TEMPORARY WEIGHT GAIN DEPRESSION

Diet Depression & the Weight Gain Connection

It may have happened at the start of your day, the middle of your day, or at the end of your day - but happen it did. You found yourself suddenly very depressed about your weight and there doesn't seem to be anything you can do to pull yourself out of your Diet Funk.

You may think, "Even if I lose weight it's not going to happen overnight." And if you have a lot of weight to lose you may think, "I'm never going to a normal weight again. I feel so frustrated, so overwhelmed."

That feeling of depression may go on to spurn these thoughts, "I'm tired of being fat and I'm always going to be fat!!!!  Ohhh, I'm so stinking depressed!!"

If you're typical, you spent the rest of your day brow-beating yourself for being overweight. And if you're like most overweight individuals after your thoughtful moments passed you may have visited your pantry or the ice cream carton in your freezer - the Rocky Road one. Individuals who are addicted to eating often find comfort in eating their favorite foods which help to soothe the Diet Beast.

Or you may or may not have felt better the following day. Regardless, somewhere branded in your brain is the inscription, "I'm fat".  In fact, that thought is continually with you like a faithful dog - only nipping at your heels as you try to get away from it.

As you're working, playing, even relaxing, that thought keeps echoing, "I'm fat" over and over and over and over and over again, "I'm fat".  It's a little voice calling out and taunting you until you feel quite mad.

Take Erin who is 75 pounds over her recommended weight. She is thirty and has always been single. While at work she must step into her co-worker Steve's office to deliver paperwork. Steve is a regular hunk of a guy, almost too handsome. And single. Steve stops his work and looks up at Erin and smiles while she places the paperwork into his 'in basket' and manages a trembling smile herself. But she feels horrible - so fat, so embarrassed over her weight. She's embarrassed to look 'this fat' in front of an individual who is such a beautiful specimen of a human being. But if Erin were to be able to read minds she would hear Steve's true thoughts, "Erin is a beautiful girl. How can I go about asking her out tonight without appearing too straightforward?"

If continual thoughts and concerns about being fat sound familiar, there are several ways that you can approach and deal with this 'Diet Echo'.

1) Lose the weight and drown the voice.  However, that's much easier said than done! You have to think, "I'm tormented on an ongoing basis about my weight so I'm currently miserable. Why not go on a miserable weight loss plan and get something productive out of my miserable state."

2) Try to remember that feeling depressed over your weight is quite normal.  We all go through moods, CONTINUOUSLY!  Think about it.....  When the holidays hit, we are generally happy.  But when the bills roll in and the Christmas Spirit subsides, our happiness also subsides.

We may wake up one morning filled with joy as we watch the sparrows decorate the grandfather oak by our bedroom window, singing a happy morning song to us - and the moment we arrive at work we're not even through the door when our boss tells us that we're fired.

So whenever you are seized with those miserable 'fat thoughts' try not to focus on those thoughts too much.  Know that the feeling is temporary and it will pass.

In the meantime, if you're not on a diet plan that will help you lose the unwanted weight, start working on that. Pretty soon, you'll find yourself on the upswing because the declining numbers on the scale will certainly refill your pool of happiness.

I would recommend that the best place to start losing weight is choosing a fresh fruit for snack times, cutting sodas to one per day unless they are of the diet variety, and limiting serving sizes to single. Enjoy a healthy diet based on the Food Groups and couple your diet with a nice 15 minute walk each and every day. When losing weight, we all have to start somewhere. Taking the first step is the most important step towards your journey to a leaner and healthier you.

One final note in regards to clinical depression which is much different than being temporary depressed. If you are suffering from symptoms of clinical depression you should schedule a visit with your personal doctor as soon as possible for treatment options.