Recover from depression with diet and exercise

:flowerforyou: thanks for the post.

I have to agree with you on this as well. I was diagnosed with depression recently and started exercising. When I initially met with my doctor I was in tears and could barely talk I had been crying so hard. After seeing my doctor I started exercising. The next time I saw him I was still tearing up about certain things, but it was no where near as bad as before. My husband told me exercise could help with depression and I brushed it off because I didn't believe him (also I'm stubborn and hate admitting when I'm wrong lol). But almost 12 pounds later I'm happier and I feel like I have so much more energy. Thank you for posting this and congratulations!

I hear you!

It's no cure all...but 90 minutes 5 days a week, first thing in the morning...I love it. I need it. It keeps me above ground.

I agree that a healthy lifestyle including regular exercise is incredibly beneficial for those suffering from depression. But just to be clear. There are those who suffer from clinical depression to a level that their bodies are incapable of "snapping out of it" with a healthy lifestyle alone. I don't want anyone on MFP to feel like they are somehow "weaker" than someone else because their level of depression requires medical intervention.

That being said. Even if one's depression does require medical intervention, they will still find additional improvement from a healthy lifestyle, including regular exercise!

So glad to hear diet and exercise have brought you up out of the black hole of depression. It's an awful place to visit, and I certainly don't want to live there.

Thanks for sharing this post. I think what you've shared is important information.

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.

Me too. I don't think that the OP meant that people who are severly depressed should quit there meds. However, everyone is different and I don't think that someone who isn't helped by diet and exercise alone should feel like a failure if they need meds. Personally, I need my meds in order to get out of bed in the morning so that I can keep dieting and exercising. And that's ok, because it works for me.

Like I said, everyone is different and if you are depressed you may have to try a few different things out to find what works best for you and there's no shame in it either way.

Good for you! I'm proud of you.

I agree 100%. I had gone the route of zoloft, xanax, etc. and they just made me feel awful. I couldn't even cry when my sister in law died, because my brain was so drugged. That was the last straw for me, drugwise.
I started walking like you did, but I started out a lot slower and worked up to walking anywhere from 1 mile to 10. The key to my 'recovery' was all the THINKING I did while I was out there alone. I was able to come to terms with things in my life that I had no power over and to make changes to remove toxic people from my life. I also prayed a lot. I feel like a different person and was able to drop 40lbs and now I even jog. Yay.
I know that not all depression is alike, but in some cases, like ours, exercise DOES work. It's like anything else, you just have to get up off your butt and do it. That's the first step.

Again, congrats on your progress and happiness.

I agree that a healthy lifestyle including regular exercise is incredibly beneficial for those suffering from depression. But just to be clear. There are those who suffer from clinical depression to a level that their bodies are incapable of "snapping out of it" with a healthy lifestyle alone. I don't want anyone on MFP to feel like they are somehow "weaker" than someone else because their level of depression requires medical intervention.

I agree with the gist of this thread, but no post more so than this. Thinking I could 'just get over it' by diet and exercise has taken me right back to square one. I fell under the tracks and was overlooked by the system as my psych assumed I could get comprehensive welfare support at my new University- I can't, but I thought 'oh, I'm going to lose weight and get fitter and that will help, exercise releases endorphins, right?' I was incredibly wrong.

I know once I get my mind back in control, the exercise will certainly help, and trying to eat more nutritiously is doing wonders. But I have to remind myself that there's nothing wrong with me when I see threads like this and can't relate.

I'm so proud of everyone who has turned their mood around with a new life style, though