Doing this with a mental illness...

I'm dieting with a mental illness and today I almost got so upset. I felt delusional like everyone didn't want me to do the diet. OK so maybe eating 1200 calories is too little for me or I eat too little, but that's MY choice. I'm not starving myself. Sure I get hungry. I'm on a diet, thats why. All of you get hungry thats on a diet....Right? Are you use to it by now. This is still my first week and its still a little hard. It doesnt matter. If there was a diet that was easy and smooth and relaxing for me, but there isn't. Now I've uped my calorie intake to up to 1400 calories. Its more comfortable and easier on me. But people still seem to have a problem with that. People need to get over themselves. They don't know me. I wish they would just leave me a lone. I;m so scared. I feel breaking down and crying as we type. I'm doing this for myself, for my health and to look good. I know if I look good I'll have more attention from men and woman even. I'm so proud of myself I lost 4 pounds! I'n 238lbs now. But I'm still obese. I'm 5'4 only that's why. I'm suppose to weigh around 125-155. My goal weight is GOOD too. It's 170! I'm STILL overweight at that weight. See I didn't say like 120 or 110. I have a long way to go. I hope you guys can encaurage me....How do you feel about your weight? How do you feel about losing weight? Do you think you are doing too much?

Abra Your post is a good one.  One thing is changing your eating habbits to healthy ones shouldn't be called a diet.  It's a life style change.

People may not understand your Desire to lose the weight.  I'm, 5'4 too, I have lost almost 70 lbs and have 15 to go until I reach my goal weight.  I feel fabulous for losing the weight, more self confindent.  I'm not doing too much, I enjoy the Life Style change.

You need lots of encouragement.  Congrat's on the 4 lbs... Thats a wonderful start.

I will add you to my friends list once you create a profile

Take Care

CanChick

I have problems with anxiety, and I think that people have only just started to realise that I have to do things my way, otherwise I feel out of control, like EVERYTHING in my life is a mess.

I've lost around 50 pounds over the last 3 years (around 30 since christmas 2005...) and I got my mum telling me to stop losing and to be careful and that i'm too skinny, etc.etc.

I was angry at the time, but she was just worried about me, and I am most definitely NOT underweight. hhaha. hmm, so just hang in there. I know it's so hard when you feel like everyone's hassling you and you have no headspace, I know exactly what it's like.

Remember, think of it as a life-style change, and try and get other people to realise that that's what you're doing - becoming healthy, NOT a fad diet.

There will always be someone on the forum to lend you their ear.

alice x

hello!

can i become freinds with you guys too?? i was doing ok here for a while and now need support and help to not get back to higher than i started. i also get very anxious about anything you could imagine, to add to that now, im in the middle of uni exams. also as posted beofre i have suffered from ED's and dont want to go back there but thoughts still haunt me...and its almost summer argh...so... hug please! motivation please! huray! haha

thanks! 

hi elle! i've added you as a friend if you want to add me. not sure if i'm a very motivational person... but i'll try!! (also it means you can read all my ranty private journal entries and have a laugh at my expense... :) )

alice x

Alice, thank you for your motivational post. Today I didn't know what I had but it seemed maybe too much i wanted to do at once!!! I do have anxiety though anyways! :-(....sigh. Do you wanna be friends? I just came back from Publix and I was the fattest person there. I felt so bad.....UGGGHHHHHH.

I have been having anxiety problems for last two years so I know how much harder that can make anything you're trying to do including losing weight. Also, some of those medications can contribute to weight gain. I swear, if a medication's side effects include weight loss or weight gain, I will get the weight gain every time. Don't give up on yourself or your diet. You are worth it.

abracadabra - I'd love to have you on my friends list!! You need to make your profile active first though, because it's not letting me add you. Make sure to add me back :)

What is Publix? I live in the UK, is it an American thing, or am I just stupido?

You are a bright and clever person who has obviously put a lot of thought into losing weight the right way to reach your goals - don't let the world bring you down, alice x

I do not know the extent of your situation but I do know that when I am consuming too much sugar I experiance hullucinations and depression among other symtoms. The candida diet is a body cleansing diet that gets rid of all the toxins that can cause unpleasant symptoms. If you have too much candida in your body the diet can make a big differance on your mental health and your weight loss. Check the internet for more information. I am presently on the Pericone nutritional diet which does not allow any sugar products accept for the natural occuring sugars in fruits and vegtables. The diet advocates daily consumptions of fish. I have read it is best to eat a variety so that you do not load up on too many of the same toxins. Since I have started the diet I have found that I have more energy and I feel brighter.

Hey guys! Anxiety over here! Mental Illness sucks. It can totally sabotage your dieting efforts sometimes. I'll get this weird feeling and be like... oh, i dont feel right...maybe if i EAT 900 CALORIES RIGHT NOW I'll feel better. lol. I have no clue what this logic is or how I think that junk food will even me out.

Yeah I never heard of Publix either.

annemarie, what meds are you on? I'm on effexor..I don't think it had any effect on my weight...

I went through a bought of anxiety a few years ago and my doctor recommended eating well and exercising as a way to reduce the stress and all, and subsequently reduce my symptoms. 

Also, I think when you focus on exercise and health not just in terms of physical apperence, but how you will feel better, it becomes more of a modivator.  When I was in college, I worked up from never running to running about 3 miles a day.  It was such a great stress reliver for my mind.  It was like for those 30 minutes my brain just stopped thinking and enjoyed the ride.  Unfortunantly i fell of the bandwagon, but now I use the goal of running for pure enjoyment to modivate me back on the fitness wagon. 

 Hey.. I'm new here since Friday... I am so glad I found this site! I was just diagnosed with depression and my Dr put me on 10 mg of Prozac. I was still having the depression symptoms even though I work out hard 4 days a week and do a 2 hr hike on Sundays... I eat pretty healthy too, However since I've been on the medication I have been able to stop the anxious feeling of needing that junk food and have doe exceptionally well on my eating patterns. Anxiety and depression are chemical imbalances in the brain and sometimes it helps to have the medication after you have tried everything else.

Hey Ive got my share of the mental illnesses... read my profile.. and thats not everything. It definately makes losing weight a hard thing to do, but when you accomplish your goals, it certainly makes you feel more in control. Even if theres a few breakdowns along the way, you just gotta get back up on your feet :)

I am not sure the extent of your mental illness but I understand omega 3's are very beneifical to healthy brain function.

Sometimes I feel like people in my house don't want me to lose weight.  Sometimes I even feel like they're trying to sabotage me on purpose.  The truth, though, is probably much less scandalous. . . like they're just being selfish.  They love their huge portions and fatty foods, so that's what they wanna bring into the house, and that's what they want for dinner.  They feel my wanting healthy foods is a threat to their being able to eat whatever they want, just as much as I feel their wanting unhealthy foods is a threat to my wanting a healthy diet.

So, yeah, you're not alone in your bouts with paranoia over the diet thing.  Just try, when your head is clearer, to look at the situation objectively.  I've heard something like, you wouldn't worry so much about what people think about you if you knew how seldom they did. . . which is probably true. . . so, yeah. . .

naia_zifu,

I so hear you on the sabatoge thing! My husband has thrown 2 temper tantrums because I didn't buy junk food when I went grocery shopping.  It's hard enough to do this without other people bringing you down. I do believe it is their own insecurity.

((hugs)) I hear you.. My family could be poster children for mental illness. I don't talk about much, but I have major issues with depression and hypo mania. I believe the official diagnosiss was Bipolar II.

I have mood swings that could cause mental whiplash and have been know to go from fine and calm to totally freaking out on someone (usually my ex), like a mad woman.

Are you getting help? Do you have any professionals you are working with, that you could discuss your issues with.

Unforntualy sometimes the people who love us have a lot ast stake with keeping us as our old selves. When we change it forcecs them to face things they may not want to face, and sometimes it puts them in the position of having to make changes they aren't ready to make/ don't want to make.

Ultimately you have to do what is best for you, and take care of yourself, because nobody is going to do it for you.

I wish there was more I could do for you, but I'm here if you want to talk to someone.

Congrats on the 4 pounds, that is a great first step.

I am also 5'4". I currently weight about 213 or 214 depending on which pants I  weigh and what time of day it is. I've been at this since Jan 27th, and ahve lost about 80 pounds, but it has not been easy by any stretch. I've found it best to just get thru one day at a time. Much of the same principles that apply to AA or NA seem to also work for wieght loss.

One day at a time, one meal at a time, one snack at time. Let me just get thru this day, I'll worry about tommorrow when it arrives.

I've also found food logs to be invaluable to me, as they force me to be accountable, and not blow off that one cookie, when I can see how it fits in to the larger picture,. it's also made me much more aware of portions and such.

yikes, I'm writing another novel. time to shaddyup

I do think that having a mental illness can make dieting really hard. I wish you the best.

I don't know if anyone has emitophobia (fear of vomiting), but it can make dieting hard. I'm a bit touchy about what I eat, and how I cook it.

I hear all of you I suffer from major depressive mood swings I am what they call boarder line bipolar I draw disability for an Anxiety disorder and it can play a major disaster in a diet if you let it you have to set your mind that you are not going to everyone has good days and bad days on their emotions right along with their eating there are some days I want o eat the entire house then again there are days you can not get me to eat anything at all and then thee are days where I am doing great eating just the right amounts of everything. You just have to go with the flow and DO NOT GIVE UP if you have a bad day just try and get through it and start all over the next day and do a little better the next day but never give up just keep trying. take it One day at a time and one pound at a time or one quarter of a pound at a time what ever it takes slow and steady wins the race but it is not a race take your time and we will get there. I have been trying for almost 4 and a half years and have not given up yet I have lost about 30 pounds still want to lose about 50 + pounds and I WILL do it st my own pace slow and steady I take Celexa for my disorder.At one time I was on Paxil and that caused me to GAIN alot of weight they took me off of that one certain antidepressants will cause you to gain weight.   

I have bi-polar disorder.  To treat this, they use medicine that is also used to control seizure disorders.  Depakote, the first one was on, made it extremely hard to lose weight.  I'm not going to say it main me gain weight, because I did that myself, but it sure didn't help!  Now I'm on a drug called Lamictal which helps immensely with the bi-polar, but I feel is stalling my weightloss somewhat. 

Like I said, it helps, but doesn't cure it; last week, I gained 4 pounds... I thought it was water weight, but it wasn't.  When I figured that out, I closed the door in my room and ate a lot of party mix and cried.  You know, sometimes a girl just has to cry and eat a container of party mix.

It's hard for us, i know.  But I'm trying to push through it with other means of retaliation (ha) such as journal writing, painting, or sometimes just punching a pillow or going to the gym and kickboxing instead of eating.

I don't want the illness to control me anymore... I know it's not my fault!

I gained 60 pounds on Paxil.  I am off the Paxil and on Celexa.  I couldn't lose anything on the Paxil - has anyone had any luck with loosing weight on Celexa?  I have major anxiety and panic disorder..exercise often makes me anxious because I cannot breath. 

I am just wondering if I can lose weight on Celexa?  The doctors tell me SSRI's don't cause weight gain.  I don't believe it one bit.