Has Your Weight Fluctuated Because Of PTSD?

[Anna]

I have been watching lately how my moods and emotions seem to effect my weight. I have noticed the following:-

Anger:- Get fatigued very easily, store water and put on weight very easily. Headaches, constipated, tired and need to sleep a lot. Don't want to be around people. Avoidant. Easily irritated and annoyed.

Anxiety:- Wide awake, hard to sleep, frequent urination, loss of weight, hypervigilant. Diarhoea, stomach cramps. Cannot sit still, hyperactive. Talk too much. Paranoia.

Depressed:- Lose weight, tendency to want to have an alcoholic beverage, cry a lot, sleep a lot, have trouble falling asleep, frequent urination, avoid people.

My weight fluctuates pretty badly, really depending on my moods.

 

[TeddySue]

I have Diabetes Type 2. I have gained 100 pounds since my last weight loss accomplishment. I can only go a little while dieting and then something happens. I give up and then I sink into a self-destructive mode. There is no one to lose weight for; no one who cares; no one to do it with. My life is empty of most everything positive. I hate myself.

 

[Beverly G.]

TeddySue, Our lives are not a direct result of how we look. We loose weight or not for ourselves and our own health and peace of mind. I say this as a do as I say not as I do deal, because I'm a hypocrite. I am obsessed with my weight. I am always afraid I wont be loved if I gain weight. But this is directly related to my PTSD and something I must work on. Being thin does not make me any happier than being fat how we choose to see ourselves is a choice that does not relate to weight. Try to love yourself again, it is difficult but if you start small it is achievable.

 

[TeddySue]

Being thin does not make me any happier than being fat how we choose to see ourselves is a choice that does not relate to weight. Try to love yourself again, it is difficult but if you start small it is achievable.

I agree, and have decided that my weight loss will be for me; before, it was always for someone and a something, but eventually I saw it made no difference and I was defeated again. THIS time, it's for me because I have diabetes and I need to care if I live or die. Thank you for the right words!

 

[jenny72]

I have badly cramped muscles in my upper back and shoulders, that seems to be where I 'hold' my anxiety if that makes sense. When I get bad those turn into charlie horse cramps that hurt and I get diaherrea..at those times I don't want to eat but I make myself eat anyway. I cannot sleep and stay up half the night alot...and I am easily annoyed. I get too thin at those times... I have not really assessed myself too much - I was misdiagnosed for a long time as having other health issues.

 

[Deleted member 12723]

I do not know if the ptsd has caused the weight gains and losses. When I was diagnosed I lost alot of weight, but I gained it back and then some, I joined Jenny Craig and lost some weight, but I have recently quit smoking and the weight is coming back on. I hate gaining weight. It is so hard to lose it.

But it is better than smoking so I will take the lesser of the 2 evils. Now I'm sober and I quit smoking. That is the benefit of recovery.

 

[a3a2]

I went to a seminar this past weekend that was suggested by my t called "Feast or Famine".. It gave such great information! It was based on a book called "Health For Every Size". Some of the things I learned:

More people fit into the "overweight" category than the "normal" category (so how is normal defined, anyway?). People who are on the high end of "normal" and in the "overweight" category live longer than those in the middle "normal" to "underweight" category. Hereditary makes up the majority of a size indicator. The more people diet, the more they tend to gain as their body reacts to "a famine". IBM was never meant to be an indicator of health, and in fact, has no bearing on ones health!

I tried an experiment on my kids this past weekend. It was a special festive weekend for our church. Every year, on this weekend, we have multiple parties to go to. Typically I limit their sweets and push nutrition on them. This year I simply told them to eat and drink whatever they wanted. They were in control. I didn't care. Guess what?! Not one of them consumed a whole soda. All ate more veggies, and few sweets.

The point is, the more you try to limit yourself, the more you crave what you limit. Instead practice "mindful eating" and ENJOYABLE movement (what? I'm not damned if I don't want to run marathon?). I'm going to give it a try. I am so sick of dieting and gaining more back!!! There is a second part to the seminar, and I have already ordered the book. I wish there was a support group!!!

 

[TeddySue]

Since realizing I was on a path to kill myself by not taking care of my diabetes; gaining all that weight because I didn't care, suddenly, I have this need to get busy losing weight and fighting for my life.

I have lost 20 pounds since March 24th (my son's birthday) and am giving myself insulin shots correctly while eating low carbs and making positive progress.

I belong here with people who can have empathy for my childhood and adult-life abuse; also finding it helpful to be in a forum for diabetes.

Thank you to everyone who posts here; people who reach out in understanding.

 

[TeddySue]

but I have recently quit smoking and the weight is coming back on. I hate gaining weight. It is so hard to lose it.

Oh, I do understand this! With diabetes I find it so hard to lose weight because of the insulin, but just recently the mind-set came back and I'm back on top again (roller coaster ride) losing 20 pounds so far. When I get that mind-set, I can DO IT! I hate gaining weight, too. I am on a forum for diabetics and it helps so much to be there.

But it is better than smoking so I will take the lesser of the 2 evils. Now I'm sober and I quit smoking. That is the benefit of recovery.

I am SO happy to hear this; what a HUGE accomplishment! Food is such an addictive habit, and can't imagine battling food AND tobacco AND alcohol. Just remember, YOUR recovery helps others like me see it can be done. You GO girl![/quote]

 

[Deleted member 12723]

TeddySue-
Thank you very much.

 

[krikkit]

My weight has fluctuated dramatically. I went from 100 lbs (5' 7", so this was severely underweight) to 180 in less than two months. It was a combination of stress eating, inactivity and a medication I was on. I am currently 149 lbs, which is much healthier, but I have a huge number of stretch marks all around my hips and thighs that are probably never going to go away. Another illness I suffered gave me a mass of scars, though, so it doesn't bother me too much. Can't do anything about it, really. I try to stay active now to avoid having my weight change on me but being confined indoors can make it difficult. Any spike in anxiety means my weight is about to go up or down by about 10 lbs.

 

[TeddySue]

Does anyone else "punish" themselves by gaining weight so you become unattractive and therefore less apt to be abused in some way?

My whole life has been one of losing weight and looking good, then immediately start gaining weight because of the fear of abuse. Looking back on this behavior I find times when it was clear that someone said something or looked at me and I reacted in panic because it was my appearance that brought the remarks or look.

And then I gain a horrendous amount of weight and begin to hate (abuse) myself. It's a pattern of destruction I learned to use for self-preservation. No one else wanted to keep me safe...