What are you doing to address your mental health needs while shedding the pounds?

affirmationguy
affirmationguy Posts: 31 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'll start. I am doing general counseling for nutrition and exercise. Anyone else have any tips or suggestions?
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Replies

  • amgreenwell
    amgreenwell Posts: 1,267 Member
    Running
  • lalalacroix
    lalalacroix Posts: 834 Member
    Hiking
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    I sometimes wonder if my routines and tracking and logging are the "good" end of the control spectrum that has anorexia and similar behaviours on the other.
  • ExistingFish
    ExistingFish Posts: 1,259 Member
    Exercise is my main tool for dealing with my anxiety. I have recently started therapy, but for un-weight-loss-related things in my life.
  • jonjaxmom
    jonjaxmom Posts: 77 Member
    Im taking time with other like minded women who are sharing the same kinds of struggles/goals and we talk about our ups and downs a lot. Then we workout and its quite therapeutic!!
  • tronjo2002
    tronjo2002 Posts: 43 Member
    IMO, there are only two things when it comes to weight loss (health in general). 1. Knowledge about nutrition, exercise, etc. and 2. Mental health. Call it will power or whatever.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    Mental health needs while losing weight.... well, I guess the structure of meal planning and logging is sometines very helpful to me. Logging lets me know I am eating the right amount for me and I don't need to be afraid to eat foods I like. Exercise can help manage stress.
  • speekee
    speekee Posts: 13 Member
    I find that exercise really is important regardless of weight loss. I had a painful short term injury so skipped the gym for a week. Found myself asking “why am I insuch a bad mood?” Short fuse, kind of sad and dissatisfied. Also didn’t have as much energy, bowels weren’t as regular....I was all messed up! I really need the 3 times a week gym sessions!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Regular exercise helps me with both physical and mental wellness
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Could be because I already have years of therapy and personal growth work under my belt, but all I want/need for mental health these days is exercise, preferably outdoors in nature.
  • Evelyn_Gorfram
    Evelyn_Gorfram Posts: 706 Member
    tronjo2002 wrote: »
    IMO, there are only two things when it comes to weight loss (health in general). 1. Knowledge about nutrition, exercise, etc. and 2. Mental health. Call it will power or whatever.
    Ha! I grew up fat, surrounded by adults with mental health problems, and being constantly told that I just needed "more willpower." From now on, whenever I hear or remember the phrase, I'm going to mentally replace "more willpower" with "less insanity." :)

    As to addressing my current mental health, I have a support group here; and am walking outdoors for exercise, Vitamin D and endorphins. I'm also looking into seeing a therapist again for a while.
  • Brad805
    Brad805 Posts: 289 Member
    Changing one's mindset is very important for lasting changes. Many that have found themselves in the obese or morbidly obese category have an interesting relationship with food. That poor relationship develops for any number of reasons, and it takes time and effort to change it. There are lots of good books to read to help change that relationship. Even once you lose the weight, that "fat" person mindset can still be hidden below the surface.
  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
    Exercise and taking my meds.
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
    Evelyn_Gorfram wrote: »
    tronjo2002 wrote: »
    IMO, there are only two things when it comes to weight loss (health in general). 1. Knowledge about nutrition, exercise, etc. and 2. Mental health. Call it will power or whatever.
    Ha! I grew up fat, surrounded by adults with mental health problems, and being constantly told that I just needed "more willpower." From now on, whenever I hear or remember the phrase, I'm going to mentally replace "more willpower" with "less insanity." :)

    As to addressing my current mental health, I have a support group here; and am walking outdoors for exercise, Vitamin D and endorphins. I'm also looking into seeing a therapist again for a while.

    oooohh... I LOVE this. Thank you. I’m in for less insanity!!
  • Chrystalanne90
    Chrystalanne90 Posts: 9 Member
    meditation, breathing, getting into podcasts, taking care of myself.
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    I go to therapy multiple days a week (yay for health insurance that covers it). That said my mental health issues have nothing to do with my eating or my weight for better or worse.
  • Evelyn_Gorfram
    Evelyn_Gorfram Posts: 706 Member
    aokoye wrote: »
    tronjo2002 wrote: »
    IMO, there are only two things when it comes to weight loss (health in general). 1. Knowledge about nutrition, exercise, etc. and 2. Mental health. Call it will power or whatever.

    If mental health was based on will power a lot fewer people would be struggling with their mental health.

    Er, I think what @tronjo2002 meant was that willpower is based on mental health...
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    Evelyn_Gorfram wrote: »
    aokoye wrote: »
    tronjo2002 wrote: »
    IMO, there are only two things when it comes to weight loss (health in general). 1. Knowledge about nutrition, exercise, etc. and 2. Mental health. Call it will power or whatever.

    If mental health was based on will power a lot fewer people would be struggling with their mental health.

    Er, I think what @tronjo2002 meant was that willpower is based on mental health...

    If that's the case, it wasn't at all clear to me. From the way I read it (and I've done so a few times) they're either equating mental health with will power or saying that weight loss comes down to knowledge about nutrition (among other things) and mental health and calling that set of things will power. I suspect it's the latter.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    affirmationguy wrote: »
    I'll start. I am doing general counseling for nutrition and exercise. Anyone else have any tips or suggestions?

    So far I have restored two old farm tractors and got a sad looking 2010 F150 Ford pickup now glad looking to tow them to tractor shows.
  • jondspen
    jondspen Posts: 253 Member
    I exercise when I feel up for it, take a day off if I don't. I will give in to a nap if I feel run down or needing rest. I eat healthy most of the time, but will indulge in a cheeseburger, pizza, or Chinese buffet if the craving lasts for 2-3 days. I set small goals (1-2 weeks) for my journey so that I can stay motivated (eat more veggies, do another 1/2 mile on walk/runs, do under a 10 min mile, etc.). Finally, I try to remember I didn't gain the weight in one day, I won't lose it in one day.
  • Evelyn_Gorfram
    Evelyn_Gorfram Posts: 706 Member
    aokoye wrote: »
    Evelyn_Gorfram wrote: »
    aokoye wrote: »
    tronjo2002 wrote: »
    IMO, there are only two things when it comes to weight loss (health in general). 1. Knowledge about nutrition, exercise, etc. and 2. Mental health. Call it will power or whatever.

    If mental health was based on will power a lot fewer people would be struggling with their mental health.

    Er, I think what @tronjo2002 meant was that willpower is based on mental health...

    If that's the case, it wasn't at all clear to me. From the way I read it (and I've done so a few times) they're either equating mental health with will power or saying that weight loss comes down to knowledge about nutrition (among other things) and mental health and calling that set of things will power. I suspect it's the latter.

    Ooh, fun! It's another case of "Where Do You Put The Punctuation/Formatting?" If I correctly understand the way you're reading it, the OP might have conveyed his meaning in a post like this:
    tronjo2002 wrote: »
    IMO, there are only two things when it comes to weight loss (health in general). 1. Knowledge about nutrition, exercise, etc.; and, 2. Mental health.

    Call it will power or whatever.

    While, the way I'm reading it, OP could have gotten his meaning across with this:
    tronjo2002 wrote: »
    IMO, there are only two things when it comes to weight loss (health in general). 1. Knowledge about nutrition, exercise, etc.; and 2. Mental health - call it will power or whatever.

    Interesting. :)
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    Evelyn_Gorfram wrote: »
    aokoye wrote: »
    Evelyn_Gorfram wrote: »
    aokoye wrote: »
    tronjo2002 wrote: »
    IMO, there are only two things when it comes to weight loss (health in general). 1. Knowledge about nutrition, exercise, etc. and 2. Mental health. Call it will power or whatever.

    If mental health was based on will power a lot fewer people would be struggling with their mental health.

    Er, I think what @tronjo2002 meant was that willpower is based on mental health...

    If that's the case, it wasn't at all clear to me. From the way I read it (and I've done so a few times) they're either equating mental health with will power or saying that weight loss comes down to knowledge about nutrition (among other things) and mental health and calling that set of things will power. I suspect it's the latter.

    Ooh, fun! It's another case of "Where Do You Put The Punctuation/Formatting?" If I correctly understand the way you're reading it, the OP might have conveyed his meaning in a post like this:
    tronjo2002 wrote: »
    IMO, there are only two things when it comes to weight loss (health in general). 1. Knowledge about nutrition, exercise, etc.; and, 2. Mental health.

    Call it will power or whatever.

    While, the way I'm reading it, OP could have gotten his meaning across with this:
    tronjo2002 wrote: »
    IMO, there are only two things when it comes to weight loss (health in general). 1. Knowledge about nutrition, exercise, etc.; and 2. Mental health - call it will power or whatever.

    Interesting. :)

    The main way I'm reading it is with the idea that mental health is being equated with will power in part because of the hyphen. The second reading of it is putting less emphasis on will power being connected to mental health, but even then there's some connection being made.

    Either way - I don't have the will power to try to analyze this anymore this evening because sleeping is definitely a part of taking care of one's self and I can feel myself wanting to fall asleep :)

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