Losing excess weight help TMS?

Just curious if anyone lost weight and saw an improvement in TMS symptoms?

 

I was - if anything - in a position where I needed to gain a few pounds when I was at my worst with mind-body symptoms, so I can't say I've experienced this. That said, I can absolutely see how weight loss would positively impact mind-body symptoms. Perhaps lifestyle adjustments (i.e., increasing physical activity, eating healthily, etc.) improved one's mood, the individual felt better about themselves and their goal achievement, etc. Maybe they joined a walking club, workout group, sports league, etc. where they feel a sense of social connectivity. If someone was very overweight, maybe they reversed a condition like type 2 diabetes or even pre-diabetes. There could be the enjoyment of being able to do things like walking much further with the dog. Endless possibilities and this type of logic applies to not just weight loss, but stopping smoking or binge drinking, sleeping more, managing financial well-being, etc.

These are all things that can dramatically affect someone's mental health. And at the end of the day, all the mind-body connection ("TMS") is is a physical response to your emotions and vice versa.

 

I think for me at least, gaining weight has been the result of an emotional response, like you’ve said. Eating my emotions if that makes sense? And now the feeling of failure, loss of sense of self, loss of confidence, loss of self-control, general decline of mobility, feeling trapped, ugh the list goes on, just exacerbates TMS symptoms for me.

 

@Mars497@ thats definitely TMS! I’m glad you’re feeling better. Do you still experience any symptoms? How are you managing daily emotions like stress?

As a teenager and throughout my twenties I had issues with calorie counting, working out, and trying to be “perfect.” I have had fast metabolism since sixth grade and am active, and I ended up binge eating once or a couple of times a week because there didn’t seem to be any consequences (TLDR: there was!). I have definitely had some issues with body image and food.

Food, weight, control, etc. can be absolutely huge influences on TMS for some people. Life truly is easier with a dedicated sense of balance and healthy outlets.

 

I definitely feel out of balance and embarrassed of the weight I’ve gained. When all this hit me 3 years ago, I lost weight bc I was anxious all the time and developed gastritis. Once I got that under control I returned to a very active lifestyle and revved myself up again and perhaps put too many expectations on myself again (body image issues from teenage years and beyond) and developed severe glute spasm and pain (just tons of tension I assume) and it led to not being able to sit for long and low back pain that got so bad I gave up working out altogether. I think over the past two years I have convinced myself I can’t work out anymore bc it will start the glute and back tension again. Although my anxiety is much better, it’s still under the surface. I can see a little stress pick up at work (not to mention the last year of tumultuous COVID) and my symptoms come right back. I want to get active and lose the weight and feel better but I have seriously talked myself into a sedentary lifestyle especially over the last 12-18 months. I start getting active and either something old comes back or even something new like my ankle will start to hurt. Just keep pushing through it? Is the real solution to stand up to the pain and literally go through it?

 

@Mars497@, try to not think about new symptoms such as ankle pain popping up. Ultimately, it doesn't matter because TMS is not permanent and mind-body symptoms will go away once you're managing daily emotions, believe you are safe, and get back to fully living life with some activities you enjoy! The mind-body connection is normal and affects everyone - some people are more affected than others based on their levels of stress, how they respond to emotions, etc.

The best advice if you haven't engaged in more rigorous physical activity for some time - regardless of whether one is currently experiencing TMS - is always to slowly build up. If you exercise safely, you won't need to worry about pushing yourself too hard or question whether you injured yourself. Do you enjoy walking? Hiking? Doing a dozen squats, sets of stretches, etc. and then increasing the number of sets over time? Does any music make exercise more fun for you? Do you prefer working out alone or with guidance (can even be while watching trainers for free on YouTube)?

I do understand feeling out of balance and embarrassed. While I did not experience weight gain due to the fast metabolism and intense physical activity (I was sometimes even a little underweight), binge eating certainly made me feel like I had zero control over myself. My mom, who hardly eats, always asked me to finish her plate at restaurants, even when I'd ask her in advance not to. Friends thought it was "cool" because it appeared consequence free. Everyone encouraged this behavior and nobody knew how to be supportive, including my own self. This made my anxiety go through the roof.

Are there any techniques you're using to manage anxiety? Have you tried cognitive behavioral therapy concepts or something similar? If not, there are some free websites that can help if this isn't something you're able to engage in formally right now.