Can't stop crying..

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  • emmycantbemeeko
    emmycantbemeeko Posts: 303 Member
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    Please call your doctor. Have a snack while you're on the phone- it's certainly possible physical hunger and the sudden change in diet is playing a role. But most importantly, as a person with depression suddenly having episodes of uncontrollable sadness and crying, please, call your doctor. It might be related to the diet, it might not- none of us can tell. Either way, the stakes with suddenly worsening depression symptoms are high. Your doctor is the one to talk to about this.

    Also, this:
    Q_Is_Poison wrote: »
    If you can't get ahold of your doctor and the crying or depression switches over to suicide ideation either go to the nearest emergency room or call 911. Some meds can overwhelm your system when you are dieting and you might need to be watched in a safe place for the night.

  • kiara1066
    kiara1066 Posts: 119 Member
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    Please seek professional help especially since you mentioned you suffer from depression .
  • lostinfbg
    lostinfbg Posts: 2 Member
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    Thank you all for taking the time to reply to me. I feel like I have a crew! I'm going to try to address all the things you've said in one go.

    I can't remember when my next med check with the psychiatrist is - I'll call and move it up. One of my tells that I'm depressed is that I don't think of the obvious - like this.

    I'm 5'2, and 240 llbs. My long goal is 105, but I'm starting with getting to 215 by the end of April. Whenever I've calculated the number of calories I'm supposed to eat, it's always come out at 1200, so I wasn't surprised. Maybe I should have taken it with a pinch of salt. I can certainly eat more!

    I have been exercising - it's not making me happier, as far as I can tell :-(

    I've had depression since I was 8, so I'm not worried about suicidal ideation. If I get some bad thoughts, I will go to the emergency room.

    Thank you all for replying. The weight of your replies really helped me. If one person says you're green, you just ignore them - but when it's all of them - I may be green.

    Thank you again.

  • emmycantbemeeko
    emmycantbemeeko Posts: 303 Member
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    lostinfbg wrote: »
    Thank you all for taking the time to reply to me. I feel like I have a crew! I'm going to try to address all the things you've said in one go.

    I can't remember when my next med check with the psychiatrist is - I'll call and move it up. One of my tells that I'm depressed is that I don't think of the obvious - like this.

    I'm 5'2, and 240 llbs. My long goal is 105, but I'm starting with getting to 215 by the end of April. Whenever I've calculated the number of calories I'm supposed to eat, it's always come out at 1200, so I wasn't surprised. Maybe I should have taken it with a pinch of salt. I can certainly eat more!

    I have been exercising - it's not making me happier, as far as I can tell :-(

    I've had depression since I was 8, so I'm not worried about suicidal ideation. If I get some bad thoughts, I will go to the emergency room.

    Thank you all for replying. The weight of your replies really helped me. If one person says you're green, you just ignore them - but when it's all of them - I may be green.

    Thank you again.

    We're here for you!

    35 lbs by the end of April is a pretty steep goal- you're looking at over 2 lbs of weight loss a week. You'll see a lot of websites blithely state that "up to two pounds a week" is healthy/sustainable, but the truth is that while a tall guy with a lot to lose might knock off two pounds a week without a problem, for those of us who are vertically challenged, to get to the kind of calorie deficit that creates 2 lbs of loss a week is *tough*, and it will only get tougher as your mass decreases and, correspondingly, so does your calorie burn.

    You'll likely see big drops the first few weeks and you can DEFINITELY feel better and be down quite a bit by the end of April, but I'd suggest taking it at a slower pace than you currently are, where you'll be able to eat more calories and still see loss. Moderate exercise has been shown to be somewhat helpful with depression, but I bet most exercise feels a lot more intense than "moderate" at 240 lbs and eating only 1200 calories. 1200 calories a day is something like 600 cal/day off your BMR as I calculate it, and that's just BMR, WITHOUT considering exercise calories and your typical activity level. That's a pretty miserable level of restriction to be eating at- 1200 calories just isn't that much food- and yet depending on your activity/exercise level it might still not be enough to get you the 2+ pounds/week you're aiming for.

    It's okay to get to your goal at a slightly slower pace and feel better while you're doing it. This is supposed to be a forever change- begin the way you mean to go on, sustainably and not miserably. And consider adopting process-based goals in addition to your dated target weight goals. Target weight goals are great, and dated goals are great, but when you attach a date to a goal that's actually, ultimately, out of your hands (you can control what you eat and what you do, but you can't actually guarantee you're going to be that weight on that date, for so many reasons) it's easy to get dispirited even when doing your absolute best. Whereas process goals- "I will log my food 95% of the time between now and the end of April," "I will work out at least 3x a week"- those are totally in your control, and more actionable than dated target weights. Focus on your inputs and the outputs will follow; focus on the outputs and it's easy to get discouraged and give up on the inputs.

    Good luck! You can do this.
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
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    To drop that many calories, you've given up a lot of the stuff involved in generating neurotransmitters. Certain amino acids in proteins are base blocks of neurotransmitters like serotonin which relies on the amino acid tryptophan. Other macros like carbohydrate intake signal dopamine and serotonin release and reuptake as they are involved both as mental neurotransmitters and transmitters in digestion control and appetite.
    You're also potentially raising cortisol as a stress response because your body doesn't know the controlled part of controlled starvation that dieting is.
    I'd reiterate the advice of check with your healthcare team about such drastic calorie deficits and consider a less drastic one for now.
  • yourhiddengem
    yourhiddengem Posts: 171 Member
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    Side note: There's also a really good thread about depression. I don't know if it would help at all but reading some of it has helped me realize that I'm not alone. :)

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10058170/depression-and-weight-loss
  • robertw486
    robertw486 Posts: 2,390 Member
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    lostinfbg wrote: »
    I'm 5'2, and 240 llbs. My long goal is 105, but I'm starting with getting to 215 by the end of April. Whenever I've calculated the number of calories I'm supposed to eat, it's always come out at 1200, so I wasn't surprised. Maybe I should have taken it with a pinch of salt. I can certainly eat more!

    Being your questions on the crying seem to be well in hand, I'll move on to this.

    Something is wrong with your calculations unless you are aiming for a really aggressive weight loss goal. And though some will do it, for many it makes more sense to ease into your loss goals so that you can sustain them longer term. If you are determined to lose that fast, pay close attention to your macros, take a break at maintenance calories if you need it, and supplement with a vitamins if you have a hard time hitting goals there.

    It seems to be a trend that people that get too aggressive with loss goals are more likely to burn out and either quit or binge eat at times. If you start feeling low on energy adjust before either of those happen. Remember, you didn't gain the weight in a day and as long as you are moving towards a goal you have the rest of your life to get there.

    Just use caution. Some people are successful dropping weight quickly, but the end goal is what is more important.


    senecarr wrote: »
    To drop that many calories, you've given up a lot of the stuff involved in generating neurotransmitters. Certain amino acids in proteins are base blocks of neurotransmitters like serotonin which relies on the amino acid tryptophan. Other macros like carbohydrate intake signal dopamine and serotonin release and reuptake as they are involved both as mental neurotransmitters and transmitters in digestion control and appetite.
    You're also potentially raising cortisol as a stress response because your body doesn't know the controlled part of controlled starvation that dieting is.
    I'd reiterate the advice of check with your healthcare team about such drastic calorie deficits and consider a less drastic one for now.

    People should read that again, especially anyone already on a medication that may impact neurotransmitters in any way. But that would include anyone that deals with mood changes during dieting that is not taking any antidepressants or other drugs as well.


    yourhiddengem wrote: »
    Side note: There's also a really good thread about depression. I don't know if it would help at all but reading some of it has helped me realize that I'm not alone. :)

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10058170/depression-and-weight-loss

    One of the most respectful and helpful threads on the MFP boards in my opinion, as well as very helpful for many.

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