Dealing with Anxiety and Depression on a diet?

[Tenacious Tones]

Well..here is my question. So has anyone out there experienced getting into their diet and while watching the fat get stripped away get a sudden attack of stress and anxiety? This has happened to me and I notice anytime I get well into a fat loss diet my levels of positive energy drops and I have trouble dealing with everyday anxiety and sometimes deal with some depression. This causes me to screw up my fat loss everytime. Does anyone out there deal with this too? If so how do you conquer it? How do you get yourself to the end!!!? Can some of you share your personal experiences with me on this?

[lateralus87]

Is it the fact that the fat is coming off that stresses you out?

[mpipes]

Could be many things going on so it depends what's causing those feelings.

if you tend to eat emotionally in order to medicate yourself, when you take that medication away you're still left with whatever is causing those feelings but no way to deal with it. Find another way to make yourself feel good, deep breathing and relaxation, hobbies, activities, talking with others, hanging out with uplifting people, etc.

It could be physiological. You're dieting and causing great distress to your body. It HATES that. It's gonna do what it's gotta do to make you feel like **** to stop depriving it of food and start eating. If it's really bad, maybe the deficit is too extreme. Most dieters are going to be at least a little cranky and edgy but if you're going crazy, it's probably too strict. Becoming a total social hermit might be a sign too as when dieting and training is super-strict, we tend not to go outside of work, home and the gym in order to avoid food situations.

Are you going low carb or using a lot of caffeine? Restricting carbs can make some people on-edge because carbs stimulate serotonin which is a "feel good" hormone. Stimulants like caffeine sometimes just amplify any uneasiness.

[Tenacious Tones]

Originally Posted by mpipes

Could be many things going on so it depends what's causing those feelings.

if you tend to eat emotionally in order to medicate yourself, when you take that medication away you're still left with whatever is causing those feelings but no way to deal with it. Find another way to make yourself feel good, deep breathing and relaxation, hobbies, activities, talking with others, hanging out with uplifting people, etc.

It could be physiological. You're dieting and causing great distress to your body. It HATES that. It's gonna do what it's gotta do to make you feel like **** to stop depriving it of food and start eating. If it's really bad, maybe the deficit is too extreme. Most dieters are going to be at least a little cranky and edgy but if you're going crazy, it's probably too strict. Becoming a total social hermit might be a sign too as when dieting and training is super-strict, we tend not to go outside of work, home and the gym in order to avoid food situations.

Are you going low carb or using a lot of caffeine? Restricting carbs can make some people on-edge because carbs stimulate serotonin which is a "feel good" hormone. Stimulants like caffeine sometimes just amplify any uneasiness.

All of this makes good sense...and I think I am guilty of much if not all of your suggestions.....the second paragraph where it talks about becoming a social hermit is right on...my wife and kids hate when I diet...she is a real big fast food eater and our lifestyles clash...so I tend to withdrawal from her when I diet and she doesn't get to go out and eat as much!!!lol I tend to drink too much coffee and I feel angry lots of the time because I think that I do self medicate with food. I wish I could find something to get involved in to get away form it all until the diet is over...but then again that doesn't address the lifestyle change that is necessary to keep the weight off eh?

[Tenacious Tones]

Originally Posted by lateralus87

Is it the fact that the fat is coming off that stresses you out?

Different people have different struggles when it comes to dieting. What may be easy for you is not for another. I gain muscle and get strong quicker than others but have trouble dealing with my anger and stress when dieting more so than some. Anything constructive is helpful. Thanks.

[mofitness4u]

Originally Posted by Tenacious Tones

Well..here is my question. So has anyone out there experienced getting into their diet and while watching the fat get stripped away get a sudden attack of stress and anxiety? This has happened to me and I notice anytime I get well into a fat loss diet my levels of positive energy drops and I have trouble dealing with everyday anxiety and sometimes deal with some depression. This causes me to screw up my fat loss everytime. Does anyone out there deal with this too? If so how do you conquer it? How do you get yourself to the end!!!? Can some of you share your personal experiences with me on this?

Been through the same bro. esp when going low on carbs or not getting enough good fats in my system. You might want to look into EFA supplementation, some of research finds show anxiety and depression links to low Omega 3 levels and high Omega 6 levels, there should a 4:1 ratio. Worth checking into.

[izzylicious]

just dont cut the calories too much. try eating alot meals with small portions so u dotn feel hungry and make sure u get ur essential nutrition like EFA

[torn8o]

Mood can be affected by a lot of things. If you experience chronic problems, it's probably best to seek out the advice of a doctor.

I've found in the past that my emotions can be greatly affected by blood sugar levels and if I am allowing myself to get too hungry. I think hunger naturally makes us aggressive, because our body is telling us to get off our butts and go get something to eat! If you time your nutrition throughout the day as others have suggested, your blood sugar levels will stay more consistent and you'll have less of an issue. Make sure you are eating enough to be healthy ... both physically and emotionally. Both are just as important, if you ask me.

Also ... if you are working out heavy (lots of lifting, etc.), your T levels do become elevated and this has an effect. I am much more aggressive when I lift regularly, and can't help but notice the difference. This morning as I was driving to work it was everything I could do to keep my cool.

But there's a big difference between aggression and depression. If you are depressed, there could be some chemical stuff going on up there. Exercise and healthy eating should promote a sense of well-being more than anything. So if you aren't feeling good, start taking a closer look at your diet and make sure you're getting what you need. Otherwise, definitely see a doc ...

[WarriorLou]

When I went abruptly on a diet a few years back I developed anxiety overnight, and it was pretty bad. I refused to take meds but I saw a psychologist.

What happened to me is that I was using food to keep my worries at bay. When I took that away, the anxiety came on like the rush of water from a broken dam. I only saw the psychologist for a short time, but his best advice was telling me to exercise. One, it would help me lose weight. Two, 30 minutes of exercise had a better effect on mood than taking an anti-anxiety/depression medication. Also taking Omega-3 helped, even more so since I don?t eat fish. I know it is hard, but just keep plugging away it. Don?t focus so much on the end goal, because that will come eventually. Take this time for getting into shape as a way to turn your whole life around.

When I was going through this, I would be as calm as could be and then something would get me upset and I would yell and scream and throw stuff. I realized at that time that I was holding more emotions in than I had thought. I did everything I could to relax. I read, watched comedies, and stayed away from things that upset me. I realized that as time went by things that upset me didn?t get me as mad. After awhile, I broke that worry and anger habit. Today, I have much more stress in my life since then, but my mind and body react different. I still get upset, I am human, but I do not get angry and I never raise voice. You don?t have to live like a hippie Zen-like monk or a Vulcan, you just have to teach your body and mind to react differently. You have an anger habit, and you need to break it. It's hard work, you are changing a lifetime of habits. They say it takes 21 days to form a new habit, so use that as your first goal. To get rid of an old habit, you need to replace it. Replace the anger habit with looking at problems without resorting to anger. Again it is hard and it won't happen overnight. Just take one day at a time.

[Barn01]

I think I know what you're talking about and I have suffered from it as well when on a fat loss diet. All I can say is that when it starts to build up take 1g of Vitamin C and 1g of L-Arginine. This will help to lower your cortisol levels and calm you down. It will also reduce the catabolic effects of cortisol.

Don't worry you can do this serveral times a day as needed.

[mpipes]

Originally Posted by Tenacious Tones

I wish I could find something to get involved in to get away form it all until the diet is over...but then again that doesn't address the lifestyle change that is necessary to keep the weight off eh?

Spending time with the kids (and the wife) is a pretty good way to medicate yourself and you can keep doing that even after the diet is over. Chasing after small kids will help you lose weight, especially if they're 2-3 years old.

[Tenacious Tones]

Originally Posted by mofitness4u

Been through the same bro. esp when going low on carbs or not getting enough good fats in my system. You might want to look into EFA supplementation, some of research finds show anxiety and depression links to low Omega 3 levels and high Omega 6 levels, there should a 4:1 ratio. Worth checking into.

Thanks...I actually have purchased some flax seed oil from walmart and and am adding it to each meal during the day now. I have started back on a moderate to low carb aproach (since I tend to blow up on carbs) but this time am adding alot more good fats.

[Tenacious Tones]

Originally Posted by torn8o

Mood can be affected by a lot of things. If you experience chronic problems, it's probably best to seek out the advice of a doctor.

I've found in the past that my emotions can be greatly affected by blood sugar levels and if I am allowing myself to get too hungry. I think hunger naturally makes us aggressive, because our body is telling us to get off our butts and go get something to eat! If you time your nutrition throughout the day as others have suggested, your blood sugar levels will stay more consistent and you'll have less of an issue. Make sure you are eating enough to be healthy ... both physically and emotionally. Both are just as important, if you ask me.

Also ... if you are working out heavy (lots of lifting, etc.), your T levels do become elevated and this has an effect. I am much more aggressive when I lift regularly, and can't help but notice the difference. This morning as I was driving to work it was everything I could do to keep my cool.

But there's a big difference between aggression and depression. If you are depressed, there could be some chemical stuff going on up there. Exercise and healthy eating should promote a sense of well-being more than anything. So if you aren't feeling good, start taking a closer look at your diet and make sure you're getting what you need. Otherwise, definitely see a doc ...

All of this makes lots of sense. I think I get caught up into the bodybuilding cut diet fad (not saying they don't work great..but may not be the best for mental health) and end up missing lots of nutrition. This time around I am adding more fruit and EFA's. I am still going to go low/moderate carb depending on lifting days.
I also have a tendency to get angry easy in general..I have a lot of daily anxiety (marriage..life...etc) and I don't have the coping skills. I have tried to take a positive approach to things and it works when I can maintain that approach. But I end up on a rollercoaster if you know what I mean. I am also going to supplement with 5htp this time around. I am hoping for the best.
Discipline is something I have but when you are fighting your emotions if everything isn't working in harmony can be the most challenging thing to endure. Thanks for the good info!

[Tenacious Tones]

Originally Posted by WarriorLou

When I went abruptly on a diet a few years back I developed anxiety overnight, and it was pretty bad. I refused to take meds but I saw a psychologist.

What happened to me is that I was using food to keep my worries at bay. When I took that away, the anxiety came on like the rush of water from a broken dam. I only saw the psychologist for a short time, but his best advice was telling me to exercise. One, it would help me lose weight. Two, 30 minutes of exercise had a better effect on mood than taking an anti-anxiety/depression medication. Also taking Omega-3 helped, even more so since I don?t eat fish. I know it is hard, but just keep plugging away it. Don?t focus so much on the end goal, because that will come eventually. Take this time for getting into shape as a way to turn your whole life around.

When I was going through this, I would be as calm as could be and then something would get me upset and I would yell and scream and throw stuff. I realized at that time that I was holding more emotions in than I had thought. I did everything I could to relax. I read, watched comedies, and stayed away from things that upset me. I realized that as time went by things that upset me didn?t get me as mad. After awhile, I broke that worry and anger habit. Today, I have much more stress in my life since then, but my mind and body react different. I still get upset, I am human, but I do not get angry and I never raise voice. You don?t have to live like a hippie Zen-like monk or a Vulcan, you just have to teach your body and mind to react differently. You have an anger habit, and you need to break it. It's hard work, you are changing a lifetime of habits. They say it takes 21 days to form a new habit, so use that as your first goal. To get rid of an old habit, you need to replace it. Replace the anger habit with looking at problems without resorting to anger. Again it is hard and it won't happen overnight. Just take one day at a time.

Funny...I think you are explaining me exactly ...i am not a physically reactive angry person but it definitely causes problems in my life. I find me constantly telling myself "don't get angry..calm down" sometimes it works and sometime not. I have had bad road rage and bad relationships because of it as well...Are their any specific techniques you may recommend in controlling it??

[Tenacious Tones]

Originally Posted by Barn01

I think I know what you're talking about and I have suffered from it as well when on a fat loss diet. All I can say is that when it starts to build up take 1g of Vitamin C and 1g of L-Arginine. This will help to lower your cortisol levels and calm you down. It will also reduce the catabolic effects of cortisol.

Don't worry you can do this serveral times a day as needed.

Thanks I will actually give this a try....I never really thought about it but L-arginine may also help with pumps on a mod/low carb diet!!!!?

[LoveANurse]

maybe your diet is too strict and you should try to adjust it to suit your lifestyle or the lifestyle you most enjoy with your family. let those around you know of your goals it may make them more aware and help them to be supportive of your plans. you need to make sure your diet can fit into a happy lifestyle it will make the experience much more enjoyable and encouraging. if dieting can be linked to times and feelings of isolation, guilt, embarrassment etc then you may subconciously self sabotage to avoid those situations. just keep to your diet and let your family know you need their support and involvement and that dieting is just a diet and you dont want it to interfere with lifestyle and family.

[Tenacious Tones]

Originally Posted by LoveANurse

maybe your diet is too strict and you should try to adjust it to suit your lifestyle or the lifestyle you most enjoy with your family. let those around you know of your goals it may make them more aware and help them to be supportive of your plans. you need to make sure your diet can fit into a happy lifestyle it will make the experience much more enjoyable and encouraging. if dieting can be linked to times and feelings of isolation, guilt, embarrassment etc then you may subconciously self sabotage to avoid those situations. just keep to your diet and let your family know you need their support and involvement and that dieting is just a diet and you dont want it to interfere with lifestyle and family.

Funny you mention adjusting my diet to my lifestyle...I tried it a couple times and it ends up pushing me back to my old habits...I tried the portion control thing but the types of food my other half enjoys are not the healthiest...and are the foods that I enjoy way too much as well. Its like the lays potato chips commercial "You can't eat just one". I do better off if I eliminate them all together...which is what tends to isolate me..and take away a lot of my social/family life. I've always thought it would be much easier to do it together as a couple...but trust me when I tell you...It aint gonna happen!!!LOL I am pretty much in this myself. At one point I was 265 and recently down to 210 after much effort but have crept back up to 230...and I am determined to get some abs by summer!!!!! But you are right...it isn't fair to cause interruption to a family lifestyle because I am on a diet I suppose. Thank you for the good perspective.... BTW GREAT screen name!

[torn8o]

When it comes to coping skills, I've been there too. I've had to learn how to manage emotion in a healthy way. Managing anger is different than controlling anger. We all have these feelings, the difference is what we each choose to do with them, and that's what makes the difference.

I go through cycles of depression on and off, some of it owed to external triggers and some of it is triggered by factors beyond my ability to affect or control. I try to just take care of the stuff within my ability to affect and let the other stuff work its way through. It's like being sick with the flu ... when you're really down with it, all you can think of is that you want relief and want to be out from under it in any way possible. But there's only one thing that is going to get you out from under the control of a virus, and that is time and patience and allowing your body to heal. It really isn't any different with our minds ... but we like to tell ourselves that there must be something wrong with us, and then we end up cycling deeper into something that becomes more and more difficult to cope with.

With time and practice, a person can learn to recognize their personal triggers and interrupt negative cycles in thinking. But again, if it is chronic and persistent, it could be physiological or chemical in nature ... and only a doctor can really treat that. Also, therapy really isn't a bad thing ... it's really nice to sit and talk about your problems with someone who isn't going to judge you and only wants to help. We all need that and don't get nearly enough of it, if you ask me ...

Good luck ... keep us posted ...

[z-killa]

One thing I suggest is to ditch coffee and anything like hydroxcut or any fat burners u might b takin it just ups the anxiety and makes it worse. I had the same probs and after gettin rid of that stuff it help quite a bit. Second when i find myself losin it I try to get my mind on somethin else, usually its go to the gym and get the heck off my ass, cause just sitting there thinkin all the time does not help at all. It all flows to depression.

I'm a online gamer so when things get rough I throw on the headphones and turn on my game and go into my own lil world. Also like the others said fish oil has helped me also, so u might wanna look into that asap. Family members might not understand your thoughts in feelings cause they never gone through it so its hard for them to understand, so try to take it easy on them.

I ranted long enough, just tryin to help cause I know it sucks, good luck!

[Tenacious Tones]

Originally Posted by torn8o

When it comes to coping skills, I've been there too. I've had to learn how to manage emotion in a healthy way. Managing anger is different than controlling anger. We all have these feelings, the difference is what we each choose to do with them, and that's what makes the difference.

I go through cycles of depression on and off, some of it owed to external triggers and some of it is triggered by factors beyond my ability to affect or control. I try to just take care of the stuff within my ability to affect and let the other stuff work its way through. It's like being sick with the flu ... when you're really down with it, all you can think of is that you want relief and want to be out from under it in any way possible. But there's only one thing that is going to get you out from under the control of a virus, and that is time and patience and allowing your body to heal. It really isn't any different with our minds ... but we like to tell ourselves that there must be something wrong with us, and then we end up cycling deeper into something that becomes more and more difficult to cope with.

With time and practice, a person can learn to recognize their personal triggers and interrupt negative cycles in thinking. But again, if it is chronic and persistent, it could be physiological or chemical in nature ... and only a doctor can really treat that. Also, therapy really isn't a bad thing ... it's really nice to sit and talk about your problems with someone who isn't going to judge you and only wants to help. We all need that and don't get nearly enough of it, if you ask me ...

Good luck ... keep us posted ...

I definitely notice that negative thought patterns or instances that occur tend to spiral into a cycle that can turn into depression...when there are lots of anxiety built up like from dieting for instance, I am able to realize and notice things as warning signs and then to try and refocus or to try and get out before it leads to something worse. Triggers and being able to stop things before they start are very important. That's where I need to focus! Some positive internal dialogue to combat the anxiety and anger triggers, eh?

[Tenacious Tones]

Originally Posted by z-killa

One thing I suggest is to ditch coffee and anything like hydroxcut or any fat burners u might b takin it just ups the anxiety and makes it worse. I had the same probs and after gettin rid of that stuff it help quite a bit. Second when i find myself losin it I try to get my mind on somethin else, usually its go to the gym and get the heck off my ass, cause just sitting there thinkin all the time does not help at all. It all flows to depression.

I'm a online gamer so when things get rough I throw on the headphones and turn on my game and go into my own lil world. Also like the others said fish oil has helped me also, so u might wanna look into that asap. Family members might not understand your thoughts in feelings cause they never gone through it so its hard for them to understand, so try to take it easy on them.

I ranted long enough, just tryin to help cause I know it sucks, good luck!

I gave up hydroxycut last summer...and I CRASHED big time. It took a month or so to get my energy levels back. I'll never do that again!! I do tend to drink more coffe on a diet cause of the lack of energy I have (and the shift work doesn't help). Thanks for your thoughts!

[Gr3g_Lycan]

Could be the standard "cycling" that goes on if you are depressed.

Have you been diagnosed with GAD (general anxiety disorder). Have to tried cognitive behavioural therapy?Are you on an SSRI? Some SSRIs affect weight & sleep.

Originally Posted by Tenacious Tones

I definitely notice that negative thought patterns or instances that occur tend to spiral into a cycle that can turn into depression...

Reading about depression helps a lot. Depression can be "learned helplessness".

http://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Patte.../dp/0385483708
Teaches about all those little things you do that are manifestations of depression

http://www.amazon.com/Mindful-Way-th...dp/1593851286/
Uses minfulness (buddhist philosophy). A modern way of treating depression

http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do...=icb.page69189
Harvard lectures on Positive Psychology


(I have been on SSRI/SNRI for 7 years. At the moment I have anxiety most of the time)

[Tenacious Tones]

Originally Posted by GregT

Could be the standard "cycling" that goes on if you are depressed.

Have you been diagnosed with GAD (general anxiety disorder). Have to tried cognitive behavioural therapy?Are you on an SSRI? Some SSRIs affect weight & sleep.


Reading about depression helps a lot. Depression can be "learned helplessness".

http://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Patte.../dp/0385483708
Teaches about all those little things you do that are manifestations of depression

http://www.amazon.com/Mindful-Way-th...dp/1593851286/
Uses minfulness (buddhist philosophy). A modern way of treating depression

http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do...=icb.page69189
Harvard lectures on Positive Psychology


(I have been on SSRI/SNRI for 7 years. At the moment I have anxiety most of the time)

Thanks for link...all very helpful.

Here's something to think about when it comes to depression. When I was in High School (quite a few years ago) I played basketball, trumpet and had lots of friends. Life was hard because of my living situation but I always had something to do that I enjoyed or something to make me feel confident about myself. Once I left high school I went to college for two years on a full music scholarship. Played basketball everyday with my friends and worked out at the gym.
Then I joined the Marine Corps....made lots of friends and life was great....Until I got married, got out the Corps and moved back to her family's home in MD. We started having kids and I started working full time shift work. Our social life went away...my music disappeared and friends were hard to come by. I learned real soon that my self confidence was and self esteem were built around my network of friends and how I took pride in the role I played in my network of friends and what hobbies I enjoyed. I didn't have fun any more and had no joy in life. My marriage sucked because I had gotten married to the wrong person and living with that on a daily basis resulted in high levels of anxiety. After a couple of years dealing and battling with the different levels of unhappiness depression crept in. I am now in the same situation as then except I have recognized some of the causes of my negative moods. This allows me to combat them. I try to get out more and do things to socialize and make friends. I have reengaged in music and try to stay optimistic. If I start thinking about the things I am not happy with I get bogged down and get right back into depression. For me it is important when it comes to anxiety and anger to control them. These are triggers that propel my depression. I can easily look at my life and hat it. Because in the grand scheme of things life turned out FAR from what I have planned. But as long as I CHOOSE to control my triggers and make an effort to re-engage in those things that I love and become more social...the depression seems to come and go less often.
I am predisposition to mood disorders...my father had anxiety, paranoia and maybe schizophrenia. My brother has been diagnosed with OCD, anxiety and depression. He is on meds started living with my mother (away from his daily stay at home dad duties) and truly is a different person. The doctors told him that anxiety is the root of it all. Once anxiety sets in it simply opens the door for the other disorders.
Ultimately to control you life you need to be happy. Do the things you love...spend LOTS of social time with friends. You must have a network and a role within it...an Identity so to speak that will bread inner confidence. Joy and happiness and sadness and stress actually effect your chemical levels in you brain. It is more than just genetics. But when you put those genetics in the wrong environment they will take over and you will be miserable.
At least that is my take on it and what I have observed so far with my life.

[Gr3g_Lycan]

If you suffer depression for years you do have real measurable changes to the brain. The hippocampus shrinks from too much stress hormone (cortisol). Here's an explanation:
http://www.dearshrink.com/mindmatters2.htm

Based on that I prersonally think severe depression is equivalent to a brain injury. I take an SNRI which acts very fast, I can go from total zombie to being active in 6 hours after taking a pill. Long term depression is very much a bioligical as a mood problem.

You do get lethargy from depression, you cant to be social but cant be f*ked. Its called ahedonia - lack of pleasure from anything including holidays or sport. The usual recommended therapy is take antidepressants while you try to become more sociable again.

At times I think I have OCD or mania too. I have 3 close relatives who have been to psychiatrists so it does run in families.

One of the things I have to watch very carefully is appearing "weird" with all these symptoms. Friends can be very judgmental & I really have to work to keep everyone on side. A doctor once told me people under 30 have little idea about depression or mental issues in general. I've told people I was acting strange because of mania and they dont understand, its an area that is a complete mystery to 95% of the population.

One think you have to watch very carefully is appearing neurotic, which is verging on a personality disorder. I did a psychometric test & I got 90/100 on the neurotic scale. I've been trying to be far more laidback in general this year. One book worth reading is "7 habits of highly effective people" which is really about improving behavior.