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

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  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    Addressing the things that caused me to gain weight in the 1st place.
  • Rocknut53
    Rocknut53 Posts: 1,794 Member
    garystrickland357 wrote: »
    Exercise certainly helps me mentally while losing weight (and during maintenance). Coworkers know I exercise and assume that's how I lost the weight. They don't realize I lost the weight by managing my calorie intake (CICO). The exercise affects the CO of course, but the main reason I exercise is for the mental aspect. I am a stress eater. When I exercise I manage my stress. I also really enjoy the exercise. (is that mental too?) My exercise of choice is cycling and running.

    Bingo! On days I don't exercise, I'm finding it nearly impossible to manage my stress, thus my eating.
  • Fflpnari
    Fflpnari Posts: 975 Member
    I struggle with depression. Exercise has been the best thing for my depression. Its my street reliever, happy time, my ME time. My eating also changes with mood. If I am on track my mood seems to be more stable. When my mood is bad so is my eating. Its like a vicious cycle.
  • DiscusTank5
    DiscusTank5 Posts: 468 Member
    Brad805, what books do you recommend for changing one's relationship to food?
  • JBApplebee
    JBApplebee Posts: 481 Member
    I prefer 9round. Have a good day? Hit the bags. Have a bad day or someone is pissing me off? I hit (and kick) the bags way harder! That & Fireball at Husker tailgates, but that just helps me cope with this season so far. #GBR
  • WanderingRivers
    WanderingRivers Posts: 612 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.

    If I could like this multiple times, I would. The assumption that willpower is greater then my illnesses annoys the ever loving crap out of me.
  • xrayhexx
    xrayhexx Posts: 11 Member
    Exercise, talk therapy and occasional small amounts of dark chocolate. 😉
  • KeithWhiteJr
    KeithWhiteJr Posts: 233 Member
    XBOX
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    Activities I enjoy like coaching basketball.

    Eat a very LCHF diet. Avoid refined and processed carbs. My BG varies greatly with more carbs and the energy swing and discomfort affects my mood and cognition. The fats seem to help with cognition overall too. YMMV
  • Brad805
    Brad805 Posts: 289 Member
    edited October 2018
    ahine, the poor food relationship with food tends to stem from any number of factors. Broadly speaking, lack of knowledge (not knowing what to eat, how much...), emotional eating, and habit are some of the more common problems that lead to weight problems. The books I am referring to are not specifically written to address food issues. These books are about well being. Habit and lack of knowledge in the broad categories I suggested are the easiest problems to understand and correct. Find somewhere with good info, stop the habits, and both of those can be solved without much more than discipline combined with daily practice. Emotional eating can be far more complex. Anyone that has had a lifetime problem with weight (I am one) can have problems with self worth, happiness, or any number of more deep seated issues. Those can be more challenging to understand and take work to correct. Reading books on well being and introspection into ones past behavior can go a long way to gaining an understanding and figuring out how to improve. I am not some self loving guru either. I had a coach for many months years ago and she suggested reading some different books. It helped me gain a better understanding and when I keep those things I learned in the back of my mind I am generally happier.

    A few books:
    The Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiez. I found this in an airport and read it on a short flight.
    The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne
    The Untethered Soul, Michael Singer
    Monk who Sold his Ferrari, Robin Sharma. This has lot of useful daily ideas to declutter daily life.

    I suggest you go to a bookstore and wander around the section that has books on well being. There are endless authors and you will never know what might help.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    ahimes39 wrote: »
    Brad805, what books do you recommend for changing one's relationship to food?

    The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals changed my relationship with food. It is available in my library system, so perhaps yours as well.
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    ahimes39 wrote: »
    Brad805, what books do you recommend for changing one's relationship to food?

    The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals changed my relationship with food. It is available in my library system, so perhaps yours as well.

    Given how popular that book is it's probably available in most library systems in English speaking countries in the western hemisphere. If not, they may be able to get it via interlibrary loan.
  • SmithsonianEmpress
    SmithsonianEmpress Posts: 1,163 Member
    amgreenwell wrote: »
    Running

    ^^^THIS^^^
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    Lifting, painting/art.
  • bootyrubsandtacos
    bootyrubsandtacos Posts: 775 Member
    I take meds and work out 6 days a week. I also go to therapy once a week. I’m doing all the “right” things but I still feel like sh$! mentally more often then not.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    I don't have any mental health issues, but I did have to deal with some mental issues to lose weight.

    Eating at a calorie deficit is fundamentally at variance with the way of life I had been accustomed to. I had to learn what a proper portion was and I had to learn to wait a decent interval for another meal.
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    bootyrubsandtacos wrote: »
    I take meds and work out 6 days a week. I also go to therapy once a week. I’m doing all the “right” things but I still feel like sh$! mentally more often then not.

    You are far from alone in that regard, for better or worse. I've had to learn that it's better for me to look at how functional I am, not how depressed (and anxious) I am. The depression will likely always be with me, so it's a matter of learning how to function within that. It isn't at all easy, and I feel absolutely awful more often than not, but that I'm able to do things like go to school full time, write a thesis, and sometimes ask for help from people who aren't my therapist is pretty big deal and those are all things that I wasn't able to do five years ago.
  • bootyrubsandtacos
    bootyrubsandtacos Posts: 775 Member
    aokoye wrote: »
    bootyrubsandtacos wrote: »
    I take meds and work out 6 days a week. I also go to therapy once a week. I’m doing all the “right” things but I still feel like sh$! mentally more often then not.

    You are far from alone in that regard, for better or worse. I've had to learn that it's better for me to look at how functional I am, not how depressed (and anxious) I am. The depression will likely always be with me, so it's a matter of learning how to function within that. It isn't at all easy, and I feel absolutely awful more often than not, but that I'm able to do things like go to school full time, write a thesis, and sometimes ask for help from people who aren't my therapist is pretty big deal and those are all things that I wasn't able to do five years ago.

    I feel the same way. If I can get out of bed and get through a workout then thats as good as it’s going to get.
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,979 Member
    I have had clinical depression since I was a kid. I treat it with a low dose of meds and exercise.

    But, as far as the mental stress of losing...using MFP is pretty much what managed it. Not that I had as much to lose as many others but being in deficit and wondering if you're on the right track can be quite a load. But, once I found this site, realized I didn't have to change the foods I was eating and restrict, and started with a food scale I found the process quite easy. It took the guesswork out of what I was eating and the path I was on.

    Essentially, I learned to trust the data and that put me as ease.
  • BeccaColliesBurton
    BeccaColliesBurton Posts: 79 Member
    arobey11 wrote: »
    I've been in therapy on and off for anxiety/panic disorder for years, but at this point I'm feeling far enough along with CBT to manage things on my own. I meditate, deal with the obsessive negative thoughts when they come, and I've started a daily routine of walking for 30-60 minutes OUTSIDE after work with my family. I need the sunshine as the seasons change to stave off a bit of seasonal affective disorder. Also I've found if I'm having a rough morning at work, a quick YouTube workout video on my lunch break (I work from home) does wonders for my mentality.

    I've just finished three weeks under the care of the crisis team. I'm waiting for cat counselling which should start soon. I also have health conditions which can make excecuse difficult. Part of that is worry about being in pain though.
    The med im now on causes me to not have the same full up feelings so im having to use some self control with varying degrees of success.
    Just thought I'd day hi x
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    My depression is much better now that my medical conditions are well-managed (they weren't for many years) and now that I have an active lifestyle. I actually found the process of losing weight empowering because it helped me feel some sense of control coming out of a depressive spiral.

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