Hi guys,

First time posting here. So I just came back from a trip abroad with some friends of mine and I was in a terrible mental state for quite a lot of it and I am not sure about the reasons why.

For some context, I am a regular gym goer (x5/x6 times a week) and I recently lost 20 kg of fat and gained some muscle. I also moved to another city in the last 8 months for a new job position and it's been quite tough but I think I already went through the worst. So yeah, it's been a tough period of my life but I stayed consistent with dieting, training (which did wonders to my mental health) and showing up at work. So during my holidays I wanted to enjoy some relaxation.

So last friday I travelled abroad with some friends who had some sales at luxury hotels and we lived as kings for some days with a buffet breakfast, spa, swimming pool and massages... but even then I was always stressed, irritated by my friends' behaviour and sexually aroused to the point it was an obsession. I wanted to really enjoy the moment, especially during a boat trip, but I was always irritated and my libido was high. In the last months I literally had 0 libido even while training so it really popped up during this trip.

So I don't really know if this stress all came from an addiction to training or from work, but I really ruined my holiday despite my attempts to relax and be aware.

Thank you so much for your tips

Hola a todas. 💜

Si soy sincera, el día más difícil de mi camino no fue el entrenamiento más intenso. Fue el primer día.

Recuerdo sentir miedo. Pensaba que me iban a juzgar, que no era lo suficientemente fuerte o que mi cuerpo no encajaba en un espacio donde parecía que todas las personas ya sabían lo que hacían.

Con el tiempo entendí que muchas personas sienten exactamente lo mismo. Y que empezar no significa hacerlo perfecto, sino simplemente dar el primer paso.

Hoy quiero decirte algo que me hubiera gustado escuchar cuando empecé:

No tienes que esperar a sentirte lista para comenzar. Puedes empezar desde donde estás, con el cuerpo que tienes y al ritmo que necesites.

💜 Ahora quiero leerte:

¿Qué fue lo que más miedo te dio cuando decidiste empezar a cuidar de tu salud? ¿O qué es lo que te está frenando hoy?

Estoy segura de que entre todas podemos apoyarnos y demostrar que ninguna está sola en este camino.

Recuerda: cada pequeño paso también cuenta. Nos leemos en los comentarios

I’m mid 30s 6’4” 465-470lbs. To say I am obese is an understatement. I lost about 50lbs over the last 7months just by calorie restriction, I enjoy doing that. But now I “know what I am doing” I’m starting to struggle to get back on tracking. I hit a plateau and it demoralized me\^.
But now that I have a child on the way and starting my walk with the Lord, I am motivated again. Today my goal was to walk a mile, with a 35lbs vest and I got little over a mile and I feel great!

Money if very tight. So gym is out of the question. But I’m thinking of doing body weight exercises, but I’m not sure what to do yet. I have bad knees from football and my lower back is weak. So I was wondering what would be good to start strengthening those areas?

But the real question is how to keep working out even when I don’t have the motivation, what works for you and what didn’t work?

Thanks.

I have been through and still going through one of the hardest part of my life, it feels like.Break up after an emotionally very heavy relationship, moving countries, going through unemployement, finding a job, starting working and realizing that this field is not for me after all and trying to change careers. So it feels like it's a lot. Emotionally I'm pretty much a wreck.

Ironically I felt a lot better unemployed and a big reason for that was the gym. I lived with my parents in my hometown and theres a small gym there. I went almost every morning. It was scary first, but then it became something important and I felt good.

I moved back to my apartment in a big city after I got a job and even though I worked in this field previously, this workplace is probably the most emotionally and physically exhausting places I've ever worked.

I have been trying to schedule gym into my day, but more times than not I don't go. Because of this I feel lazy and a bad person. I need to wake up super early, because the commute is a lot so I already feel tired waking up and in the afternoon I'm so tired I can't do anything but sit and scroll away. I feel miserable. I know that exercise is good and important for you and I still don't do it. Also a big part of my previous relationship was feeling and made to feel ashamed for how my body looks. And this stayed with me even now.

There have been a few mornings I actually went and those felt great, but it's very easy to fall off.

I was thinking on other solutions, like training at home for the time being, going on walks, etc., but I feel so guilty it's not the gym. I think my brain connected the gym with weight loss and for some reason thinks the only valid exercise is gym workout.

I would really appreciate some kind words and maybe some advice from people who might have been in the same or similar situations.

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

I am not trying to be negative, im trying to find help and provide honest information.

so basically my weight is killing me. im 18 and already have horrible health. I am not looking for sympathy. I need help. I am on a huge amount of meds and now I will need more because of lab results. 2 of these meds contributed to 80 lbs of weight gain in around 5 months. I am not on these specific meds anymore but they did their damage and now I have to fix it. I am not trying to put all the blame on the meds either though. I haven't been eating right or exersizing either.

when I reach out to friends who are very in shape all they do is ridicule me. I am very ashamed of myself and hate myself. I do enough negative talk for myself. I don't need other people doing it too. I do not blame them though. they care about me. they just do not understand how I could do this to myself.

I know I did this to myself. im trying now. I need someone to explain fitness and health like im 10. easy stuff about nutrition and exercise I can do at home or in the surrounding area. I use food to motivate myself which yes is a horrible idea. I love to cook. it's one of the things that brings me joy so if anyone has healthy meal ideas I am open to them. I hate almost all exercise however back before I developed severe mental illness I was in 3 martial arts. I miss them a lot but I had to gradually quit all of them because I couldn't go consistently. my parents wouldn't pay for it if I didn't make it to all of the classes. now I don't think I could show my face back there because of how much I've changed.

right now I am going through a major depressive episode. I struggle with brushing my teeth so motivation to exercise is even harder. I drink 7 espresso everyday to be able to function but I still have zero energy. I am already seeing many doctors. they are doing all they can to keep me stable. which to be honest has worked. I used to be way worse. this is how I know I have the ability to improve. I am not a lost cause. I just need some support.

I need to get my crap together because if I continue like this I'll end up dead. I have things to live for. I have a wonderful boyfriend and I got into my dream college. I don't want to die anymore.

any advice or help or suggestions is deeply appreciated.

Taking the overall pulse here. How are you? If not well, think whether there are any positives to share as well to balance negatives. But of course, if you need to vent, know we are here to listen.

I get Sunday scaries like crazy... Tonight at 7.30pm I got myself off the couch and did 50 minutes at the track. My first visit in months. I've been feeling so down and lonely recently. Success on a Sunday, I feel like I'm setting myself up right for the week for the first time in a long time!

I forgot to add, I sweated a lot and feel much less bloated. it feels good physically as well as emotionally. I'll try my best to remember that.

So I really want to start exercising and better my physical health, I know that will make me feel better but ever since I was a child I get exhausted and tired super quickly, like even my grandparents could withstand more than me. I've always had a good diet and a normal, healthy weight but I just get out of breath extremely quickly, probably some underlying physical condition but right now I can't afford finding what it is anyways, plus I have hypersomnia. Also, as of now my mental health is the worst it has ever been, I have depression and other mental health conditions which make me unable to do a lot of things, the combination of all of these things makes it really hard for me to start working out - it's hard to find the courage to start and if I do, I get tired super fast and everything starts feeling like I can't do anything, I just get tired mentally and physically really bad.

So I'd really appreciate it if someones shared any tips and routine exercises I could do at home that would improve my health just a little by little but would not be extremely tiring like cardio or running, maybe some YT channels that offer that kind of routines, anything. As of now I want to start with just walking daily or every other day because I usually stay in my room all day. Ideally I want to have some light set of exercises I could do every day and maybe in the future expand it if I feel better :)

Thank you to anyone engaging with this post!!

Hey Eood community!

I could really use some advice from people who’ve been through something similar.
Before my car accident, I was a gymrat. Training, nutrition, and discipline were a huge part of my life.

Unfortunately, I had to stop for almost a year while recovering. During that time, I gained a significant amount of weight and lost a lot of the progress I’d worked so hard for.

Now that I’m able to get back into the gym, I’ve realized the physical part isn’t the hardest—it’s rebuilding the mindset. It’s frustrating knowing I can’t train or live exactly the way I used to, and seeing how much my body has changed has taken a toll on my mental health too.

I’m determined to get back on track, but staying consistent has been a lot harder than I expected.

If you’ve ever had to come back from an injury, a major setback, or a difficult life change:
What helped you stay consistent again?
How did you stop comparing yourself to your “old self”?
Was there a moment or mindset shift that made everything click?

I’d genuinely love to hear your stories, advice, or even your struggles. Knowing I’m not alone in this would mean a lot.

Probably self-explanatory, but this is a screenshot of my gym app where the circled days are days I showed up. A few weeks ago, I wasn't attending gym at all, three weeks ago I only attended once, this week I've showed up six days.

So, just a reminder to anyone struggling, starting really is the hardest part. Just go do the thing and don't worry about doing it perfectly. Just show up once, and be kind to yourself.

How have you unwound this week? Any creative projects you would like to share?

Hi

I am a 24 M and doing good job in IT field.

When I am 22 , I dont have any job and full fat , so I got that ego and fuel where other ppl laugh at me / seeing me low as I dont have any job. With that motivation and fuel I got really good job and started my fitness journey and obese to normal dad bod (not super fit). All good but once I reached what I want to become , I feel stale in lyf and have no motivation as previous. I was trapped with comfort zone, I am eating whatever I want .

Then I looked back difference

Previously I dont have job , I dont have money to buy or order food and go to.luxury restaurants. People saw me like jerk so I do have good motivation and fuel.

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But now eveything is optional. Previously its struggling phase now switching job for more money- optional

Being super fit optional

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So I feel my motivation is gone and I want similar motivation as I feel I can do a lot better.

So any tips yo me.pls.

Thanks

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does anyone else experience anxiety after lifting / doing cardio? for me it feels like i get dizzy, sometimes almost black out when i stand up, and just feel generally deregulated and a sense of doom.

maybe i should try yoga? would love to build muscle though

Which workouts are you currently focusing on? What have you done to EOOD this week??

Hi all! Reposting this survey participation opportunity as we got some great responses from this group last time 😄

We invite you to take part in an anonymous online survey: Personality, Close Relationships and Attitudes towards Mental Health Problems.   

If you are 18+ years old and choose to be included, your participation in this survey will help researchers at the University of Wollongong to better understand attitudes towards mental health problems, and how these may relate to pathological personality traits, mood states and relationship styles.   

 The survey will ask some questions about: 

• Your personal characteristics (e.g., age, gender) 
• Your personality traits 
• Your experiences in close relationships
• Your attitudes towards mental health problems

To take part in this survey, please visit: https://uow.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1HvwPWrZkHXSyc6

For more information, please contact Dr Samantha Reis at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]).

Taking the overall pulse here. How are you? If not well, think whether there are any positives to share as well to balance negatives. But of course, if you need to vent, know we are here to listen.

Mental health issues can rob us of our sense of identity. Instead of being a son, daughter, father, mother, friend, colleague, neighbour, team mate etc etc etc we become a "mentally ill person" Often incredibly unkind and down-right cruel people have terrible labels to apply to anyone suffering with mental health issues. Even without that kind of abuse our mental health issues often make us behave differently and we say and do things we would not otherwise do. This makes it incredibly hard to maintain our identity and our relationships with others that depend on our identity.

Often our mental health issues make our lives appear meaningless. Often we think that we cannot do anything right, we believe we are a failure, hopeless and worthless and things can spiral down into the darkest of places. When we get to rock bottom we believe we have no future at all.

You can slowly constructing a new identity through exercise. Instead of being "mentally ill" or "worthless" you are becoming "someone who exercises". You might also be a "runner", "lifter", "yoga practitioner", "swimmer", "hiker", "cyclist", "beer league softball player" or what ever type of exercise or sport you do. You will meet new people through exercise that will help re-enforce your new identity too. You can build on that new identity to become a better person.

Exercise shows us all that we can change. If we keep doing what ever we do to exercise our bodies will adapt and change. Not only do we affect change we make a positive change. We prove to ourselves and to others around us that we can make a difference. We will get better. Its as simple as that.

At the same time its not wise to base your entire identity on exercise. Not even professional elite sportsmen and women do that. They are still brothers, friends, community members and more. Instead try to treat being "a person who exercises" as a stepping stone to something more "normal" Its another positive change along the way to becoming better.

Trying to change too much or change too quickly with regards to exercise or anything at all is not a good idea either. Your body and mind can change but only in small amounts over a fairly long time period, months at the least. You will change but only slowly. Everyone is the same in this regard.

All of this time requires planning and forethought. That means you are looking forward to things in the future. When we are at rock bottom we can't see any future for ourselves at all. When we exercise we have to think about how our bodies and minds change. The changes will be incredibly slow and hard won but if you are looking forward to them you are on the path to becoming better.

Every single time you do some exercise you are constructing a new more positive identity for yourself. Every single time you do some exercise you are proving that you can do something positive. Every single time you plan some exercise you are proving that you have a future.

So...

Do what you can. Do it when you can. Keep trying to do it.

Do that and you will change your body and your mind. We are all right beside you. We will all help and support you, every painful step on the way.

I feel so bad that I am too tired to exercise. Things had been going well for a while, but the last weeks my wellbeing have just plummeted. I have been really busy and not able to exercise, and last week I worked night shifts so I did not have energy. Now I feel tired and depressed and my PMS is making my stress levels high all night. I have been walking some and doing a bit of yoga, but I feel really bad for not being able to do any more strenunous exercise, because it WOULD make me feel better mentally, but it could backfire energy-wise. I WANT to feel strong and fast, but now I just feel like a wrung-up old washcloth.

I was thinking of running tonight, but I fear it will just deplete me even more