am here to inspire and help others do what I did.

Your doctor can only do so much for you. It is up to you. It has been shown that a good diet and regular exercise is just as effective to treat mild to moderate depression. So get out of bed and step away from the potato chips.

Start training and recover for life.

Add me if you need help.

Paul.

KatyCrum6969

Sorry, I have to disagree. My diet, exercise, and weight loss have done nothing to combat my depression. But that might just be me!

beduffbrickie

paul great thread! could not agree more, diet and exercise go a long way to helping with depression.

Glad your better mate. keep up the good work

ebr250

Six months ago I was severely depressed and I could not get out of bed. I was obese and lonely. I thought to myself, what if I was to walk for 6 hours per day instead of sleeping an extra 6 hours during the day. So with this, I got out of bed, and I started to fight. I hired and watch all of the Rocky movies.

On my first walk, I lasted 2 hours and 45 minutes and I was sore and injured. I soon realised that I did not need to train 6 hours per day. So instead, I walked for an hour per day six days per week for six months. I have lost 30 kg and I have recovered from anxiety and depression with diet and exercise after an 18 year battle.

I remain on MFP as I still have a little to lose, but I am here to inspire and help others do what I did.

Your doctor can only do so much for you. It is up to you. It has been shown that a good diet and regular exercise is just as effective to treat mild to moderate depression. So get out of bed and step away from the potato chips.

Start training and recover for life.

Add me if you need help.

Paul.

I completely agree. Exercise changed my life in so many positive ways, but this was one of the best ways. Great job, Paul, and great post

6hourwalks

I am sorry to hear that but I am here to promote diet and exercise. The benefits are backed by medical research.

breanajune0525

hello, my name is Breana.
I’m 18 years old
I’m saved but am struggling sometimes with myself.
Sorry this is long, but I just wanted to get all this out there.

At first, I was unsure about joining another weight loss website. but a sister from my church (wov_mom) kept raving about it, recommending it to everyone willing to listen:)

But I didn’t really take this website seriously until I started seeing how much alive she became.
Her smile was contagious,
I wanted to feel that way too.

But I've tried other ways to lose weight .
Websites
Vegetarianism
Starving
And for a few months I will admit, I was bulimic

My boyfriend is one of my biggest supporters.
He's seen how I beat my self up. How I'm so “harsh on myself”
He bought me a gym membership and has been paying it since June

I can count on 1 hand how many times I have gone

I try, to go, but its difficult when I look,so,fat and ugly and the gym is full of fit skinny attractive women in skimpy workout clothes.... I find it VERY intimidating
Id rather go home and hibernate....where I cant be seen.
Its a terrible feeling to Hate who you see in the mirror, to get to a point of self hatred where you can't even look in a mirror anymore. You can't take compliments. You don't feel the need to care of yourself, because why bother, we'll all be fat and ugly
it hurts my self esteem very much

Cutting and self mutilation were one of the consequences of my low self esteem.
I have scars anywhere. Hidden over my body

My wrists
My arms
My thighs
My chest
My ankles

After a while, you need to find new places people won't look.

But with the help of God, the self mutilation has stopped.
However Satan is always tempting me
I hate the way I look

BUT I WELL NOT LET HIM WIN

People tell me I'm pretty, I want to see what they see
My boyfriends tell me I'm beautiful- even with frizzy hair and big glasses
One day, I want to be able to say thank you


But I always felt depressed, empty, unsatisfied at the lack of healthy progress
Being a teenage girl, there is a lot of pressure to look good
Ideal skinny. Perfect hair. Name brand clothes

People would tell me I wasn't skinny
That I'd be Cuter if I lost ”a few pounds”

And its not that I wasn't to lose weight to be ”skinny”, or even become a size 0. I want to lose weight to be happy with myself. Honestly I don't really have a goal weight, but I know I want to get healthy to the point where I an HAPPY AND PROUD of the young Woman looking back at me in the mirror

I have been seeing great results in Sister Anna (wov_mom)) I an so proud of her dedication.

Get this: she gets exited to work out!!!
I want to have fun too
She seems more happy. She keeps up with the family
She’s a beautiful woman whom I’m glad to see is flashing her beautiful smile

I cant wait to start this journey
And thank you

hopefully ill be able to learrn from you all

CoachJake83

Awesome work my friend. I was right there with you, depressed and feeling alone. I hated what I saw in the mirror. Then one day a friend got me into P90X and my life has never been the same since...keep up the inspiration my man.

Cervantest

Totally agree with you and would love, love, love to have your support! I've dealt with depression for about 20 years and while my "Mood Enhancers" help, nothing beats the way I feel after I've walked and got the icky sweat dripping down my back! Thanks! I'm so very happy for you!

nikilis

Sorry, I have to disagree. My diet, exercise, and weight loss have done nothing to combat my depression. But that might just be me!

I am sorry to hear that but I am here to promote diet and exercise. The benefits are backed by medical research.

you are both right, diet and exercise can help a lot as well as routine, but if you have more serious depression medication would be key, and most likely diet + exercise + routine without medication may not work for most people.

really if you want to keep the wolf from the door you need the right medication + diet + exercise and routine. you have got off lightly if you can skip the meds.

staceyseeger

I agree...nothing is better for depression than ENDORPHINS! :drinker: :drinker: :drinker:

Flamenquero

Great work Paul! Great attitude! Add me to your list.

Angie_Fritts

Sorry, I have to disagree. My diet, exercise, and weight loss have done nothing to combat my depression. But that might just be me!

Same here.

But, I do believe that it can help. But everyone is different.

Onesnap

Actually for those of us that have been hospitalized with depression and anxiety (me twice, once in 1994, again in 2002) I have learned that it is actually part of the pie.

Diet
Exercise
Sleep
Medication
an awesome team of doctors
Yoga
Meditation

You can't *recover* from diet and exercise alone. It's all part of the constant daily effort to stay well.

piratesaregrand

good work!

sadly there has been no improvement with my depression with a change of diet and losing weight

Onesnap

Sorry, I have to disagree. My diet, exercise, and weight loss have done nothing to combat my depression. But that might just be me!

I sure do sleep better on nights I workout.

I would not say "have done nothing" it's all part of the pie (see above)

hypotrochoid

I think what you meant is "I recovered from depression with diet and exercise". Good job, and I'm happy it's worked for you.

ScarlettVamp

Great post! And timely for me. Life has been slinging lemons at my head for about a year now. Things got drastically worse on July 18th and I started going into a serious depression. I was handling it for a month or so and then started wallowing in it, gave up on serious exercise, and started turning to sugar to make me feel better. Life still sucks the same, but 3 days ago I woke up and said "No More". When I took stock of things, I had gained 15 pounds and felt like a failure. I've set a goal to exercise every day for 30 days. Hopefully my mind and my body will be in a better place by Christmas. Then I can focus on meeting my fitness/weight loss goals by spring.

Edited to add: I like this from your profile because it's so honest. This is the world we live in, and I can tell I'm being treated differently just from gaining 15 pounds!

"Everything is better when you are in shape and, unfortunately, people treat you better. It shouldn't be like this, but it's a reality."

Onesnap

Sorry, I have to disagree. My diet, exercise, and weight loss have done nothing to combat my depression. But that might just be me!

I am sorry to hear that but I am here to promote diet and exercise. The benefits are backed by medical research.

you are both right, diet and exercise can help a lot as well as routine, but if you have more serious depression medication would be key, and most likely diet + exercise + routine without medication may not work for most people.

really if you want to keep the wolf from the door you need the right medication + diet + exercise and routine. you have got off lightly if you can skip the meds.

I would never suggest skipping meds to those that have been hospitalized in the past.

NavyKnightAh13

I went through therapy for a year and a half for situational depression (adjustment disorder) and anxiety....but once i stopped going (I withdrew from college when i was pregnant) my depression came back with a vengeance. At my 6 week appointment, i was diagnosed with mild post partum depression (they said it was due to the stress at home) so now that you know that:

exercise has helped me quite a bit. The reason it has worked for me (along with the lifestyle food change part) is that when I am sweating, I don't think, i just let go. its a release and ironically, i feel happier. It helps me destress, it helps me remember why i am doing this. When I gained a bunch of my weight (I went from Feb until May from 214 to 243 in 2009) i was depressed because of having to move and my mom passing and not eating like i should have. I never want that to happen, and while I am sure people have had success with meds, getting rid of and battling depression and anxiety in my case has been due to the changes I have made.

And i have to say it has given me confidence to do things i never thought possible, like competing in 5ks (I have done 5 already) or something simple as being goofy around other people :bigsmile: I have opened my eyes to new possibilities and that is the amazing part of it.

Onesnap

I went through therapy for a year and a half for situational depression (adjustment disorder) and anxiety....but once i stopped going (I withdrew from college when i was pregnant) my depression came back with a vengeance. At my 6 week appointment, i was diagnosed with mild post partum depression (they said it was due to the stress at home) so now that you know that:

exercise has helped me quite a bit. The reason it has worked for me (along with the lifestyle food change part) is that when I am sweating, I don't think, i just let go. its a release and ironically, i feel happier. It helps me destress, it helps me remember why i am doing this. When I gained a bunch of my weight (I went from Feb until May from 214 to 243 in 2009) i was depressed because of having to move and my mom passing and not eating like i should have. I never want that to happen, and while I am sure people have had success with meds, getting rid of and battling depression and anxiety in my case has been due to the changes I have made.

And i have to say it has given me confidence to do things i never thought possible, like competing in 5ks (I have done 5 already) or something simple as being goofy around other people :bigsmile: I have opened my eyes to new possibilities and that is the amazing part of it.

Awesome story and go you! My Dr. always says it is important to have a routine. Training for a race is just as good of a routine as any.:flowerforyou:

Erienneb

For me, diet and exercise has made a HUGE difference with my depression. I'm no longer on medication. However, the situational anxiety has not changed and I still have to deal with that. But it's crazy how much better I feel on a day to day basis physically and mentally since starting to better myself physically.