Depression and weight loss

Exercise... it releases happy endorphins and makes you feel better, I have suffered with depression all my life from childhood, so I understand where you are coming from, it may feel hopeless at first, but keep at it and you will notice the difference, try and fiond something you like doing, me personally, I love Zumba, I do it 4 times a week...

Hope that helps, and good luck, things will get cope-able...

In my opinion it would be worthwhile treating the depression first and foremost. I would suggest talking with your doctor and also investigating counselling options. If neither of those are possible for financial reasons, there are lots of online resources that give tips for managing depression. There are probably also support groups in your local area.

I think the key is not to get overwhelmed with grand ambitions and unattainable goals. Set yourself small but achievable tasks, starting with something like "I will eat at least one portion of vegetables every day", and then work your way up to "I will walk for 15 minutes after dinner" (obviously alter these depending on your baseline food and activity).

Good luck. Depression is awful

I'm sorry you are going through depression. For me, quitting my job actually made things worse. I was more isolated, less human interaction, no feelings of gratification from doing a good job, etc. You might be completely different though!

I'm sure people will recommend that you go to a doctor, if you haven't already. What helps me honestly is taking a B Complex vitamin and two fish oils a day (I don't know if this actually works or a placebo effect). Also running and exercise in general, but mainly running. There is something about running that really relaxes my mind and makes me in a good mood. Eating whole, organic food as much as I can and trying to limit my carbs. When I eat junk, I really do get sadder.

When I am feeling down and I can't run, I honestly take a hot shower and sort of meditate. I'm not trying to diminish depression by saying taking a shower or a vitamin is a cure, but these are things that help me. I notice if I stay on top of these things, I am less likely to have depression feelings, etc.

You probably already know that exercise increases endorphines which makes you feel good. I would say force yourself to do a really good workout to help a little with your mood. I am saying force yourself because you probably will not feel like doing anything but put on a pop song with a quick uplifting beat, tie on your shoes and go for a walk. If you can jog for even 5 seconds do so then walk to bring your heart rate down and once it is down where you have your breath jog again. Start with maybe 25 minutes and add 5 minutes the next week. ( Please excuse the typo's)

I hope this helps.

Hey,

Welcome to MFP

I can relate a lot to depression and weight gain, although a lot of my weight gain came as a side effect from my mood stabilisers which is pretty frustrating!

I hope you find it helpful here.

x

really make an effort to stick to a "normal" sleep schedule. lack of sleep, or sleeping at strange hours is known to result in increased hunger. When your internal clock is messed up, the body has trouble regulating.

also, as others have posted, exercise. for me...exercise is as crucial as my medication. regular exercise really does have an amazing effect on us, besides the obvious physical fitness benefits. it's both an immediate AND a long-term mood elevator. as difficult as it may be to get yourself moving sometimes, you will never regret having gone, and that's what I remind myself when I'm not in the mood: an hour from now, how do I want to feel?

When I was struggling I took power naps. Fatigue is a known symptom of depression, and I just felt like sleeping ALL THE TIME. But if i told myself it was ok to take a little nap, then I would wake up and feel able to exercise. Also, I highly suggest going to the gym, but especially if you have a friend to go with. The encouragement I got from working out with someone else not only helped me with motivation to give it all I got in exercise, but also helped with the other parts of my life affected by depression as well. Just a couple of things that worked for me Sincere best of luck!!

Is anyone born with, or develop, a deficiency of pharmaceuticals?

I think you fundamentally misunderstand what medication is and how it works. But to answer your question, yes, some people are born with malfunctioning neurotransmitters or have otherwise-faulty brain chemistry. It very often manifests as clinical depression and can be treated successfully with medication.

This. Taking meds for a brain chemistry imbalance is absolutely no different than taking meds for say, high blood pressure or any other medical condition. The sad part is that this is so misunderstood and meds for depression are looked on as "different" or a "weakness" of some sort. Bullsh*t. If your brain chemistry is not functioning as it should be, for god's sake, take care of it as you would any other part of your body!

Hi there,

I have chronic depression that cannot be managed without medication. See a psychiatrist if you haven't already to talk about medication options! They help a lot.

Second thing for me is keeping a very strict schedule to avoid too much down time. I keep myself busy so I don't fall behind on things and so that I am always occupied with something. I eat at the same time, work out at the same time, study at the same time each day. I make sure to get outside for at least 30 minutes each day, but if the weather is too terrible I still make sure to keep windows open. Sunlight helps me a lot. And get out of the procrastination-depression cycle. You don't do something because you don't feel like it, but the you feel bad later that you didn't do it, and feel worse, and so now you REALLY don't want to do it, etc. just nip it in the bud. Do it, and if you feel like **** the whole time, so be it. Better than feeling like **** doing nothing productive.