Dieting and OCD

[BrianOCD]

I debated where to place this topic, but since my symptoms seem to be very much OCD related, I landed here.

A few months ago I realized it was time to lose weight.  I noticed i was breathing more heavily and my blood pressure was just getting dangerously high among other things.

So when I commit to something I do pretty well, I've managed to lose 23 pounds in 2 months. 

While I'm happy about this, a lot of my Mental Health issues have gone through the roof.  My OCD symptoms are really bothering me.

I'm wondering if anyone else has gone through this and if it's most likely just the stress from the diet, or should I be more concerned?

[jarn]

It's interesting.  I have an ED history, and have been told by various medical professionals that I have OCD as well, though I generally think it's under control (my O type stuff, anyways - and my compulsions are BETTER and don't cause me distress, more that they're a part of my life).  

I too need to lose weight (for similar reasons).  I get VERY obsessive about food, my weight, tracking, macros, micros...I wonder how much of that is the ED and how much of that is the OCD?  I'd never connected the two before.

[BrianOCD]

50 minutes ago, jarn said:

It's interesting.  I have an ED history, and have been told by various medical professionals that I have OCD as well, though I generally think it's under control (my O type stuff, anyways - and my compulsions are BETTER and don't cause me distress, more that they're a part of my life).  

I too need to lose weight (for similar reasons).  I get VERY obsessive about food, my weight, tracking, macros, micros...I wonder how much of that is the ED and how much of that is the OCD?  I'd never connected the two before.

My sister has this issue.

I think ED and OCD are closely linked

Any kind of stress really brings out OCD for me, and prolonged stress especially.  Problem is i still need to lose more pounds and I'm worried about putting myself in an even worse place than I am now.

Edited February 5, 2020 by BrianOCD

[Blahblah]

5 hours ago, BrianOCD said:

My sister has this issue.

I think ED and OCD are closely linked

Any kind of stress really brings out OCD for me, and prolonged stress especially.  Problem is i still need to lose more pounds and I'm worried about putting myself in an even worse place than I am now.

Can you increase your Pristiq?  If i recall, you had been on Effexor for a long time and it pooped out - do you feel more benefit on Pristiq?

[jarn]

Could you lose weight slower?  23lbs in two months is a very rapid loss and could be stressful to lose at that pace?  Or does your OCD make dialling back difficult?

[CrazyRedhead]

1 hour ago, jarn said:

Could you lose weight slower?  23lbs in two months is a very rapid loss and could be stressful to lose at that pace?  

Totally agree with going at a slower pace with the weight loss....maybe aim for only about 1-2 pound loss every week?

It's been shown that people who lose weight slowly are more likely to keep it off:     https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324123.php

Edited February 5, 2020 by CrazyRedhead

[BrianOCD]

17 hours ago, Blahblah said:

Can you increase your Pristiq?  If i recall, you had been on Effexor for a long time and it pooped out - do you feel more benefit on Pristiq?

Thought I changed that, but ya I'm back on Effexor, had to go overseas, first through Canada, and then Turkey.  Pain but at least I got it.

 

[BrianOCD]

14 hours ago, jarn said:

Could you lose weight slower?  23lbs in two months is a very rapid loss and could be stressful to lose at that pace?  Or does your OCD make dialling back difficult?

Once I set out to do something it's difficult for me to go back on it.  So until I reach my goal I'll be dealing with this.  Typically I'm a foodie so my thought process is to create a buffer knowing that I'm going to gain some weight back.  I only have two mindsets when it comes to food.  1. eat whatever i want 2. go on extreme diet and monitor every calorie    I wish there was an in between but it's not me.

I guess i'm looking for coping skills, usually exercise is good for this kind of thing, but obviously it's very exhausting in this state.

[looking for answers]

15 hours ago, jarn said:

Could you lose weight slower?  23lbs in two months is a very rapid loss and could be stressful to lose at that pace?  Or does your OCD make dialling back difficult?

 

1 hour ago, BrianOCD said:

Once I set out to do something it's difficult for me to go back on it.  So until I reach my goal I'll be dealing with this.  Typically I'm a foodie so my thought process is to create a buffer knowing that I'm going to gain some weight back.  I only have two mindsets when it comes to food.  1. eat whatever i want 2. go on extreme diet and monitor every calorie    I wish there was an in between but it's not me.

I guess i'm looking for coping skills, usually exercise is good for this kind of thing, but obviously it's very exhausting in this state.

the strain your placing on CNS and body is insane. What an EXTREMELY RAPID   weight loss. Good for you!, glad your able to lose it. But doesnt mean its the safe way, or a way that is not going to cause you major side effects.

[jarn]

I agree.  It's not a healthy sustainable way.  I am losing weight slower/holding steady, but honestly - I'm hoping I keep it off.  A way of eating that involves a 23lb weight loss in 2 months is not something you can do long-term so you'll just regain the weight.

Truly I get it - mentally I'm in a very similar place - is there anything you can do, OCD-wise, that will help address this?  I've never had formal treatment for OCD and don't know what to do myself, but there must be something we can do?

[CrazyRedhead]

Good article on what rapid weight loss could do to your body (and brain):

https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/rapid-weight-loss-dangers#Go-for-steady-and-healthy-weight-loss

Edited February 6, 2020 by CrazyRedhead

[BrianOCD]

20 pounds in 2 months isn't unheard of especially as I'm a bigger guy, I was pushing 265

I could see 20 pounds in 1 month being ridiculous....

But ya I'm struggling to hold it off as food is sticking, the biggest issue I have is I'm generally always a bit exhausted anyways from dealing with depression/anxiety disorders so having less food and energy is making it harder to exercise and stay active.

[BrianOCD]

17 hours ago, looking for answers said:

 

the strain your placing on CNS and body is insane. What an EXTREMELY RAPID   weight loss. Good for you!, glad your able to lose it. But doesnt mean its the safe way, or a way that is not going to cause you major side effects.

thanks, i think if it'd be easier if I knew for certain that the pain I'm experiencing will subside once I restart normal calorie eating again

[looking for answers]

On 2/6/2020 at 6:06 PM, BrianOCD said:

thanks, i think if it'd be easier if I knew for certain that the pain I'm experiencing will subside once I restart normal calorie eating again

From personal experience with bulking and cutting. When im restricting calories, it can mess with me. It only does if its one of two things

Restricting too much too fast for quick results

Prolonged cuts, with intense workouts.....

 

both can mess withy our anxiety, depression, (im sure OCD), hormones, sleep, sex drive, irritability

[BrianOCD]

On 2/7/2020 at 11:08 PM, looking for answers said:

From personal experience with bulking and cutting. When im restricting calories, it can mess with me. It only does if its one of two things

Restricting too much too fast for quick results

Prolonged cuts, with intense workouts.....

 

both can mess withy our anxiety, depression, (im sure OCD), hormones, sleep, sex drive, irritability

Ya anxiety and OCD really comes out for me during this, along with a bit of trouble sleeping, waking up at weird times.

I gained back some weight so I hope it gets better, my goal is still about 20 pounds away 🥴

[kitties]

Anorexia developed years before ocd, for me. Both are pretty bad.Focusing on numbers, Planning meals, weighing thing’s....it’s very time consuming like OCD, IME  

 

pngoing stress triggers both of the above.  But yes ... OCD is exasperated y it. I taxkle house chores enthusiastically knowing the calorie burn. I have  have bipolar disorder type 1 and this is affedctex  too.  Sorry for typos on my phone

MDD and GAD suck...thinking of you
 

 

Edited February 15, 2020 by kitties

[kitties]

On 2/5/2020 at 11:25 PM, BrianOCD said:

Once I set out to do something it's difficult for me to go back on it.  So until I reach my goal I'll be dealing with this.

I guess i'm looking for coping skills, usually exercise is good for this kind of thing, but obviously it's very exhausting in this state.

I can likely help you with healthy strategies, but I think posting of your weight, BMI before/answer, age and gender may violate rules?  And knowing your goal, of course.  My ED is in remission ... if I can help, message me.  I won’t pass any judgment or confidentiality. 
 

of course, it is a solitary disease, EDs.   I could proffer my ideas, but the control is in tour hands. And perhaps the ED can be used for positive behaviors.

[MiaB]

1 hour ago, kitties said:

I can likely help you with healthy strategies, but I think posting of your weight, BMI before/answer, age and gender may violate rules?  And knowing your goal, of course.  My ED is in remission ... if I can help, message me.  I won’t pass any judgment or confidentiality. 
 

While you may have the best intentions, I'm afraid this is inappropriate. Both the posting of BMI etc and the offer to counsel someone on this issue in private.

[Sync]

Intense calorie restriction will absolutely fuck with your brain, same as any other prolonged physiological stress. The mind-body system is way more connected than a lot of people realize.

I second the recommendations to slow down a bit, as difficult as that can be (I'm a 0-or-100 type of person, myself). I've got pretty severe OCD and I've lost a good amount of weight myself. The trick is to eat sustainably - it has to be something you can see yourself keeping up for the rest of your life, because you're probably going to have to. And eating a little bit less than your TDEE is the way to go, on that. I highly recommend some amount of listening to your body, too. Not entirely, because if you eat every time you're hungry you won't lose anything, but if you've hit your calorie limit for the day and you find yourself cold and shaking, it's better to grab a small snack than to just suffer through it, ime. 

Are you doing cheat days at all? A reasonably regular cheat day is good for both psychological and physiological reasons. In this case, it's giving your body the occasional much-needed break from caloric restriction.