Depression and weight

[bhopeful 33]

I would love to hear your opinions and experiences.

I have been overweight my whole life, since the age of 8 and I am now 50. I feel like I have always had to compensate and always be the happy one and always act like I am happy go lucky and content. And yet, I've always hated being overweight and all the things that go along with that. Being a fat kid and a fat teenager was a nightmare. And then being a fat young adult was also a nightmare. I really feel like I lost out on so many life experiences. I feel that, as I'm getting older, I am tired of trying to compensate and act like everything is okay. I so hate living life being a fat person.

I truly feel like I am getting more and more depressed. I have finally decided to go for sleeve surgery and hope I can get it done in November or December this year. But I have been more depressed lately and I wonder how many of you think that your weight problems contributed to your depression, for those of you that have been depressed. Do you think being overweight was a significant contributor to your feelings of depression? If you had the surgery and lost a significant amount of weight, do you feel that your depression lifted and you had more interest in life?

I am so uninterested in life and feel so depressed and I really think its just from a lifetime of being overweight and never feeling good about myself. I have a really good job, a wonderful family and good support, but I am still so despondent about the fact that I work so hard and never lose weight.

I would love to know what you think the relationship is with your weight problems and depression, and how they changed once you lost the weight?

[joatsaint 2,814]

I can't say that my depression is completely gone. I'm 3 years post-op and 170lbs lighter - after being overweight for 40+ years. The difference post-op is that I now have the option of making my life better.

WLS did not solve my depression or lack of interest in life, but it did give me the confidence to make changes and feel like I had a choice in how I lived - socializing, dating, and career.

Pre-surgery, I felt trapped in a job I hated, didn't feel like there would ever be a special woman in my life, and was constantly in pain and lethargic. It took about 2 years post-op to turn my life around for the better.

I've gotten a better job, met a wonderful woman, and consider myself an extroverted introvert now and feel a need to express myself. I would have never allowed myself to be on camera, much less have made videos of myself pre-op.

[newbeginnings1965 48]

I used to think "If only I..." was thinner, then i got thin, still depressed. Had a boyfriend, got one, still depressed. Could get pregnant, then i did, still depressed. For me it is a chemical inbalance. Being overweight caused me to be unhappy, not depressed. Please see or continue to see a dr about ur depression. A healthier u is better for you in total, but u may still need help with depression.

[Megdelyn 85]

I've weighed less and I've weighed more, though I never weighed what I wanted to weigh. When I weighed less, I felt better about myself, had more interest in shopping and wearing nice clothes. But I still struggled with the same feelings of unworthiness. The symptoms of my depression are a bit different when I weigh less, but it is still there.

Honestly, I think depression is a cause or at least a factor in being overweight. Not the other way around. It makes my outside reflect how I feel on the inside.

[jawaiian562 5]

I have been over weight my whole life. At my heaviest I think I was 440. Luckily for me DJing has given me confidence but I can say I was a bit depressed. It sucked seeing all my friends get girls but I just kept DJing. My point is maybe find something you are good at and redirect all the negativity into that and hopefully you can over come it.

[amazon 579]

I was certainly depressed at 265lbs...and at 225lbs. I was over weight since grade school, and picked on mercilessly.

Am I depressed now? Nope. Do I deal with ups and downs? Absolutely - but it's very different.

I think of it as the saying, that winning the lottery and being a millionaire won't solve all one's problems. But it would sure make my life a lot easier and I'd love to give it a try I think losing the weight took care of my depression in the same way. I was absolutely miserable being so overweight. That's gone now. For me, the weight really was the overwhelming reason - nothing a pill was going to fix.

[newmebithebypass 713]

ive been bipolar my whole life so its a swing from really low to really high at times and it was better when i weighed less. i was in more control didnt take as many medications i could sleep at night now at my highest weight i take loads of meds but im getting healthier mentally so once i lose the weight and get on lower doses of the meds it will be better

[ttdish 315]

I've weighed less and I've weighed more, though I never weighed what I wanted to weigh. When I weighed less, I felt better about myself, had more interest in shopping and wearing nice clothes. But I still struggled with the same feelings of unworthiness. The symptoms of my depression are a bit different when I weigh less, but it is still there.

Honestly, I think depression is a cause or at least a factor in being overweight. Not the other way around. It makes my outside reflect how I feel on the inside.

I could have written this post word for word! I was just sleeved, so I can say how I'll feel down the road, but I've been successfully medicated for depression for years. Maybe I'll be able to decrease my dose some, but I suspect I'll always need pharmaceutical help, and I'm ok with that. I think feeling better about myself will help, but it won't take away the chemical imbalance in my brain.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

I have battled depression for a long time. Yes, I think weight does contribute for many reasons. Some biochemical (hormones, lack of exercise, lack of sunlight, etc.) as well as social/emotional (from isolation to being treated with outright disdain and hostility by others, to self-doubt, and self-hate).

Like the treatment of the disease of obesity, I think the treatment of depression has to be multifaceted.

As I lose weight and am able to become more active, I can get more exercise, be outside in the sunlight more, sleep better, get better nutrition, be around more positive people, be treated better by other people, be more productive, have more strength and resources to be able to manage my emotions, and to reduce stress.

I also have less fat to store and disrupt hormones.

Exercise, professional counseling, support groups, self-help, and medication are all great tools, in addition to weight loss surgery in treating depression.

[sineadorebellion 19]

Now that my surgery is becoming more of a reality, I'm struggling with the depression more than ever. My husband and I are in a terrible place and I'm very scared that I'll be doing this surgery alone. With that, I sit here and think, what's the point? I'm either going to be fat and lonely or skinny and lonely, and the only difference will be the cost of the surgery. I know that's a little dramatic but it's been on my mind. I still plan to go through with the surgery, and hope that overall with the improvement in my physical life, that my emotional life with improve as well.

[ttdish 315]

It's not just about being fat. I'm so sorry about your marriage.. Whatever happens, lonely and HEALTHY is so much better than lonely and unhealthy, every day of the week. Take care of yourself, value yourself, and whatever else happens, you'll be in a better place than if you don't.

[sleevenv 483]

Sometimes being alone is a lot less lonely than being in a relationship with someone who isn't supportive. Single doesn't mean lonely.

[Babbs 14,680]

It's not all about being thinner. Thin people still suffer from depression. Thin people still take medications for depression. Thin people still commit suicide. Thin people still need counseling.

It's a chemical imbalance that needs to be addressed with either cognitive therapy, medication, or at the least, diet and exercise.

I've had depression my whole life, mostly controlled with medication and therapy. Didn't matter if I was fat or thin, I suffered from depression.

Call me crazy (ha), but I have found this time around with the sleeve, now that I've truly committed to a cleaner, healthier lifestyle by quitting smoking, exercising regularly, and eating nothing but real, non processed food, I have put my depression into remission and am off all medications. I don't contribute it to the fact that I'm thinner now, I honestly believe that diet and exercise was the key. I have just as much stress that can cause depression and anxiety after being sleeved than I did before (and sometimes I didn't need any stress or anxiety to be depressed). The difference is I'm able to deal with it much better having a clear mind and healthy body. Somehow, my diet and regular exercise has helped change that imbalance I've dealt with my whole life. Don't ask me how, but it did.

[purz59 57]

I have battled depression since I was 21. I'm now 56. I'm concerned about being depressed after the surgery, although my depression is controlled well right now with medication. I know that losing weight will not cure my chemical imbalance, just hoping it will give me more self confidence. Did you have to adjust your psychotropic meds after surgery?