Diet making me depressed

I feel you. I've been bullied all through school and food was my only comfort. Are you cutting out all chocolate? Some chocolate is okay I think. Do you like chocolate covered raisins? Maybe distract yourself with fun activities, something you are passionate about. When I do that though I sometimes forget to eat at all…..

Don't eliminate things you really like. Fit a small bit of chocolate (or some treat) in your day. Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate squares are my go to. I keep them in the freezer and then eat it nice and slow.

If I am going to keep weight off (this time) I need to make lifestyle changes.....not temporary ones. Managing cravings is something I need to do forever.

Tazo has a chocolate chai tea - really hits the spot - I put in a little sugar free salted caramel torani syrup. Get a delicious treat without the calories.

Well, you need to find what works for you, but for me, I eliminated nothing categorically. I eat junk foods in moderation by planning my days in advance and giving myself small amounts of the things I enjoy.

My philosophy is to give up nothing for the diet that I won't give up forever, since the diet is practice for maintenance.

Couple of things you might consider. 1) power smoothies ( you need a base like water, you need fruits & veggies, you need boosters ( stuff like flax seed, chia seed, spirulina, protein powder, hemp powder or seeds etc) Pinterest has lots of charts showing options for different combos. What this power smoothie does is provide your body with a huge amount of easily digestible nutrients. ( you couldn't eat that much healthy food) but you can drink it. I have a power smoothie going at all times in my fridge. It will help relieve your depression. 2) I use air popped popcorn for mindless, emotional eating. It provides a lot of chewing for few calories. 3) let yourself have a chocolate treat every other day, small portion, worked into your calorie allotment. Then you don't feel deprived and won't give up. I make some killer blackbean brownies that I eat a lot and they satisfy my sweet tooth & have not effected my weight loss. Good luck.

I can really empathize. One thing that has been helpful to me has been accepting the relationship I have with food, and acknowledging that I sometimes default to using food as a sole source of pleasure in my life. When I start to feel low due to my diet, I take a minute to slow down and reflect on all the other potential sources of pleasure in my life. Simple things like reading a good book, taking a warm bath, spending time with friends, or going for a walk. Nerdily- I call this diversifying my pleasure portfolio

I've read recently how having a low fat diet can wreak havoc on your central nervous system, setting you up for anxiety, depression, memory loss, etc. I've been trying to include nuts, olive oil, and some full fat dairy (homemade whole milk Greek yogurt!) into my diet. It has the double benefit of being really satisfying, so I find that I feel okay eating a smaller volume of food due to needing to stay on my points (I'm on weight watchers) and higher fat foods having a higher amount of points.

GAHHHH do I know that mental hold well LOL @debraodu Great job on asking for help. Here are a few things that have worked for me in regards to psychological trickiness:

- Find comfort, pleasure, indulgence, joy that's not food. You mentioned in your original post that 'food was really a comfort.' Where in your life can you experience comfort?

- Practice missing chocolate. The better you get at feeling the emotions you have when you DON’T have chocolate, the easier it’ll be when you don’t eat it. (That's kind of a clunky sentence; hope it makes sense haha.)

- Constantly remind yourself of why you're making healthful changes in the first place. A compelling "why" will help keep you motivated over time. Notice which is powerful for you: Is a fear-based reason (I'm afraid of disease, being judged, etc.) more motivating than a love-based reason (I want to be an example to my kids/family, I want to love myself, etc.)?