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Since I've been suffering from health anxiety I've been losing loads of weight. People are now beginning to comment on my thinness........ and while I try to tell myself that it is just because my appetite is suppressed, part of me worries it is a symptom of some awful disease......
have others found anxiety has done strange things to your weight?
Weight is probably my biggest single issue, and something I dwell on. Because of the operations I've had (gallbladder, then having had pancreatitis) I constantly worry my liver/bile duct/pancreas isn't working properly. I do notice I now have great difficulty putting weight on. However when my anxiety is bad the weight literally falls off and that just powers a cycle of further anxiety which is difficult to control.
agent orange
24-10-08, 10:37
I find that a good dose of anxiety helps me lose weight, it just drops off me.
Since I've been suffering from health anxiety I've been losing loads of weight. People are now beginning to comment on my thinness........ and while I try to tell myself that it is just because my appetite is suppressed, part of me worries it is a symptom of some awful disease......
have others found anxiety has done strange things to your weight?
It's like i wrote that, I thought i hand cancer or something, I knew in the back of my head it was anxiety but I just couldn't believe it was at the time:weep:
W hen I have bad anxiety, the weight drops off me, but when the anxiety eases I get my appetite back and put the weight back on again, I guess the anxiety regulates any weight gain, so I don't bother dieting. If ever I got free from anxiety I would balloon!! :shrug:
Miss Alissa
24-10-08, 11:07
Hi there
I'm a pretty thin person anyway so when I go through a bad patch with the anxiety I lose weight and it is pretty noticeable. I don't find so much that my appetite is suppressed - I always make an extra special effort to eat three good meals a day when I'm jittery just because I know how much worse I feel when you add low blood sugar to the mix! But if I have a few days of bad panic my digestive system goes mad - my food just seems to go right through me (sorry!) because my stomach is just a ball of nerves. Plus I'm, more physically agitated than I would usually be - my muscles are all tensed and I'm constantly fidgeting - that takes more energy. Plus I sleep less soundly, which means I'm moving around more, which means I'm burning more calories. Result is that I look and feel pretty awful! But I find taking control, making an extra effort to eat well makes me feel a lot better - firstly because eating is obviously a good thing, and secondly because I feel like I'm taking control of something. Which always helps me a little.
Take care
xx
Hello,
I have to agree with Miss Alissa, as I am virtually the same. I have lost over a stone in weight and worry sometimes. I tell myself that after having tummy problems, a lack of appetite, no tea, cakes, biscuits and only drinking water, what did I expect! That on top of a body that being in a permanent state of anxiety is using up fuel like there is no tomorrow.
Hi jojo2316
Well I lost a dramatic amount of weight when at my worst at the same time as having a very bad stomach bug. I used to put on a big coat to avoid people commenting - any comments would just go to confirm that I must be ill. I still suffer from HA but no weight loss now - just a series of symptons chasing around a very tense body!!!!
Rebecca x
AntiLove_SuperStar
24-10-08, 22:17
^ it isn't a diet forum, there are loads of other sites out there for that :D (btw, sounds like they want you to be postively underweight, you take care of yourself <3)
I lost 12lbs once in about 4 weeks without trying when I was really worked up over something relationship related last year. I was normal weight to start with and "on the thin side" afterwards.
how can lose 2 pounds a week for four weeks? how many calories should i eat a day and how long should i work out?
This is not a forum for weight loss. Some of us here suffer from eating disorders and these kinds of posts are very triggering. Please use a forum specifically for dieting if you want advice like this.
Karen
yea i have lost 13lbs in the last 8 weeks. im not sure whether its to do with the fact that my anxiety has returned or the fact that ive gone back on prozac again. its starting to show now as i wasn't over weight to start with.
Hey im quite new to this site,and having loads of symptoms that worry me about having brain tumour or some sort of cancer. over the last 4 weeks after the symptoms started i have also lost weight. im quite sporty and was active (was in gym 5-6 time a week) and rugby training 3 times a week. but held my weight at 13 1/2 stone all the time. now im out of training due to ongoing test i dont excersise at all however i have managed to lose a stone and a half which is freking me out. what im trying to say is that you are not alone i am axious due to all my symptoms and no results as yet and im putting the weigt loss down to that and my GP is at the moment. so try not to worry about it :-)
tigger1964
27-10-08, 07:23
hi
i to have lost a lot of weight from my panic and anxiety and when really stressed i hardly eat anything which makes me worry about the weight im losing, even when im on a good day i eat slightly better but i still worry about the weight loss. My gp assures me that its a common sign in anxiety sufferers and to eat little and often.
take care
worriedboy
28-10-08, 00:06
Man, I am one of the few folks who has gained weight! That's not fair. LOL. If I have to have anxiety... :)
I think it's because my depression and anxiety co-exist and my depression causes me to eat more and my meds, I think, contribute to that somewhat. I also find that I have tendency to self-medicate with wine, which can be high in calories when you're drinking more than a small glass a day or something.
expendable
28-10-08, 00:56
no, but if my anxiety keeps up i will start to.
i have pretty bad health anxiety and lately i've been developing some food allergies (not symptoms of my anxiety) and it's scaring me from eating normally.
I see I am in the minority, when I have anxiety I eat, usually once the panic has subsided I eat and eat. Always comfort ate.
BuffaloBills716
05-03-09, 04:26
I stressed out over something for 2 weeks, ate next to nothing, slept minimally every night, only drank water due to dry mouth, constant urination, had diarrhea from stress, and lost about 15 pounds in 2 weeks! Im starting to put it back on though..... I wish i could keep it off.
enigmatique
03-04-09, 22:19
I get nauseous and bloated/fill up very quickly when I'm having a bad time with anxiety. Enough of that and I start to lose weight. People at work keep commenting on how I've lost weight, it's not a problem for health as I'm not massively underweight, but I do worry that I'm losing weight because there's something else wrong, rather than it being due to anxiety. Sometimes I'm really tempted to eat loads of calorific stuff so that I can put the weight back on and 'prove' to myself that it's just the anxiety.
I lost a stone in weight over 2-3 weeks of severe anxiety. My appetite literally disappeared. On the odd occasions that it came back I took advantage immediately and got some cornflakes and fruit (and the odd handful of pork scratchings) down the little red lane quicker than you can say Christian Slater. Eating was not a pleasant experience. Well the scratchings were nice.
After a week and a half on citalopram, and with a great deal of mental effort, my appetite suddenly came back and I was ravenous and really thirsty. My weight has increased by a few pounds and my appetite is fine again.
Hope things brings some relief to those who think their appetite will not return. Yes it will. Some things just take time.
I lose weight when I'm anxious.
I once lost about 8lbs in a week without the word of a lie over stress and anxiety issues.
When I felt a bit better,I gained it in like a few days :o
i gain weight when i am anxious, i eat n eat lol
everybody is different, unique xxxx
queencyrka
05-04-09, 04:34
Yeah, I became terrified to eat greasy, sugary, salty, processed and just bad food. Everytime I would bite into a cheeseburger or anything like that I would seriously feel my arteries clogging, lol. So, I lost weight.....I went from 200lbs to 145lbs in one year without exercise or not eating (I eat all the time, lol) And now I'm a Vegan (because of my anxiety) and I'm down to 132lbs.......I really don't know if it's a good thing......
bluegirl09
29-04-09, 11:08
hiya when im anxious as i am now i hardly have any appetite i feel my stomach is in knots and food is the last thing it wants i have too fly soon only too spain but im really anxious about it soo i guess i will be shedding the pounds as least the bikini will look okay :shades: - tho if i get too thin it comes off my face and i look gaunt and ill not good.
I'm 19 and weigh between 6-7 stone
When i was suffering severe anxiety about 2 years ago i weighted 5 stone, i lived off 4-5 digestive biscuts a day.
I became so thin you could see every bone in my body, my parents were so worried about me, i was basically wasting away.
Your appetite is the most important thing during this time, i didn't eat and because of that i felt tired all the time, i also felt very sick all the time because the acids were building up in my stomach, trying to digest something that wasn't there, and the build up of stomach acids is what makes you feel quite sick, thats why rennies are good, they neutralise stomach acid.
anyway, other things were pale skin, my hair was falling out and became thin and brittle, loss of/or disturbed sleep patterns, my skin wasn't healthy so if i sustained injury it wouldn't heal, and i spend half my life horizontal as standing up too long resulted in dizziness and nausea...
and its all down to appetite, i had weekly blood tests and doctor appointments during my worse time of anxiety, also i had a phsycologist.
I got to the point were i wanted to go to sleep and not wake up...
I heard a good saying and that was 'Your body is like a car, if you don't put fuel in it, it won't work'
and that the truest thing ever after going through what i did.
Your brain is so powerful, tell your body to do something or feel something and it will!
Convince yourself you have a barin tumor or cancer like i did on many occasions and your body will start producing the symptoms! its so amazing what the mind is capable of.
and it works just as well the other way round, tell yourself your being silly, your perfectly healthy and theres nothing to worry about and you'll feel better, easier said than done i will admit, it took me 3 years to learn how to control my own mind, and now i might have just 3-4 bad days on the year, but i can take a few hours to myself and be back up on my feet again!
Once you learn how to do it, it will open up so many doors i promise! you need to believe in yourself, think positively and keep yourself occupied!
If you feel a tummy ache come on, don't think 'oh whats wrong now, it must be serious etc etc'
Instead think, ok so i have a tummy ache, how many people get them everyday, when did i last eat, maybe i'm hungry, maybe i need the loo...
or, ok so i have a headache, but come one how many people do i know that have died from a brain tumor, ha, maybe i've not drank enough fluids lately, maybe i need my eyes testing, whats going on in my life, exams, marriage, something i'm looking forward to? it can all bring on nerves...
I used to get anxious over things i was excited about, things i really wanted to do, it stopped me from doing them and really got me down.
You need to stand up and say 'hey, why should i let my nerves get in my way, this is something i want to do!'
I found that although you don't feel like it at the time, striking a conversation with someone, watching TV or reading took my mind of my anxiety.
and then you can say to yourself, well i feel fine right now, if i was ill it wouldn't go away like that then come back when i think about it would it? so i can't be ill, its just my mind playing tricks with me, i will carry on doing what i was doing, i'm not going to vacate to my bed or sofa and lie there and dwell over it and make myself worse, lifes too short to let this get in my way!!
The one time that really upset me after getting over anxiety was that on the 1st of Jan 2000, yep millenium, i was lying on my living room sofa, shaking, crying and feeling very ill, while all my family and friends stood outside laughing, joking and watching fireworks...
Millenium is something i will never witness again, and i really hate myself for letting my mind take over my body that night!
I realise now that i wanted so much to enjoy myself that night that i got worked up and in a state about it, which in turn took its toll.
I will not let that happen again, and whether i really am ill or just faffing, i'll give anything a go, i will not sit back feeling sorry for myself.
and i did something huge not long after, i went absailing, yep i stood at the top of a cliff, strapped up looking down at the ground. I felt physically sick to the stomach, my eyes were watering and i looked deep into the trainers eyes and shook my head, but i did not open my mouth to say stop...
...when i reached the bottom, oh my god, that feeling is just amazing, you are shaking and need to sit down, but you've never felt more alive, and i've also been on a human catapult since then too.
I am not afraid of heights or anything like that, it was simply anxiety, whether i wanted to do it or not, if i was excited or scared, the same feeling arises, you just have to blank it out for that split moment :)
You wish you never had anxiety, but let me tell you if you ever get over it, you will truely cherish your life, when you suffer day in day out anxiety for years of your life, when you start having normal days, you'll never feel so proud, so happy and so alive, i promise that.
I got over anxiety without medication which was always mentioned to me. I refused as i found that as defeat, and i didn't want to allow myself to be defeated by my own self! and that was the best decision i ever made!
I'm going to stop babbling now as i'm sure your all asleep in your chairs having not finished reading about my life:doh:
I feel for anyone who suffers anxiety i really do, i wish i could show you parts of my life and help you get over it, its something no one should have to suffer, i'm afraid i can only try by text, its up to you to start taking control of yourself!!
rgds Sarah
xxxxxxxxxx
Panickypants
03-05-09, 10:18
I have lost just over a stone, it's perfectly normal cos the anxiety is stopping you frm wanting to eat..although it did worry me at 1st i have found that on good days i can eat normally again ..
I also lost over a stone in about 6 weeks. I just could not get the food past my lips never mind down my throat! Everyone says "But you must eat something" Don't they realize that it is a physical impossibility? Obviously not!
Luckily my appetite has started to return over the last few days so I am trying to eat as often as possible and build myself back up again as I know lack of food is going to make my anxiety symptoms worse. It's a vicious circle isn't it?
Sarah I just wanted to say what an inspirational post that was! Your description of how you learned to deal with your anxiety was great. It made such good sense and is definately the way I want to try and go. Thank you. :hugs:
I lost alot of weight in the first 5 days of my Anxiety (Or well, atleast the worst 5 days) I just couldnt eat at all and was afraid non-stop, Losing weight made me freak out even more, im a pretty tall & skinny person, so I am already under weight, but watching my weight drop even more made me freak it...Although it is probably that I have a Metabolism of a rocket dueue to years of irregular eating habits, Which is said to speed up Metabolism
Thumbelina
28-08-09, 13:48
first time 4 years ago i lost 10kg out of my 54
i was size 6 from 10
appetite, stomack is something that is affected first by my anxiety
panic and depression
I went from 11 stone in December 2008 to 16 stone in august 2009 not sure if its because of medication, of lack of exercise due to anxiety about leaving the house probably a combination of the two.
sarah jayne
13-09-09, 13:39
Since i started with anxiety ive put weight on, i hate it !! x
Weight has been up and down like a yo-yo. Before this kicked off I was up at 10st 11lbs to 11st. At worst I'd dropped to 10st 2lbs. I'd welcome the weight loss normally as it's always been a fight to keep weight off, but it got worrying and I felt horrible. Most of it from just not eating enough.
Your appetite is the most important thing during this time, i didn't eat and because of that i felt tired all the time, i also felt very sick all the time because the acids were building up in my stomach, trying to digest something that wasn't there, and the build up of stomach acids is what makes you feel quite sick, thats why rennies are good, they neutralise stomach acid.
anyway, other things were pale skin, my hair was falling out and became thin and brittle, loss of/or disturbed sleep patterns, my skin wasn't healthy so if i sustained injury it wouldn't heal, and i spend half my life horizontal as standing up too long resulted in dizziness and nausea...
and its all down to appetite, i had weekly blood tests and doctor appointments during my worse time of anxiety, also i had a phsycologist.
I got to the point were i wanted to go to sleep and not wake up...
I heard a good saying and that was 'Your body is like a car, if you don't put fuel in it, it won't work'
and that the truest thing ever after going through what i did.
Your brain is so powerful, tell your body to do something or feel something and it will!
Convince yourself you have a barin tumor or cancer like i did on many occasions and your body will start producing the symptoms! its so amazing what the mind is capable of.
and it works just as well the other way round, tell yourself your being silly, your perfectly healthy and theres nothing to worry about and you'll feel better, easier said than done i will admit, it took me 3 years to learn how to control my own mind, and now i might have just 3-4 bad days on the year, but i can take a few hours to myself and be back up on my feet again!
Once you learn how to do it, it will open up so many doors i promise! you need to believe in yourself, think positively and keep yourself occupied!
If you feel a tummy ache come on, don't think 'oh whats wrong now, it must be serious etc etc'
Instead think, ok so i have a tummy ache, how many people get them everyday, when did i last eat, maybe i'm hungry, maybe i need the loo...
or, ok so i have a headache, but come one how many people do i know that have died from a brain tumor, ha, maybe i've not drank enough fluids lately, maybe i need my eyes testing, whats going on in my life, exams, marriage, something i'm looking forward to? it can all bring on nerves...
This sums up I think what I've been going through. Started out with odd symptoms in my hand and arms I couldn't explain and everything kicked off. I got poor appetite and so wasn't eating anywhere near as much as I used to and so was shedding weight fast. That would worry me, then I'd get stomach aches and other symptoms like nausea that is probably related to not eating the same, and that would worry me. Docs put me on meds for stomach acid which I think introduced other symptoms, which would worry me, etc. Got panic attacks so started going out for walks to calm me down. They're great. Problem is they burn calories, which makes me lose weight... and I worry.
Like you say, I've worked out how to think rationally about the symptoms and realised that if I can eat normally, I feel better. Twinges of little aches and pains I can dismiss as things I've always had really. Some aches and pains are due to immense amount of tension and even after relaxing I can get pains in the arms for a long time after. I've been changing my habits to relax more. Not spend so many hours at work, take more breaks, get to bed earlier so I get a full nights sleep, etc.
These make improvements so I now have arguments to convince my brain that these symptoms are nothing to be worried about.
It's generally working. My main problem now is I have issues with being alone sometimes which works me up a little. Some days it's no problem, some days I'm in a slight nervous state and dwell on it. Before all this happened I was fine with my own company. This is what I need to resolve next.
I'm glad i found this thread, made me feel a whole lot better.
I'm 6ft tall and was 15 stone in july this year now im 13 stone 7lbs today, it's a scary experience for me as i've always struggled to lose weight, but looking back when im not anxious, i can see that it's pretty normal as i dont eat alot, maybe 2 meals a day if i'm lucky and only drink water now and no snacks :(
Weight loss is a big thing that happens to me with bad bouts of anxiety.
I literally can't touch a thing and at my worst bouts,I've seen me lose about 9lbs in a week through utter nervouse break down. It's happened a good few times.
Sometimes it was relationship problems,others health anxiety,about myself or my parents.
And as a female,one would be all like,"wow I've lost weight!" But no..when you're a female with anxiety and especially Health Anxiety,it goes more like,"Oh no,I've lsot weight,what if I am seriously ill with something and it's making me ill?"
Well something IS making me ill..but that something is anxiety!
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