Depression and Eating

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creativechik15
creativechik15 Posts: 7
in Introduce Yourself
Have any of you ever gotten so depressed all you did was eat? about 4 years ago my dad passed away and i lost a bunch of weight then reality set in and all the other problems of life set in too on top of dealing with his death and i gained it all back and then some. Eating seems to be a way people deal with feelings. how do yall keep from doing this? suggestions?

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  • vivekg
    vivekg Posts: 35
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    Hey I'm sorry to hear about ur dad. I havent gone through wat uve been through and its really sad to hear somethin like that happened to u. Everyone uses eating for their depression initially, no matter what form it comes in. Its just when u sit down and bundle up that ur gonna start being positive in life is when u start being a critic for ur own life and start changing things u want changed for the rest of ur life. U are very young and have ur whole life ahead of u and u can take ur time to get to this understanding. But once u get to it and u stick to it (keeping in mind bumps along the way will always be there but u can face em) u can pretty much do anythin u want...except maybe see pigs fly (I hope lol), Good luck and I hope u start striving towards ur goal.
  • Drenched_N_Motivation
    Drenched_N_Motivation Posts: 1,004 Member
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    I never understood how eating was a way to deal with depression, sounds like an excuse just to eat. Ive had my bouts with depression but eating never seemed to enter my mind, or drinking for that matter.
  • ShanR77
    ShanR77 Posts: 287 Member
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    I never understood how eating was a way to deal with depression, sounds like an excuse just to eat. Ive had my bouts with depression but eating never seemed to enter my mind, or drinking for that matter.

    Depression is different for everyone. I was one of those emotional eaters. Sometimes i still am. When my depression kicks in i don't want to do anything. Next thing you know i'm bored and then stuffing my face
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
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    I think many people do this to differing degrees at various times in their life. If possible, see a psychiatrist or therapist about the underlying causes of the depression. Be pragmatic about your environment: to the extent possible, do not keep food around in which you overindulge. Don't rely on willpower. Drink water, which helps to fill you up.

    This is easier said than done, but when you have an urge to eat, try taking a brisk walk instead or do something else to distract yourself. Or try to sit quietly and pay attention to the feeling without trying to resist it or encourage it. This is a meditation exercise.

    If I'm super depressed I actually tend not to eat. For me, depression means to be robbed of energy.
  • vivekg
    vivekg Posts: 35
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    Well the only nerdy way I can tell u is that high sugar foods will get ur moods up because it activated ur excitatory section of ur brain whereas high fat foods contain a lot of energy for both short term and long term use (9 calories per gram to be exact whereas carbs contain 4-5 and same with protein). So it makes u feel better in the short term because long term fat goes into storage mode.
  • TheChosenOne_
    TheChosenOne_ Posts: 72
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    Yea, If I ever feel sad/bored, then I'll most likely eat a lot.
  • beattie1
    beattie1 Posts: 1,012 Member
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    Sorry you've been through tough times, I hope they're better now. I eat if under stress, but fortunately I'm a natural Pollyanna, so I bounce back quickly from life's downs. I used to make cakes if /when I was bored. Now I make soup - it's a lot better for everyone and all the chopping is very therapeutic..
  • 86282
    86282 Posts: 8
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    Many people use food to cope when experiencing depression - just any others use alcohol, drugs, etc. Some people with depression have a hard time eating because anxiety it also present. Try to get the depression treated - hopefully, the craving for food will get better as well.
  • creativechik15
    creativechik15 Posts: 7
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    Its true everyone deals with it differently. I went through a period i didnt eat hardly at all when i was depressed now i eat a lot and am trying to stop. you cant say its an excuse just because thats not how you deal with it. its just diff
  • creativechik15
    creativechik15 Posts: 7
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    Thank you very much :)
  • maussiey
    maussiey Posts: 5 Member
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    I am an emotional eater I have found when I have a bad day I will not only eat more but I will eat lots of the bad stuff. I've worked around it by trying to do things that make me happy. I like making things so when I have a bad day I come home and make a piece of jewellery I have to concentrate so much on what I am doing that I don't end up bingeing and plus if I really get the urge to binge I can't because it could ruin what I am working on and the urge to finish the piece is usually higher. I think everyone has different coping mechanisms when they go through bad patches and unfortunately one of the easiest things to do is comfort eat during them even though it makes you feel worse afterwards. Hopefully things will get better especially with the support you get on here :)

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