Depression after losing weight

tiffanyleilarsen
tiffanyleilarsen Posts: 44 Member
in Motivation and Support
Whenever I start to loose weight I get really depressed and a lot of times I end up binging because of that depression. It doesn't make sense. I should feel elated after loosing a little weight... but I'm like self destructive or something. I don't know. Does anyone else feel like this?

Replies

  • davani09
    davani09 Posts: 43 Member
    yeah, i lost 28lbs and i just feel like "wow, i shouldn't have even gotten to the point where i have to lose all this weight."

    if you're depressed though try going to therapy. it helps
  • tiffanyleilarsen
    tiffanyleilarsen Posts: 44 Member
    That's a good suggestion if I could afford it. Too bad I can't.
  • Fflpnari
    Fflpnari Posts: 975 Member
    How much do you change your diet when you are trying to lose weight? Do you enjoy what you eat? Are you eating enough? Do you feel deprived?
  • emmamcgarity
    emmamcgarity Posts: 1,594 Member
    I find walking and keeping a routine helps me a lot. I don’t want to walk, but doing so consistently has been really good for my mental health. I also listen to podcasts while walking to keep me focused and motivated. It keeps my mind from wandering too much.
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,324 Member
    so, do you feel that if you lose weight that should make you happy? so, you get more depressed when you lose weight and your mood never lifts? I'm no expert...but depression can't be fixed by losing weight..it is more complex. some say exercise helps ..but I don't know. I'm sorry you feel that way..and I wish you could find a professional who could help you figure things out. :)
  • smolmaus
    smolmaus Posts: 442 Member
    tiffanyleilarsen wrote: »
    I should feel elated after loosing a little weight...

    This part worried me a little. Why should you feel any differently than you do? You feel what you feel. Are you losing weight because you actually want to or because you think that you're supposed to or because you're trying to fix some other problem? It's perfectly okay not to want to lose weight, unless you have some sort of underlying health issue that means it's under doctors orders.

    On a personal note; I tend to hyperfocus on things when my depression plays up. Weightloss is one of those things. So are binge episodes. It's a distraction though, losing weight never fixes the underlying problem. So it's a chicken and egg problem, do you need to lose weight because you're depressed or are you depressed because you think you need to lose weight? In any case your brain is the most important bit of you, get your mental health figured out and the body will follow when it's ready.
  • TanyaHooton
    TanyaHooton Posts: 249 Member
    Well, you can examine external factors. Are you losing weight in the winter and the lack of sunlight is affecting you? Does the weight loss interfere with your sleep or energy levels? Maybe the food you are consuming is not great for you and is affecting your hormones which affects your emotions.

    But it's also worth examining internal factors. You didn't become overweight overnight. And yeah, some people are overweight because they simply like food and eat too much. But some people have some undiscovered reasons they gained the weight - childhood abuse, sexual trauma, hypercritical parents/families, clinical depression, etc.

    When you lose weight, you are still you. You are not magically transformed into everything good and pure and idyllic. You still have to work to be happy and satisfied. You will still have bad days. And you still have to manage crappy weather and crappy co-workers, bloating and aches and pains, and yes, all the triggers that made you eat too much in the first place. For some people, they've had success with journaling or in therapy in figuring out what caused their overeating and their emotions/reactions to it. I suggest it's worth a shot.

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