Generally, during the developmental period, we all are going through various weight changes. Sometimes we gain weight without any intention, and sometimes we started losing weight. Various factors are associated with such changes: daily routine change, work changes, dietary habits, and many more factors.
Depression is one of the underlying causes that lead to weight changes in us. People suffering from depressive episodes may appear to face over-weightage and under-weightage issues. There are different ways of overcoming weight changes.
Looking for a trigger
1. Examine depression symptoms and food
When you feel weight change issues, it is important to go to a physician and look for certain medical conditions. Medical conditions like cancer and hypothyroidism may lead to weight change that affects the body’s normal balance. So it is best to be evaluated by your doctor.
If there is no underlying cause for weight change, then look for a diagnosis of depression. Other than this, look at food patterns is also important. The quantity, variety, and combination of food and the frequency with which food is consumed; all made up food pattern. If you suffer from weight change issues, you should opt for a balanced food pattern to maintain your weight at balance.
2. Examine life pattern
Patterns help us organize thoughts and establish order in our lives. As we begin to connect patterns in nature and life, they bring a sense of harmony to our minds. Patterns are excellent in helping us establish priorities. Everyday life, daily life, or routine life comprises how people typically act, think, and do.
Examining daily life patterns will bring you up to better your survival, and you can opt for a change to maintain weight and overcome weight changes.
3. Read nutritional labels of food
Read caloric and nutritional labels of the food you eat and eliminate from your diet any foods with empty calories, including fast food and fried, starchy, sugary, sweet, and processed foods. This habit will help you deal with weight changes, and you will be able to maintain weight.
4. Consult with dietitian
If your depression, weight gain, or weight loss is significant, it is particularly important to be involved in a balanced diet. Consult your dietitian to maintain weight. Along with this positive attitude is also a key.
Your dietitian can help you set realistic weight goal challenges. Many people find medical, nutritional therapy helps to maintain weight. Your dietician will tell you how many calories to eat per day to balance your weight and overcoming weight changes.
Changing self-attitude
5. Enhance self-confidence
Positive thinking, practice, training, knowledge, and talking to other people are useful ways to help improve or boost your confidence levels. Confidence comes from feelings of well-being, acceptance of your body, and belief in your ability, skills, and experience.
By enhancing self-confidence, you would not feel embarrassed about being low or high body weightage. Hence, it indirectly leads to overcome your weight changes and depression.
6. Look for acceptance and love
You accept that you have flaws, but you do not let others define you. You accept that, as a fallible human being, you are less than perfect. You will often perform well, but you will also error at a time. You always and unconditionally accept yourself without judgment. Hence, you can overcome weight changes.
Self-love and self-acceptance are critical aspects of health and happiness. These attributes shape our physical, mental, and emotional health in real and concrete ways. When we refuse to accept ourselves, we cut ourselves from the energy that sustains life, leading to serious health issues.
7. Respect your decisions
When you make decisions, you fail, but it does not mean we should not take decisions. Always take decisions and respect your decision as in future, you will not regret not taking a decision and exploring the opportunities in life. You can make decisions about your choice of food and diet.
You are one who knows what’s right for you and what do you want. So, do not hesitate to make decisions for your weight changes issue.
8. Be patient
Patience is a virtue. Having patience means you can remain calm, even when you’ve been waiting forever or dealing with something painstakingly slow. If you are dealing with depression and weight changes issues, change your habits and diet plans. Do not give up.
You could not be able to find a result in just a day or a few. You may seek patience and stick to your plans. It will direct you to combat weight change issues.
Addressing Under weightage
9. Take small meals each day
Underweight people may get full faster than others. Instead of eating the typical two to three large meals, break your meals down into 5 or 6 smaller meals to enjoy throughout the day. Strive to eat a small meal or snack every 3 or 4 hours.
10. Refrain from eating empty-calorie junk food
It may be tempting to gorge on high-calorie processed foods to see an increase on the scale. But that route is not beneficial for relieving your depression, increasing your energy, or improving your mood. Remember that you get your energy from foods. If you choose packaged foods loaded with sugar and salt, you are fueling your body with these.
11. Add on healthy fats
If you are trying to put on weight after a sudden loss, it can help supplement your usual meals with fatty extras. Again, you’re not going for unhealthy or empty-calorie foods. Instead, add on healthy fats to increase your calorie intake without sacrificing nutrition.
For example, you can add veggies and healthy fats like avocado to your morning omelet. Swap out skim milk for whole milk. Dip your apples in all-natural peanut butter for a snack.
12. Enjoy occasional treat
Even though you can afford to put on some extra pounds, you still don’t want to consume excessive sugar and unhealthy fats. However, an occasional treat can be a nice perk when eaten in moderation. If you like ice cream, treat yourself to frozen yogurt. Or, mix up a batch of cookies made from healthy ingredients like oatmeal and applesauce.
13. Try out strength training
Strength training is an asset to overall physical fitness and improved mental health. Plus, this exercise method allows you to build muscle mass and pick up weight in a healthy way. You can practice strength training in a number of ways, including free weight exercises with dumbbells, bodyweight exercises, weight machines, or resistance tubing activities.
If you are new to strength training, you may want to consult with a doctor or fitness expert before starting a new regimen.
14. Take a walk
You might think that exercising to gain weight is counterintuitive. “Why workout if I am not trying to lose weight?” you ask. In the same vein that exercises burns calories; it also boosts appetite. Even light, minimal activities like walking or jogging can prompt a desire to eat afterward.
Give it a try. In addition to stimulating your appetite, going outside in nature to exercise can also improve your mood.
15. Take it slow
People with depression often feel overwhelmed with life, so having small, incremental weight-management goals is essential. If you drink sugary drinks, for example, make eliminating them your goal for one week. Then move on to cutting out fried foods the next week. It will help you in the management of weight changes.
16. Get moving
Just as with changes to your diet, increase physical activity gradually. The low energy associated with depression can be debilitating. Start by stretching for a few minutes in the morning, and make that your goal for four or five days. Then add a walk around the block. If you make small incremental changes, you’ll feel more in control over time, have a more positive outlook, and become more motivated to exercise.
Combating overweight
17. Set a goal
Set a goal for how much weight you want to lose. Commit to making gradual but consistent changes to your lifestyle. Figure on losing a pound or so per week. To achieve this, shed 500 to 1,000 calories per day by consuming fewer calories, burning more calories through increased activity, or better yet, both.
18. Opt for the Mediterranean diet
Eating more fruits and vegetables by enjoying salad as a starter or side dish, snacking on fruit, and adding veggies to other words. Choosing whole grains instead of refined breads, rice, and pasta. Substituting fish for red meat at least twice per week.
Pairing the Mediterranean diet with a healthy lifestyle could promote weight loss.
19. Exercise
Set specific daily and weekly goals that include the amount of time and the type of activity you are going to engage in. Strive to exercise at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Explore health magazines, community clubs, organizations, health clubs, and the web to find activities you enjoy.
20. Eliminate emotional eating
Monitor your moods and motives when food cravings strike. Don’t allow sadness, anxiety, boredom, or force of habit to trigger food binges. Instead, eat balanced meals and planned, nutritious snacks.
21. Keep junk out of reach
Take a look at your daily consumption of food no matter how much you try to control yourself; when you can’t help but reach out for processed or junk food, a few quick tips my ensure you stay away from the temptation. Keep the rice snacks handy. Get rid of those packets of fried chips in delicious.
22. Do what you love
Start doing things that you find interesting to do. Go out for a walk with loved ones and spend quality time with them. You can go shopping, or you may get yourself a solo date in an amusing place if you are alone. This will help you to overcome weight changes because of stress.
23. Give yourself a break
Give yourself time to reflect and experience your feelings. When you share your feelings, you save time and energy by addressing the underlying issue right away. Learn to be with yourself. It’s the little things that we often gloss over that mean the most in our lives if we take the time to notice them.
Good breaks reduce mental fatigue, boost brain function, and stay focused on maintaining weight changes.
24. Give mood a workout
Commit and set a particular goal to fulfill. Put all your excuses aside and start pushing yourself into doing a workout. When you exercise, your body starts feeling positive emotions in the body.
Both aerobic exercise (such as walking, cycling, or running) and strength training (such as weight lifting) can help treat depression.
25. Reward yourself
Set your target to achieve. For example, if you set a time of one month to lose 5 kg of your weight. When you achieve this small target, you can reward yourself in the form of eating your favorite food at one time a day.
Keep loving and rewarding yourself after setting your goals and achieving them; you will be better able to overcome weight changes.
Medications and therapy
26. Anti-depressants
If in case you are suffering from a depressive episode and that is the reason for appetite disturbance. Antidepressants such as SSRIs can help relieve symptoms of depression, social anxiety disorder, anxiety disorders, seasonal affective disorder, dysthymia, or mild chronic depression, as well as other conditions.
27. Participate in talk therapy
Talk therapy, also known as psychotherapy, is what mental health professionals use to communicate with their patients. The purpose of talk therapy is to help people identify issues that cause emotional distress. It teaches people strategies to combat weight change issues and identifying the causes to help people.
28. Cognitive-behavioral therapy
Cognitive therapy is a treatment process that helps patients correct false self-beliefs that lead to certain moods and behaviors. The fundamental principle behind cognitive therapy is that thought precedes a mood and that both are interrelated with a person’s environment, physical reaction, and subsequent behavior.
Summary
Weight change is a symptom associated with depression. It can lead people over-weightage or under-weightage if you are a victim of such a problem and want to help yourself out of this issue. The suggested ways will help you and bring you back to life. Life is a precious thing that you can modify and make ways for your happiness. Psychotherapy is the best option to push people back to do their best for themselves and their improved lives.
Moving forward with Psychotherapy
Fortunately, Ahealo.com offers a global ePsychotherapy platform that allows clients to book an online anonymous private appointment with a broad skill range of psychotherapists at an affordable cost and desired schedule.
Alternatively, if you need to seek psychotherapy, be sure to check out web.ahealo.com. Ahealo is an online psychotherapy platform with a diverse range of psychotherapists for many different fields of mental challenges. Ahealo provides ePsychotherapy at an affordable price, confidential, convenient (through a web page 1-1 private video call), and at your comfortable schedule.
With these options, we believe your weight change issues can be resolved soon.
Stay well.
You must be logged in to post a comment.