[jrae]

so I've got a question that I want to throw out there and get people's response to. but I would like people only to reply or respond to it if you have experience with it, and not those who are just throwing thoughts or ideas around. thanks.

here's what I would like to know : how do people with depression lose weight??

I mean, they start off at a huge disadvantage. they struggle with focus and concentration issues, low energy levels, self-esteem problems (for lack of a better phrase), consistency issues, eating problems (either too much or not enough), and so on. you hear about how difficult it is for regular people to lose weight. so do people with depression even have a decent chance at it?!?

so, has anyone with depression been successful at losing weight? if so, what worked for you?? what didn't work? and what would you advise should be avoided??

[Fig4]

For me, it's very simple. When depression sets in, I totally lose my appetite and any desire to eat. I'll lean towards warm, simple, comfortable things like tea and toast, hot cereal, scrambled eggs (or poached). Small amounts.

But thst;s my response. Others tend to eat like there's no tomorrow! Stuffing in food to drown the emotions.....Don't do this...it bsackfires, obviously!

[kultking]

I became vegan last year and that finally helped me to start losing weight after struggling with weight loss for years. These last few months I've been very depressed so I've lost my appetite and lost a lot more weight. I have to force myself to eat now. Once I get into therapy and begin to manage my depression I know that I'll gain some of that weight back, but I'm sure that continuing a vegan lifestyle will help manage my weight & overall health.

[TheOriginalMe]

I'm losing weight right now, 42lbs in six months, so a steady, healthy weight loss. My diagnosis is severe recurrent depression, so I guess I qualify to respond to your question.

My answer is I'm doing exactly what convential medical advice tells me to do to lose weight, eating healthily and trying to incorporate a bit more exercise into my life. Depression doesn't stop me from doing either of those things and at the moment it is both helping and hindering me. Helping because I have lost my appetite and hindering because I am finding it hard to exercise regularly.

When recovering from depression in my 30s I gained an enormous amount of weight, that I've never been able to lose in a sustained way. I yo-yo, so for every 10 pounds I lose I regain 5, despite this I've lost more than 70lbs in total over the past 10 years. Right now, my weight loss "feels" different, my whole attitude to food seems to have changed and I don't get as many sugar cravings as I once did., I think that may be my medication which isn't a SSRI / SNRI or one of the older TCAs. Such antidepressants mostly have a reputation for inducing weight gain, though that wasn't always my experience.

I honestly don't know how I'm sustaining weight loss at the moment, my advice is exactly the same as it would be to anyone, ditch the faddy diets, eat less and do more, don't expect miracles and be patient.

I changed medications.

I couldn't even tell you why I was gaining weight....I didn't eat any more, or crave sweets (any more) than I had before I was on anything. My body just seemed to hold onto the weight...
So I had to switch to Wellbutrin, which I find has fewer side effects.

[jrae]

thanks everyone. it's just interesting to hear from you guys.

I can't really say that my depression has 'caused' me to gain any weight, like directly from it. I've just had some other events in life that have triggered little weight gain 'shots'. like after having surgery on my arm, and extreme stress for a few months, and injuries after a car accident...

and I haven't done like most people who go from fad diet to fad diet and so on. I'm just trying to look for little things that can help me out.