There is no doubt that a strong correlation exists between mood and weight control.
Let’s first explore how weight control impacts mood. I believe this is a unidirectional relationship: Poor weight control will often lead to a depressed mood. The co-morbidities of poor weight control will bring more pain, more medications, less self-esteem, less energy and a number of other issues that will lessen “happiness”. Conversely, when weight is lost and there is less pain, less need for medications, more energy etc, people will be happier.
Now, let’s look at mood impacting weight control: Often, anxiety and depression lead people to reach for “comfort foods”, alcohol and other derailing food/drink sources that increase weight. There is a certain subset of patients with anxiety and/or depression that stop eating and weight is lost.
So, there appears to be no “chicken or the egg” debate here. Mood and poor weight control are interconnected in a number of ways. If you find that your mood is being impacted by poor weight control, then try to get very aggressive on those weight loss efforts. If you are not currently in the SP Program, come out for a free body scan and we can discuss options for you. If your mood seems to be the primary issue, then contact us or your doctor for a medical visit to discuss the issues and develop a game plan to positively enhance the mood.
On many levels, there is a “mind-body” connection. Often, it is difficult to assess which is the “chicken or the egg”.
