MrsTofu's Journal, 08 September 2011

Feeling all of those things is def going to impact you hun. Take each day one at a time. So your breakfast wasn't the best, make your lunch better and your dinner better then that. take it one meal at a time. When you look at everything at once, it can be very overwhelming. Especially when depression is thrown in the mix. You need to focus on the GOOD things. I honestly understand how hard this can be. I suffer from depression myself, and for me, it's a daily battle. BUT it DOES get better each day. Maybe view your weight loss in 5lb increments. Small goals/wins WILL get you to your BIG end goal. Focus on the things you can change NOW...your food for one IS something you can cgange NOW. Once you will commit to changing that, you will feel GOOD. take that day by day and then maybe throw something else in there until you have BOTH of those things under control and so on and so on. These things work for me. I don't really even think about grabbing something 'bad' when I'm upset. Once you fully commit, mind and spirit, you will find each day becomes easier. Journaling helps too. You would be surprised how many people here are going through the same things as you, and will listen and give advice if needed. You can do this hun. Believe in yourself. You are WORTH IT!! 

I understand where you're coming from- it's hard to fight multiple battles at the same time. When you find yourself falling into bad patterns, change something! If you're eating out of boredom, find something to do. Do small things to improve your mood, like seek out a coworker who makes you laugh or having coffee with a good friend. Exercise is a known mood-lifter, so get yourself moving and sweat off your frustrations will do wonders. Take a walk to your favorite tunes, or punch out your frustration in a kickboxing class. Sometimes all you need to to distract yourself long enough to gain a bit of perspective. We all go through tough spells but if you can figure out how to overcome them or channel your emotions into more constructive actions, you'll have made a HUGE breakthrough for long-term weight maintenance. You can do this!  

Depression certainly affects weight gain. I know that a lot of my own was due to my state of mind. One person I've talked to suggests writing in a journal as an alternative -- writing out your feelings rather than carbo-loading to suppress them. I've found that writing helps a lot, and the return of my ability to write out my emotions and world-view (as well as all the expository writing I do) over the past few years may have contributed to the success of my weight loss. 

Thank you for all your kind, positive feedback. I'll try to keep that in mind and do better tomorrow. :)