weight loss, with Anxitey

[ian414]

Hi i would love to know if anyone else has sufferd this, ive lost 1 and a half Stone in just under 1 year i suffer health Anxitey, i eat all the time and im only 9 and a half stone now im male 5ft 8 ins tall, everyone i talk to say i dont look well my face has gone inwards, like its all drawn in, ive been to the doctor's and he siad its the Anxitey, ive hade Chest Xray that was clear, now ive had a chest infection for 4 weeks, ive been told today its a viral infection so the antibotics ive been on havnt killed it, so please is this the right advice ive been given, or could it be anything else apart from Anxitey thank you

[pete24]

hi ian i am no doctor but xrays are very conclusive and doctors would spot anything wrong immediatly........the weight loss sounds like anxiety and constant woorry will do this...dont forget cancers have several symptoms and doctors see the overall picture hope this helps

[Hazel B]

Hello. I have lost over a stone in 2 months with anxiety, it burns up energy in your body, even if you're eating the same amount. I have had blood tests, XRays etc, all clear.
Please be assured that anxiety can make you lose weight. I hope you get well soon from the virus.

[baileys]

Anxiety uses up so much energy that why we tend to loose weight. We are never relaxed and neither are our minds so its not surprising that the weight can fall off.

[Horse]

I would not worry too much Ian. I'm about your height and weigh around 10 stones. I was roughly 11 until I suffered HA. I always say that the best diet to be on is the HA diet!! The pounds just drop off!!

I think the worse part is as you say, people look at you and say (or think) you look ill.
With me it always goes from my face, so I always look gaunt. It's all part and parcle of Anx mate.

[Hazel B]

For me, people keep saying that I have got my jawline back, I had been overweight and needed to lose a stone, but not by the anxiety diet. No way. My pulse only came down under 100 bpm after my doc gave me meds.

[Ambers]

Me too...I've lost a stone in a month - and it's still falling off (now under 8 stone)... I used to be fit and healthy and I liked my slender figure - now I am a bag of bones, it has aged me - please try not to worry, I posted something similar recently and was scared it was more than anxiety but after all the lovely replies I have realised that is just a part of these dreadful mind illness we have.

Now having said this I am just about to post another worry of mine that has been playing on my mind this week... even I have to laugh at myself!

Take care and enjoy some of your favourite food tonight x

[Hazel B]

It is so good to know it's not just me. I am normally a right greedy git -used to eat a 3 course meal no probs! My clothes don't fit now and I can't see the point of buying new ones until my weight settles. All I seem to want to eat is porridge and mushy peas (not together!!) - I guess that's my comfort.
Going to have a rice pudding now, been eating small meals often which is a tip I was given.

[ian414]

Awww thanks so much everyone, i really do worry and to be fair theres me thinking god what if i have this or that, what if i dont have long to live, well ive got to say now as you have all said that you have all lost weight its made me feel alot better in a way not wishing this on anyone as its the worst thing anyone could ever have Anxitey, wow what a word, and what it can do to us, well thank you so so much for all your input to my story God Bless you all i will let you know if i do put the pounds back on thank you all once again Ian

[Hazel B]

No worries, you are not alone. Anxiety is awful and remember it can trick your mind into all sorts of thoughts. Try to eat smaller meals more often and keep up the protein and vitamins, or try Complan or chicken soup.

[ian414]

Thank you Hazel, the ting is ive been weezing for the past month, if i breath normaly its a very slight weez, if i take a deep breath or breath out fast the weez is really bad, the weez i can feel left side back, also in the chest area, i look so gaunt in the face, whats on my mind is am i dying form somthing, ok Cancer of the lungs? had 3 chest Xrays came back all clear but still worried never lost so much weight, My friends all say i look really ill but my doc sid i look good, now come on who word would you take, a doc will say you look good to stop you from worrying, your friends dont need to lie.
Now ive taken my peakflow and its 600, now that good as ive been told but this still dont mean i dont have an illness, my heart will race all day most days will beat 121 every min, is this the worry? ok what about when im just sitting there why does the heart race for no reason, well sorry for all this but do you understand what i mean and the worry im having. Thanks Ian

[Hazel B]

Your body has a low immune sytem because of anxiety, it does that. The XRays have shown there is nothing more serious, sometimes a virus can last a while. Your doctor would not lie to you and would do more intensive tests if they thought it was more serious - there is a section on health anxiety on the left of the screen that really helped me and made me realise I'm not alone. Anxiety can also stop you being hungry as well.
Have you told your GP about your racing pulse? If not, please go back and tell them as they can help.
Your pulse is racing with anxiety - the adrenalin does this, I had it myself until I got some meds. It is scary as I thought how can this happen when I've been lying in bed quietly, but believe me it does happen. My normal pulse is 63 and I was up to 120bpm, I just could not stop that cycle.

[jothenurse]

I lost 20 pounds with my anxiety and my pulse has been in the 160's from the anxiety (was in the ER with that a few times, but always sinus tachycardia, a fast pulse due to panic). I also had a 24 hour monitor which had an episode of tachycardia (167) when I was mowing the lawn and I panicked because my pulse was going up. It was sinus tachycardia. Very scary, but not dangerous. I have gained back about 8 pounds, but it does take a lot of time. I started with just trying to eat small amounts, which I still lost weight with, but eventually, I could eat enough to maintain, and then start to gain.

[MoonlightFire]

I have lost weight since my anxiety came back a couple of months ago. I haven't weighed myself as I'm too scared but I would guess I've lost about half a stone if not a bit more. I have had a few periods in my life where I've lost weight because of anxiety...the worst time was when I was 19, I lost about a stone and a half and went down to 6 stone. My clothes fell off me :( I had to go to the doctor every week to be monitored! Had loads of tests, all normal. Once I started to recover from the anxiety I put a little bit of weight back on but it did take a while.

My appetite is excellent so I guess I'll just carry on enjoying my food and hope the weight comes back on soon :)

Moonlight Xx

[ian414]

Again thanks for you all comments, this is so helpfull knowing we arnt alone, but we all still worry dont we even though we are told time and time again there is nothing wrong, Wow you had a heart race of 167 Jothenurse? god that must of made you worry it would me, ive been there with the racing heart A&E so many times when they see me walk throuh that door they look at me and shake there heads lol, i know its not funny but when i sit here thinking about it really if there was anything wrong they should or would of found it. But in our minds we know how we feel a doctor dosent and only goes on what we say to them, But again Ive had an ECHO, ECGs, BLOODs, BRAIN SCAN, XRAYs,
so what does this prove? well in they way i think and alot of us think with Anxitey have they missed somthing? the answere is NO they havnt, but tell our brains that make the brain understand lol god i wiuldnt wish this on anyone, god bless you all and again thank you so much for your reply's Ian

[Hazel B]

You have had a "gold standard" of tests, so have I, but we still worry that the tests are wrong, a mistake has been made, etc. Please see your GP about the anxiety and pulse, they can help.
Wishing you a peaceful evening and sleep.

[ian414]

ive had my pulse looked at they just said its all down to Anxitey and to try and calm down thats what i try to do, if not i will have to go onto beta blockers

[Hazel B]

I know people try deep breathing, meditation, quiet music, walking, art and crafts etc and they do work. I had to get meds to get me off my anxiety cycle as nothing worked, but everyone is different.
I'm hoping counselling will help as well, I have years of anguish to come out. Sorry if I've told you that already, memory is dodgy!