Anyone Suffer From Bipolar Disorder?

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blondepaparazzi
blondepaparazzi Posts: 39 Member
in Motivation and Support
I've been trying to count calories again, but ended up going through a manic episode last week and now am unwillingly diving head first into a depression. I hope to be out of it soon, but it's frustrating to focus on getting better AND counting calories. So I've let myself slide (not my eating habits necessarily, just my meticulous counting). I need a break when I'm going through something like this. Anyone else with Bipolar disorder have periods where they lack the motivation or energy to keep at this? What do you all do?

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  • RunawayCurves
    RunawayCurves Posts: 688 Member
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    Yes I have rapid cycling bipolar and it is a living nightmare. Really undermines progress with anything. Where eating is concerned if I am manic then I feel invincible and therefore can eat and drink whatever I like. When I am suicidal the last thing I care about is calorie counting, instead I gorge myself on anything that makes me feel better enough to go on living hour by hour. Only when I am level can I make any progress and those times are few and far between. I wish I had a solution but all I can say is make most of the good times and keep working to find right balance of medication to tame the bipolar a bit. I think it is a good thing to take the best possible care of yourself when you are able to and take advantage of as much support as you can. That is all you can do.

    I was horribly depressed for whole of February and last half of January. I gained over 20lb in that time , all I did was sleep, cry, eat and watch netflix desperately trying to distract myself from suicidal thoughts. Then I had a brief mixed episode and emerged only very mildly hypomanic. I made the relevant doctors appointments, frantically caught up with stuff, did best to get life in order, came up with latest eating plan, am ticking along nicely but aware I could fall back in to the depths of depression any day now. It is a horrible illness that must be so difficult to understand for those around us. Consistency and bipolar do not really go togesther other than we are consistently inconsistent. People say to me "at least your lifes never boring". Having treatment resistent bipolar feels like living through an endless series of car crashes. No sooner have you got over shock from last crash and the next one is coming around the bend. The only way to survive is to make the most of good times and have a few people to talk to about it all. I wish you the best. My latest plan regarding food is to use Huel meal replacement shakes and only eat one normal meal a day. Huel is effortless to make so I am hoping even the suicidal zombie version of me might be able to manage it.
  • marie9910
    marie9910 Posts: 34 Member
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    At this point I'm able to recognize when I'm swinging into either a manic or depressive episode. Just having the mental awareness of what's happening inside is empowering. In both cases what helps me the most is actually sticking to my normal routine/calories. When manic I feel like I can go days without eating. When depressed I can eat the entire contents of the kitchen and then some. Sticking to my regular schedule even when I feel out of whack helps maintain as much normalcy as possible until my mood levels out again, with the least damage done possible. Good luck. I know it's hard but you're not alone in this.
  • allisonl6
    allisonl6 Posts: 37 Member
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    I am and it wasn't until I got on the right meds that I could even consider getting my body healthy.
  • crackpotbaby
    crackpotbaby Posts: 1,297 Member
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    I have bipolar disorder type 1.

    Feel free to add me.

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