Dieting and Depression - Feeling low

do you meet therapist? I can tell you the best thing for me is to write everything I eat. also some edications make the body keeping water, so drink more, I don't think eating less is better, since you can lose muscle tissue.
do you eat healthy food? do you have a menu or you just eat up to 1200 cal?

One question I would ask is, when did the depression start this time? If it has been in the last couple of weeks, do you often start to feel depressed at this time of year? I suffer from SAD and it usually starts with mild depression at the beginning of September. The main things to help are eating lots of fresh fruits and veg, make sure you get enough healthy fat and vitamins/minerals and get plenty of fresh air and exercise. You are already doing the exercise but getting outside every morning can really help.

If that fails and you definitely notice a pattern in the time of year you get depressed, it might be worth looking at using a light box. I find it really helps. You can hire them by the month if you just want to see if it helps.

If your diet is good and you are getting all the vitamins/minerals you need then it is unlikely to be the diet itself that is causing the depression. If you continue to feel low or it gets worse, please go and see your doctor and try and talk to a friend because that can really help, even if you don't really know what to say.

I really hope you are feeling better soon. If you need friends on MFP for help and support please feel free to add me and I will do my best to be supportive. :flowerforyou:

Dieting can cause depression if your fat consumption is too low. I don't know if this is the case for you, but if you are on a low fat, high carb diet, try inverting it. You may feel better.

I agree with everyone to speak to your doctor and see what they say regarding medication, how you are dealing with your weight loss and is it related to the way you are feeling, maybe even suggest speaking to someone professional to see where your this is coming from. I used to suffer from anxiety bad (under control now and non-weight loss related) and my work referred me to counselling 4 years ago, which helped a lot. With my weight loss I say 3/4 of the time I am feeling generally quite positive and full of life, but we all suffer from down days as well. Remember you will have a lot of support on here too as well as your own family and friends. It is good that you recognise you are not feeling quite yourself, don't be afraid to ask for help.

Hi Carolyn,
My low mood started around the beginning of the summer (June). I can feel myself cutting myself away from friends and social activities and feel numb.

The exercise and diet gives me something to focus on and I am exercising everyday and eating as well as I can... but not looking forward to the long dark days of winter.

Thanks for you response and advice

To be honest, I find exercise helps me get through the dark days.

My guess is that this is largely not linked to diet. However, if you're feeling deprived (1200 is pretty low, especially if you're exercising), up your food intake and see how you go. Try eating antioxidant rich food - stuff that's zingy and fresh, and as much raw stuff as you can tolerate. A salad every day, with lots of colourful veg seems to help me fight off the low spells. Check your protein levels - I tend to get down if I'm not getting enough protein. Try adding in things like nuts and seeds to boost that.

Also, try foods that have a bit of staying power, like oats in the morning, which keep your sugar levels stable, so you don't get peaks and troughs of energy. if you're getting an energy dip (I often get them late afternoon) you may find this is dragging your mood down, and you're having to kind of double lift yourself to get out of the trough.

Agree on the fats - also when I wasn't well and saw a shrink a few years ago he said there is a lot of work being written about Omega's and brain function and he thoroughly recommended a supplement as hard to get enough of all 3 unless you eat a lot of seeds etc as part of an everyday diet. If your fat is low, that may help you also? Additionally, St Johns Wort is excellent if you need a little extra help - but check with a pharmacist/Dr as they can block the absorption of other meds such as the contraceptive pill. Good luck - I have felt the feeling years ago where I was plodding along on the treadmill feeling worse and worse - but keep going, it does lift.

Living with a calorie deficit for an extended time, can cause depression. Also, constant excersize will eventually do the same.

My low mood started around the beginning of the summer (June). I can feel myself cutting myself away from friends and social activities and feel numb.

You've had some really good advice on here, the other thing I would say is that cutting yourself off from your friends and social activities are only going to make you feel worse. I know how tough it is but you really need to challenge yourself to keep in touch with your friends and if there is anyone you can trust also maybe confide in them how you are feeling and rally some support. You need to continue social activiites and anything else you feel like avoiding and to continue with all the things you used to do before feeling down, even if you are feeling numb think not only about pleasure but also about achievements. Do you have any friends that you can exercise with, walking, swimming, anything that helps. Also can you think back to when you were down before, what helped then, have you stopped anything that helped before?

Last of all, don't let it get hold of you, as others have suggested please go and see your doctor and get some help now.

If you want anyone to let steam off to feel free to add me as a friend and I will do my best to help and support you in any way I can.

Try taking some Omega-3 pills, and walk/hike outside. :flowerforyou:

Hi everyone,

Since I have been dieting around 3 months ago I cant seem to shake off feeling low and isolated. I have suffered from depression before (a really bad spell of depression a few years ago) but have since come off medication and been relatively normal until now.

The odd thing is that I am exercising loads, eating as 'well' as I can and not drinking that much. So technically I should be well??

Should I try and eat more foods that help with depression, or should I increase my calorie intake (im on 1200). Has anyone else experienced the same thing and can advise?

Thanks in advance.

I haven't been on my meds since about 2 weeks before my surgery on June 1...and I feel GREAT!! But, mine gets really bad in the late fall/winter time. I guess I have that seasonal thing? I am worried about that already ~ but hoping to be able to stay off my meds. I started getting reaaaaalllly shaky hands from my medications ~ to the point I was thinking I was getting parkinsons. It was really scary.

Sometimes working out doesn't help it go away. Have you tried just getting out and sitting in the sun on a daily basis? There is a herbal supplement that is supposed to do wonders called 5HTP, too...maybe you can take a low dosage of that during your down times?

Are you the member of a gym that offers group exercise classes? I teach and attend a few classes each week, and I always leave class on a high from the exercise and the social contact mix. (I've been battling depression for a few years. Still on low doses of medication for it.) I make an effort to strike up conversation or banter with other people between songs or sets of exercises. Mostly complaining about how much the instructor is making us work, haha.
If you are used to working out alone with you iPod, you might try a group class or two to mix it up. I never did them until this year, and I LOVE them! For so many reasons.

I could'nt agree w/ you more, except --> http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/329668-why-not-more-men-in-group-fitness-classes