This week me and Dizzy pottered off to the doctors with our little list of questions, and pottered out with a prescription for antidepressants and cake…
Me and Dizzy finally realised this month that we do need a bit of extra help with our anxiety. Especially after the neurologist said that a lot of our fatigue and MS grumpies could be down to the extra strain the anxiety is causing. I really wanted to be able to manage the anxiety without tablets but sometimes it just feels so big, and Dizzy’s decided it’s definitely time to give them a go. 🙂
We’re also now on orders to get bigger too (hence the prescription of cake!). Me and Dizzy have always been pretty little but when your doctor, who knows you’re just naturally skinny, comments on how thin you’re looking, you know it’s not good! So after being weighed and told how low the bmi is, I’ve been ordered to basically eat cake (or just any high calorie food) all day. Just anything to get some weight on. I’m just not sure how to eat super high calorie food and stick to a healthy diet. I need healthy calorie food ideas! Dizzy keeps saying ginger nut biscuits….which I’m not convinced are that healthy… 🙂
The donkeys have already jumped on the cake idea… 🙂
So today is our first day of taking our anti depressants and eating cake! 🙂 And the start of me and Dizzy on a proper mission to be calmer and fatter in life! 🙂
Have you ever taken anti depressants and how did you get on with them? If you also know any high calorie healthy food ideas please send them our way too. 🙂 xxx
Thai information might help. I love the idea of the cakes.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/18-foods-to-gain-weight
Thank you so much! There’s a few on there I hadn’t thought of and a few I had forgotten about. 🙂 I really don’t want to just eat unhealthy stuff, even though I do love cakes and it will definitely give me and Dizzy an excuse to bake cakes over the next few weeks. 🙂 xxx
Avocados. You can make some sinfully delicious 😋 stuff. Coconut as well.
Thank you! I am making sure to have an avocado everyday (I love avocado 🙂 ), but I haven’t been having any coconut. I think me and Dizzy could make some yummy puddings with the both of them. 🙂 xxx
I was thinking avocados also. Or some good ole guacamole.
I eat Planter’s Mixed nuts to help me gain weight. They are all tasty treats except I don’t really like Pecan’s so I down them quickly followed by one of the other nuts I like.
Be careful if you have any allergies to nuts! Believe it or not, I have not found a nut that I am allergic to, keeping my fingers and toes crossed that this fact will not change!
Besides my nut snacking I eat pure dark chocolate Hersey’s kisses. Who can resist the tasty treat? I ear at least two a day!
It sounds like we both like the same snacks! I do love pecans though. 🙂 I haven’t found a nut I’m allergic too either and dark chocolate is soooo yummy. 🙂 xxx
Forgot to tell you, I have been on an antidepressant for years. I take a generic form (to reduce costs) of Cymbalta. It helps a little
I’m glad it is helping a little. Even a little bit can make all the difference! On day two of mine now, but the doctor said it takes up to about 4 weeks to start taking effect. xxx
You may have to try several different drugs until your body finds one that works for you! Make sure when you are starting new antidepressants that you have someone near you (family, friend, or spouse who can keep an eye out for strange reactions. One drug they tried me on really messed with my mind (I almost hit a dump truck while I was driving to get groceries)!
Thank you. x The first couple of days I took them I made sure they were days when I wasn’t doing much. So far they seem ok side effects wise. 🙂 xxx
Fluoxetine (Prozac) has been my best friend for many years. My MS diagnosis came at the same time as post natal depression. For years I flew solo and as a result neither my MS of my wellbeing were good! Along came those fab little yellow and green capsules and in time i felt like me again…. emotionally at least. I’m a fan of getting help when you need it. I hope whatever you are prescribed helps you as well as my meds helped me. As for food, maybe as your anxiety fades your ability to store calories will increase! Take care x
That must have been really hard, having not one but two things to cope with! Just the diagnosis is more than enough. I am hoping for the same result with my tablets. Mine are just little tiny white ones though. 🙂 And I think you are right about the food. Whenever I’ve been worried or stressed in the past I’ve got thinner, but it’s just never been for this long before. So I think more relaxed will equals a bigger Heather! 🙂 xxx
Totally helpful writeup. .
Thanking you!!!
http://odeythomasblog.blogspot.in/2018/05/alpha-post.html?m=1
Thank you! And thank you for stopping by my blog. 🙂 xxx
I do hope you find the anti depressants helpful Heather. On the food front I think nuts would be a good bet and may you and Dizzy find some very tasty cakes.
I had a lovely afternoon tea with my sister and cousin yesterday. We had tea, sandwiches, scones with jam and cream, cake… It was heavenly. 😍
Thank you Brigid. 🙂 I do eat nuts but I think I could definitely eat more of them! 🙂 Scones with jam and cream are so yummy. Now thinking maybe I could have a couple of those too… 🙂 xxx
Enjoy. X
I wish someone would say I need to eat cake. 🙂 Good luck.
Hehe, it’s not really the worst thing to be told to do. And thank you. 🙂 xxx
I’ve been on Prozac for years and years. It has helped tremendously. When I came off I found that I got weepy over everything. I unfortunately don’t have the cake issue. I’m on a diet eating healthy and still gaining weight for no reason. 🤷🏻♀️
I’m glad they’re helping. 🙂 So many people seem to do find they help, it’s making them seem abit less scary. 🙂 And if you’re eating healthy I wouldn’t worry about the gaining weight. 🙂 xxx
Starchy vegetables ex: sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips, winter squashes. Loads of yummy recipes you can make with those. Today I’ve a chicken pot pie in the oven that the recipe includes carrots, sweet potatoes and other veggies, and the crust I make from a mix of gluten free flours. it’s very healthy though also calorie dense. Also Chebe bread mixes. They are super yummy, you can make all sorts of things with them, but I find they will pack the pounds on fast compared to some other bread type things, and they are gluten free. Enjoy your cake!
Thank you Katrin. x That sounds good! I don’t eat meat but I’m sure I could just replace the chicken with more veg. 🙂 I’ve never even heard of Chebe bread mixes. What are they? If they’re yummy and help to put the weight on they sound perfect! 🙂 xxx
I’ve made the pot pie with just veg before and it also turns out great. I’ve made it with the addition of spinach or broccoli. Here’s a link to Chebe bread: https://www.chebe.com/ there are so many ways you can modify the recipe, I can’t eat cheese so I make it cheese free. it makes good dumplings, buns, bread loaf, cinnamon toast, (though I will say the pie crust I made out of it wasn’t the best, rather chewy)
I have never had that bread before. It looks yummy! We’ll have a go at making that this week. 🙂 xxx
I hope the antidepressants help Heather. It’s very smart of you to realize that you needed a little help with the anxiety. As far as healthy, high-calorie snacks go, foods that naturally have a higher fat content like the nuts and avocado that others have mentioned are great. Fat has 9 calories per gram, where carbs and protein only have 4 calories per gram, so you get more calories with the fattier foods, and you can choose those with healthy fats….. I also use quite a bit of extra virgin olive oil for cooking and for dressing my salads. Good luck with your new medication. I hope it works great for you.
Thank you Terri. I do already eat avocados and nuts but I definitely think I could eat more of them! 🙂 And thank you for the information on calories per gram. I didn’t know that fat had the most. 🙂 I know what to target my search on. 🙂 xx I hope you have a wonderful weekend. xxx
Thanks Heather – I hope you have a wonderful weekend as well! Hugs to you and Dizzy!
Yes, for a while. It was either up the dosage or forget them so I stopped them.
What made you stop taking them? Did you notice any difference on them? xxx
No.
Pine/Pinion nuts are high calorie with good fats. I’ve had to try multiple antidepressants over the years since it’s hit and miss with what works and what doesn’t. I kept a journal each time I started a new one so I could track my moods better. For me, Zoloft works pretty well. I’m allergic to Welbutrin, Celexa just made me sleepy all the time, and Prozac didn’t do a thing. I hope this medication helps!
That’s a great idea to keep a journal. Thank you! I was just thinking last night how will I actually know if they’re helping. Like is it a big difference or if it’s gradual how will I know? But a journal would definitely help me to then keep track. 🙂 I do love pine nuts. 🙂 xx Hope you have a wonderful weekend. 🙂 xxx
😊 I am hopeful that you do well on this new medication. May you and Dizzy have a fun weekend as well!
I really hope they help. Thanks for sharing, and enjoy the cake! xx
Thank you Emma! And hope you have a lovely weekend. 🙂 xxx
Hoping the meds are helpful and the treats are delicious! 🌸 I’d say, as someone above, avocados, nuts, and I have to believe stores by you probably sell cakes and such which are sweetened more naturally and made with coconut oils. My homeopath said I should eat ghee and coconut oil daily. Ghee is pretty darn yummy. I’m not sure of your restrictions…I’m dairy, gluten, ‘anything good😉’ free but those I tolerated well.
That’s a really good idea, then I don’t have to worry about being too unhealthy if they’re naturally sweetened. Or I could just get Dizzy cooking! 🙂 Coconut oil would be good, think I’ll pop to the shop and get some of that today. 🙂 Thank you so much for the suggestions. 🙂 xxx
I am currently taking antidepressants for anxiety. My anxiety was getting out of control, I wasn’t sleeping for worrying, I ached all over and felt exhausted all the time. I feel much better now. Some antidepressants increase your appetite and therefore you can expect some weight gain. I feel we all need a little bit of help sometimes. Give the tablets chance to get into your system and hopefully you will feel better soon. 🌹💕
That’s what I was like last year, and I had palpitations nearly constantly. It was horrible and you just feel so exhausted. Luckily I have managed to reduce it abit on my own but it’s still always there and it doesn’t take much for me to fall into full anxiety mode. Hehe, that would actually be a welcome side effect of them then. 🙂 And thank you, the doctor said I should start noticing a difference in about 4 weeks. 🙂 xxx
Also if you don’t feel good with them don’t be afraid to ask for another tablet. Antidepressants are like BP tablets sometimes you have to try others to get the one to suit you. Oh and watch Dizzy’s weight with all the ginger nuts 😉
I have heard there’s a lot of different ones! I have a review with the doctor in 4 weeks so I think that’s to decide if these are the right ones and right strength. 🙂 Hehe, trying to stop Dizzy eating those ginger nut biscuits is impossible. Now she’s eating all this cake too! 🙂 xxx
Lol xxx
My nephew used to need high calorie foods, so my sister would make him peanut butter and honey crystal sandwiches. The honey crystals were delicious and added calories.
I love peanut butter and honey, but I’ve never had them together! By crystals do you mean the honeycomb bit? 🙂 xxx
Nope, if you Google honey Crystals they’re a whole thing.
I’ll have a look! Thank you. 🙂 xxx
I’d include a link haha but I think that usually sends me to spam. Amazon has loads of results though
Found them! Thank you. 🙂 They do look yummy too. 🙂 xxx
Being too light is bad for mood, so enjoy cheese and egg plant and courgettes fried in good olive oil to get the brain making the right connections to happiness! I have also been prescribed anti depressants but keep them in the drawer for now as i am a bit scared of them. I hope they and the olive oil work for you.x
I didn’t know that weight can effect mood too! That might be contributing to it then. Hehe, I’ve done that with tablets before. Just keep them in the draw as I’m abit scared of them, but then I still know they are there if I need them. 🙂 Are you getting on ok without taking them? xxx
You need to eat good fats to make neurological connections in the brain weather you have MS or not, so reach for the good fried stuff and enjoy.
I take very low dose lyrica for sensation stuff but it also calms me down a lot and lifts my mood. When i stop taking it I get depressed again. It could be a suggestion if the new drugs dont suit. X
I’ve definitely been reaching for extra cake over the weekend. 🙂 But am also uping my intake of healthy fats too. 🙂 What’s lyrica? I’ve never heard of it before. xxx
Homemade muffins can be made with healthy ingredients and muffins are like cake. 😉 I’m all for cake though! I hope the antidepressants help curb your anxiety. Do you keep a journal? Writing about my anxiety also helps me.
I think I’m going to have to get Dizzy baking! 🙂 I do love cake too but it would be even better if it’s slightly healthy. 🙂 And thank you, I haven’t been keeping a journal but I will give it a try. 🙂 xxx
Eat lots of high fat food but at the same time eat high carbs as well so that your body stores the fats and doesn’t burn them. Protein will also help you build muscle and muscle weighs more than fat. Lot’s of great ideas in other peoples comments 🙂 Dizzy will help you x
Thank you Sid! 🙂 Me and Dizzy are making sure to eat lots of calories with a little help. 🙂 xxx
Prozac helped me a lot – but nobody ever told me that the first two weeks would shoot my anxiety up off the charts. It does go away though.
As far as gaining weight, I make peanut butter balls – peanut butter, oatmeal, honey, and as much dried fruit as I can cram into them. Cashews add even more fat. But just grind it all up and make it into balls and freeze them. Really good compact yummy calories!
Thank you for the warning that they can shoot anxiety up. I didn’t know that about anti depressants either.
That sounds delicious! I make peanut butter slices with peanut butter, oats and honey, but never with died fruit aswell. I’ll try that this week. 🙂 xxx
Hope the meds help Heather! And I second lots of nuts (I add nut butter to porridge, smoothies etc), avocado and olive oil. I had to put weight on too and it helped me to have lots of milky drinks (eg hot chocolate with non dairy milk), up my portion sizes, snacking more often and adding nuts/avocado etc. Good luck! Xxx
Hehe, just as I’m reading this I’m drinking a chocolate milky (soya) drink. 🙂 I think I definitely need to up the amount of everything and snack more often. 🙂 How long did it take before you started putting on weight? xxx
I think it took me a couple of months, lots of people had been commenting on how I’ll I looked but luckily I don’t get that anymore! Hope it won’t take you too long lovely. It can be hard to put weight on with OMS! xx
It is, I think I use to get all my fat from cheese. 🙂 Have got an app now to monitor my calories which is helping too. 🙂 xxx
Wishing you all the very best with it, I hope your body tolerates it well without any yucky side-effects. In terms of high cal foods, I opt for sugar to put on weight before/after surgery. Not the best/healthiest, but it does the trick for me. Lots of sweets. High fat foods like avocado and nuts can also help. xx
Thank you! So far, so good, in terms of side effects. Had a slight tummy ache the morning of the first one but that’s been it! 🙂 And thank you for the suggestions. 🙂 I’ve even got a little app on my phone now so I can track how many calories I’m eating each day. 🙂 xxx
Great post Heather!! I wish you all the best and hope your body starts adjusting and you do not have many side effects! My doctor put me on several anti-depressants in the past because they were supposed to help with pain. Unfortunately my body did not tolerate any of them well and they made me super sick. I guess my body had different ideas and just wants me to eat cake!! I hope you and Dizzy have a great long weekend! Sending y’all lots of love!!
I’m sorry they your body didn’t like them, cakes not a bad option though! 🙂 I’ve been lucky, just a tummy ache the first morning on the anti depressants, and nothing since. 🙂 I hope you had a wonderful weekend and your week is going well. 🙂 xxx
It is all good and I will figure out ways to get through it all! I think cake is a great idea! I hope you and Dizzy are doing well and hope your weekend was fabulous!! xxx
I don’t use antidepressants but I have heard great things. I surely do hope that they do a great job for you!
I love peanut butter with apples. I think this applies and I hope you like that combination. 😉
I hope you are having a great weekend.
Thank you Christy. 🙂 Peanut butter with apples? I have never heard of that combination before! Do you mean like, chop up the apples and pop peanut butter on top? 🙂 xxx
YES. Cut the apple into slices and use the peanut butter as a dip… so yummy! 😉
I’m going to have to give this a try! 🙂 xxx
I hope the anti depressants will help you. For getting some weight on I recommend taking a look at a website called ‘Round the Dinner Table’. This is a site for parents/friends and caregivers of young people with anorexia. My daughter had anorexia and I joined this group. They have a family cookbook with loads of recipies. I ordered it. It is full of things made with full cream, and adding instant breakfasts to a mix. I’m afraid I can’t remember the name of the book now. My daughter has it now for times when she get anxiety and starts to control her eating. It gives a lot of good recipes with loads of calories. You’d be surprised how high you have to get the calorie count before it actually gets some weight on. The most important thing to know is that if your weight gets too low you start to have all of the symptoms of a person with anorexia and anxiety is one of those symptoms. There was a medical experiment done in WW2 with a group of healthy soldiers. They were put on a starvation diet and all lost weight and all started to act and behave like anorexics. The experiment was to learn how to deal with people who had been starved during the war. The US knew they would have to be caring for these people after the war and wanted to have some experience with starved people. I am not making this up!! My daughter learned about it when she was in treatment for anorexia. If you can’t find the name of the book on the site message me and I will ask my daughter for it. Being too thin may seem to be attractive in a world that holds up thinness as a desirable thing but it is something that can seriously affect your mental and physical health. So let me know it you need the name of the book.
Thank you Anne. x If you could ask your daughter for the name of the book that would be amazing. I have found the site but haven’t come across the book yet. And I really had no idea about anxiety being a symptom of being underweight. It does make sense though. I have been eating more and I’ve even got an app on my phone to monitor my calories. Am on 2000 a day but I’m realising I’m going to have to eat more than that to put on weight. Feeling full all the time! 🙂 Thank you so much for your comment Anne and I hope your daughter is doing ok now. xx
My brother is also supposed to eat more (he’s 8 years old) but because of a different type of pill. He loses his all his appetite and according to him, everything is disgusting. So my mom allows him to eat (almost) whatever he wants to eat.
I agree with Dizzy, EAT ALL THE CAKE (my cat also thinks it’s a good idea). Hope you feel better soon!! <3
Hehe, we’ve been eating loads of cake! Dizzy’s been very happy about it. Still not made any difference weight wise but I think we’re maybe expecting too much to soon. 🙂 Hope you’re having a lovely week Chachel. 🙂 xxx
You too 🙂
Lyrica is the brand name of pregabalinum which is used for neurological pain. I take it at the lowest possible dose 25mg and it calms and cheers me.
Thank you Cathy. 🙂 xxx
The scary thing with all medications, especially anti depressants and anxiety meds, is that they can make depression worse in the beginning….best of luck to you and I hope that this helps….the only suggestion I can offer on gaining weight is to take some of mine
Thank you. Someone else said that it can make the anxiety worse in the beginning, which I’m glad I know, just incase it does with me too. So far no side effects though. 🙂 And lol, if you’d like to send the weight over, that’s fine. 🙂 I feel like I’m just eating constantly at the moment. xxx
I took antidepressants for years for a combo of depression and anxiety. I remember I had some side effects going on (and in the end off) the first ones I tried, but that went away after a couple of weeks. Over several years I ended up I tried a couple of different types of antidepressant before settling on the one that worked best for me. Antidepressants were a good decision for me–I fully believe they protected me from harm.
Thank you Lucy. 🙂 I’m glad they have helped you, they do seem to help so many people. 🙂 What was the one you ended up settling on? I’ve been on them a week today and so far no side effects. 🙂 xxx
The one that ended up working best was called Valdoxan, active ingredient Agomelatine. It was expensive, unfortunately, but it didn’t have side effects and it also helped to reset my sleep cycle which no other antidepressant had managed (I had chronic insomnia for many years).
I was having joints pain in both hands inside and outside and muscle weakness due to multiple sclerosis (MS). I was falling a lot, I had headaches and lightheadedness. I couldn’t keep myself balanced, and walk with a tremor like I cannot control my steps. The amantadine hydrochloride (Symmetrel®) and modafinil (Provigil®) did very little to help me. I still didn’t feel any better, Since the original diagnosis, My stiffness has slowly increased. October 2017 my brother in-law told us about Natural Herbal Gardens where he ordered herbs that effectively treated his Parkinson’s. We ordered their multiple sclerosis herbal treatment after reading alot of positive reviews, i am happy to report this multiple sclerosis herbal treatment reversed my (MS) condition. My quality of life has greatly improved and every one of my symptoms including muscle weakness and tremors are gone. Their official web official website is naturalherbalgardens . c o m. I can now go about my daily activities, I will be 64 soon.
Thank you Janice for the recommendation. It’s amazing to hear your story and I’m so glad they have worked so well for you. xx I’m a big fan of natural remedies and medicine, so I will definitely be checking out the site. Thank you. 🙂 xxx
I hope these work for you. It took me a couple different try’s to find the right med fit for me, which is Lexapro. I find it to balance me very nicely. Good luck to you!
Thank you. 🙂 I definitely am feeling more relaxed on it, it’s so nice to just not be feeling worried all the time. xxx
How about eating things like granola or flapjack? Healthyish form of cake!
I take antidepressants, I avoided them for years but wouldn’t be without them now x
I haven’t had granola or flapjack in ages! Thank you. 🙂 xxx
Nice article.
Thank you. 🙂 xxx