Depression and Weight Loss

Depression and weight gain are closely related, because very often people want to relieve the stress and bad feeling by eating. Being on a weight loss program during a depression period can be very demanding, but if successful, can be a tremendous boost to self confidence and help with depression also. On the other hand, being over weighted can contribute to depression because we easily lose our self confidence and have a bad self image, which can trigger depressive and negative thoughts and feelings.

What is depression really?

The word depression stems from two words; "de" and "pressure". We feel like we're pressed down by a force bigger than our willpower, like a big cloud hanging over us. Eventually this depressed feeling takes over so much, it's hard to get up from bed sometimes. We lose our zeal for life, nothing inspires us and our life force seems to be totally gone. Sometimes a person can suffer from depression without anybody noticing it. Nobody sees inside of you, not your family, your friends nor workmates. In these situations one feels helpless and alone.

These are the symptoms but what are the reasons? Why do people suffer from depression? Can and should depression be treated medically?

Depression occurs when our life force is weakened and this can have several causes. We all have different ability to handle difficult situations and when for a long period of time things seem to go wrong, this can be enough to trigger depression. Depression is emotional, but negative thoughts make it worse. Life force is what keeps our spirits up and gets us going. This life force is mostly in our spine, but we feel it in our body as vigor, strength and inspiration. Being depressed means we have somehow lost our natural life force and fallen into a psychological well.

Medication can help relieve some pain and remove some symptoms temporally, but it is never a long term solution. It is very important to understand that depression has its roots inside us, it is not coming from outside. Best treatment is positive thinking, different hobbies and support from friends and family.

As I said earlier, depression and weight loss are closely related. Many people feel that one reason they are depressed is because they are over weighted. If you feel this is so, you are most probably right. The weight problem is one reason that makes the life situation worse. But how can one lose weight when all the energy goes to just live from day to day?

Actually what is needed in these situations is action. If we just wait for depression to go away, it might take a much longer time. A healthy diet program that checks our condition frequently is very good and can help boost our confidence and generate a forward going feeling in life. This feeling will eventually remove the depressed emotions and our life force will be free to flow again.

Depression is enemy and we need to face our enemy and conquer it. It is done by taking action and losing weight is a good action to take, but we must not be too strict and hard to ourselves. Allow one feast meal per week, don's skip meals and eat healthy foods. If it gets unbearable, call someone, talk about it, share it - take action. This will help you take the all important first step. Do things you like that in the past have given you enjoyment. Start something new and move yourself. Life is movement, death is motionless, and depression makes you feel you are dead inside, so the best treatment is to move on like there never was any depression - and soon your system will follow and you have won one very important battle.

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