Bipolar

Hey hunny,

I hope it's okay if I add you.

I don't have bipolar but have got clinical depression, anxiety and schizophrenia I am trying to get over.
Been wondering if I am bipolar instead of just depressed some days as some days I wanna die and then others I am sooo happy... :S xoxo.

Hi, I'm not bipolar, but have ocd and depression, although I have improved since I began taking my medication properly.
The emotional eating side has not helped with my weight, but my counseller has sugested looking at each piece of food, smelling and mentally describing it before I eat it, then slowly chewing it, and enjoying each mouthful. I hope this helps in some way, not sure if my emotional eating might be similar to what you experience food wise!

I was diagnosed with Bipolar II disorder my freshman year of college. I had been manic all through high school, unknowingly, and then hit a huge bout of depression when I went through all the stresses and changes of college.

I'm sorry you have experienced those ups and downs in your life, but I want you to know it can be managed! However you decide to approach it, there are a lot of great references out there. I see a counselor (for my relationship with my fiance as well as for my bipolar) and she suggested I take a look at this book: http://www.amazon.com/Bipolar-Workbook-Tools-Controlling-Swings/dp/1593851626. I really thought it was helpful. You don't have to actually do a bunch of the exercises if you don't want to, but if nothing else you should take a look at it and read the info about bipolar. It reminded me of the things I should avoid that make it worse, and I realized I was living my life in an unhealthy way for my brain chemistry and the way I am naturally balanced.

I take Lamictal every day, and I was really hesitant about medication at first and even rebelled a few months in and discontinued my use of it without my doctor's knowledge. The results were plain to see.... I had quite a few depressive episodes, some scarier than others, and finally had my wake up call. The medication is just a tool to help your brain find the right chemical balance to make life with bipolar work for you. It doesn't numb you or make everything better... you still feel things and have ups and down but they are manageable, and it helps find a balance between the extreme highs and extreme lows.

I have also found the importance of having a routine, and going back to the basics. I try to drink a lot of water, get regular sleep (at the same time every night, if possible), eat healthily, get up and move around a little bit every day... all of these are great for anyone's healthy life! I have been soooooo much better mood wise, body wise, etc. since I acknowledged that I need to take some steps apart from taking medication every day to take care of my body and my mind. Wanna know a secret? EVERYTHING THAT IS GOOD FOR YOU AND MANAGES YOUR BIPOLAR WILL MANAGE YOUR WEIGHT TOO!!! It's fantastic. As long as you move slowly toward your new weight goal and do so by eating at least 1200 calories a day, exercising a little bit every day (whether that's a walk, cleaning the house, doing some yoga), drinking lots of water, and avoiding alcohol when you can, you will see better results in your daily mood and a lower weight on your scale.

Good luck, darling! Feel free to add me, message me, or ask me any questions any time. I am here for you! I know we don't know each other but I think it's great to have a forum to discuss these things. Take care of yourself!

Rapid cycling bipolar here. If you think regular bipolar is fun, try rapid cycling. ;}

Seriously, I find the mood swings and meds the hardest to deal with. For example, the other day I felt so defeated that I didn't even get to the store to buy my healthy food for the week, so I screwed up. I'm trying to take the approach that it happens, and I'll try to do better tomorrow (and hopefully feel better tomorrow).

My first psych, though, took one look at me, said I didn't need meds, I needed bariatric surgery and that would stop the depression. :huh: Excuse me? Really? I didn't know bariatric surgery cured bipolar.

She put me on Abilify, and I gained 80 lbs. and I was already obese. Over the last year, I've managed to work that off, but I got a new psych who really understands my need for weight neutral drugs. I never understood how psychiatrists couldn't see that giving depressed patients weight gaining meds would only make them more depressed.

I like my current psych, but because I'm so adamant about weight neutral meds, I think I've made her job so much harder. She wants to put me on Lithium, but I won't let her because of the weight gain side effect, which I've heard is awful. So we're stuck right now on meds. (I'm on Lamictal, Wellbutrin, and Klonopin.) And I'm not where she'd like me to be.

The emotional eating is difficult. When I was taking off the 80 med lbs., I had to get a bunch of things I could reasonably snack on but that felt like cheating. My most popular? Internal Cafe's Sugar Free Suisse Mocha. And Murray's Sugar Free Fudge Dipped Mint cookies (seriously, they taste like Girl Scout Thin Mints; everybody who tried them had no idea they were sugar free). And now I'll have a Bolthouse Cappuccino Mocha protein drink because it tastes like chocolate milk. With winter coming on, I also treat myself to skinny sugar free vanilla lattes at Starbucks. (I try to watch my sugar intake.)

Anyway, I absolutely feel for anyone with these sorts of problems. It's great to try and have a positive attitude about being bipolar or depressive or hypo or what have you, but sometimes you're just not there. I know this is going to be a huge struggle for me.

But right now, I'm reading A First-Rate Madness, where Dr. Ghaemi talks about how people with mental illness are often more empathetic, more resilient, and better at handling crisis. (I'm not sure I totally agree there.) He uses leaders like FDR and Martin Luther King, etc. to flesh out his argument. But one of the quotes I came across in the book seems really apt here.

Frances Perkins said this of what seemed to be FDR's philosophy:

"One may courageously take the step that seems right today because it can be modified tomorrow if it does not work well."

I think that's my quote today.

I'm bi polar,I was diagnosed 10 years ago I'm 24 now.I'm on meds that increase appetite so mfp is awesome to make sure im on track.

Hi I was told I had Bipolar about 2 years ago and The meds I take I am SURE have cause some of my weight gain and I am also unsure on what to do. Maybe talk to your doctor about something different. That is what I am going to do

Just want to wish you all the best of luck.

I also wanted to make a joke about gay Artic bears but you all have such amazing stories that I felt it would detract from the thread.x

You should all check out the Mental Health Issues group too. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/89-mental-health-issues

I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I struggle with severe depression more than mania but I have had some crazy manic episodes. I have been on and off medication for 11 years. A little over a year ago my doctor put me on Celexa and Risperdal I tried it for about 6 months and gained weight like crazy. Then switched me to Cymbalta and Abilify because the Celexa and Risperdal made me sleep all day and all night long. I gained about 50lbs in one year. Against my doctors orders I stopped the medication and have been off of it for 2 months. I know I need to be on it but I stopped taking for vanity reasons.....the weight gain. I was always a petite person but being on the medication made me blow up and I felt depressed because of it.

Feel free to add me if you want.

Just want to wish you all the best of luck.

I also wanted to make a joke about gay Artic bears but you all have such amazing stories that I felt it would detract from the thread.x

:laugh: