Depression and comfort eating....please please help!

Hello,
I am a 22 yrs old female medical student. I am 5 ft tall and was always overweight since childhood, but last year in june I lost 10 kgs through strict diet, gym and aerobics. My new weight was 50kg and I was very happy about it. I had a break up with my bf around the same time and went to London for 2 months for a medical elective. As I was alone there and busy with work, I had no control over my food intake and my mind was also always occupied with studies and a bit of tourism. I thoroughly enjoyed my trip. Around the time of my return, I could no longer fit into my jeans so I knew that I had gained weight but was scared to weigh myself on the scale. After returning, I finally took the courage to stand on the scale and face the reality.....i was shocked to find that i had gained 12 KILOS!!!!! My weight now is 62KG!!!! Also, I miss my bf all the time and have become terribly depressed! Whenever I think of him and the good ol times, I start crying and the only thing that seems to help is food. I do comfort eating all the time and my weight continues to increase. I dont have any motivation to start a diet or fitness plan and lose weight again like I did last year. I just think of him whole day and end up eating for comfort. I cant focus on studies, dont want to socialise with anyone...... I hate myself!!! Please help me get out of this....Im ruining myself!!! I need help! Please!

Hi, nasha.b! Does your university have a counselor or is there any way you could see a therapist? It sounds like you need one. I eat for comfort too and what helps me is feeling like I have a place where I belong, especially with other people. Try to contact friends and make a life for yourself again, if you can't focus on your studies, find something else that makes you feel happy or at least free to get your mind of your depression. Spend time with people you care about, too. I know you don't want to socialize, but you have to push yourself a little bit.

Thankyou very much for replying! Much appreciated. I am already in 4th year of studies and just have one more year to go, so I cant leave it at this point, having already made it half way through 4th year! However, I am trying to focus on studies and keeping myself as busy as possible to divert my mind off the disturbing thoughts. My medical university is actually a teaching hospital, I can see a psychiatrist and talk it out with her. I will do that soon. I cried a lot yesterday and I think it really helped me in a way that I let everything out from inside me all at once, and I really feel better today. I went to university and met friends, had a good time. So I feel things changing now, also I havent done any comfort eating today! I feel better.
Thankyou again!

Nasha, I'm glad you're feeling better! Your emotions are finally coming out, that is good. Talk to the psych, hopefully she will understand and help.
You don't have a lot more to go with school and you're looking into ways to get out of this depression, you should be proud. Let me know how you're doing.

Hello Nasha. It's good to see that you are feeling better and have regained your perspective. Keep in mind what you have just learned: emotionally eating is caused when you feel helpless or powerless and can't control your own emotions. Emotional eating ends when you realize that you are not powerless. That principle is hard to learn and so you have to relearn it many times. That's what we do in the ShrinkYourself program.

Good question, try writing down your thoughts when your feeling hopeful. Like a full page or two, keep it on you and make yourself read it before you take another single bite. If you have that much will power to stop and read it your chances will be much better. After you read your letter you'll have that mindset again when you wrote it. Also, prayer helps as well. After reading your letter drink water get on here and help motivate someone else to do the same. Also, keep in mind you will fail at times but your still alive so keep trying Especially when your feeling absolutely crappy and hopeless- Your not alone, remember this as well because... for some reason it makes anyone feel better knowing they're not alone. Take care:)

Thankyou all soo much!
I have made more improvement since my last post. Now I have started a daily 30 minute walk aswell. Although my diet is not very strict to show immediate or drastic results in weight or body shape, Im happy as long as I can stick to it longer. And Im hoping for some slow but lasting weight loss this time. Last year when I rushed through it in a month, all the weight came back...infact 2 kg more than where I started from. Hence this time Im taking it slow and also keeping my mind busy in studies n other small activities whenever I am alone so that I dont slip back into depression.
Thanks a ton! I fully agree, just knowing that people are there for you and you are not the only one, makes all the difference! Id love to share this help with anyone I ever come accross who suffers from similar problems!

It does sound like you're improving You have a good attitude. If you ever need to talk, this place is always here.