Recover from depression with diet and exercise
6hourwalks
Posts: 44 Member
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.
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.
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Replies
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Sorry, I have to disagree. My diet, exercise, and weight loss have done nothing to combat my depression. But that might just be me!0
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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 work0 -
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
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I am sorry to hear that but I am here to promote diet and exercise. The benefits are backed by medical research.0
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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 all0 -
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.0
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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!0
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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.0 -
I agree...nothing is better for depression than ENDORPHINS! :drinker: :drinker: :drinker:0
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Great work Paul! Great attitude! Add me to your list.0
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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.0 -
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.0 -
good work!
sadly there has been no improvement with my depression with a change of diet and losing weight
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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)0 -
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.0
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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."0 -
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.0 -
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.0 -
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:0 -
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.0
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I did not say people with severe depression should come off their meds.0
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I agree, exercise and healthy eating go a long way to fight the symptoms of depression and anxiety. Sometimes it's all we need. For a lot of us this is the prescription that works, and it is side-effect-free!0
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I did not say people with severe depression should come off their meds.
It's okay. I did not think you meant that. I thought that you agreed with me that diet and exercise are a huge part of staying well and staying out of the hospital.0 -
I have a similar experience. (Disclaimer: my personal experience; may not apply to others.)
I took antidepressants for 12 years and tried various therapies, but what's made the most difference has been diet, exercise, getting a good night's sleep, trying to keep to a routine (so difficult) and trying, not to just feel better, but to feel better about myself.
When initially I changed my diet, it was as if someone had cracked open a window and let some light in, just a slant, but it was enough to give me hope.
The thing I would compare it to would be the first few months of taking antidepressants for the first time. Except this feels more stable and more long-lasting because it's something I've done by and for myself. Our brains can get used to antidepressants, making them ineffective in the long term. But this is something different.
I'd like to say I'm in recovery now, but I'm very conscious that recovery is not a cure and depression is something I'm always going to carry with me, even if I'm not currently in a depressed state. But I can live that - and I want to be alive.0 -
Great thread. To the people who disagree: you are right, diet and exercise may not solve it, but it does help. To the person who said its part of the pie - great point especially about meditation. For me it was spirituality that started my road to healing. You don't have to be a religious person for this to work. AA and many other experts and therapists say that we need to let go/surrender our stress and burdens. Prayer is a way to do this. My health journey was backwards from the original poster. Emotional trauma and clinically diagnosed depression led to physical issues and weight gain. When the emotional issues began to be solved through prayer, therapy, reaching out to friends, an improved mentality and letting go, then weight began to fall off without me even trying. I couldn't bring myself to exercise before, and now it's not even a chore - it's not hard to motivate myself to do. I hope I'm making sense - basically, the emotional growth came first for me, and then the physical improvement followed. I should be clear that the external circumstances in my life have not improved - there are still many painful and unjust things that I'm dealing with - but my internal resilience to be able to deal with crap has improved. I really want to encourage and support other people so please feel free to send me a message or comment.0
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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.
Depression is my middle name. My only child died 4 days before Christmas in 2010. I simply gave up. I did not care what I looked like... I did not care what I ate...I just did not care. I started running to run away from the pain. I have been running ever since. No therapist, psychiatrist , or medication has helped like running has.0 -
wow what an amazing story.. i simply loved it would love to be ur friend!!!!!!!0
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Eating better and exercising is definitely helpful. I am diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and I'll always be on my lithium (love my lithium!), but adding an exercise routine has helped.0
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I've been feeling down for a while, has had the opposite effect. My Diet is still reasonable but my exercise has gone to pot! My Dr thinks i suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder rather than full on depression.
You guys are inspiration though, getting outdoors to train may well help, as will spring lol0 -
Yup I agree with everything you said. It is amazing the powers of exercise and a healthy diet. I also found that walking in the mountains healed my soul. There is nothing better than getting out to my church of the earth and sky It is my religion.
I recommend a walk in the countryside if anyone is feeling low.
May the goodness last0
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