Depression and weight loss

rocko123 · September 2012

Good morning,

I'm wondering if anybody here has experienced this and if they can share their experience. Here's mine:

I'm recently divorced and have been picking up the pieces ever since. Some times are harder than others and that's typical with post-divorce stuff.

A key part of my life for the past year has been regular excercise and nutrition control. I eat well but try to keep a "bend don't break" attitude about it. I've even gotten to the point that I know without tracking food approximately where I'm at with my daily goals. Fitness-wise, I've strengthened my body and am now capable of doing things that I only fantasized about before. The changes have been gradual but consistant.

Once I went past the 50% mark on my goal, the loss predictably slowed down. A month and a half ago, I entered a grief cycle over the losses in my divorce, part of which is depression. Since then, I've dropped about 12 lbs without really being very disciplined about diet or excercise. In fact, in the last week or so I've been treating myself to all sorts of delicious non-diet food and still dropped 1 lb.

As much as I want to be happy about crossing a threshhold, I've got some reservations. I've read much about how depression can bring weight shift (up or down) but what I don't know a lot about is what the health impacts of this can be. My gut feeling is that this is not good or lasting weight loss and that it will come back if I don't manage both my physical and mental health well now and as I get better - and I do get better everyday. I think there must be potential adverse health affects to depression and the associated weight loss like ulcers, blood pressure, insomnia, etc so I've set up an appointment with my PCP to talk through it.

Does anybody have any insight on or experience with this? What did you do to stay the course while fighting depression?

carriempls · September 2012

I’ve struggled with depression basically all of my life. For me, though, it manifests in weight gain, not loss.

It seems you’re doing all of the right things. You are acknowledging your depression and the changes happening, you’re remaining conscious of your eating and exercise habits and you’re seeing your doctor.

That’s about all you can really do. Sorry you’re going through this. Things will get better, and all the faster for you taking charge of your health in the way you have.

rocko123 · September 2012

Thanks, Carrie. Much like weight loss, the changes to my mental health are bite sized and sometimes hard to notice. But, if I look at myself now vs. a month ago, it is clear I've progressed.

bhawk82 · September 2012

Yup, I've struggled for years with a depressed mood and my weight went up and down like a yo-yo. Talk to your pcp who can give you some tips, and I also recommend seeing a counselor as well(it saved my life, literally). You don't have to go through this alone.

know_your_worth · September 2012

It sounds like you're doing good in terms of fitness! Keep your head up, things will get better. I think any changes take time, not just weight loss, but life changes in general.

I've dealt with depression for a while. I think working out helps a lot. It makes me feel better. When I'm having a rough day, I tell myself "I need that mental release" to get myself to the gym. I know that might sound a little crazy, but I'm usually in a much better mood at the end of a good workout.

The best advice I've gotten when it comes to stuff like this is: don't fall into the victim mentality. You are a strong, intelligent person. The choices you make create the outcome of any situation, even depression. Be accountable for your feelings, do what you love and try to keep an optimistic outlook. Even when things seem hopeless, know that life can change in an instant. Think about those who have much less than you, are in much worse situations, etc. Respect and love yourself before anyone else.
That may not be helpful to everyone, but I like the way it sounds

Be strong. I wish you nothing but the very best in life!

book_mage · September 2012

I am so sorry that you had to go through that. But it's good that you can keep the depression under control. I have had depression for most of my life, and like another person said, mine's all about weight gain. I'm pretty sure it just depends on the person. Your doctor will definitely be able to help you sort things out with the physical aspects.

I just had an epiphany! Sometimes, when you're plateau-ing (?) and the weight loss is really slow, a dramatic change in diet or exercise will make stuff happen. Since you said you weren't as vigilant since the depression period, maybe your body just decided to start doing stuff again. I don't know, but keep up the good work.

rocko123 · September 2012

Thanks for all of the replies. I can honestly say that today, I feel better than I did yesterday. And that's how you get yourself through any major life change anyway, right?

The other thing I noticed yesterday is that there's a direct link for me between if/what I eat for breakfast and how I will feel in the morning. Exclusive of each other, I had noticed 2 things: 1. I have a tendency to feel more emotional in the morning and; 2. I wasn't getting hungry until 10ish. Someone made the point to me yesterday that my lack of food might be impacting my mood. So today, I made a point of staying fed throughout the morning. I won't say I'm cured but I do notice a slight lift in my mood and also lessened the time at which I started to get out of my funk.

I believe it has to do with curbing cortizol production from the adrenal gland. It probably explains the rapid weight loss too. Maybe this little tip might help someone else out there!

Tomorrow, I'm going to try a morning workout to see if that helps. I'm normally a midday excerciser. If it helps, I'll report back.

Depression and weight loss

Replies

Categories