Battling weight gain from depression after mother died

Just wanted to share my story in case anyone else out there is going through something similar.

A little over three years ago I had a lot thrown at me. My family and I were moving to a new home. I recently started a new job. My best friend turned out to be a real Ahole. And out of nowhere, my mother died. All of these things happened within a six month timeframe. I was overwhelmed to say the least.

I had a very difficult time processing my mothers death. It was terrible. I became angry and withdrawn. My wife finally told me one day…you need help, you’re angry all the time, you blow up over little things, your little girls are worried about you. I had to go on medication to get my anger and depression under control. While at first I lost weight due to being depressed and barely eating, in a short time this flipped to overeating. Previously I was lifting weights and working out regularly and was in pretty good shape. After my mother’s death I had zero interest in working out. I stopped exercising and started eating like crap. I can’t explain it, but it’s as though when my mother died, my interest in fitness and health died too. I just gave up.

A few times I tried to get back on track. I’d lift weights a few times, but then give up again. I could never gain any momentum. The reality was, I just wasn’t ready yet.

This February I reluctantly went to the gym after my wife bugged me and several trainers from the gym called me. They wanted to do a free assessment. I decided to go, and the assessment was a total wake up call.

At 40 years old and 5’11”, I was 238lbs and 36% body fat. I could barely do 10 push-ups, 0 pull ups, I was in terrible shape. I made the decision then, I was done with being fat, done being depressed, done turning to food for comfort. I signed up with a personal trainer and started my journey the next week.

Fast forward to today, a little over three months later, I’m now down 25lbs to 213lbs and 26% body fat. While I’m excited about my progress so far, I still have a ways to go. I feel so much better now, I have more energy, my clothes all fit much better, in fact I needed a lot of new clothes now.

Nothing will take away the giant gaping hole in my soul from my mother passing. But I have learned to accept the hole and have instead grown around it. I realized that every pound I had put on was me dealing with depression, and that each pound I lost, was one step closer to getting back to my old happy self.

I know that my mother would be happy to see me feeling better and getting healthier.

My goal is to reach 15% body fat, which might be 175-185lbs, so another 30-40lbs or so. I will get there in time. Working with a personal trainer was one of the best decisions I made as he has been a big part of my success.

I wish for anyone who is battling depression the best of luck in overcoming it and achieving your goals. It isn’t easy, but if you believe in yourself and you put your mind to it, you can achieve success.