Unhealthy Eating Habits While Depressed

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thebananastand
thebananastand Posts: 1 Member
in Motivation and Support
Hi! So I'm currently in the midst of another depressive episode. Does anyone else here suffer with depression and find it stunts your ability to reach your goals on time? I tend to stress eat fattening foods, or I'll overly restrict myself and binge. I'm not making excuses, I'm just trying to reach out for some some support in case anyone else here experiences this. :)

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  • ScaredCurly92
    ScaredCurly92 Posts: 14 Member
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    Hi there. I'm sorry to hear you're going through this. I too suffer from depression, and in addition to that deal with horrible anxiety. I think my depressive episodes were a huge contributing factor to my weight gain. The emotional strain I was under made me lose interest in my old hobbies, including exercising, and also made my appetite highly irregular. One day, I was starving constantly and always eating, the next I couldn't keep anything down. I was practically sedentary because I spent so much time in bed, only getting up to go to work, and for awhile even that was a problem.

    I don't know if I'm going to get flack for this or not, but I say focus on your mental health above and beyond any weight loss goals. Once the depression is under control (it likely won't be cured, but you can learn to live a productive and happy life), your issues with food will resolve themselves generally. I used to binge eat horribly, but wouldn't say I had a separate binge eating disorder -- it was primarily a side effect of the depression. So when I got off the offending medications (Zoloft, Abilify, and Klonopin), which were making me feel like a zombie and increasing my appetite to unhealthy levels, I felt much better and my diet regulated itself. My focus now is mainly on no longer being sedentary, since overeating isn't nearly as big an issue as it was.

    I don't mean to ramble, I hope some of what I went through is helpful to you. My main point is to focus on tackling the depression itself, with therapy and if necessary, prescribed medication that works well for you. After that, check in with yourself in a few months and see if you're still having the same issues. Your doctor and/or psychiatrist will be able to steer you in the right direction from there. :)
  • squishprincess
    squishprincess Posts: 371 Member
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    I struggle with depression too. I find it makes me fatigued and often lose motivation to workout or be active in general. And too tired to make healthier meals... so I'll grab something quick or eat out too often. You can add me if you wanna be friends! I understand where you're coming from.
  • Mapalicious
    Mapalicious Posts: 412 Member
    edited February 2016
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    ScaredCurly92 wrote: »
    I don't know if I'm going to get flack for this or not, but I say focus on your mental health above and beyond any weight loss goals. Once the depression is under control (it likely won't be cured, but you can learn to live a productive and happy life), your issues with food will resolve themselves generally.

    I couldn't agree more.

    Years of deep depression (+ medication that made it worse) was how I became morbidly obese. And it was not until I focused on the emotional things that I was able to lose 125 lbs. The depression has come back at moments, and I'll gain some weight back, but now I have a better handle on my emotions and how I react TO them (due to therapy, more emotional intelligence, and generally more moments of calm and security in my life).

    Focus on you, your heart, and your whole journey as a person. Our bodies are only reflections of our whole health and well-being.

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