I need some advice/tips if anyone has any.. so I’m pretty depressed and have put on about 30 pounds that I want to lose but it’s so hard with depression to get going to work out.. does anyone have any tips? I’m just so tired of feeling like shit about myself all the time. I have no energy, I feel and look gross. I hate it.

I previously gained 30-40 pounds in a few months in 2015. I wasn’t depressed but realized that I was way overconsuming calories throughout the day with freezer meals, snacks, etc. when I figured out how many calories I was actually eating a day, I was so surprised. It’s then hard to lose weight because you become used to eating that much. Research has shown that it’s more effective to alter what you eat rather than how much or how you exercise if you want to lose weight. And that was definitely true for me. No matter how much I exercise or how I exercise or what I eat, the single biggest predictor of my weight is how many calories I eat. I try to eat between 1500-2000 calories daily when I’m being sedentary, and more if I’m more active. Drastically cutting back how much you eat suddenly often doesn’t work long-term. What I did to lose the 30-40 pounds I gained is to be cognizant of how many calories I was eating (without being too obsessive) and aiming for the number of calories that is healthy given weight, gender, and activity level, and trying to make long-term lifestyle changes to support gradual weight loss. That way, it was less painful and long-lasting. I didn’t increase exercise and that didn’t really affect my weight. I took a gradual approach of changing my eating and ate the recommended daily amount of protein since that can keep you feeling full longer. With this approach, I lost about 3 pounds each month until I was back to my normal weight and have stayed at my normal weight since then. I found that there are some helpful apps that can be motivating for weight loss. I used one that tracked your progress and rewarded you by letting you pick out outfits for an onscreen character, which reminded me of how good I will feel when I’m able to wear cute outfits that I once could comfortably wear. So in summary, my advice would be don’t be hard on yourself since weight loss is hard for everyone, focus on changing what you eat (focusing on sufficient protein and avoiding high calorie and not filling food) and how many calories you eat since that can work better for weight loss, find useful apps to track your progress and provide positive reinforcement which can be helpful, and take a gradual realistic approach of losing a little bit each month so that it can be less awful and more long-lasting. Also, for me, I have an easier time ignoring hunger signs during the day but not at night before bedtime, so I tend to shift my calorie consumption so I’m able to eat a decent amount close to bed, since I have trouble sleeping on even a somewhat hungry stomach, and when people don’t get enough sleep, their body actually tells them they are hungrier. Hope this helps! You’re not alone- so many people have been in your shoes so be kind to yourself and just make gradual changes! You got this!