Not depressed, just food obsessed
December 16, 2014 5:50 PM Subscribe
After decades on antidepressants, I titrated off of them several months ago with my doctor's approval. I feel great except for one thing: I am ravenous and inordinately interested in all things related to food.
My doctor doesn't have any particular advice. This is not the depression kicking in. It's comparable to having marijuana-induced munchies all the time, albeit on a milder level. I think about food, I come up with wildly delicious and creative food combinations, I eat a lot of food and it tastes freaking delicious, so delicious that I cannot stop. I am going to events I'm not even interested in because they're serving FOOD. The weight is piling on. I feel that this is certainly related to going off the medication. It's not emotional. My mood is fine and the depression is not kicking in (I'm very familiar with depression and would recognize it). Going back on antidepressants isn't an option -- overall, I feel better without them. Has anyone gone through this? What's going on biochemically? How do I beat it?
My doctor doesn't have any particular advice. This is not the depression kicking in. It's comparable to having marijuana-induced munchies all the time, albeit on a milder level. I think about food, I come up with wildly delicious and creative food combinations, I eat a lot of food and it tastes freaking delicious, so delicious that I cannot stop. I am going to events I'm not even interested in because they're serving FOOD. The weight is piling on. I feel that this is certainly related to going off the medication. It's not emotional. My mood is fine and the depression is not kicking in (I'm very familiar with depression and would recognize it). Going back on antidepressants isn't an option -- overall, I feel better without them. Has anyone gone through this? What's going on biochemically? How do I beat it?
The weight is piling on.
One short term solution might be to go the gym a lot. Preferably a gym where you can purchase smoothies in a wide variety of flavor combinations. Or next to an amazing delicatessen.
(Actually this could also be a long term solution, provided you can structure your life such that the events you actually want to go to are the ones with the best food.)
posted by feral_goldfish at 6:18 PM on December 16, 2014 [1 favorite]
One short term solution might be to go the gym a lot. Preferably a gym where you can purchase smoothies in a wide variety of flavor combinations. Or next to an amazing delicatessen.
(Actually this could also be a long term solution, provided you can structure your life such that the events you actually want to go to are the ones with the best food.)
posted by feral_goldfish at 6:18 PM on December 16, 2014 [1 favorite]
Food is awesome, all around. It sounds like you're feeling adventurous and creative and ravenous. I don't think that necessarily has to be equivalent to piling on weight (and also, it's okay to gain weight--it's not like a sin or something.)
Either way, there are plenty of wildly interesting foods out there. I don't think you should try to 'beat it'. I think you should be figuring out how to incorporate those feelings into a healthy diet.
It really depends on what you're into. If you're just craving 'fat' my guess would be you're a bit nutritionally unbalanced (I eat vegan roughly half the month and once did a post here called something to the tune of 'Can I eat your arm?'--which turned out to be because I wasn't getting enough protein, and once I figured out 'how to count grams of protein' I no longer wanted to eat my fellow citizens).
So I'd advise working with it, giving into it, learning to make fruit salsas and seared fish, etc. And if you're really, truly, calorically ravenous, I'd spend some time looking at what you're eating and how it's not meeting your needs.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 6:34 PM on December 16, 2014 [7 favorites]
Either way, there are plenty of wildly interesting foods out there. I don't think you should try to 'beat it'. I think you should be figuring out how to incorporate those feelings into a healthy diet.
It really depends on what you're into. If you're just craving 'fat' my guess would be you're a bit nutritionally unbalanced (I eat vegan roughly half the month and once did a post here called something to the tune of 'Can I eat your arm?'--which turned out to be because I wasn't getting enough protein, and once I figured out 'how to count grams of protein' I no longer wanted to eat my fellow citizens).
So I'd advise working with it, giving into it, learning to make fruit salsas and seared fish, etc. And if you're really, truly, calorically ravenous, I'd spend some time looking at what you're eating and how it's not meeting your needs.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 6:34 PM on December 16, 2014 [7 favorites]
I think maybe at least consider that this is what a normal appetite feels like. It's interesting to not have it suppressed, but what you describe doesn't sound all that different from my daily experience, as a non-currently-depressed and not-on-meds person.
True, it means you kind of need to get mechanisms to control it (like eating a lot of fiber and veggies and exercising to stay in balance) but I'm not sure anything's wrong, exactly, from your description.
posted by Miko at 8:09 PM on December 16, 2014 [4 favorites]
True, it means you kind of need to get mechanisms to control it (like eating a lot of fiber and veggies and exercising to stay in balance) but I'm not sure anything's wrong, exactly, from your description.
posted by Miko at 8:09 PM on December 16, 2014 [4 favorites]
Both depression and SSRIs/SNRIs affect serotonin, and most of the body's serotonin lives in the gastrointestinal tract, which is thought to be why both depression and SSRIs/SNRIs often affect appetite.
I agree with others that this actually sounds like a very normal interest in food. It may be worth exploring the idea of intuitive eating to get back in synch with your normal appetite.
posted by jaguar at 8:27 PM on December 16, 2014 [1 favorite]
I agree with others that this actually sounds like a very normal interest in food. It may be worth exploring the idea of intuitive eating to get back in synch with your normal appetite.
posted by jaguar at 8:27 PM on December 16, 2014 [1 favorite]
Are you drinking enough water? When I'm having trouble eating too much (cookies!!!!) and I can get my mind out in front of the problem, drinking 16-32oz (.500-1.0 L) water knocks the cravings from ALL THE COOOOOKIES!!!! to "Huh, those three were tasty, but I'm done for now."
posted by notsnot at 8:43 PM on December 16, 2014
posted by notsnot at 8:43 PM on December 16, 2014
Could you maybe see a nutritionist? They will likely ask you to keep a food diary of what you eat, how you feel before you eat, and how you feel afterward. They will want to look for triggers and understand your eating patterns. They may set you up on a meal plan. Assuming this isn't induced by a medical condition, your general care physician will probably not the equipped to help you. I'd look into a nutritionist or dietician.
Also, do you eat a lot of sugar? Sugar makes you feel hungrier quicker. I think it may have something to do with blood sugar levels and cortisol? Same with breakfast -- do you eat it? If you don't eat it, your body will crave food much more all day, even if you eat. Studies show when people skip breakfast, they eat more total during the day than if they ate breakfast. Medically, maybe you could check adrenal function and make sure your body isn't sending false signals. I am not a doctor, so I'd do some research and ask a doctor about it.
posted by AppleTurnover at 8:55 PM on December 16, 2014 [1 favorite]
Also, do you eat a lot of sugar? Sugar makes you feel hungrier quicker. I think it may have something to do with blood sugar levels and cortisol? Same with breakfast -- do you eat it? If you don't eat it, your body will crave food much more all day, even if you eat. Studies show when people skip breakfast, they eat more total during the day than if they ate breakfast. Medically, maybe you could check adrenal function and make sure your body isn't sending false signals. I am not a doctor, so I'd do some research and ask a doctor about it.
posted by AppleTurnover at 8:55 PM on December 16, 2014 [1 favorite]
You haven't started exercising differently, have you? This happens to me for about three days after I do something intensive. It also happens the week before my period and when I'm stressed. I've tried to turn it into a love of meal planning and cooking and try to keep busy otherwise.
posted by kadia_a at 11:23 PM on December 16, 2014
posted by kadia_a at 11:23 PM on December 16, 2014
This may sound incredibly simplistic, but:
1. Drink more liquid (water or equivalent, like unsweetened mint tea, thin soup, etc).
2. Cut back sugar and simple carbohydrates.
3. Eat primarily high protein (nuts, eggs, soy, meat) meals with vegetables.
You should feel a big difference in cravings in about 2 weeks. If not, it may be professional help time.
posted by zennie at 7:13 AM on December 17, 2014
1. Drink more liquid (water or equivalent, like unsweetened mint tea, thin soup, etc).
2. Cut back sugar and simple carbohydrates.
3. Eat primarily high protein (nuts, eggs, soy, meat) meals with vegetables.
You should feel a big difference in cravings in about 2 weeks. If not, it may be professional help time.
posted by zennie at 7:13 AM on December 17, 2014
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Might be time to get yearly bloodwork done, and re-evaluate any hormones you take. If your metabolism or endocrine balance was affected by the antidepressants, you might be clear enough of them now to be feeling a change and maybe needing to adjust, or your thyroid has chosen this moment to freak out (this would be only minimally related to whether you have ovaries, obviously).
The times I have most felt like that is when I was on the pill. I would wake up in the middle of the night worried I didn't have enough food. (For what? I don't know.)
posted by Lyn Never at 5:55 PM on December 16, 2014 [1 favorite]