Does anyone feel LESS happy during his/her weight loss

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delgrand
delgrand Posts: 108 Member
edited November 2017 in Health and Weight Loss
I lost about 30 lbs in 3 months. Most of the loss was within the 1st 2 weeks. So I am losing about 1.5-2 lbs a week.I am now 240 lbs and still have about 75 lbs to lose.

I am not hungry or tired, but I feel less happy. Binge eating was the best thing ever and probably the reason why I was so happy during the past 3 years when I gained all the weight.

Last year when I tried to lose weight I lost 13 lbs in 3 weeks but then I quit because I did not feel happy. This time I am more determined.

Is it normal to feel a bit sad during losing weight and is there a real scientific correlation between binge eating and happiness or was it just a habit of mine?

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Replies

  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,384 Member
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    Found a study... I admit I didn't read it, but it looks like it may interest you!

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2977997/

    Here's an article as well: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/addicted-to-fat-eating/
  • delgrand
    delgrand Posts: 108 Member
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    fitoverfortymom wrote: »
    Eating less food helped me lose weight, but it didn't help me lose the feelings and sads that I had. I had to find other ways besides gorging myself to make myself happy. I turned to running. Maybe there is a hobby or activity you want to spend more time doing?

    I didn't feel like I had a lot of joy in my life, so I had to make it myself.

    My motive to losing weight was not to change my emotions or feelings. I am happy at my job, I have good friends, and a loving girlfriend. So I was a happy person before starting losing weight.

    I wanted to be a healthy person with minimal risk of developing diseases like diabetes and Hypertension, and that's why I started losing weight.

    Glad that you found running as something you enjoy. I tried to find a sport to replace my binge eating habit. I tried weight lifting but did not like it.I started walking last week but had joint pain all over my lower limbs, so I decided to wait a little bit. I hope I find a sport that I like.
  • delgrand
    delgrand Posts: 108 Member
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    toxikon wrote: »
    Found a study... I admit I didn't read it, but it looks like it may interest you!

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2977997/

    Here's an article as well: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/addicted-to-fat-eating/

    so after all binge eating was not just a habit and it really made me happy ! hmm!
    Thanks for sharing. The article was interesting to read.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    I was not unhappy while losing but did go through a period of being unhappy after I lost the weight. When I was obese, I didn't think much about what I was eating or wearing or people seeing me--it was kind of like being invisible, which I enjoyed. Thinking more about my food and appearance and not being quite as invisible was difficult. It still is at times but it's not as bad as it was in the beginning.
  • kenyonhaff
    kenyonhaff Posts: 1,377 Member
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    I wouldn't say I felt more sad.

    But I certainly was a bit cranky in the first two weeks...it's hard to maintain a certain energy level on less fuel.

    Getting more protein in my diet helped, so did finding food I liked, getting used to "the new normal", and finally just seeing some success.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
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    I hit my goal weight in March and maintained pretty well till the last month where I crept up three pounds so last Monday I went back into diet mode again. I am so much less anxious about my food while cutting, this I know how to do, but maintenance is a minefield for me yet and I have some things to figure out for January when I should be back at 135.
  • batorkin
    batorkin Posts: 281 Member
    edited November 2017
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    No... I feel awesome and it's only 5 weeks in. 11 pounds down and I don't see myself changing this new lifestyle. I feel a million times better despite still needing to lose 60 more pounds.

    Do you lift? I hated it at first, but now it's my go to motivator. You can see changes in your body very quickly if you lift VERY heavy/low reps, 1-2 times a week.
  • bapity88
    bapity88 Posts: 98 Member
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    The first 30-40 lbs gone I was feeling healthier and happier. Ten months total now and 55 lbs down, I feel like it's a never ending journey and I'll be dieting forever. I only have 15 lbs left to lose, but it's seeming farther and farther away for some reason. I think I'm just absolutely sick of weight loss, dieting, watching everything I eat, logging it all, and having it go so slowly these days. It gets exhausting and depressing sometimes. BUT I don't want to cry every time I look in the mirror anymore, so that's a plus. lol
  • Shellz31
    Shellz31 Posts: 214 Member
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    I have a long history of depression. When I decided to tackle it some years back, I purposefully put any concern over my weight on hold. I gained a lot! But treatment (therapy) worked and i haven't lived in that fog for a couple years now.

    Now that I'm refocusing on losing weight, I have noticed some anxiety and rumination returning. I'm not depressed, but am less happy.

    This is pure speculation on my part, but I know certain foods raise serotonin, specifically carbohydrates. While not low carb by any means, my intake has gone down as i try to fit everything in on fewer calories. I think I'm just not getting that upshot of serotonin. Plus, calorie deficit is stressful on your body even at reasonable rate, and I believe that could have an impact.

    When it started to get bad after just 2 months of a deficit, I took a diet break, eating at maintenance for almost 2 weeks. I felt so much better! I didn't binge, which is why in my case I dont think it's an addiction to binging, but I did eat more serotonin producing foods. I don't know if this is even close to what you're going through but that's my experience so far. Unfortunately the effect is slowly wearing off. I plan on another break over the holidays.
  • ms_maruska
    ms_maruska Posts: 119 Member
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    I definitely don't feel less happy when losing weight but I can relate for a different reason. I have a lot of food intolerances (like, a lot, whole food groups) and I have to avoid foods or eliminate them completely. After a few years of being on elimination diet I realized I don't really miss bread or yoghurt or whatever, I miss the tastes and textures of different types of foods and their combinations. I personally can't compensate this in any other way than to make an extra effort and incorporate different spices, try out new recipes with the foods I can eat and rotate them more often.

    I'm not sure if you're specifically into binging for the sake of binging because, I assume, if you wanted to binge on e.g. tomatoes and lettuce (if you can call it binging?), you wouldn't really get the same feelings. Perhaps your diet is a bit bland to you or you find it dull (at least subconsciously since it took me a while to come to this realization). This is just a shot in the dark, obviously, it could have other causes :)
  • madisonrmartinez
    madisonrmartinez Posts: 19 Member
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    It sounds like you’ve been using food as a form of therapy like so many of us do. Maybe you should look into binge eating disorder or food addiction and talking to someone about it. Food can absolutely be addictive, and it can take a while to switch your mindset from feelings-driven eating to fuel-driven eating. I would warn caution to anyone who believes that they will suddenly become happy when they are thinner. Emotions are not externally based, but internal. Ask yourself, what truly would make one happy if they reached a weight loss goal. Would it be the appearance? Perhaps that is a factor. I would argue, though, that much of it would be developing a sense of self respect and self love, along with leading a lifestyle that is more fulfilling, rather that food-filling (hah). My biggest advice to you and anyone who is struggling with their happiness during this journey is to continue on, but focus equally on mental health as you do physical. You cannot be successful with weight loss in the long run if you do not the face internal problems as well.
  • naomiday85
    naomiday85 Posts: 38 Member
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    This one is so true. My friends used to say I was more confident when I was heavier, I would say I cared less about how I looked because I was “the fun one” i do however really really struggle with what I see in the mirror now. My partner says this is the smallest and fittest he’s ever known me and I know this to be true. It’s a really difficult one, I want to lose at least another 14Ib but it frustrates me no end that I dislike what I see anyway
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    toxikon wrote: »
    Found a study... I admit I didn't read it, but it looks like it may interest you!

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2977997/

    Here's an article as well: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/addicted-to-fat-eating/

    Thank you so much for the two articles. I appreciated their talk about the role of domaine. <3

    Also, I liked the one (2nd) that said the rats' favorite food was Sara Lee Cheese cake. B)

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