Anyone else hit with depression?

bocabum77
bocabum77 Posts: 1
edited January 10 in Motivation and Support
I'm 35, and have been on a diet/trying to lose weight since I was 8. I now want to lose another 130 lbs more than I already have. This is my--what feels like--millioneth attempt at weight loss, and I've been noticing a definite trend. I start to lose weight, am dieting for a couple weeks, and then I'm hit with a major depression.

Now, I do suffer from depression anyhow, but I'm just wondering, is it possible that I'm mourning the loss of (good/bad-for-me) food?? Anyone else have this happen? It totally sabotages my efforts because I then would normally say to hell with this, and binge. Which then brings me right back to guilt and depression, and more binge eating.

Ugh. I. Hate. This.

Replies

  • rougecrayon
    rougecrayon Posts: 100
    Aboslutely! Check with your emotions vs the stages of greiving.
    I go through those stages a lot when I am sick and on a restricted diet, and I'm doing it now that I've cut out processed foods!
  • sissiluv
    sissiluv Posts: 2,205 Member
    Can't say I've ever heard of that but dieting can certainly be stressful, which won't help with depression in the least I'm sure.
    Though I will say that it used to be when I'd get depressed I would binge eat. Food is typically just comforting full stop, even if it tastes like misery in your mouth and you feel like a one night stand gone bad once you're done.

    Nowadays though I find I've gone in the opposite direction and getting enough to eat is hard. Gofig.
  • MaraDiaz
    MaraDiaz Posts: 4,604 Member
    A lot of the foods that we gain weight on have a very strong affect on the brain, especially the chemicals that promote 'happiness'. But I don't know enough about it to know if that is the proper 'withdrawal' time when someone cuts off all or some of those foods. Seems possible. Might be interesting to look into.
  • wendybird5
    wendybird5 Posts: 577 Member
    A lot of the foods that we gain weight on have a very strong affect on the brain, especially the chemicals that promote 'happiness'. But I don't know enough about it to know if that is the proper 'withdrawal' time when someone cuts off all or some of those foods. Seems possible. Might be interesting to look into.

    Exercise is also a great way to combat depression. It helped me a lot and when ever I do get those feelings of melancholy, I've learned to deal with it on the treadmill rather than the dinner table. It took a long time for me to make that change, but it was worth it. Good luck on your journey.
  • MaraDiaz
    MaraDiaz Posts: 4,604 Member
    A lot of the foods that we gain weight on have a very strong affect on the brain, especially the chemicals that promote 'happiness'. But I don't know enough about it to know if that is the proper 'withdrawal' time when someone cuts off all or some of those foods. Seems possible. Might be interesting to look into.

    Exercise is also a great way to combat depression. It helped me a lot and when ever I do get those feelings of melancholy, I've learned to deal with it on the treadmill rather than the dinner table. It took a long time for me to make that change, but it was worth it. Good luck on your journey.

    This I definitely agree with! In fact it has replaced reaching for something high fat and sugar. Last time I got really ticked off at someone I went for a run instead of heading for the fridge. Took awhile for my brain to start making that switch though.
  • NRSPAM
    NRSPAM Posts: 961 Member
    I agree with all the posts I've read! Great advice! Also, I was thinking about it. We use food to cope with so many emotion! Boredom, stress, loneliness, depression, sadness, and sometimes even happiness!!! When you cut out that crutch, you're probably sitting there thinking, well what do I do now! What you need to do is find some other coping mechanism. Go for a walk, hop on the treadmill, put in an exercise dvd, read a book, anything! Preferrably something active, but hey, anything that keeps you from reaching for food. Even though it may not necessarily be causing depression, dieting can certainly make you more aware of it. The best thing I can suggest, is to find a friend somewhere, even if it's just an occasional thing, and get out of the house! Even just talking on the phone can make you feel better! I know many of us don't have a lot of friends, and it can get lonely. Especially right now, with winter in full swing! Many people get depressed at winter time. Just keep on going girl!!! You can do this! Even if you fall off, just get right back on!!! You will figure out what works for you!!! :smile:
  • AphelionPDX
    AphelionPDX Posts: 105
    I also suffer from depression, but have not experienced feelings of depression due to eliminating unhealthy food from my diet. We all have a psychological relationship with food though, and like some people use drugs, or sex, or alcohol to numb, you may have been using food in that way, and just like an alcoholic experiences depression when they quit drinking, the same thing might be happening with you.
    I have found that exercise is the best anti-depressant out there. Have you been exercising as well as eating healthier?
  • boatsie77
    boatsie77 Posts: 480 Member
    Food was your 'go-to' drug when depression hit before. Now that you can no longer eat away the pain when it arises, you are starting to notice it. The quick answer is to try to sit quietly and let the pain come and subside--maybe taking the time to question what makes you feel this way and if it is rational. The long answer is to check out some sights and books about learning to live in 'the present.'

    You can 'tuff it out' and use willpower to stop you from eating away the pain, but in the end, unless you learn to face and overcome the pain your mind produces, you will suffer with food (or some other addiction) for the rest of your life.

    Choose to find peace now and your road to a healthy lifestyle will be much smoother.

    Good luck to you.
  • angelams1019
    angelams1019 Posts: 1,102 Member
    This is a REALLY great question and I actually feel like I figured out a really brilliant way of rationalizing (and personifying) these feelings to help them make more sense to me. I feel like I finally had my moment of clarity today....

    Hopefully you have never been in a toxic relationship. If you haven't, this might not resonate with you. I was in a BAD relationship for 8 years before I decided I NEEDED to walk away....For my health and well being. Throughout the relationship, I knew it was bad for me. I knew it was doing damage. But I felt so bad about myself, and he was there. When nobody else was there, he was there. I didn't want to be alone. When I finally made the decision to walk away, it was the hardest decision I had ever made. I knew it was going to be so much better for me, but I was still SO SAD...to the point of contemplating suicide. But that finally passes....And slowly I started to realize how much better my life was without him. Hope much happier I was. I was a new person.

    I think food plays that role in A LOT of people's lives (including mine). We know its bad for us but it FEELS SO GOOD. Its like a drug. If you put a recovering alcoholic in a bar, I'm sure he will MISS that relationship they had. I'm sure he will be remembering all the good feelings that relationship brought him....But the good times were short lived. And that recovering alcoholic CHOOSES not to slip and take a drink. Why?

    You'll always remember how it made you feel but you don't miss the consequences it had on your life.

    I would also suggest you watch the documentary Hungry for Change. They touch A LOT on sugar addiction and why you literally FEEL like you can't stop. Its an amazing film- a real eye opener!
  • EDesq
    EDesq Posts: 1,527 Member
    I'm 35, and have been on a diet/trying to lose weight since I was 8. I now want to lose another 130 lbs more than I already have. This is my--what feels like--millioneth attempt at weight loss, and I've been noticing a definite trend. I start to lose weight, am dieting for a couple weeks, and then I'm hit with a major depression.

    Now, I do suffer from depression anyhow, but I'm just wondering, is it possible that I'm mourning the loss of (good/bad-for-me) food?? Anyone else have this happen? It totally sabotages my efforts because I then would normally say to hell with this, and binge. Which then brings me right back to guilt and depression, and more binge eating.

    Ugh. I. Hate. This.


    Yo-Yo dieting will depress anyone. STOP! Change your LIFESTYLE, and you can only do that with a Plan and Patience. There will be failures but more successes until you "get it". So it is up to you>>>Diets or Lifestyle change. And if you suffer from depression, you not only need to change your food/eating habits but probably need to shift many other aspects of your life. Get Well, Live Well
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    I've struggled with it off and on. One thing I finally realized is that I am just going to have to fight through it. I'm going to have to be determined to lose the weight no matter what life throws at me. It's hard, and I am far from perfect, but I'm learning as I go and I get better all the time. You can do this. The only trick is not giving up!
  • thorpusmaximus70
    thorpusmaximus70 Posts: 1
    I've been depressed now for about 3 years. My weight went up and I started feeling even worse. I never really changed my eating (and drinking) habits but I had no desire to do anything... and yes I began to crave foods that aren't so good for you. After getting on MFP it was like a new me took over. I saw others in the same boat as me. I saw their progress and how they work through it. I'm now losing weight which makes me feel better about almost everything. I still crave those foods but I try to work them in as a "reward" type thing. Good luck to everyone!
  • ckish
    ckish Posts: 342 Member
    I too have struggled with depression. The key for me is to make sure the food I eat is well prepared and well presented. Taking the time to exercise and make healthy meals that are flavorful, packed with nutrition, filling, low calorie, and makes me smile looking at it is essential to my staying out of the dark hole. If I skip meals, try to lose weight too quickly, or am hungry and fatigued I can feel myself slipping into a depressive state.

    I now realize eating and exercising is something I must do in order to stay mentally healthy. Going thru the drive thru and sitting on the sofa is a sure path to my depression.

    Good luck and God bless.
  • NRSPAM
    NRSPAM Posts: 961 Member
    I could have sworn there was a post on this thread about fish oil. It can help with depression, it's good for the heart, and does so many good things for you! I just started taking it, and I'm feeling so good, after feeling so blaaahhhh, and fatigued, and just plain crappy! Now I have lots of energy, my eyes don't feel so tired n puffy, since it also helps with inflammation, which is especially good for me, since all my joints are usually inflamed. You can look up an article about it on livestrong.com. I posted it once on one of these threads. Hope it helps! BTW, you can pick it up just about anywhere.
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