Exercise and Depression

[Jub]

I've pretty badly overweight, 5'11 and 309 lb, and suffering from depression. In order to fix this, I got a gym membership back in September and my first session, with a trainer, was on September 9th. I did a 3 day week of sessions with him and then paid to get a session roughly every week for the next 20 weeks. I've been doing arm day, leg day, and a core day 3 days per week and thus far I've shuffled days and times around, but have yet to miss a day within the week it was supposed to be done.

In addition, I've cut my pop intake by a lot and have basically cut out energy drinks entirely while drinking more water and replacing my pop cravings with low calories drinks like Gatorade G2. My eating habits are still pretty terrible though they're no worse than before I started at the gym. In short I've made a start into being healthier over all.

I'm more flexible, probably at least a little stronger, and less prone to losing my wind going up the stairs to my apartment; however I'm still just as depressed as ever. My sleep schedule is just as hard to maintain as it's ever been, I'm no more energetic than I was before starting, and I still go through days where nothing seems to break my boredom and listlessness. People always say how great exercise is for depression, but I'm just not feeling any changes.

I should also add that I'm not currently on medication, I've been off Cipralex (Alt: Escitalopram or Lexapro) for around 6 months now and wanted to see if a lifestyle change might help remove the need for meds. That's not happened to this point and I'm going to go in to get a prescription shortly. I'm hoping to get a low dose of Cipralex and maybe a low dose slow release stimulant like an Adderall or Dexedrine to try to combat the lethargy that Cipralex just doesn't cut through.

I'm not really sure what I expect to hear back from the board on this one, but I know we have members that have dealt with or are dealing with depression and I figured I'd share where I'm currently at.

[Raw Shark]

Exercise is good for depression, as a general thing, but it's not a magic bullet. It may substitute for meds for some, but definitely not all. Even if you still need meds, keeping it up will probably reduce the dosage you need, and therefore any unpleasant side effects.

For me, being fat was a huge source of legitimately being unhappy, so losing weight helped out with that a lot. One of the side effects of that was having more emotional energy to deal with being unreasonably depressed because I didn't expend it being bummed out over my fatness. Giving up soda and starting light exercise was all I had to do to achieve that goal; I still eat the same bullshit I always did, just in smaller portions now that my stomach is smaller.

Good luck!

[Welf]

Personally I think it is crap that sport can fix depression. It is one of those myths that turn a problem into a moral issue, implying that it is your own laziness that keeps your from being happy. It's perpetuated because it seems to make sense and because it's something you should do anyway. A friend of mine is suffering from depressions and rides a lot with her bike, but she didn't notice much effect.

However, it is not useless. I have problems with depressions myself, and did join a gym a year ago, but didn't visit as constantly as I should. The effects on your stamina and strength are there, you just don't notice them because it is gradual (and slow). But stay a few weeks out of gym and you will be surprised how much harder the exercises will be.
The effect on your mood is also a bit more subtle. I usually have a certain kick and feel a bit more energetic after training, making it easier to go out and do something, which in turn lighten my mood. Being fitter is rather an amplifier that makes it easier to do things that make you feel better. Also it removes a reason to feel bad about yourself which helps on the mental aspect.

[General Zod]

You won't notice the changes unless you start keeping track of your progress. If you keep a list of how much weight and reps you do from week to week it will be easier to spot improvement and figure out where you need to make adjustments. I've found that biking when possible is a big help as far as exercise and weight loss goes.

[Zixinus]

If you have clinical depression and recovering from that, exercise won't "fix" it. That's why its clinical depression, you are depressed when you shouldn't be. But that doesn't mean you should stop doing it because it might be worse without it.

But as someone who has non-clinical depression caused by other things, exercise and losing fat does have positive effect. Just knowing that I can run again after trying to learn to do so again gives confidence which shields against depression a little.

[biostem]

I live a very sedentary lifestyle, and really felt it start getting to me. I work odd hours, so a gym membership wasn't really feasible. What I ended up doing is I ordered a rowing machine. The main reasons I went this route were that I can work out on the rowing machine while watching TV/a movie, it doesn't make a lot of noise, it's low impact, and, (depending on what resistance setting you use), it can provide both strength training and cardio. The most difficult aspect of undertaking this endeavor was getting myself to do it - it took about 3 weeks of making myself exercise before it started feeling like a "normal" part of my day. I've been doing it for a little over a month now, and just wish that i had started doing it sooner...

[Jub]

Thanks for all the posts guys, it's always nice to get some perspective.

The good news is that I'm not at any risk to stop the exercise part of things. I track my weights and reps via posting them as facebook statuses, this works as both a log and as a way for me to get encouragement when I need it. I'm not bothering with tracking weight loss or inches lost because that's not why I'm doing this. Of course, weight loss and a better-looking body certainly can't hurt any.

So I guess I was just hoping that exercise would work the way people who don't know anything about depression think it should.

[Lord Revan]

Thanks for all the posts guys, it's always nice to get some perspective.

The good news is that I'm not at any risk to stop the exercise part of things. I track my weights and reps via posting them as facebook statuses, this works as both a log and as a way for me to get encouragement when I need it. I'm not bothering with tracking weight loss or inches lost because that's not why I'm doing this. Of course, weight loss and a better-looking body certainly can't hurt any.

So I guess I was just hoping that exercise would work the way people who don't know anything about depression think it should.

yeah it would be nice if you could just "get over it" like people who don't know anything about depression think you should be able to, but alas that's not the case. I've been recovering from clinical depression for the last 15 years or so and I'm still no where close to being "over it", it's a long and difficult journey with no easy way out. Still it's worth it, you just have to accept that there's no miracle cure for it and it gets better and easier.

[Raw Shark]

I always advise people who are trying to lose weight to ignore scales and just go by how they feel and how much they like what they see in the mirror.

[Ziggy Stardust]

Personally I think it is crap that sport can fix depression. It is one of those myths that turn a problem into a moral issue, implying that it is your own laziness that keeps your from being happy. It's perpetuated because it seems to make sense and because it's something you should do anyway

Well, that and it has been experimentally validated in a number of scientific studies like this one, this one, this one, and this one.

The beneficial effects of exercise on mental health are far from a myth, and it is dangerous for you to propagate the belief that it is one without fact-checking yourself first.

That said, as has been said in this thread by others, it is no "magic bullet." Mental health is such an incredibly complex and intensely personal issue that there will likely never be one panacea treatment for depression or anything like it, only a number of approaches to help ameliorate its impact. Exercise happens to be one of those, as the articles I linked to make clear.

I always advise people who are trying to lose weight to ignore scales and just go by how they feel and how much they like what they see in the mirror.

I think that's pretty terrible advice, in my opinion. It's REALLY difficult to gauge weight change in a mirror, unless you are taking photos of yourself before/after with which to compare. Most successful weight loss is very slow and subtle, which would make any changes in the mirror difficult do detect. Hell, it's a pretty well known psychological quirk that humans in general are terrible at looking at themselves in a mirror and making objective decisions about the way they look. Scales are useful because they will actually show you whether you are being successful in losing weight and the rate at which you are doing so. It makes it easier to set and meet specific goals, which is an important component of any exercise/weight-loss routine for staying motivated. It also gives you a number that you can combine with your age and sex to see roughly where you fall on the general distribution in the population; it can be important to know that you fall, for example, in the "average" range of weights rather than on the "overweight" side.

In short, I think telling people to ignore scales and just go by feel is incredibly misleading.

[Jub]

yeah it would be nice if you could just "get over it" like people who don't know anything about depression think you should be able to, but alas that's not the case. I've been recovering from clinical depression for the last 15 years or so and I'm still no where close to being "over it", it's a long and difficult journey with no easy way out. Still it's worth it, you just have to accept that there's no miracle cure for it and it gets better and easier.

I'm not new to the cycle of depression myself, it just never gets easier to climb and fall over and over again. Doesn't mean I won't keep trying though, I'm the sort that just wants to see what comes next.

I think that's pretty terrible advice, in my opinion. It's REALLY difficult to gauge weight change in a mirror, unless you are taking photos of yourself before/after with which to compare. Most successful weight loss is very slow and subtle, which would make any changes in the mirror difficult do detect. Hell, it's a pretty well known psychological quirk that humans in general are terrible at looking at themselves in a mirror and making objective decisions about the way they look. Scales are useful because they will actually show you whether you are being successful in losing weight and the rate at which you are doing so. It makes it easier to set and meet specific goals, which is an important component of any exercise/weight-loss routine for staying motivated. It also gives you a number that you can combine with your age and sex to see roughly where you fall on the general distribution in the population; it can be important to know that you fall, for example, in the "average" range of weights rather than on the "overweight" side.

In short, I think telling people to ignore scales and just go by feel is incredibly misleading.

I think there's a balance to strike with this. Scale watching day to day and even week to week can be discouraging unless you're on a fitness and diet plan designed to shed weight quickly. For myself I've weighed in twice since I've started and I've either stayed the same weight or gained very slightly since starting. I'm not doing this to lose weight though; for me feeling better and being healthier is the sole goal and all else is secondary.

[Crazedwraith]

On the other hand if you're losing fat and gaining muscle at the same time. You might look/feel a lot better but still have the same weight according to the scales. Which might make you down despite you being a lot better off really.

[Raw Shark]

Crazedwraith is on top of what I'm saying here. Weight is just a number, and if you're starting any kind of new exercise regimen, you're going to build muscle as you lose fat. Watching that number stay the same while you grow more fit daily can be... incredibly misleading.

[madd0ct0r]

A very good one for that is measuring tape around the stomach. Even a bit of exercise when there was none will get your digestive system moving faster with visible waistband shrinking.
My weight can fluctuate by a couple of kilos day to day, I just have a range of trousers, aiming to wear the loose ones less often. It's fucking satisfying when I get to add a new set of tighter ones to the set.

[Arthur_Tuxedo]

There are a couple of tricks you can use that will take the first 10 or so lbs off relatively easily. One is to drink two glasses of water right before every meal. The water will help fill your stomach and make you feel full more quickly. The other is to have a couple of green smoothies before breakfast. This will cut down on your morning apetite and give you a huge energy boost. This is the recipe I use:

6 stalks of celery
1/2 bunch of kale
1 apple
1 pear
1 lemon squeezed into the blender
1 pineapple
1/2 the blender cup filled with water

Only half of this fits into the blender, so I do it in 2 passes and get about 8 cups of smoothie, enough for most of the week. You end up with a tasty "drink" that you half-drink, half-chew. When I started drinking these, I lost about 15 lbs without making any other diet changes or doing any additional exercise.

[Jub]

There are a couple of tricks you can use that will take the first 10 or so lbs off relatively easily. One is to drink two glasses of water right before every meal. The water will help fill your stomach and make you feel full more quickly. The other is to have a couple of green smoothies before breakfast. This will cut down on your morning apetite and give you a huge energy boost. This is the recipe I use:

6 stalks of celery
1/2 bunch of kale
1 apple
1 pear
1 lemon squeezed into the blender
1 pineapple
1/2 the blender cup filled with water

Only half of this fits into the blender, so I do it in 2 passes and get about 8 cups of smoothie, enough for most of the week. You end up with a tasty "drink" that you half-drink, half-chew. When I started drinking these, I lost about 15 lbs without making any other diet changes or doing any additional exercise.

I'll have to set aside the cash to get a new blender (the last one poofed sometime between my storing my stuff and getting it back), but I could see myself giving this a go.

[biostem]

Thanks for all the posts guys, it's always nice to get some perspective.

The good news is that I'm not at any risk to stop the exercise part of things. I track my weights and reps via posting them as facebook statuses, this works as both a log and as a way for me to get encouragement when I need it. I'm not bothering with tracking weight loss or inches lost because that's not why I'm doing this. Of course, weight loss and a better-looking body certainly can't hurt any.

So I guess I was just hoping that exercise would work the way people who don't know anything about depression think it should.

yeah it would be nice if you could just "get over it" like people who don't know anything about depression think you should be able to, but alas that's not the case. I've been recovering from clinical depression for the last 15 years or so and I'm still no where close to being "over it", it's a long and difficult journey with no easy way out. Still it's worth it, you just have to accept that there's no miracle cure for it and it gets better and easier.

I think a big part of the problem is how people tend to conflate the colloquial meaning of the term "depression" with the clinical, chronic condition. I think it is safe to say that everyone gets a little down every now and again, but that is a lot different than the severe/life-long condition. The former a person tends to "get over" with a bit of time or distraction, while the latter can be equated with an ongoing battle.

Various forms of media don't help this, as they portray such sufferers as just needing to "find their soulmate, get laid, or suck it up"...

[Ziggy Stardust]

Crazedwraith is on top of what I'm saying here. Weight is just a number, and if you're starting any kind of new exercise regimen, you're going to build muscle as you lose fat. Watching that number stay the same while you grow more fit daily can be... incredibly misleading.

You will only be building muscle if you are weight training and upping your protein intake as part of a dedicated muscle building regimen. And, even then, typically when you begin a program like that, the first couple of weeks entail weight/fat loss before you start gaining.

Especially if you are new to exercising, you are not going to see immediate gains in muscle growth like that. It's just not how the body responds. And if you aren't increasing your protein intake, you may not see significant muscle growth at all.

Anyway, I agree that weight ON ITS OWN isn't enough to judge how fit you are, and you are right that relying on it exclusively can be misleading, but it is more misleading (in my experience) to ignore it entirely and focus exclusively on utterly subjective criteria like you recommended. If you really want to rely on physical appearance, you should be taking regular photos of yourself once a week (or once a workout session, depending on how dedicated you are), so you can actually track the progress over time. Otherwise, you are liable to get discouraged because of how slow real progress can be when you start working out.

[Raw Shark]

Depends on what you mean by building muscle, I guess. I think I added a pound or two on my legs just from the elevator being out for three months in my building. Is that a significant difference? A matter of opinion, but it's better than nothing. I'm not talking about building muscle in terms of visibly bulking up here, or losing weight to achieve an arbitrary number, just being toned and feeling healthy instead of shitty, which you can achieve by going from zero activity to some activity. That was my goal, and I feel great about achieving it, but the mileage of others may of course vary.

[Arthur_Tuxedo]

I'll have to set aside the cash to get a new blender (the last one poofed sometime between my storing my stuff and getting it back), but I could see myself giving this a go.

People sing the praises of expensive blenders, and for all I know they might be right, but I picked up a basic Oster on Craigslist for $20 and it does the job just fine, so you might not need to save up much.

[Jub]

I'll have to set aside the cash to get a new blender (the last one poofed sometime between my storing my stuff and getting it back), but I could see myself giving this a go.

People sing the praises of expensive blenders, and for all I know they might be right, but I picked up a basic Oster on Craigslist for $20 and it does the job just fine, so you might not need to save up much.

I didn't figure I'd need to save much, I'm just paycheque to paycheque right now thanks to paying for a trainer at the gym.

[Welf]

Well, that and it has been experimentally validated in a number of scientific studies like this one, this one, this one, and this one.

The beneficial effects of exercise on mental health are far from a myth, and it is dangerous for you to propagate the belief that it is one without fact-checking yourself first.

That said, as has been said in this thread by others, it is no "magic bullet." Mental health is such an incredibly complex and intensely personal issue that there will likely never be one panacea treatment for depression or anything like it, only a number of approaches to help ameliorate its impact. Exercise happens to be one of those, as the articles I linked to make clear.

From Merriam-Webster:

Fix

: to make (something) whole or able to work properly again : to repair (something)

: to deal with or correct (a problem)

: to attach (something) in such a way that it will not move : to connect or join (things) physically

I made the statement that exercise cannot fix depression (you quoted). This is correct and validated by your links. I also wrote that exercise helps with depression (you cut that part of my quote). This is correct and validated by your links. So

[Jub]

Good news for anybody who cares.

I'm still hitting the gym regularly. I've only missed two sessions, both in the same low energy week. Still, aside from that I go three days each week. Two months in and I'm probably a bit trimmer, I'm certainly much stronger, and I'm markedly more flexible. My trainer helps a lot, and I'll be sad when my current round of sessions is up because I can't afford to renew due to other financial needs. Still, I hope to sign up for more sessions with those taken care of.

[madd0ct0r]

Aeesome. If you are enjoying it and would do it again, that's perfect

[Jub]

Aeesome. If you are enjoying it and would do it again, that's perfect

Plus even without the trainer my gym membership will still be there. So I'll keep doing that, just without the extra oomph from a trainer.