Weight loss

[MrLurcher]

Hi all, a few of you have probably followed and replied to some of my threads over the past few months regarding various health worries - most recently being bowel troubles.

I haven't weighed myself, but I have lost quite a bit of weight. Jeans which didn't fit me last summer, now fit easily. Around october last year I made quite a conscious decision to get fitter as I put on around 1.5 - 2 stone over the summer due to feeling depressed. I'm not sure if I have lost all that weight already, but I'm worried I have and that's a lot in such a short space of time. I have been exercising more and eating less anyway.

My eating habits have been poor since xmas, and I no longer snack on food like I used to, mainly due to not feeling hungry and my bowels playing up. I feel like my metabolism is sky high, and I'm digesting food incredibly quickly. I do normally eat 3 meals a day, which light snacking in between, so concerned why I'm not maintaining my weight.

I had bloods done for all sorts of things back at the end of December, everything fine. However they have offered to do them again, and a stool sample because I'm still worried about my health. I don't feel that weak or anything, but I do feel tired a lot, and if I listen to my hpnotherapy mp3 in the daytime I can easily fall asleep.

My question is, can this weightloss really be attributed to anxiety? I've been calming down a little over the past few weeks but still feel the weight is coming off. I don't have scales, and currently don't want to get one as it may become a new obsession. I don't feel THAT anxious either, but I don't know if that's because it's become normal for me to feel anxious, or what if I'm actually not THAT anxious and this weight is coming off for sinister reasons.

I have in the past lost weight quickly during stressful times like, house moves, job changes and when my dog died, but those were quite short term and I was back to normal within a few weeks, however this just seems to be carrying on. Quite scared right now, and feel like there's no point going to the docs again because they're already fobbing me off with my bowel worries.

[Darksky]

In one word.....YES!
Last year in the course of about 6 months I lost 11/2 stone. Won't bore you with details but it was a bad year for us as a family and my anxiety levels were consequently extremely high. Yet through it all, I ate normally, admittedly a lot of the time I was making myself it and forcing it down because it takes my appetite but I was eating the same amounts as normal.
Stress hormones burn through calories really quickly. So without even trying you can drop serious amounts of weight.

---------- Post added at 13:54 ---------- Previous post was at 13:53 ----------

And no...despite feeling much better I haven't put a pound of it back on

[MrLurcher]

In one word.....YES!
Last year in the course of about 6 months I lost 11/2 stone. Won't bore you with details but it was a bad year for us as a family and my anxiety levels were consequently extremely high. Yet through it all, I ate normally, admittedly a lot of the time I was making myself it and forcing it down because it takes my appetite but I was eating the same amounts as normal.
Stress hormones burn through calories really quickly. So without even trying you can drop serious amounts of weight.

---------- Post added at 13:54 ---------- Previous post was at 13:53 ----------

And no...despite feeling much better I haven't put a pound of it back on

Thanks for the message. Sorry it's been tough.

It's a tricky one for me, because on one hand I feel happy that I'm at a healthier weight now, it's also quite frightening how easily I've lost it when before hand, exercising wasn't doing much. The fear is especially worse because I've been having bad IBS symptoms, a lot of looser stools, which has me worried about malubsorbtion and if there's something wrong with my bowels.

When I moved house back in March I dropped a few jean sizes in the space of a few weeks so I know stress and anxiety can cause this, but it just feels like I'm spiralling right now.

[Darksky]

I know what you mean, it is very frightening how quickly weight can come off. The anxiety diet is one that truly works although I would not recommend it to anyone.

A lot of people have ibs, I know a few personally and they are not thin, opposite in fact. I also have a pooch with malabsorption, had it all her life and she's not remotely skinny. I think you'll have to accept the fact that it's all your anxiety that's done this. Not accepting it is fuelling the fire of doubt and keeping you stressed thus losing more weight.

[CatLady1]

I know the feeling. I’m battling anxiety over possible bowel or lung cancer (34, non smoker, fit and active) because I’ve lost about 4kg over the last couple of months, and have found specks of blood in both my saliva and stool, once or twice.

I have to remind myself that all of these things have benign explanations. I’ve been going to the gym, eating fairly healthily - and having bouts of major anxiety! My partner has also lost weight in this timespan, and he’s fine. The blood is common and easily explained: piles or a fissure at one end, dry throat or post nasal drip at the other. Waiting on the results from a chest x-ray at the moment.

[Lilly13]

It's so reassuring to see others have also lost weight quickly due to anxiety :( I am also a mess thinking that I have cancer right now due to seemingly rapid weight loss.

[Careful1]

I am going through this as well and I too was very scared once I realized how much weight I lost in less then a months time. I didn't even notice it was happening, it's like it happened over night literally. One day my clothes were fitting snug and the next I woke up, was walking to the kitchen and my pj bottoms dropped to the floor. I then went into the bathroom and had a good look at my body and went into a panic.
I am over weight and even doing extreme diets I never lost this kind of weight. I'm scared but I'm going through a very stressful time at the moment and so I'm thinking for me this is the cause.

[jojo2316]

Your doctors aren’t fobbing you off Mr L.
How did your recent tests go? Have you had the results?
Glad things are a bit more manageable anxiety wise though. That is great news!

[MrLurcher]

Your doctors aren’t fobbing you off Mr L.
How did your recent tests go? Have you had the results?
Glad things are a bit more manageable anxiety wise though. That is great news!

I haven't done the tests yet, mainly because I don't know if they will bring me reassurance - or if they do, it'll only be short lived like the previous ones. I need to draw a line somewhere, despite how difficult it is. I have read so many things about blood / stool tests being clear despite somebody having an illness, that will always play on my mind.

[BlueIris]

Really proud of you for that, Mr. L. Living with uncertainty is the hardest thing.

[NicolasDoplin]

Because of stress and experiences, you have lost a lot of weight and are now worried because of this and continue to lose weight. Looks like a vicious circle. If you want to reduce weight loss, you can reconsider your diet and eat more food and take away snacks because of which you still eat less food in main meals.