Losing weight despite increasing calories

[Nighttime pacer]

Hi all
I’ve spoken to my GP quite a lot over the last few months as my anxiety has been through the roof.
During the last year I’ve lost around a stone and a half (21 pounds) in weight.
I just can’t seem to put it back on and keep it on. It goes up a little then down again.
I’m eating at least 2500 calories a day, which according to my MyFitnessPal app should be enough to put on around a pound a week but instead I’m losing weight.
My doctor says it’s the anxiety causing it. He did a blood test about 6 months ago which was fine but I’m just so scared that I have cancer that isn’t diagnosed.
I haven’t felt relaxed for months and feel exhausted all the time.
Can this all really be just anxiety?
Thanks for reading
Nighttime Pacer

[ankietyjoe]

Weight loss or gain isn't just about calories in. It's also about level of activity, stress levels, what you eat and when you eat.

When I was working in construction (for example) I was eating in excess of 5-6000 calories a day and losing weight at a rapid rate.

[LouiseAndy]

Weight can be funny- I lost like 40 pounds without trying during a really stressful time but I felt like I was comfort eat lots (junk food and take away nearly daily) yet when I've TRIED really hard to loss weight it wouldn't shift! The body can be a strange thing at times!

[Nighttime pacer]

Thanks Ankietyjoe and LouiseAndy,
I guess that I’m just burning everything off then. Ankietyjoe you said it was also about when you eat, I just wondered what you meant about that.
To be honest I’ve been eating quite a lot of high calorie and unhealthy foods to try and keep the calorie intake high enough.
I have also been eating plenty of fresh vegetables on the side to partially make up for it.
Maybe I need to spread the food more evenly through the day.
I’ve also been feeling exhausted but guess stress will do that too!
Thanks
Nighttime pacer

[ankietyjoe]

Thanks Ankietyjoe and LouiseAndy,
I guess that I’m just burning everything off then. Ankietyjoe you said it was also about when you eat, I just wondered what you meant about that.
To be honest I’ve been eating quite a lot of high calorie and unhealthy foods to try and keep the calorie intake high enough.
I have also been eating plenty of fresh vegetables on the side to partially make up for it.
Maybe I need to spread the food more evenly through the day.
I’ve also been feeling exhausted but guess stress will do that too!
Thanks
Nighttime pacer

Exhaustion and stress play a large role in weight loss/gain.

In terms of eating patterns, you might find it useful to have a quick read about intermittent fasting, or the idea that the amount of hours spent not eating can affect your weight even when daily calories remain the same.

For example, if you only ever eat between 1pm-6pm, that mean you don't eat for 19 hours per day. During that time your body doesn't produce any insulin, and insulin is the hormone that's required to store fat. It's quite possible that you're in a state of mild ketosis for a lot of the time, which is the state where your body actively burns fat for fuel. The actual keto diet means heavily restricting carbohydrates (especially refined) so that your insulin is rarely raised very much at all, and means you can eat higher calories relative to a 'normal' diet.

Some or none of this may apply to you, but it just illustrates the fact that weight gain and loss isn't simply down to calories in vs calories out, a lot of it is also a hormonal effect.

[Nighttime pacer]

Thanks Ankietyjoe, that may explain what’s going on as I do tend to get up late and not eat before 2pm and then again at about 8pm. I have been trying to get up earlier but feel like it’s a cycle of going to bed late because I get up late, I must try and break it.
My GP is sending me for a blood test but still says it’s anxiety.
Anxiety is crippling and I had no idea it could be this bad.

[Nighttime pacer]

Hi all,
I’m still really worrying about this as I remember mentioning to my doctor that I had a sore left shoulder. He said “for how long” I said a couple of years and had some physio. The physio said it was impingement and gave me some exercises. I’m now panicking that it was something else and that I’ve got bone cancer. Also I’ve got bladder urgency (doc says overactive bladder) which was tested with a urine sample and came back fine but I’m now panicking that could be cancer.
I just feel so exhausted by all the anxiety.
I hate feeling like this.

[Fishmanpa]

What are you doing to treat your anxiety?

Positive thoughts

[Nighttime pacer]

Hi FishmanPa, Thanks for replying.
I’m about to start some CBT. My GP wants to put me on sertraline but living alone I can’t face the potential side effects as we are still in lockdown in the uk.
My problem is I can’t quite believe that anxiety alone can cause this much weight loss and the bladder symptoms too. How do I know it’s definitely that?

[Fishmanpa]

How do I know it’s definitely that?

The opinion/diagnosis of medical professionals and the fact you're posting on an anxiety forum seeking reassurance? :whistles:

Positive thoughts

[glassgirlw]

My problem is I can’t quite believe that anxiety alone can cause this much weight loss and the bladder symptoms too. How do I know it’s definitely that?

And this is the crux of the struggle for those of us with HA. It all comes down to acceptance. You have to accept that you’ve been checked and your doctor wasn’t concerned. You have to accept that your doctor has years of training and you do not; therefore there is no need to question their diagnosis. You have to accept that there are literally hundreds of symptoms that can be tied to anxiety, and treating the anxiety will relieve the symptoms. Medication works for some; I’m not one of those people lol. I worked through the CBT exercises on this site which were very helpful, and I researched Mindfulness and watched some YouTube videos on it.

[ankietyjoe]

My problem is I can’t quite believe that anxiety alone can cause this much weight loss and the bladder symptoms too. How do I know it’s definitely that?

If stress can kill you, does it not seem likely that anxiety can cause all sorts of horrendous symptoms? Of course anxiety can do this, as multiple bodily processes shut down in times of stress.

And you don't ever definitely know anything, most of the time you just have to have a little faith in the words of others and take control of the 'what if' reaction. Yes, this time it might be a fatal disease that kills you, but there's a 99.9999% chance it isn't, so focus on today and your life, not the imaginary disease.

[pav1984]

My GP wants to put me on sertraline but living alone I can’t face the potential side effects as we are still in lockdown in the uk.
I can appreciate your anxiety here and not everyone is the same. I'm on Sertraline and I experienced a little nausea for a couple of days (nothing terrible and not actually sick). It also took a couple of weeks to work.

I found the benefits better than the negatives. Used alongside cbt you may not be on them very long.

I thought I would offer my experience with Sertraline incase you were worried about them.

[Noivous]

Hey NP - I tend to agree with your doc. At the height of my HA I would lose 1 stone in a week. Went through all the tests - all good. Anxiety can play big time havoc with one's weight.

N.

[Nighttime pacer]

Hi everyone,
Thanks for your replies, you’re all so kind and helpful. I’ve decided, I’ll have the blood test and keep my GP up to date with any symptoms and then let him decide if I need further tests. I guess as you all say, he is the expert not me. Obsessing about my health doesn’t make me a doctor! As so many of you have commented that anxiety can make you lose weight and as I’ve never had a more anxious period in my life I think it’s fair to agree with you all that my GP may be right.
Thanks everyone.
I’ll just take this one day at a time and try and take the positives in each day and look at a hopeful future.
Nighttime pacer

[Nighttime pacer]

Hi Pav1984, I’m beginning to think I should maybe start sertraline. I’m so up and down though mainly down. I’m just tired of feeling scared all the time. Now, having a sense of lump in the throat and some slight need to swallow occasionally I’ve now convinced myself I have cancer of the oesophagus.
I’m sick of existing like this.

[Pamplemousse]

I can appreciate your anxiety here and not everyone is the same. I'm on Sertraline and I experienced a little nausea for a couple of days (nothing terrible and not actually sick). It also took a couple of weeks to work.

I found the benefits better than the negatives. Used alongside cbt you may not be on them very long.

I thought I would offer my experience with Sertraline incase you were worried about them.

It seems like you had a 'good' experience starting Sertraline. A friend of mine had an absolute nightmare of a time starting them, pretty much all the bad stuff.

That lasted four weeks - but he has settled now and is fine.

[serith]

Alas, thread bumped by a spammer!

NP, hope you're doing okay. <3 When you made this post, your physical symptoms were virtually nothing but your anxiety was through the roof. Sending loving thoughts. <3