Weight and anxiety

It's a hard decision to make.  Be happy and over weight? Or Struggle with anxiety but not keeping gaining the pounds?

Sometimes when you are taking anxiety medication you can also find yourself gaining weight.  It doesn't happen to everyone and different medications have different side effects for people.  Personally, when I was taking medication for my anxiety I put on a lot of weight.  Like over 30kgs of weight!  I really struggled with the decision to come off the medication.  I saw my Dr and we had a long discussion about the pros and cons of staying on my medication.  I just couldn't help feeling that I was being more miserable by the week as my weight creeped up and my anxiety was still bad.  Ultimately the decision was made for me with the surprise arrival of my third child and my decision to come off all medication.

#PLEASE consult your doctor before stopping any medication!  That is their expertise, not mine.

Once you've weaned yourself off the medication does that mean the weight will just start falling off?
Unfortunately that is not always the case.  Our body has a job to protect us and sometimes it feels that the extra padding it carries is a protection from the outside world. 

• Maybe you want to feel invisible and carrying extra weight allows people to not look at you (My hand goes up!).
  
• Maybe you're in a relationship with a partner who you don't want to find you attractive and being with them makes you feel anxious because you know you need to talk about your relationship, but it's too scary.  Being overweight and unhappy with your body is a good out to not have to be intimate with each other.
• Maybe your job or friendships or environment is all too overwhelming so your body is holding on to the extra padding to make you feel safer.

There are also biological reasons why your body is refusing to kick the kilos.

• Medication can sometimes cause gastrointestinal reflux so in order to get rid of the burning and sick feeling, you eat.  
• Or, you take antacid medication to deal with the reflux which in turn lowers your stomach acid too low that it takes your body a long time to digest it's food and you end up gaining weight from a slow metabolism.
• Anxiety can trigger emotional eating habits.  Are you reaching for the oreos late at night because you are anxious about the day ahead?
• Chronic stress from anxiety increases cortisol which makes us resistant to insulin which raises our blood sugar, after a sugar crash our appetite increases and then we eat more! And this fat is usually deposited around our belly. 

So as you can see, there are a few hurdles you will have to face to lose weight while dealing with anxiety.  But, the good news is it is possible!
I myself lost over 54kgs after a prolonged period of anxiety and stress.

The first tip is before you start any weight loss journey, please consult a health care professional.  You want to succeed and I want you to too.  The way you do that is by having a plan for your weight loss. 

This includes:

• The right food choices for you.  Not everyone does well on a low FODMAP, Paleo, Keto, Low salicylate diet.  Make sure you are eating the right way for your body.  
• Make sure your digestion is up and running correctly so you can digest your food properly.  Do you need help managing reflux or increasing stomach acid to aid digestion of your food?
• Have tools in your bag to help reduce your anxiety levels such as herbs, nutrients, mindfulness, and tapping techniques.  The more prepared you are the higher chance for success.
• Have an exercise plan.  You don't need to go to the gym twice a day to get enough exercise to help with weight loss.  I started with walking around my backyard and parking a little further away from the shops.
• Who is your support person?  This is an important one.  You don't have to tell everyone you meet that you are trying to lose weight, but you need to have someone in your corner that you can talk to.  There are days where you are doing amazing and days where you fall off the wagon and eat a whole tub of ice cream (yes, speaking from experience!) 
  

​The good news is every day is a new day.  You are not losing weight for anyone else, you are losing it for you so there is no time limit.  Don't lose weight for an event, lose weight for you.  You