Anxiety and panic attacks
Suzuki4life7
Posts: 25 Member
Hey guys! In 2015 I was doing great losing weight until early 2016...I started getting anxiety attacks and since then my weight loss has suffered a lot every time I get hungry I get very anxious and I eat a lot when this happens because I get very desperate. (I also have pre-diabetes) I have gained weight again...I don't know what to do to get back on track Every time I try to go back at my diet I mess it up because of this. What should I do? Anyone going through this?
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Replies
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Do you know why you're having the anxiety attacks? It helps me to pinpoint why. Exercise keeps my anxiety in check and I'm seeing a counselor.3
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Mine is the opposite in that my anxiety causes me to lose my appetite. This is very hard to work through. I suggest mediation or practice mindfulness and focus when anxiety is running high. Stop and walk away from the kitchen and into a quiet and relaxing place. Maybe go outside for a walk, into a dark room for a few minutes, and just do some deep breathing and positive self talk. Whisper if you don't want to talk completely aloud. Take in a deep breath and just say ," I am okay" and exhale. Do this several times followed with maybe a physical "shaking it off" kind of thing. Maybe a few stretches. Reach down to the ground as far as possible then slowly raise and stretch your arms over head and out to the sides a time or two. If you can get your self calm doing any type of relaxation and recentering you will see positive results.
Also it does help to try and pinpoint the reasons for the anxiety. Do you have panic attacks also? If my anxiety ever builds into an actual panic attack I have actually gotten pretty good at stopping it doing some of what I mention above. I found a book called, "Calming your anxious mind" by Jefferey Brantley, MD. This book was what helped me with mindfulness as far as anxiety and panic go. There is also a companion book which is, "Meditations for Calming Your Anxious Mind." You can probably find these pretty cheap online. They weren't expensive when I bought them at the book store.7 -
Hi @Suzuki4life7
I've dealt with similar issues. I would advise talking with your doctor about this. My anxiety used to get really bad right before I would eat a meal , due to my eating disorder. I found that talking to my therapist and creating more of a peaceful eating environment really helped me. A few years ago I also started doing 5-10 minute meditation sessions twice a day and this really has made a difference. The most important thing to remember is you're not messing up if you happen to slip up on your diet, you just have to get back up and keep trying 
You can do this 1 -
I'm in a similar-ish situation. For the past few months I've been battling very severe depression and anxiety. Whenever I felt sad, anxious, hopeless, or overwhelmed, I would eat anything and everyhing I could find. I knew I would hate myself later, but I continued to do it because it could help me take away the pain temporarily. Recently, though (as in the past week), I've eliminated gluten from my diet for two reasons. 1) Gluten can contribute to depression/anxiety in some people. 2) It was a terrible "trigger" food for me. Whenever I would eat it, I just wanted more and more and more. So far, I feel SO much better, and I'm hoping I can continue with this. I've also been doing more things to distract myself when I feel that sudden urge to binge; I've been going on walks, taking a shower, cleaning my room, drinking water/sparkling water/tea etc. Good luck!3
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The book Hardcore Self Help: F word Anxiety changed my life. I bought it 3 years ago on Amazon and I've only had 5 panic attacks since when before I was having them 2x a day.2
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I have depression and anxiety, and the past couple years I started to get anxiety attacks- the physical symptoms of anxiety- for me- have gone down since losing weight, mainly working out.. I'm more focused on my diet than my anxiety, it's like exercise is my body distracting itself from anxiety. I completely agree that you should seek a therapist if you haven't, but I know all my life I've been told by therapists that exercise and diet decrease your anxiety, just took time for me to listen. Try to exercise more, the better you feel in your body the more it will help reduce your anxiety.4
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Can't speak to any issues that might be triggering the attacks, but I find that, while I cannot control the triggers, keeping to a consistent, healthy lifestyle, helps keep me on a more even keel and reduces the frequency of the attacks. Unfortunately, reduces, not eliminates.1
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Having just spent half the day in semi-panic mode (it's like I can't get enough air; I'm sure you know the feeling) I sympathize. I suppose I'm fortunate in that food has never been a coping mechanism for me, so that's not what I immediately reach for, but the only thing for it is to attack the root cause. Therapy has reduced the incidence of this for me greatly. Hasn't eliminated it, but it's more like a weekly thing than daily now.2
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Wow thank you everyone for sharing with me your stories I truly appreciate it. Thanks for the advice I am going to have in mind all that was said. 2
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Not an easy battle to face. I totally realate to anxiety and panic attacks but don't eat in those situations. Firstly I'd find a psychologist that you can trust to learn about what causes the anxiety and techniques you can use to deal with it. Next I'd eliminate the ability to have those kinds of comfort foods at easy access. Snacking on carrot and celery sticks won't do the same damage to the waistline. Lastly look at doing something else rather than eating. Some sort of exercise works well for me. If things become too overwhelming I go for a walk. If I become really frustrated then a workout with resistance bands does wonders.yoga or pilates would also be great for self calming.0
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After kicking anxiety in my youth.. it came back last year... I have it under control and almost gone.. here is what worked for me.
1. to get fast relief.. lift something heavy. pick up a 25 pound bag of something and haul it or a piece of heavy furniture. lift weights. it works.
2. lavender, lemon, essential oils. especially lavender ... inhale .. and rub lavender oil mixed with a carrier oil into the soles of your feet and on your neck before sleep or anytime to unwind.
3. read info from the Calm Clinic ... change your food.. read the list of foods that help lessen anxiety and eat them
4. sleep is the best remedy..
5. look at your need for supplements .... b-12...L-theanine helps a lot too. epsom salt baths
6. stress in your life.. job? toxic relationship?
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There is some really good advice here, but what's so nice to see is how supportive everyone has been to the OP. The interwebs can be a nasty place sometimes, but this goes to show it doesn't have to be.
Lesson: you are not alone :-)4 -
This was helpful, thanks OP and others. I suffered my first set of panic attacks this past October because of excess stress in my life. Freaked me out! And I did turn to food a bit. Particularly ice cream. Man, I love ice cream. Anyway, back on track, back to calm. But these tips will help if these feelings ever creep back in. Thanks!2
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I am going to look for that "F work anxiety" book. We can never have too few tools in our arsenals!0
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This was helpful, thanks OP and others. I suffered my first set of panic attacks this past October because of excess stress in my life. Freaked me out! And I did turn to food a bit. Particularly ice cream. Man, I love ice cream. Anyway, back on track, back to calm. But these tips will help if these feelings ever creep back in. Thanks!
My first full blown panic attack was terrifying! It hit me out of no where for no obvious reason when I was around 17 years old. I had never been so scared in all my life!1 -
Side note- essential oils are lovely and helped me a lot, but be careful using them if you have a cat! They can lead to liver failure / death around cats really easily if you're not careful.0
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I get anxiety and panic attacks too and I absolutely self-medicated with food. I think exercise has helped me the most. Like, intense, challenging exercise where the only room in my head for thoughts is "don't die" or "don't fall off the treadmill." It burns my anxiety and adrenaline so much. And then those cardio endorphins flying help.
Yoga is the worst for me. All that meditating or time in head, or whatever it is, I do the opposite of whatever you are supposed to be doing. It's too much time in my head. I need to get outside of myself.
I started off very overweight and out of shape and never thought exercise would be something I could even do, let alone enjoy, but it's the best stress relief I have.
I also thing just being outdoors helps. A walk outside, maybe with headphones, your favorite music playing. Or with a friend or group. Activity, outdoors, social support - the very things I was avoiding or found almost impossible to make myself do have truly been my biggest anxiety burners.0 -
Suzuki4life7 wrote: »Hey guys! In 2015 I was doing great losing weight until early 2016...I started getting anxiety attacks and since then my weight loss has suffered a lot every time I get hungry I get very anxious and I eat a lot when this happens because I get very desperate. (I also have pre-diabetes) I have gained weight again...I don't know what to do to get back on track Every time I try to go back at my diet I mess it up because of this. What should I do? Anyone going through this?
I wonder if you are trying to lose weight too quickly and are getting too hungry between meals? How much weight do you want to lose total and what weekly weight loss goal do you use? Do you eat regular meals?0 -
elisa123gal wrote: »After kicking anxiety in my youth.. it came back last year... I have it under control and almost gone.. here is what worked for me.
1. to get fast relief.. lift something heavy. pick up a 25 pound bag of something and haul it or a piece of heavy furniture. lift weights. it works.
2. lavender, lemon, essential oils. especially lavender ... inhale .. and rub lavender oil mixed with a carrier oil into the soles of your feet and on your neck before sleep or anytime to unwind.
3. read info from the Calm Clinic ... change your food.. read the list of foods that help lessen anxiety and eat them
4. sleep is the best remedy..
5. look at your need for supplements .... b-12...L-theanine helps a lot too. epsom salt baths
6. stress in your life.. job? toxic relationship?
Ya, regular exercise helps me with chronic anxiety and a quick burst of exercise helps with surprise onset anxiety.
I love the suggestion to move some furniture around - that's awesome and easy to schedule
Similarly, running up and down stairs might help. Or "get back ups":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0_DoicHg2E 1 -
One of the worst things about anxiety is how isolating it can be so this thread is great, thank you Suzuki4life7 It seems to me that people can get anxious over almost anything some things lots of people can relate to, others not so much but its all very real and very limiting to the person suffering from it. I have had problems with anxiety and depression for around 20 years off and on, the worst bout of which im just recovering from which saw me stuck on anti depressants and beta blockers for around two years. The only advice i can give you other than the great advice others have already given is to take control of the anxiety, really own it and make it a priority. Anxiety is an indicator that something is out of balance in your life and it is your minds way of telling you that it isn't coping. For too many years work, relationships, friendships family etc all gave me excuses to not face my problems and guess what? it didn't go away it festered and some days when things were good it was ok but when things went bad I crumbled under the weight as i was already carrying this burden around all the time.
- Talk to someone, this can be a counsellor/doctor/non judgmental friend or family member
- Get organised, routine may seem dull but it really helps your mind. Wake, eat and sleep at regular times.
- Check your diet for nasties, caffeine is not the friend of an anxious person nor is it good for sleep. if you do need caffeine in your life try to avoid it for 6 hours before you intend to sleep.
- Exercise, this one was by far the worst for me lol I used to be moderately active when i was younger but now im anxious, older and way heavier, being active is hard! However now i am actually doing it I do feel the benefit and i am sleeping way better and feeling the desire for caffeine less and less and feeling way more relaxed. Everything needs to be maintainable for you so find something that you can fit into your day that isnt too difficult and start small! as you progress you will naturally want to add more.
- Be kind to yourself, I see so many people on here beating themselves up about mistakes, bad days, etc. learn from whatever mistakes you make, understand that we all make mistakes and then try to get it right next time if you dont, just rinse and repeat
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Have you had your blood sugar tested while fasting? It could be reactive hypoglycemia, which is common with people who have prediabetes. I was suffering from it too. About 3 hours after a meal, if I didn't eat, I would get heart palpitations, start shaking and sweating, and feeling like I was going to pass out. It took a long time to figure out I was having low blood sugar attacks, not panic attacks. The thing that helped me was cutting out sugar and white flour, and eating a small meal containing low gi carbs and protein/fats every couple hours vs 3 big meals a day.0
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Suzuki4life7 wrote: »Hey guys! In 2015 I was doing great losing weight until early 2016...I started getting anxiety attacks and since then my weight loss has suffered a lot every time I get hungry I get very anxious and I eat a lot when this happens because I get very desperate. (I also have pre-diabetes) I have gained weight again...I don't know what to do to get back on track Every time I try to go back at my diet I mess it up because of this. What should I do? Anyone going through this?
Some of the best advice I ever got was. You don't gotta be the best just be better than you were yesterday0 -
I go through fighting this once a month if you catch what i mean1
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So much good advice here! Hyperglycemia is definitely one to check. I recently read something really helpful: resorting to food when anxious is a lear t behavior, a habit. Rather than just denying yourself the relief of food, replace eating with a different habit that also brings relief. The obvious one is exercise (lifting furniture sounds fun - just be careful of your back! ;-), but I also find chewing sugar free gum really helpful. Chewing relieves tension and it's a lot more discreet in an open plan office ... Good luck!0
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Hi. I know this is a really old thread, but I am just wondering if any of you also happen to have been diagnosed with PVCs or Ventricular Tachycardia? If so, do you think the physical symptoms may create the panic attacks? I have pvcs and VT and my doctor has given me the option of getting a cardiac ablation, but the procedure just seems to scary for me.2
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