Depression = sabatoge

Have you tried increasing your exercise when those feelings creep in?

There's a long depression and weight loss thread somewhere in here.

Also, you might do better to post this in the support forum in order to get better replies.

I have bipolar type 2 (along with a bunch of other mental health conditions) and depression is a pretty much permanent feature in my life and is a massive reason why I became so overweight. Depression is a dirty little liar and does its very best to sabotage everything. I don't really know what changed this time for me, just a whole outlook change about food I think. I got very very unwell during December but still managed to lose a pound or two. Exercise for sure slowed to a crawl with two weeks where I did nothing.

What I think helps during these times is being very regimented with my food. I cannot cook really when very bad so I buy ready meals but aim for the best ones with the lowest calorie values. I do my very very best not to buy anything like chips/crisps, chocolate, cake etc. It's what I desperately crave and want to binge on but I cannot have it anywhere near me when at the bottom of the pit. And I just keep logging. So if I do binge I can see the damage and try not to make it any worse.

Finally, exercise has become part of my coping strategy in place of food. It's not always easy, as I said there were two weeks where I couldn't force myself to do anything but every day I keep trying. And eventually, I get back on the horse, even if it's just 15 minutes once a week. I didn't run for a month either but carried on with my workouts at home.

So I guess this is a big round about way of saying creating a very small but manageable routine keeps me going. If I achieve nothing else I have logged. And if I throw in some exercise too, bonus.

The thread is called "Depression and Weight Loss." Use the search function. It's worth a look! There are a lot of people in the same boat as you when it comes to depression. I hope you find tools that work for you whether it's medication, therapy, exercise, or something else.

Depression has plagued me on and off throughout my life, thankfully not always severe but there nevertheless like an unwelcome house guest that just won't leave.

I can only speak for myself and the strategies that I have found helpful over time and at 53 most of the time my moods are reasonably stable and I can now identify the feelings that come before a sink down and try to mitigate the fallout.

Over the time I have been on meds. with varying success (many added to anxiety levels which was an equally awful trade-off.....so patience and persistence at finding the right med for you is par for the course, if this is the road you need to travel.

I REALLY hated the side-effects.....my weight ballooned due to me turning into a foraging carb fiend and during this time I found it hard to moderate my drinking (I had used alcohol as a coping strategy...a sucky one, but sometimes I felt it was all I had). I would entreat you to try to limit alcohol....I found it only made things worse and exacerbated my illness.....get outside help with this if you feel the need.

My present situation is such that I have developed Lupus and have some neurological damage and repercussions from that.....my moods fluctuate and steroid treatment (esp. the decreasing of levels) has really done another number on stable moods. Exercise for me is very limited.....I used to walk a lot and found that to be a life saver at times and a great mood lifter.....now that is off the cards and I have had to develop other strategies.

I really believe in the power of doing something for yourself each day.....it doesn't have to take a large chunk of time or if it seems impossible then there is nothing wrong with changing your goals....they are yours after all. Think along the lines of what might bring you peace and joy.

For me turning away from vigorous exercise to more gentle pursuits helped (seemed to lower the anxiety I got after the session).....Yoga, Tai Chi, strength training, massage, gentle long walks (rarely) and my saviour meditation and adopting mindfulness around my own thought patterns have taught me a great deal, now I don't feel so scared of myself anymore, if that makes any sense.

Forgive me for my rambling and long post.

Do whatever you can to help yourself. Focus on the small steps....accurate logging. Nutritious foods. Adequate hydration. Relaxation and time to re-coup. Maybe avoidance of alcohol for a while.

Remember every day that you are up is a victory. The end of every day that you have gotten through is another. Sometimes taking the World on in increments too can help when you are feeling particularly overwhelmed.

I don't struggle so much with depression but I do with anxiety and I do, at times, notice a connection between struggling with anxiety and wanting to comfort myself with food. One thing that has helped me is making a big emphasis on health in my life rather than just weight loss. So when I exercise, my emphasis is on supporting myself. I do a gentle yoga that focuses on relaxation--I don't worry about how many calories I burn, I don't even log it as exercise. I focus on foods that will help me feel healthy, rather than foods that will make me feel comforted immediately, then guilty later for overindulging. It's a subtle shift of perspective, but I've found it really helpful. In addition to these, part of focusing on health for me means doing things to relieve stress--reading, coloring, walking, listening to music, dancing, taking a bubble bath, etc...it makes it much more organic for me to focus on using food for health when I'm using daily life for health, too.

I find cardio helps a lot with depression. The trick is to get cardio firmly on your schedule before the next down period. By the time you recognize that you need the cardio lift, at least for me, it's at the spot where I can't make myself start it. My running group helps a lot with this -- most times it's easier to just go than to deal with all the people texting me to ask if everything is okay because I missed a run.

owen1826 wrote: »

when I can't exercise

What do you mean by this?

I too suffer from depression and anxiety. I agree 100% with exercise being helpful, however I also struggle with actually doing it. It has helped immensely to create a strict schedule like some others have mentioned and have it incorporated into daily life as if it were work or a doctors appointment. I personally find that working out hard and really breaking a good sweat even for 20-30 minutes is much more beneficial mentally and emotionally for me than a low intensity workout. Even if I took a stroll for an hour, I feel like the harder 30 min workout helps me more. Not sure why but for me it does. I'm not going to say I have it all figured out...2 years ago I started my journey, lost 85 lbs in the first year, and have gained back 25 the last 6 months while battling another more severe depression. So I'm taking it day by day. But I've forced myself to stick to the exercise so I don't completely lose all of my sanity. Hang in there and keep on truckin' my friend.

If you think exercise might help but struggle to use it because of depression you could consider finding someone to exercise with. That accountability has encouraged me to do a good bit of exercise that I otherwise would not have done. Exercise is a great coping skill but don't think it's the only one. Music is great, creating something like a picture or some other craft, watching something really funny on TV, talking to someone...those can also be used to help pull yourself together and keep progressing toward your goal.