Diabetic Depression and Obesity - You Can Fight Back
Type 2 diabetic depression and obesity make a three-headed monster, and many of us wake up to that monster every day.
The three conditions of diabetes, obesity and depression feed off of each other, sapping our will to change.
Many give up before they have begun to fight.
We know that obesity is a problem in four out of five type 2 diabetics.
And studies show that diabetics are much more likely to have depression.
Some blame this on the stress from the condition, and others find evidence of a link to the chemical changes caused by type 2 diabetes.
Where Diabetic Depression and Obesity Meet Depression and eating disorders often start in childhood with mental and physical abuse.
There are also genetic roots and family habits of poor food choices, and it's hard to sort all these things out.
Depression can be blamed on obesity.
Obesity can be blamed on depression.
Diabetes can be blamed on both obesity and depression.
Where they meet in you or me, the causes are less important than what you will do about them.
You may have slipped into a kind of emotional and spiritual numbness.
Depression makes taking care of type 2 diabetes a chore, and you may let your blood sugar go out of control.
I know how easy that is to do.
Depression will make diabetic complications worse.
Then what happens? The complications of a chronic condition reinforce depression.
The desire to change gets lost in a swamp of hopelessness.
Under those conditions, obesity is going to get worse.
We were already using food for comfort or some kind of emotional control.
Without some very strong will to change, this cycle of diabetic depression and obesity will not be broken.
The Key That Unlocks the Door Have you seen a picture of a snake eating its own tail? That is what I imagine when I think of type 2 diabetic depression and obesity.
To break the cycle begins with the desire to change.
And the desire must be strong and sustained.
Emotions are like a roller coaster, going up and down.
That's the reason most of us do well for a while and then slip back into old habits.
Change won't come this way.
Chop off the monster's head and the cycle is broken.
That head is depression.
Whatever it takes to end the feelings of hopelessness is what you and I must do.
Without hope you will not take any steps to change.
Exercise and a healthy diet take energy that you won't have if you are depressed.
Hope is a candle that pushes away darkness.
Depression smothers you with feelings of defeat and saps your will, and you will need a strong will to fight diabetic depression and obesity.
In the classic tale of Pilgrim's Progress, the hero gets caught by an ogre who imprisons him and beats him every day.
He despairs of ever getting out, until he finally notices the key hanging around his neck.
All the time he was in prison he had the key to his cell, but depression made him forget.
Hope is the key that unlocks the prison.
You need hope, the inner knowing that you can change, that type 2 diabetes can be fought, that you can lose weight and feel better.
Until you believe that, you will not do it.
Faith, hope and love are three wonderful gifts from God.
The one in the middle, hope, is the one you need to fight depression.
You may have faith, and you may know that others love you, but without hope you will not change.
There Is Hope Hope for type 2 diabetic depression and obesity started for me with family.
They accepted me but never stopped hoping.
When they started talking about The Biggest Loser it got my attention.
There were so many success stories of contestants with type 2 diabetes who got off their medications by the end of the show.
I couldn't ignore that.
Another ray of hope came as I finished my first and second books.
The process of creating something pushed depression aside for a while.
That's why I encourage you to find an outlet for your creative gift, whatever it is.
You have one - we all do.
I remember when I decided I was ready to change and not go back.
It meant choosing every day to exercise and stay with the food choices I had decided on.
It also meant not feeling sorry for myself for saying "no" to something I used to eat before I knew I was diabetic.
The great thing about hope is that when you accept it and begin your journey, hope gets stronger day by day.
Small successes like losing a few pounds or walking through a parking lot without leg and hip pain - those feed hope.
But there still must be a daily decision to do the things that improve diabetic depression and obesity.
It helps to see my insulin use drop and to know that soon the days of taking blood pressure and cholesterol medication will be over.
If taking insulin continues in spite of all the changes, I won't feel I've failed.
Living the rest of my life without depression and obesity will be enough.
Keys to Fighting Diabetic Depression and Obesity First, face your depression.
That's not something you can do alone.
You need family or friends that are willing to tell you the truth and hope for you when you have no hope of your own.
And if you need professional support, don't hesitate to get it.
If you ignore depression, it will sabotage all your best intentions.
Whatever it takes to get out of that dark place, do it.
Don't be afraid of doctors for this.
You may find that you have a physical reason for depression, and getting treatment will bring you out.
Obesity can be faced and beaten a day at a time.
I've found that having a weight loss program I share with others keeps me accountable.
MyFitnessPal.
com is free, but there are also Weight Watchers and others that may work better for you.
As with depression, don't try to fight obesity alone.
You need a community, even if it is only one or two people.
It's going to be a long journey, and your hopes need to be shared and encouraged.
Type 2 diabetes will be with us for the rest of our lives, even if we get to the place of controlling it with diet and exercise.
But a chronic condition that makes you stay active and eat healthy things may not be a bad thing entirely.
It's never too late to make the decision to fight type 2 diabetic depression and obesity.
You may be an old grandma like me, but you can change even then.
Once you have found hope, don't give it up.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning - "God's gifts put man's best dreams to shame.
"
The three conditions of diabetes, obesity and depression feed off of each other, sapping our will to change.
Many give up before they have begun to fight.
We know that obesity is a problem in four out of five type 2 diabetics.
And studies show that diabetics are much more likely to have depression.
Some blame this on the stress from the condition, and others find evidence of a link to the chemical changes caused by type 2 diabetes.
Where Diabetic Depression and Obesity Meet Depression and eating disorders often start in childhood with mental and physical abuse.
There are also genetic roots and family habits of poor food choices, and it's hard to sort all these things out.
Depression can be blamed on obesity.
Obesity can be blamed on depression.
Diabetes can be blamed on both obesity and depression.
Where they meet in you or me, the causes are less important than what you will do about them.
You may have slipped into a kind of emotional and spiritual numbness.
Depression makes taking care of type 2 diabetes a chore, and you may let your blood sugar go out of control.
I know how easy that is to do.
Depression will make diabetic complications worse.
Then what happens? The complications of a chronic condition reinforce depression.
The desire to change gets lost in a swamp of hopelessness.
Under those conditions, obesity is going to get worse.
We were already using food for comfort or some kind of emotional control.
Without some very strong will to change, this cycle of diabetic depression and obesity will not be broken.
The Key That Unlocks the Door Have you seen a picture of a snake eating its own tail? That is what I imagine when I think of type 2 diabetic depression and obesity.
To break the cycle begins with the desire to change.
And the desire must be strong and sustained.
Emotions are like a roller coaster, going up and down.
That's the reason most of us do well for a while and then slip back into old habits.
Change won't come this way.
Chop off the monster's head and the cycle is broken.
That head is depression.
Whatever it takes to end the feelings of hopelessness is what you and I must do.
Without hope you will not take any steps to change.
Exercise and a healthy diet take energy that you won't have if you are depressed.
Hope is a candle that pushes away darkness.
Depression smothers you with feelings of defeat and saps your will, and you will need a strong will to fight diabetic depression and obesity.
In the classic tale of Pilgrim's Progress, the hero gets caught by an ogre who imprisons him and beats him every day.
He despairs of ever getting out, until he finally notices the key hanging around his neck.
All the time he was in prison he had the key to his cell, but depression made him forget.
Hope is the key that unlocks the prison.
You need hope, the inner knowing that you can change, that type 2 diabetes can be fought, that you can lose weight and feel better.
Until you believe that, you will not do it.
Faith, hope and love are three wonderful gifts from God.
The one in the middle, hope, is the one you need to fight depression.
You may have faith, and you may know that others love you, but without hope you will not change.
There Is Hope Hope for type 2 diabetic depression and obesity started for me with family.
They accepted me but never stopped hoping.
When they started talking about The Biggest Loser it got my attention.
There were so many success stories of contestants with type 2 diabetes who got off their medications by the end of the show.
I couldn't ignore that.
Another ray of hope came as I finished my first and second books.
The process of creating something pushed depression aside for a while.
That's why I encourage you to find an outlet for your creative gift, whatever it is.
You have one - we all do.
I remember when I decided I was ready to change and not go back.
It meant choosing every day to exercise and stay with the food choices I had decided on.
It also meant not feeling sorry for myself for saying "no" to something I used to eat before I knew I was diabetic.
The great thing about hope is that when you accept it and begin your journey, hope gets stronger day by day.
Small successes like losing a few pounds or walking through a parking lot without leg and hip pain - those feed hope.
But there still must be a daily decision to do the things that improve diabetic depression and obesity.
It helps to see my insulin use drop and to know that soon the days of taking blood pressure and cholesterol medication will be over.
If taking insulin continues in spite of all the changes, I won't feel I've failed.
Living the rest of my life without depression and obesity will be enough.
Keys to Fighting Diabetic Depression and Obesity First, face your depression.
That's not something you can do alone.
You need family or friends that are willing to tell you the truth and hope for you when you have no hope of your own.
And if you need professional support, don't hesitate to get it.
If you ignore depression, it will sabotage all your best intentions.
Whatever it takes to get out of that dark place, do it.
Don't be afraid of doctors for this.
You may find that you have a physical reason for depression, and getting treatment will bring you out.
Obesity can be faced and beaten a day at a time.
I've found that having a weight loss program I share with others keeps me accountable.
MyFitnessPal.
com is free, but there are also Weight Watchers and others that may work better for you.
As with depression, don't try to fight obesity alone.
You need a community, even if it is only one or two people.
It's going to be a long journey, and your hopes need to be shared and encouraged.
Type 2 diabetes will be with us for the rest of our lives, even if we get to the place of controlling it with diet and exercise.
But a chronic condition that makes you stay active and eat healthy things may not be a bad thing entirely.
It's never too late to make the decision to fight type 2 diabetic depression and obesity.
You may be an old grandma like me, but you can change even then.
Once you have found hope, don't give it up.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning - "God's gifts put man's best dreams to shame.
"
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