overeating anxitey and tired of it

Hi @sf93,

Welcome to the forums! It is nice to see you on here, it's very courageous to reach out. Sorry to hear you are struggling with weight and appetite at the moment due to your medication. I think that is a common experience for a lot of people and I'm sure there are people on the forums who can relate.

Please feel free to have a look around the forums and read any threads that are of interest to you.

If you would like you can introduce yourself here, but no obligation to do that.

Also here are a few threads where people have disucssed medication and weight gain: One by a former member that @utopia contributed to here. And another thread here that @Frederick, @Delicatessen, and @Rayzed_Edge. @outlander also created a thread discussing these issues here.

If you want to 'tag' another forum member, put an @ in front of their forum name.

Look forward to seeing you on the forums 🙂

Also I've tagged quite a few people, no pressure on anyone to contribute.

@sf93.

Hi and welcome to the Forum. Since I got 'sick' 4 years ago I've gained a fair bit of weight.

Eating is a form of self medicating - just like gambling, alcohol & other drugs. It's a short term 'fix' but with negative effects.

Best thing is not to buy junk or lollies or processed foods. Yeah, easier said than done.

Other things are having prepared snacks - carrot sticks etc ready to go in the fridge.

Reward yourself for making it through the day / night without eating too much - buy a new lipstick, get a pedicure, soak in the bath.

Depression makes it really hard for me with my eating. Because of that inability during an episode, to cook dinner. So instead I'll eat a packet of biscuits. And because I've given up my bourbon and coke - I find I'm drinking even more coke than when I drank alcohol.

It is important to be gentle with ourselves and not add to our negative self talk. If you eat a packet of biscuits or two large servings of dinner - it's done. So no point putting yourself down. It was just a slip and you keep your plan to eat healthier.

Mindfulness can help a lot. Eating mindfully. You find you are satisfied and don't need to keep eating or unconsciously eating.

If you have a young one, go to the park, not just to play on the swings, but play chasy around the trees. Walk to the shops instead of driving & reward yourself for doing so. Buy a piece of fruit you've never tried before or one you eat in summer - you can enjoy it now in winter.

Some of our medications can cause weight gain as well. I'm not sure if you are taking medication for your depression and anxiety. If you are, talk to your psychiatrist about trying a different mefication.

Sorry for the long reply.

Just do one little thing everyday. It all adds up.

@sf93 pcos is the worst and many doctors simply say don't eat. They don't realise the issues with hunger/cravings that come from the insulin resistance. Add medication to that and its next level!

In many years I have only found one doctor who addressed the pcos and didn't just say stop eating. Proper blood testing is essential (insulin sensitivity not just fasting blood glucose) I need medication (can't say what here, obviously) to help with the insulin resistance which in turn helps with the overwhelming food cravings, which then helps me keep my diet under control.

I'm hearing you, it sucks. You're not alone xx