Question:
Depression and emotional eating. I can't stop! please help...
I have been suffering from clinical depression for about 6 years, and I'm currently being treated with anti-depressants, but since my recent RNY my depression seems to have re-surfaced and I don't know what to do. To make matters worse, I lost my job a few weeks ago and I have turned to my old stand-by comfort: food. It seems like i eat all day. i go out of my way to find things i can "cheat" with, like sugar-free ice cream, or cheese blintzes, and i gorge away. my meal-times do include the 70/30 but my portions seem to have gotten huge. it's like i can eat so much, sometimes up to a full cup of food (i am 6 months out). sometimes it makes me very uncomfortable to overeat, but i haven't thrown up from stuffing my pouch, and i worry.. have i stretched my pouch? i haven't lost any weight in a month. is this the end for me? will i be 245 lbs forever? i try to get out and exercise, but my depression makes it next to impossible to even leave the house (assuming i can even get out of bed before 2 pm). have i ruined everything? is my weight loss over? the plateau is very discouraging, my emotional eating is out of control (i KNOW it's a problem, i KNOW i need to make better choices, i KNOW i need to take control, but my self esteem is non-existant right now) and this depression is kicking my butt. i feel like such a failure. i don't have health insurance anymore, so i can't even go to counseling. Do i double up on my anti-depressants? do i check in to the loony bin? or do i just give up?<BR> i am beside myself. please help. :( — maurer_power (posted on April 18, 2003)
April 18, 2003
Liz, call the doctor who is prescribing your anti-depressants and tell them
that your depression is out of control and how badly you feel. Your meds
probably need to be adjusted, but the doctor will know what to do and how
to help you! Call Today!! I think once the depressin is under control,
you will be able to get back on track. I wish you all the best. Many
blessings, Robin
— rebalspirit
April 18, 2003
Hi Liz! I wanted to respond to your post. I have not had clinical
depression, but I do have a family member that has had it in the past, and
I know how debilitating it can be and how it's hard to even get out of bed.
Even though you don't have health insurance, don't think you can't get
counseling. EVERY city, town and county has mental health resources.
Where I live (small town, pop. 60,000 or so) we have a place called the
Guidance Center and you can just walk in there and say that you need
someone to talk to and they will hook you up with a counselor to talk to
that day. Look in your phone book under "counseling". There may
be something similar to a "Guidance Center" type place or a
crisis line you can call. If you are affiliated with a church, they can
help you too. Churches offer counseling all the time. If you're not, walk
into ANY church (not for religious purposes, I don't know what your
religious status is) but my family member was looking for the Guidance
Center once and walked into a church for directions, and the pastor there
actually asked him if he needed to talk to someone. He broke down and said
yes, and the pastor talked to him for an hour. Another suggestion -- call
your previous counselor, or any counselor for that matter, and tell them
you lost your job and insurance and cannot afford counseling services, and
ask them to refer you to someplace in your town where you can receive free
or sliding-scale-fee services. There are resources out there. I know you
are really down, but you sound like you need to talk to someone about
what's bothering you and about your depression related to your rny, and if
you can just try to find the will to pick up the phone, I think you will
find that the help is out there. Feel free to email me if you need to talk
to someone. You are a good and worthy person, and you deserve to help
yourself through this. Hope this helps. :)
— beeda
April 18, 2003
Your body has just gone through an enormous change & now with the loss
of your job, I can see why you're feeling bad. I too deal with clinical
depression and realize once in a while my meds need re-adjusting,
especially after 'big events'. Get to your doctor & things will get
better. Good Luck.
— Vicki V.
April 18, 2003
I'm sorry, I just noticed you have no insurance. I agree with the previous
posters. Also, maybe try your county health department to see if they have
any service they can offer. I'll be thinking about you...
— Vicki V.
April 18, 2003
HI, dO YOU HAVE ANY FAMILY MEMBERS AROUND THAT ARE SUPPORTIVE OR FRIENDS I
SUFFER FROM DEPRESSION SOMETIMES ALSO AND I NOTICED IF I FORCE MYSELF OUT
OF THE HOUSE EVEN TO SIT AT A BENCH IN A PARK FOR A FEW HOURS OR TALK TO
SOMEONE ABOUT HOW I AM FEELING IT HELPS.YOU DID LOOSE WEIGHT YOU SHOULD
FEEL GOOD ABOUT THAT AND GO BACK TO BASICS PRETEND TO START AL OVER AGAIN
WITH , THROW AWAY THE FOOD YOU HAVE JUST KEEP ENOUGH TO HAVE THAT YOU
NEED,GO OUT ,FORCE YOURSELF TOO ,I KNOW ITS EASIER SAID THEN DONE BUT YOU
WILL GET BETTER MOST PEOPLE DO HAVE DEPRESSION AFTER LOOSING A JOB,SO BEING
THAT U HAVE A PROBLEM W/ DEPRESSION ALREADY IT IS PROBABLY MAKING IT WORSE
IT WILL GET BETTER .IN THE MEAN TIME SEE YOUR DR. AND TRY TO GET ON OTHER
ANTI DPRESSENTS THE ONES YOUR TAKING ARENT WORKING...IF YOU REALLY CANT
FORCE YOURSELF TO GO OUT CALL SOMEONE WHO CARES FOR YOU EXPLAIN HOW YOU ARE
FEELING THEY CAN PROBABLY HELP ,DONT GIVE UP EVEN IF SOMEONE CAN SIT WITH
YOU ..IT MIGHT HELP...IT DOES GET BETTER AND IT WILL...
— marie M.
April 18, 2003
I am a clinical depression sufferer as well. I strongly advise you not to
change your dosages without consulting your doctor... in my case it was a
reduction of meds and dosages that helped last time.
— Tim W.
April 18, 2003
I've been taking Prozac for YEARS, so I understand what you are going
through. I know this will sound impossible, but force yourself OUT OF BED
in the MORNING. Drag yourself to the shower, and GET IN. You'll start to
feel better if you have a plan. After you take a shower and get dressed,
LEAVE the house. Even if you go sit at the library and read magazines all
day, it's better than staying at home! Go to a movie, go walk the mall, sit
in a park, just GO. Depressed is, as depressed does... as someone like
Forrest Gump would say. ;) You have to force yourself out of this, or it
will last way longer than is good for you. Email me if you need me to
harass you some more. I'm good for that. :)
— Diana L.
April 18, 2003
Some inexpensive or free ways to get some counseling and possibly
psychiatrist to prescribe meds are: 1)going to a church, the clergy often
counsel and it's always free 2)hospitals often have community clinics that
work on a sliding scale, you only pay what you can afford to pay 3)med
schools or universities sometimes have clinics that offer free/reduced cost
counseling with their students as the counselor, these are interns, not
beginners and they are very competant 4)support groups are often free, they
aren't individual but talking to other people helps a lot 5)check your
local phone book under counseling, community services, hotlines, etc. and
see what services your gov't or health department offer and 6)check phone
book again and call any add that says "sliding scale" or
"low cost" etc. Things will get better, depression causes you to
see the negative side of everything. Please seek help and worry about your
mental state before your weight loss. You need to be of sound mind before
you decide what to do about your weight. Things will get better,
eventually. You have a lot on your plate right now. Asking for help shows
that you are not totally lost and that you want to improve your situation.
Be strong.
— cjabates
April 18, 2003
Hi there,
gosh i wish i could help sweetie, i suffer from depression as well, manic
depression and i have also fallen hard into an emotional eating
cycle,husband just left for iraq and i am holding it together as best i
can. if i could offer any advice it would be don`t be so hard on yourself
we are all human and use what we need to, to get through hard or rough
patches. for me my children have really helped me not crawl into a hole and
stay there bc right now i am all they have so i have to get up in the
morning, i have to take them out in the sun and do activities bc they are
children who are having a hard time as well and missing their daddy alot.
just know you are worth getting up for everyday and as far as the eating
don`t feel bad you are not alone.
sending you a big hug.
— nice n sweet B.
April 18, 2003
Liz, Hang in there, I think all the other posters had great ideas for you,
I just wanted to add an idea about how to handel the food thing, when I
feel like I am getting out of control about eating to much ( emotional
eating ) I stop eating after 7 p.m. no matter what I just make myself do it
and even though it does not sound like much at about the 3rd, day of doing
so , it makes you feel in control again, any-way good luck, you can do it ,
take-care
— Rho
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