depression :'(

hey, been there- try your hardest to just go for a walk or get out and be with people. I know my weakness is to "hibernate" but I also know it is the worst thing I can do. People out there care. As far as emotional eating....toss out all the junk. seriously- throw it away and don't look back. If I even have chocolate chips in my house, I can down half the bag and not realize it adn then I feel guilty, etc. even if it sort of fills the void. Do you see a dr? maybe meds may help. I am not the biggest pusher of meds- I actually hate them, but some people find them helpful. Also if you try tanning for just a couple minutes-it can boost your vit.d which may help. I've tried so many strang ethings- some help, some don't. If you need to vent, feel free to friend me. Sorry you are having a rough time. Wish I could give you a hug....

Hard times have come my way too. It's so hard to diet when you feel so awful. I've binged the 3 days this week because I just kept thinking that I don't deserve to feel good about myself. Some days, like today, are better. Take in solace that you are not alone, though you may very well feel that way. You've got an abundance of support on here. Best of luck through this. You can do this.

Exercising always helps my depressed times. It gives me an energy boost that puts me in a better mood. You may want to try that. I know that when depressed it's hard to get into the mood to exercise. But once started, you are happy that you did start. You don't have to do anything too hard. Just a simple walk or WII Fit Plus or something. I personnally like WII Fit Plus. I do about 30 minutes every morning before work. I feel that is enough for me right now because it fits into my schedule and if I push myself too much I don't want to do it anymore. So 30 minutes a day it is!

I was going on to post about feeling bad about going way over my calories today. Tomorrow is another day. Right?

definitely get some exercise. I get depressed when I dont exercise and I had a car accident last april and put on these 15 lbs again cuz of it. its a vicious cycle but if you exercise, your brain releases endorphines which you need to help depression.and if you can get some sun that will help also.

I have suffered from depression for the last few years and I have to take daily medication for it. I know how hard it can be to even make yourself take a shower. Exercise is a great way to help your depression but I know how hard it is to make yourself do it. For me, the best thing I have done is to get medication. I would not be able to function without it and when I feel myself falling back into depression I go straight to my doctor. I know people bash those of us who run to the doctor for pills but unless you have depression you can never understand what we go through. Best of luck to you!

I've been there, on and off for about ten years. I was against meds for so long but things got bad for me so I finally went to the dr's and got some meds - I now feel like a new woman.
I have gone from a couch potato to exercising for an hour every day. I'm committed to losing my excess kilos and am watching my food intake closely.
Personally my weight was/is a huge issue in my depression, I always feel/felt bad about it, and it affected so many parts of my life. I always felt ashamed and embarrassed so I'd eat some yummy (but unhealthy) food to cheer me up and then feel horrible about my size and round and round it went.
I feel like I've got myself out of the rut I was stuck in and my solution is diet and exercise - particularly the exercise. My Dr says hopefully only a total of six months on the meds and then I can go off again. Already two months down and I have to say I'll definitely be off them by six months because I'm feeling better than I ever have in my adult life.
Hang in there. I hope your light bulb moment is just around the corner and you can pick yourself up, dust yourself off and get back into life.
Good luck

I have been suffering from depression for many years. Last year I finally got on meds. I have had to try several different kinds to find the ones that work for me. Exercise has helped a lot. I for got how much it helps. You might want to try swimming, that is a no impact sport. Also I agree with the get all the crap out of your house idea, if its not there you cant eat it. Best wishes to you and I hope you feel better.

Hugs!
Add me if you need support!

Are you doing any upper body lifting or resistance training?

Suffered with depression my entire life. I would go on anti-depressants then stop them and end right up where I started again. Some people will have only periods of depression (when something bad happens), others have a chemical imbalance where they will need to stay on medication for life. I am one of those.

Three years ago I started seeing a psychiatrist and a psychologist. I am still seeing both but not every week like before. I see my counselor around once a month and my psychiatrist every three months for monitoring my meds. If money/no insurance is an issue you should contact your local family services and they can hook you up with counseling at a nominal or no fee.

Whatever you do if you are on meds, you MUST take them every single day and do not attempt to go off of them without the guidance of a physician.

Now on the exercise end, you have to do something. I have had 2 knee replacements (one earlier this year) and I'm limited still in what I can do. However, the best exercising for me is water acquatics. In water you are not carrying the total weight on your knees etc. I joined the YMCA and they have wonderful classes and different levels.

I also went to see a dietician (still seeing her) to learn about foods and to develop a diet plan. That day I came home and emptied my fridge, freezer, and cabinets of everything that did not hold a big nutritional value for me. In other words, I tossed the chips, the cookies, etc. I know a lot of people allow themselves "treats" but I know ME better than anyone else. If it is here, I WILL eat it. I now stick to a specific grocery list each week and avoid the aisles that are red danger areas for me.

I hope that you can find the peace that you need. Feel free to read my profile/blogs and if you think I could be a help to you, please send me a friend request. Support is a must for all of us.

Edited to add: For each pound that you lose you remove 4 pounds of pressure off your knees. You can achieve the same amount of exercise in water as you can on land and not suffer the pressure on your knees while in the meantime you are building yourself up and losing weight and will be able to return to exercising on regular surfaces.

I went through that and was even visiting a therapist and prescribed antidepressants but nothing really worked in the long term.

What I did is to fight it within me. I found things I loved to do so I could get away from all negative thoughts and bad mood. I found out that dancing does wonders for me, after the first 5-10 minutes I feel like all weight of negative emotions has lifted... I actually feel happy! I also found out that yoga can really calm me down the days I feel frustrated or am really really low on energy levels.

In the beginning it was very very hard. I just wanted to go home and hide away from everyone and everything. Did not pick up phones, did not go out, did not even do anything at home. Just starring at the wall and being lost in my negative thoughts without being able to see a ray of light in this darkness. After extreme efforts I started dancing. Pushed myself each and every day to go to the class, most times I felt like giving up and head home again. BUT as soon as I got myself at the dancing school and started my lessons I started feeling better and better giving me a reason to go back on the next day! Eventually I got where I am now and I am really proud and happy about it!

My suggestion: try to find something you really really enjoy, and I mean REALLY ENJOY, anything at all. It doesn't necessarily have to be a form of exercise. It could be painting or singing, or even writing a book. I experimented a lot before finding what suits me, usually I'd start some new activity only to quit it in a month or so. Try and experiment till you find it and once you do stick with it, push yourself to stick with it. Being depressed for years and having tried almost everything it is the only thing that worked, at least you should give it a try. Add as a side note that I stopped any kind of medication (even natural alternatives) as soon as I started dancing, so I did this all by myself!

And do not hesitate to add me as a friend or send me a message, I'd love to support you and I really understand.