Serious marital issues. Death. Exited Military. Depression. PTSD. Insomnia. Anxiety. Trial runs of several antidepressants over a year and a half. All of this occurred within the same year but here I am, over 2 years later about 40 pounds heavier than I was when my mom died and when I was still in uniform. I used to be great at fasting. I used to exercise as regularly as I would do any other thing.
It seems really hard to get back on track. Every time I find my stride something else happens that makes me not gaf.
Where do you all look for inspiration when things get to this point?
Hi my friend. For me the inspiration is simply “I would rather feel hungry for a portion of the day than feel fat the rest of my life.”
I’m sorry about how you have had a series of crises. I understand how that stress can contribute to gaining weight steadily. I’ve been there. I’m sure you can get to a better place.
I’m sorry to read all this. I don’t know what to do for you in terms of intermittent fasting, but I do have one piece of advice for the rest of your troubles. I would start therapy ASAP if you haven’t already. I wouldn’t worry about IF at this point, if you need to eat, go ahead, and don’t beat yourself up about it. Get things sorted out, IF will always be there to back to when you’re ready.
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For what it’s worth, I am pulling for you. I know the great people in this sub would feel the same.
I’m sorry about all this, it seems really hard. From my own experiences with therapy, taking control of even one small aspect of your life could help you feel better. I would say that if you do start IF, then just focus on getting used to the minimum level of it first rather than going all out as that may be very exhausting to maintain. After the base level of fasting becomes a habit, you can add something else, like going for a walk once a day.
At least for me, the hardest part of doing anything is getting started so just go for it and don’t beat yourself up for backsliding every now and then, you’ll still be doing a lot more than you were before. Good luck to you with everything and I hope this new year is much better ❤️
Hey, I’m not a medical expert but I learned this year that deficiency in certain vitamins and minerals can contribute significantly to depression and/or stress. Have you checked your blood serum levels through a doctor for deficiency? Some that will affect your mood are vit D, vitamins B12, magnesium. Are you taking any nutritional supplements? Most people are deficient in vit D despite ‘being able to get out from sun exposure.’
I highly recommend watching Dr Berg’s videos on YouTube. He talks about causes and symptoms of deficiencies including depression. Also, the fact you are suffering ptsd tells me your body may be depleted on some nutrients because stress does that. I’m speaking from personal experience. I wish you good health!