Question:
falling into depression
I think I'm falling into a deep depression....accrediting it to not losing as much as I thought I would by 5 months, and image. I'm still seeing myself as the fat girl who no one likes, which in turn makes me crave food for emotional support again, and I'm trying to get over this, and not doing so hot...things have been falling apart lately and I'm not sure where to go or what to do... — wecangetright (posted on July 22, 2007)
July 22, 2007
Hi Katie, Hang in there, when you get depressed it causes you to turn to
food and there are all kinds of reasons you may not have lost all you want
to by now...I tried to read your profile but theres nothing there, when did
you have your surgery and what did you start at weight wise and what do you
weigh now? Sometimes we put too high of expectations on ourselves so maybe
that's what you are doing now....Best to you...Pam
— P. B
July 22, 2007
Katie,
I had a VBG in 1995 and lost 150 lbs during that time I had times when
my wt loss slowed and I had to try harder. I got very depressed ie (i went
through all this and I am not even losing all my weight). But even after I
lost the 150 lbs it I sometimes still felt like the fat girl. Still had
to go look in the mirror to make sure I hadn't gained it back. Most obese
people suffer some sort of depression its not a crime its a fact so get
help. I ended up gaining 100 lbs back due to failure of the VBG but for a
long time I thought I had failed but through research found that most VBG
of the 1995 era failed. You have to get help for this depression because
depression leads to wt gain which leads to more depression stop the cycle.
Samantha
— Nurse343
July 22, 2007
No pity party here sweety!! It took months or years to put on the weight
ive it sometime to come off. Increase your protein and water!! Walk around
the block in the morning when it's cool outside. THESE 3 things will help
put you back onto the losing streak!! Best of Luck, Mickey
— MCraig3
July 22, 2007
I get into that cycle too... Take a look at www.fitday.com. It doesn't
cost anything and what you journal and track will be there for the good
days and the bad. You can see your progress and you can see what you were
doing right when you were losing weight and see what you might be slipping
up on.
There is the secret of the plateau too... 5 months out, your body surely
needs some adjustment time. Hard core plateaus can last a few days up to 6
weeks even if you are religously following your diet and exercise routine.
Don't lose heart!!!
Keep an eye on the big picture!!!
Let your body and mind rest...
Don't go pig out and make yourself dump. But forgive yourself for not
being PERFECT. You are only 5 months out and the window of grace is 18
months. Give yourself a rest whether it is a few hours or a few days.
Then get on Fitday, record your measurements and start tracking your eating
and exercise, drink a lot of water, don't eat processed food because they
will sabatoge you in many ways, and you WILL succeed!
God Bless You and Keep You!
Rachel Propes
— Rachel Propes
July 22, 2007
Katie,
Get a grip, you didn't say how much you have lost, just that whatever it is
isn't enough. The fat girl is in your head and no amount of food or
surgeries will get rid of it. Get yourself to a therapist before you ruin
all the progress you ave made. We all get depressed, just some of us more
then others. It isn't wrong, but don't use it as a crutch to give up. It is
one thing to have a problem and another to wallow in it or deal with it.
Deal girfriend, don't let yourself wallow. Good luck
— bderuiter
July 22, 2007
Good luck with your journey. you are only 5 months into a long lifetime
journey - and part of that journey is seeing yourself as a thinner person
and not the old fat person. I am almost 2 years out and have lost 140lbs.
I still to this day see myself in the mirror as a fat person on days. I
don't know why its some days and not others. i would suggest you talk to
someone about it. it is very common to go thorugh periods like this over
the years. don't set your thoughts on what you should lose by a certain
time - everybody's body is different. you may be losing slower or faster
than others. the slower you lose the better for you and your skin. if you
have over 100lbs to lose your skin will have a better shot at going back
than if you lose it very quickly. and trust me - the plastic surgery isn't
fun. i through a total body lift last year and it was HELL! Good luck
with your journey - if you would ever like to chat - please feel free to
email me.
Good Bless you!
Anne
— akirsch
July 22, 2007
Katie talk to your doctor- while you are losing the extra weight you are
dumping a lot of estrogen back into your blood stream- estrogen is stored
in fat- this can lead to depression and bouts of emotional responses- I
went through it- get to someone for emotional support othersie you will be
in your 'hell' for while. It's easier to deal with when there are others to
talk too about your feelings. Also, even though I am now a size 6-8 I still
mentally see myself as a size 24 and this is 15 months post op- it will
take quite a while for us to retrain our minds to accept our new physical
image. Hang in there- write us when you feel the need and find a good face
to face support group. Donna
— dabby
July 22, 2007
It will take time to get that fat girl in your head to realize that she is
going out and that the real you is taking charge...my girl still rises now
and then and I am two years out. I was on antidepressants before surgery,
did great for the first 7 months after surgery actually not needing
them(couldn't take them during the first month because crushing them was
too awuful to stomach) but at about 8 months I needed to get back on them
because the old depression came back. I have good days and then there are
really bad ones but I know that I
did the right thing in having this surgery. And with courage and strength I
will evenutally defleat my fat girl once and for all...if you want an email
buddy who's been there and can relate email [email protected]
Janet 6/2005 288/188/140
— jpcal
July 22, 2007
Hi Katie, thanks for writing. You are brave to put your emotions out there
and ask for suggestions or help. Depression is such a tough thing to work
with, but Katie, you can do it. I am 3 years post op, and I still see
myself as the fat girl. My head still thinks that I am the fat person that
no one likes. I battle depression with the truth. I always battle lies
with truth. I can't tell how much you have lost because you have no
profile history. I can't tell what type of surgery you had because there
is no information on your profile, so it is hard to support you because I
don't know anything. What I will say Katie, is that you have a choice to
make. What people think is not up to you to control. If you lose weight,
it is because you made a choice to fight for it. Stand up and fight for
your health and yourself. You can do it and you are worth it. Surgery has
always been a tool, and if you turn to emotional eating, you will reap what
you sow. None of us got our weight off by falling back into obese habits,
but fought our head issues to come through the other side. You will win or
lose this way as well. Although I am a size 4/6 now, my mind still thinks
that I am obese. I just remind myself that the truth is that I wear a 4/6
and it doesn't matter what I think in my head, the truth is the proof. I
got to a 4/6 by diet and exercise every day, drinking water, and making
choices. I didn't have a successful surgery any more than anyone else. I
made choices, and reaped what I sowed. You will do the same. The question
is what do you want to reap? Do you want some success? Do you want to
step out of depression? Make the choice. You may think you don't have a
choice, but you do. You can battle depression by adjusting what you are
eating right now, go out for a walk today, not tomorrow, and walk every
day. Be sure you are drinking water, and start today, not tomorrow with
good habits. Fight lies with truth. Lies lead to depression, facing the
truth, even though it is tough, is the battle for depression. I will
always be a fat girl in my head, but God loves me just the way I am, and I
trust Him with the truth of my body image and size. I trust Him to walk me
through each day. I trust His Word to protect me from lies that lead me to
wrong thoughts and actions. It has worked for me and it can work for you
too. Make the choice Katie, no one ever said this would be easy. As a
matter of fact, we kind of proclaim it is a difficult way to lose weight.
Wls is tough, but we are worth it. Take care, and best to you. Patricia
P.
— Patricia P
July 22, 2007
Start looking for a good counselor or therapist you can talk to about this.
It really helps. There are many reasons we see ourselves as fat even when
we aren't. We need to work through them sometimes. It's so important to
get the emotional support we need, because the weight is only PART of our
problem, the rest is all in the head. If we don't fix the head, we are
doomed to failure. If you can't afford a therapist, go find an OA group in
your area, they can help you understand the emotional things you are going
through. I have terrible body image problems, no matter how small I get, I
always see myself as fat (somewhat like the anorexic, actually), so in the
past, I would always gain it back. This time, I'm getting help, so I sure
hope I don't blow it!
— Debra R.
July 22, 2007
call your surgeon and get bloodwork. Some defeciences may make you feel
bad. It might be your body missing something. Are you getting exercise? go
for some brisk walks, that helps me.
— bob-haller
July 23, 2007
I had to be on a liquid diet for 2 weeks after my surgery and 2 weeks of
pureed foods and then 1 week of soft foods.
— kbcelliott
July 23, 2007
i feel your pain. its beem almost 6 months since i had the Rny.i only lost
40bl and gained 3 lb back . im feelin depressed to . i work out 5 days a
week drink a gallon of water. 3 protene shakes a day. andi havent lost
anything in 2 minths. i am loosing inches though. did you try to measure
yourself to see if you lost inches.
— yvettetas
July 23, 2007
Not sure what your stats are, however, there are those of us, who defy
science as we know it today and don't reach our goal. Please do not think
you are alone.
— [Deactivated Member]
July 23, 2007
Hi. Good that you have been able to recognize the depression. I would
suggest getting in touch with your primary care doctor and ask to be
evaluated for depression. He will most likely refer you for counseling.
If your depression is bad enough, he may suggest medication to help manage
it. At the very least, please reach out to someone and let them know you
are struggling.
Best wishes
— mrsidknee
July 23, 2007
hi there - I went through the same thing when I lost a bunch of weight. A
friend gave me this book and it was a good read. It made me feel better
about myself and taught me a few things about self image.
"Passing for Thin: Losing Half My Weight and Finding My Self"
the link on Amazon for it is:
http://www.amazon.com/Passing-Thin-Losing-Weight-Finding/dp/0767912926/ref=sr_1_20/104-8482112-2492711?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1185283440&sr=8-20
Good luck and see you on the thin side!!
— Lori A.
July 25, 2007
Sorry you feel sobad, just remember it took along time to get where you was
and it going to take time to take off, Go to coffee shop, church
group,somewhere where you canmeet people, maybe talk with someone, the
surgery was a tool and now you have to get the old you out of your head,
look at new clothes, just remember we all going throw this. If need a
friend write to me.
— carman
July 30, 2007
I don't think I will ever stop feeling fat, especially with teh loose skin
on my abdomen.
— Novashannon
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