[jrae]

when it comes to eating, how do you handle it and what do you do??
(referring to people with depression and how this is another thing they can struggle with)


for example, do you eat 3 meals a day and get in all the food groups and recommended liquid amounts????

or do you just do what you can, no matter how big or little that is?

or are you possibly somewhere in-between, maybe you struggle with eating/ meals at times and other times you don't?


are you at peace with how you are handling this struggle?
or are you surrounded by people constantly telling you "you need to do better" (by doing this or that...) ???


do you have to do everything yourself (from grocery shopping to food preparation to dishes and clean up)?
or are there people 'in the building' that help you out??


-> just throwing the thought provoking towel out there, to get things started

Originally Posted by jrae

when it comes to eating, how do you handle it and what do you do??
(referring to people with depression and how this is another thing they can struggle with)


for example, do you eat 3 meals a day and get in all the food groups and recommended liquid amounts????

or do you just do what you can, no matter how big or little that is?

or are you possibly somewhere in-between, maybe you struggle with eating/ meals at times and other times you don't?


are you at peace with how you are handling this struggle?
or are you surrounded by people constantly telling you "you need to do better" (by doing this or that...) ???


do you have to do everything yourself (from grocery shopping to food preparation to dishes and clean up)?
or are there people 'in the building' that help you out??


-> just throwing the thought provoking towel out there, to get things started

I have a lot of issues around food:

first one is, I am very picky- to the point where I feel like a child who has just come home from school looking for junkfood. I don't eat fish, I don't eat veg, very rarely eat fruit (though I do like grapes), and this leads to a lot of eating of snacks.. candy, chips, chocolate, etc.

I don't eat 3 meals a day. I eat 2- breakfast and dinner, and in between times just snack.

I do all my own shopping once a week

I have had people tell me that I need to try other foods and get more variety in my diet, but I honestly don't listen. I've learned that I like what I like, and honestly if I don't like something, it isn't my problem.

I also find that I'm going off food, too. I'm just filling up a body that is grros and looks all wrong so why should I bother

Possible trigger:

but I know what it's like to starve myself. did it a few years ago. never again. it almost cost me my life.

[Deilla]

Sometimes, I don't want to be bothered with food. I wish I didn't have to eat. Other times, I use food to comfort myself. I do everything myself except for shopping. I order my groceries online. I don't really cook. I heat things up in the microwave. And sometimes, that is a chore. I like having salads and sandwiches cause they're easy.

I don't have to worry about other people. I like vegetables, fruit and grains. I hate buying meat. The only things I will buy are deli turkey, canned chicken and frozen meatballs. If I could eat Subway, McDonald's and grits every day, I would be happy.

[TishaBuv]

I end up over eating with junk food because the anxiety med makes me binge. Normally, I am the cook for my family. I have nearly always gotten meals served and done all needed chores no matter how I felt. The worst is having to go to the grocery store when so depressed, but I’ve nearly always managed to do it.

[Rohag]

Hi, Jrae!

Eating is problematic.
For various reasons, I'm on what might be considered a strict diet that doesn't vary much.
I have two snacks and two meals per day.
I struggle with occasional binges on permissible foods.
I prepare almost all my own food; my diet has erected a social wall between me and others.
Social isolation protects me from others' judgment, mostly.
My medical biomarkers are good, but the diet has not eased depression or anxiety.

I observe that, in addition to politics and religion, dietary regimes/"lifestyle medicine" provokes heated arguments.

[T4bbyCat]

My eating schedule is a bit random, much like a big cat's (eating whenever something can be hunted down). I should probably make this more regular, but it's tough to get much motivation.

Nonetheless, food is important for dealing with depression. Some foods contain ingredients that can get the right brain chemicals flowing. It's basically what you'd expect in terms of "superfoods" like blueberries, salmon, eggs, almonds, dark chocolate, etc.

Multivitamins might also help in this regard. At the very least, they could have a psychosomatic effect. I think of a daily multivitamin as a depression drug (which it sort of is).

[jrae]

thanks everyone.

i think it's a topic that doesn't always get the attention it deserves.

i really never struggled with food, up until two years ago. long long story short, now i'm dealing with a 'reduced appetite' issue as a side effect of one of my medicines.

and i've gotten worse when it comes to food-prep and clean-up! it's even more of a chore and the energy and motivation just aren't there anymore. even more so, 'outsiders' just can't understand what that is like, which can make things even harder.

my daily multi-vitamin is about the only good thing i can manage on a regular basis. (it just gets lumped in with all my other pills)

[Jensitive22]

I used to enjoy eating and did a lot of comfort eating, but I haven’t had much of an appetite for about a year. I eat because my husband badgers me. Nothing sounds good, especially meat. I take vitamin supplements everyday and I keep protein drinks in the fridge. I will eat junk food, but in smaller portions. My husband worries, but honestly I just think it’s depression, and... I just really don’t care anyway because I’m overweight, so I’m not starving to death.

[hvert]

Food and depression seem like a chicken and the egg for me. I go through phases of being overweight and find that's when I also tend to be depressed. Which comes first, the fat or the depression? Oddly enough, now that I feel like I am coming out of a depressive spell, I have zero motivation to cook elaborate projects. I just want to make something quick with little cleanup and move on with my life because there are more interesting things to do.

[leomama]

Originally Posted by jrae

when it comes to eating, how do you handle it and what do you do??
(referring to people with depression and how this is another thing they can struggle with)


for example, do you eat 3 meals a day and get in all the food groups and recommended liquid amounts????

or do you just do what you can, no matter how big or little that is?

or are you possibly somewhere in-between, maybe you struggle with eating/ meals at times and other times you don't?


are you at peace with how you are handling this struggle?
or are you surrounded by people constantly telling you "you need to do better" (by doing this or that...) ???


do you have to do everything yourself (from grocery shopping to food preparation to dishes and clean up)?
or are there people 'in the building' that help you out??


-> just throwing the thought provoking towel out there, to get things started

People in the building? Like you live with your mom?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mssweatypalms]

When I was first diagnosed with major depressive disorder, I could barely eat anything. Little by little, after 3 months, I got my appetite back. I lost some weight at that time. Then, I fell into depression again, got better, relapsed... My doctor then changed my diagnosis and started treating me for bipolar disorder. After that, I quickly gained weight, mostly because of the meds. Now, whenever my mood starts to go down, I tend to start eating more to feel better. I stop exercising and binge on ready-to-eat meals. Depression tends to cause weight gain for me.