anxiety

I was on anxiety medication prior to my surgery for at least 20 years. I stopped taking everything the day of my surgery and have not gone back to taking them.

As I was losing weight I made sure that at the end of the day around 4 pm I would go and exercise, walking, running, weights whatever for about a hour in total time. That was like 45 mins of actually exercising and 15 travel time, I went to the gym because it helped me commit that time to me, rather than doing it at home or walking outside. I would listen to my music and just concentrate on the music and moving my body. For me that worked and still does to this day, it gets rid of anxiety, because I shut my brain off and give it the chance to breath per say and all the rederic and crap goes away. If I don't exercise I am right back into it.

I needed to figure out right out real fast how I was going to deal with emotions, because food was no longer the answer. In fact about two weeks after surgery hubby and I had a big agrument at bed time and I went and sat in the living room, I actually got up and kicked the couch and said to myselft WTF do I do now, I can't eat over this. That was the first time for me that I actually realzed without a doubt I am an emotional eater and it was a wonderful realization. 

Thank you for shareing because you have given me alot to think about and how I have been dealing with things lately.

Be confident that you will get there and you will succeed at this, it just takes time and lots of adjustments. Good Luck! and again thanks for sharing.

Thank you for sharing this as well! It feels great to know I am not alone. I too was an emotional eater, I do believe a lot of my anxiety is coming from not having that outlet like I used to. Its frustrating! 

I've been on a low dose of Celexa, for anxiety, for about 6 years now.  When I had my psychiatric appointment before my surgery, he told me to take the Celexa for the rest of my life, because it helps with heart function in post menopausal women.  You're not menopausal, but it's good for some women of a certain age to find out about what anxiety meds can do, other than just keep us from having anxiety issues.

I have bipolar and tend towards anxiety; I've been on antidepressants and antianxiety meds since I was 17.

Xanax and other benzo's like Ativan can stop an anxiety attack cold and put you to sleep when your mind is racing. But the possibility of addiction is absolutely there. I'm careful to take only half a pill when I REALLY need one, but it makes a good stopgap when my other meds aren't doing the trick.

I've been on the same meds since before surgery. I gained weight when I changed meds... but it wasn't the meds, it was that I ate like crap because I was stressed out about the meds.

A counselor is a good first step. If s/he thinks medication may be helpful, you can get a referral to a psychiatrist. If you've had anxiety issues in the past, it's a possibility. It doesn't mean you're weak or that you're a bad person, but your brain is wired a little "off" and you need a boost. Nothing wrong with that.

Thank you all for your replies! I am happy I am not alone in this struggle. Adjusting to this new life is just going to take time, and I need to figure out the best way to do that. 

I was so anxious early out. And at a month out I wasn't working. I was still on leave. Just the overwhelming tasks of changing how,what,where you eat was enormous. Also at first you are losing weight so fast that you have what's called a hormone drop. Hormones are stored in fat cell and rapid weigh loss can cause all those hormones to go flying in to your bloodstream. It's like PMS X 1000. You are doing all that AND going to school??? You are doing great. It's a big change this year.

I'm glad you have a therapist to help you through. This is going to be a year of amazing change for you. Hold on for a great wild ride. Keep posting.

Deb T

MAGNESIUM!!!!!! I am at work right now but will post which one to take as well as recommended dosage, because they aren't all equal. My therapist encouraged this for me for over 6 years. I finally gave it a try about 7 months ago. It has been a miracle!! I'll  also see if I can find the links to the articles I found about it. Hang in there :)

So sorry it took me a while to get back to this post. The magnesium I take is magnesium glycinate (I take 400 mg). I've done lots of research over the past few years, and so much research has pointed to this form being the best for women's health. I've been taking it about 4 or 5 months now, and it has made a HUGE difference!  It's pretty pricey, but I found a decent deal on the Kal brand. Hope this helps :)