The FastDay Forum

Thanks Karen

Does dieting make people depressed? Not sure as I have never been on a 'diet' or looked into these things, but have heard first hand from good friends and shared their struggles around frustration and deprivation whatever their age - and I can only think as others say it is because giving up further control to those top down companies who look at research and rise on a big buck, is not a winner. Fasting is a participatory and supportive bottom up community approach, and this wonderful forum is proof of that, no money people, just our good learning. I've fasted, in my own sort of solitary way, during adulthood as it seemed the natural thing to do and way to be, though I've been subject to many interrogations during those years as no one understood why I did not have LUNCH at work as I worked through the window. I gained weight in my 40's through serving up too many carbs on a plate? I have now cut them out and I do not miss them at all, so low carbs has been my cure and I thank you all for that.

Yeh @CanidceMarie I'm loving my butter - no low fat for me! I can't believe I found this forum at exactly the right time for me (amazingly) and wonder if there are any other people reading this post who have fasted before the MM shout out? Please share with us.

Great thread and thanks to you all for sharing xx

I remember when I first started 52 and when I got off the scale I danced all over the house with glee. When I became a slacker is when the depressing thoughts came into my mind. Fasting increases the feelings of well being and clarity.

Very interesting @rawkaren
Well I can honestly say I've never been depressed
when on any diet
Why? I assume because I lost weight ________ in the beginning
The depression came later when as the diet wasn't sustainable and I regained all my weightloss plus a big bonus so many times over + over for years.
And yes I went down the low fat route in a big way and hadn't had butter in at least 30yrs!!!
Carbs on the other hand at every meal x 3 times per day all.
Not any more butter back in my life as of last year, drastically reduced my carb intake with amazing health benefits to me personally, I've never been happier than I am right now,
I'm the slimmest I've been for 30yrs, loving my new look and ever changing body shape, as I've said many times before this hasn't ever seemed like a diet to me ever, from my first fastday
I always knew this would be MY new WOL.

[Debs]

What an in interesting article, thank you @Rawkaren, especially as other research says that many people are more content at this time of life. I think, as others have said, that for many dieting and becoming slim is the be all and end all, and when one is slim, all of life's other problems will just melt away. Of course, that doesn't happen.

I think for many, motivation isn't enough to lose weight, you have to have a plan when the motivation wanes a bit, and I think this is where the diet clubs, 12 week programs fall down. They make you focus on the end result, not on the overcome the obstacles you may meet along the way and how to overcome them. So when you fail to achieve the high stands you set yourself and fall off the wagon, then yes you can expect to feel depressed.

Determination isn't enough, a cunning plan and support is required too!

Low fat diets have indeed been linked to bad mood in previous studies, but if I recall correctly, mostly grumpiness. I know the low fat dieters online years ago were a snarly bunch, always picking fights with us fat swilling low carbers.

Restricting calories daily over time is depressing and it lowers the amount of active thyroid hormone for many people, too.

Other sources of depression are the loss of estrogen from fat tissue discussed in another thread and too much soy protein, which is found in many diet foods and makes hormone sensitive women clinically depressed.

I too am far happier in my later 60s than I ever was when young, despite losing and maintaining almost 20% of my weight at age 50. No more monthly cycling is such a relief, as I am intensely sensitive to progesterone, which even as a supplement gets me weeping for no reason. Plus I have done most of the things I dreamed of and found great love, so no matter what happens going forward, I can't complain. I got much more than I expected out of life. From here on its all gravy!

Really good comments here. It's fascinating isn't it. I have a very simple philosophy when it comes to the brain. As it is the fattest organ in the body (60% fat I think), it stands to reason that we have to feed it with fat!

Just to drop in the link for the full research paper (Open Access) as it is interesting and contains nuance that (rightly) was omitted from the summary.

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Ad ... ne.0104552

As per usual, the NHS' Behind the Headlines service has a thorough discussion of the paper, its strengths and weaknesses, and where the media coverage extrapolated rather more than the results can bear.

http://www.nhs.uk/news/2014/08August/Pa ... essed.aspx

Reading the Plos1 study, this study was DEFINITELY done a group of low fat dieters, because the study was conducted in the UK between 1998 and 2001 and very low fat diets were the only diets that people in the UK seemed to be doing back then.

I was active online on diet discussion newsgroups back in that time period. In 1998 I was literally accused of being a murderer by several English people because I had suggested that people with diabetes would get better blood sugars if they ate a very low carb/high fat diet.

Then, very slowly, we started seeing people coming in to our newsgroup from the UK who were willing to try low carb diets, though they were having to hide that they were eating low carb from their doctors.

What a difference now, when so many people here are promoting LC!