I was on antidepressants and they pounded me out a bit. Instead of worrying so much about diet, because that’ll stress you more and make you feel more depressed, worry about exercising first.

If you start exercising — like I did, I exercised and ate what I wanted — then it’ll get you pumped, slowly but surely, and after about 3 weeks of doing it regularly, your mood will also improve, you’ll notice the changes starting to come, and as you’re getting those frustrations out of you, you’ll naturally start to eat a little less.

Definitely, deal with the fitness first and the rest will follow.

When you start exercising, though, increase your calcium intake to help prevent your muscles from getting too tired and also to help you sleep. If you’re suddenly doing a lot more, it can deplete your calcium and cause sleeping interruptions, as I learned the hard way.

Good luck with it. Hard, but you can do it. I still have lapses, but because I did it through exercise and just naturally began changing my diet without forcing it, I’ve kept the weight off. I’ve lost it SLOWLY over 18 months, but none of it has returned. Probably took 10-14 inches off, considering how a couple of my old jackets fit me now. (I threw out all the fat clothes — have no reference for it now.)

Anyhow, a topic close to home. I feel for you. It’s hard to deal with realizing you’ve ballooned up, but I think the exercise will do a lot for your depression, too. God knows it did for me.

Best of luck.

The Cunting Linguist.