losing weight post depression

[all4fitness]

In 2008, I was 32 weeks preganant and was diagnosed with a rare medical condition.  The diagnosis was made too late and my baby girl died 42 days after she was born.  Post delivery I was told that there was a good chance that I would die as well.  I spend 10 days in the ICU and although my body fully recovered my mind did not.  To make matters worse my brother died less than 4 months after the my baby girl.  He was 48 and was not only my brother but a best friend and one of my greatest supports.  I spend most of 2009 and 2010 depressed and mostly in bed. I've steadily gained weight and now need to lose at least 40 pounds.  I've tried several time to lose weight but can't keep the weight off.  I think the years of complete inactivity has rendered my body useless.  I find that I have a hard time even with the most simple exercise routines.  I know that the key to my weight loss will be to become more active but my body feels stiff and I just have a hard time moving.  When I attempt it I injure my back, shoulders and then I'm in constant pain.  A friend told me that I need to start slow and build up...hence the reason I'm joining the fitbit community.  Just trying to walk around more often and earn more steps, log my food intake and see if I can get my body to respond without pain.  Open to all suggestions and advise 🙂

[alibali]

I am so sorry for your losses, I lost 2 close family members within weeks of each other in 2009, and can appreciate how difficult it has been for you x Your friend is right on the subject of getting started slowly, slow and steady wins the race 🙂 When I started the exercise part of my weight loss journey, I think I managed to walk about a quarter of a mile and I was done in, I was 298 lbs though lol But I built on that, and to date I've done 3 half marathons and a full marathon ( all power walking), and I'm a gym member too. If you had told me in 2007 that I would achieve that, I would not have believed you 🙂 So yep, start walking, doesnt have to be a massive distance with tens of thousands of steps, but if you start small and build on that, then you'll get to where you want to be 🙂

[feistymomma]

I am so very sorry for your losses 😞 I too have a similar story, and have struggled with depression because of it. I have a little more weight to lose than you, but I have finally decided that I am worth the change and setting fitness goals for myself has really helped with my depression. My biggest advice would be to set a new goal for yourself each day. Try to better something from the day before. This has really helped in keeping me motivated. Good luck!

[Mermaid3011]

I am very sorry for your losses. It breaks my heart to hear stories like yours. And depression is probably the worst kind of pain, because you can't just take a tylenol to make it go away. Combined with grieving I can't imagine what you have been going through.

I know the pain of depression and the associated weight gain. And I can tell you from my experience:

I truly hope that you have had medical help, because depression is an illness just like a broken leg or a heart attack. You would go to a doctor if you broke your leg, right? So there is no reason to suffer through depression without getting treatment. 

My health team has helped me tons in the last 9 months.

My old Antidepressant had stopped working and I switched to Wellbutrin which has the side effect of weight loss and especially stopping cravings. It made the world of a difference to me. Sadly my depression turned out to be "treatment resistant" and I had to add another medication. We tried a few and I finally found one that helps me and doesnt make me gain weight. (Vortioxetine).

With my depression getting under control, weight loss is actually something I can now concentrate on. Losing weight and fighting depression at the same time is like fighting two wars at once. You will deplete your energy over long. 

I am not sure where you live, but if you are in the US there are so many more medications that can help you with both. For example Contrave that was just approved by the FDA. It's a weightloss drug and an antidepressant. 

Don't feel you have to go through this alone. Your support network is important! And part of your network should be your health team. Ask them. It's hard to take the first step but they will be more than happy to make you feel better!!

Hugs

B