Recover from depression with diet and exercise

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Replies

  • autumn_duo
    autumn_duo Posts: 47 Member
    Exercise has definetly helped my depression, but certainly not "cured" it....
  • Enigmatica
    Enigmatica Posts: 879 Member
    I think people need to differentiate between "diet" (as in calorie deficit) and "diet" (as in nutrition) when it comes to the effectiveness of "diet and exercise" for improving mood and sense of well-being. If I go on a diet that just slashes calories and leaves me feeling deprived, frustrated, and unhappy with my life, can't see how it's going to improve my mood! My dietary changes were very nutrition oriented, incorporating lots of nutrients research indicates can boost mood and combat depression. And I get at least 2 hours of cardio per day, often more. Depression is long gone. Thank goodness.
  • Miss_dannii
    Miss_dannii Posts: 1,351 Member
    Congrats on changing your life and future Paul. You look genuinely happy in your pic :)
  • Miss_dannii
    Miss_dannii Posts: 1,351 Member
    My fiance and partner of 12 years died suddenly in April, of a heart attack, he was 25. and I've fallen in and out of depression since then. It gets easier but can also get very hard. I've found having control over my diet has helped me a lot. When I'm good, I feel good. When I fall off the wagon, I feel *kitten*. It's all psychological
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
    Everyone is different...

    I was first diagnosed with depression when I was 13 years old.
    I was on antidepressants up til april last year when I started exercising/eating healthy and came off the antidepressants but had to go back on them after a year as it got bad again.
  • Crookey21
    Crookey21 Posts: 311 Member
    good post. i needed to see this today.
  • leligrace
    leligrace Posts: 23
    Hi there!

    I was diagnosed with Chronic Depression just last year and my friend told me that if I do some dieting and exercising, it might lessen my depression that tied up with self esteem and self confidence.

    I did have insecurity problem for years because I'm overweight and I really don't have a physical beauty. So I took his advise and start dieting and exercise, and somehow that lessen my downtime + with the supportive community of MFP and friends... it is just so good.

    Thanks for sharing your story and I hope I can cope up with my Chronic Depression.
  • Priincess_Natalie
    Priincess_Natalie Posts: 367 Member
    Diet and exercise has cured my moderate depression and anxiety. I'm human though. I still get down or anxious at times but no where near the degree that I used to. Exercise is so effective that I'm addicted to it :bigsmile:

    Congrats to you for getting up and getting control. Thank you for sharing your story!
  • Jamie_Lauren
    Jamie_Lauren Posts: 211 Member
    In my personal experience, I had to start dealing with my depression and feelings towards myself BEFORE the diet and the exercise fell into place. Once it did, the two kind of fed off each other and I cannot express the changes that I feel in my mind and body.

    However....I don't think that people can fully "recover" from serious, debilitating depression just from diet and exercise alone, but it does make a tremendous difference. I still suffer from anxiety and occasional nightmares and down days, I just have better tools to cope with them now.
  • BarbellBlondieRuns
    BarbellBlondieRuns Posts: 511 Member
    After my pregnancies I suffered with severe depression. Luckily I pushed my 'pride' to the side and took anti-depressants. I feel very fortunate that I no longer have to take them but I know that could always change. A traumatic experience or natural life events such as menopause can cause a chemical reaction that results in depression. For now, a healthy diet & exerise definitely treats my depression and keeps it "away". But I know it will always be there and that diet & exercise may not always be enough to treat it. My point is that we are all unique and that we are also constantly changing. Taking care of your physical health is critical but if it's not treating your depression that doesn't mean you're failing or doing it wrong. Good job to everybody here who is putting their health first! You're beautiful people :)
  • mmckee10
    mmckee10 Posts: 405 Member
    :flowerforyou: thanks for the post.
  • KristenE83
    KristenE83 Posts: 187 Member
    Great post! I don't suffer from depression, but I can tell you that better diet and exercise has improved my overall outlook! I am less negative, less jaded, less cynical..... and I never expected this positive change. Just because I feel better (physically and emotionally) I want to do even more... I'm on a really good cycle!

    Congrats to you!
  • bkidwell90
    bkidwell90 Posts: 3
    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!
  • Hadley_SM
    Hadley_SM Posts: 43 Member
    Bump
  • ChelseaM18
    ChelseaM18 Posts: 303
    I hear you!
  • sylviatx
    sylviatx Posts: 156 Member
    I am so pleased that this has helped you. Best.
  • iAMsmiling
    iAMsmiling Posts: 2,394 Member
    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.
  • bookworm_847
    bookworm_847 Posts: 1,903 Member
    Great post! The trick is making that first step and I'm happy you were able to do it.

    Keep up the good work and good luck to you!
  • TheCaren
    TheCaren Posts: 894 Member
    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. :)
  • phxdeanna
    phxdeanna Posts: 28
    GREAT thread and thank you for putting yourself out there and being vulnerable!
    I hate to workout, but I also know I'll feel better - physically and mentally after I do....so that is what gets me to the gym or out for a walk with the dogs.
    Thank you for sharing.
  • RunningOnPurple
    RunningOnPurple Posts: 119 Member
    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.
  • erikaaaaaaaa
    erikaaaaaaaa Posts: 155 Member
    Thank you.
  • TrailRunner61
    TrailRunner61 Posts: 2,505 Member
    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. :)
  • meghan6867
    meghan6867 Posts: 388 Member
    I whole-heartedly agree that healthy lifestyle changes like diet and exercise can help treat depression. It won't work for everyone. Everyone responds differently to different types of treatment.

    That being said : it worked for me. I was diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety two years ago. I wound having to take antidepressants and vitamin D on a daily basis. I started a MFP account in January of 2011, dropped about fifty pounds, started eating right, and now I feel much, much better. With the guidance of my doctor I stopped taking antidepressants three months ago.

    Do I still battle it somedays? Heck yes I do... But, healthy lifestyle changes have helped me develop strategies to cope with depression.
  • smaugish
    smaugish Posts: 244 Member
    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 :)
  • LadyFaile
    LadyFaile Posts: 60
    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.

    When an antidepressant makes you feel like that it either means that you are still in the initial adjustment period where your body is getting used to the medication, or that it is the wrong medication/dosage for you. An antidepressant that is working correctly will not make you feel drugged, but rather raise your baseline (normal mood - neither happy nor sad) to a "normal" level.

    Kudos to you for finding what works for you. If you should ever find yourself in a situation where you do need to try antidepressants again, do keep in mind that what you experienced is not what it feels like when you are on the right medication/dosage for you.

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