Has anyone here ever dealt with having mood swings as a result of what you eat, especially when on a diet? I’m currently on a low-carb diet. I gradually tapered back on high-glycemic index foods and am now pretty much living on meat, eggs, cheese and vegetables. My problem is that I’m now suffering from near-psychotic irritability. I imagine “dry drunks” or recovering meth addicts feel what I’m going through: bitter, dispairing anger, rage fits, and intolerance of the slightest annoyance. I feel like a cartoon character who has gotten so angry that their pupils have disappeared and their eyes turned into blood-red blank orbs. I’m fine for a short while after I eat, and in my good moods I hate being this way. In my bad moods I don’t feel human. The worst part is I’m no longer sure which is the real “me”; like a sugar version of the jolly drunk who’s a mean bastard when dry, is the way I feel now who I really am?
Hmm, being a few pounds overweight or being a raving psycho? Tough choice! Add the carbs back into your diet and work out more or something. What good does being thin do you if it causes you to piss off the ones you love?
I turned into a raving bitch when I tried a low-carb diet. I also had some really severe headaches and felt ill much of the time. But as soon as I added in a couple of servings of bread or cereal a day, I was much more even keel. Based on that experience, my recommendation would be to add some carbs back in, like two or three servings of whole grains a day. Oatmeal’s a good choice and so is whole wheat bread. That’s what worked for me, anyway. And if you exercise, you can tweak it a little (or if you don’t, start exercising) to keep losing weight.
You don’t have to choose between being overweight and being nutty. But to find out how to get healthier and keep your sanity at the same time, you may find yourself trying new things or tweaking what you’re doing now until you find what works for your body and your brain.
Sounds like low blood sugar. Eat more carbs in the form of vegetables, and eat more regularly and frequently. I am very sensitive to low blood sugar and it makes me evil. (0 to beeeyatch in about 30 seconds) I had a couple rough weeks when beginning a low carb diet.
Just eat more frequently – after a while you will have fewer blood sugar fluctuations, and at the same time, become more aware of when you are entering the low blood sugar danger zone and be able to head it off with a snack.
Good luck!
I agree with Hello Again. Eat more vegetables, and try various berries.
Not everyone’s on low carb to lose weight. I don’t know what the OP’s situation is, but I’m on low carb to control my diabetes and high blood pressure, and it works like a charm. Adding carbs, especially “whole grains,” would be detrimental to my health. I don’t have the mood swings, but if I did, the last thing I’d do is add any carbs other than vegetables and/or berries.
Another vote for “eat more often” and for “eat some more vegetables” or the occasional piece of fruit. Break your meals up into 5 or 6 a day so that your eating schedule looks like: breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner, (optional) evening snack.
I get ill-tempered if I haven’t eaten in a while too, even on an unrestricted diet. If I go more than about 5 hours without eating I start feeling weird. It’s worse now that I’m exercising hard at least a few times a week. If I ate the usual 3 meals a day I’d be nasty to everyone and eat too much at every meal.