bad mood and my diet

de1amo

i am constantly battling to get near my calorie count for the day--i dont eat enough but i dont feel hungry, however, i feel myself becoming very snappy and moody with my teenage daughter(and wife). İf they do anything wrong i get extremely wound up and this is causing arguements between my wife and i.
İ seem to eat plenty of protein but am short on most of the other totals so any ideas what improves moods when dieting--ie is a shortfall of carbs a problem or am i lacking a general vitamin input--i dont take any supplements.

ksnurse25

What do you do for relaxation? What are you doing for exercise? It seems like you need some sort of release during the day. Take a walk, do something enjoyable with your family. As for foods, protein can affect your alertness, carbs can decrease stress and increase relaxation, and do you intake a lot of caffeine? Good luck with this issue!

de1amo

i do lots of gym work but not a lot of other exercise. i do one walk on a saturday as my schedule allows. i tend to be restricted for family life by my hours--i own a school and the summer holidays are coming so i will have more time for relaxation and family life. My wife and i work together all day and its fine but when we sit down at the end of the day i get moody.
i dont drink alcohol or coffee but i drink about 4 cups of tea a day. i use to enjoy a couple of beers at the end of a day as a relaxant but got a beer belly!--you could have hit the nail on the head with this relaxation release. İ have read a lot about okinawa in Japan where people live long and happy lives because they drink a small amount of alcohol in their otherwise perfect lifestyle.
i am just short of my perfect bmi and might add the odd beer into my regime--my bmi is 23,4 and low for my age compared to American citizens-i am in the top 35pc and have an equivilant to a 35 year old--so as long as i am responsible there is room!-i am 47.

JoyBellz

Last year I became very depressed after I had been dieting for a bit. I was crying all the time for no reason. Went to my doctor. I had reduced my carbs a ton from what I had been eating. She says sometimes people go through that when they are dieting. Even if you feel better physically and it seems like its going good, you sometimes have emotional stress (ie: crankiness, depression, etc) b/c of the drastic change. She said it should pass in time but b/c my depression was so severe, she put me on a very low dose of an antidepressant just to level things out a bit.

tavitsre

I'd recommend taking a metabolic typing test. They reckon that some people feel better on proteins, some people on carbs, some people on a mix. Personally, if I eat carbs all day I get fiendishly hungry and snappy. But if I eat proteins I am much more stable. Maybe you are the opposite? Apparently there are 3 basic types: protein types, carb types, and mixed types. there are a bunch of free tests online, e.g. http://www.naturalhealthyellowpages.com/metabolic/self_test.html. They often try to flog their products off to you, but once you know what type you are you can find out more info about how to manage your energy levels with the right kind of food.

Hope you figure it out, and that in the meantime your family is nice and supportive. Good luck!

de1amo

thanks for your helpful advice--i have taken an anti depressant for many years and been stabilised for the chemical side of the mood--it was once noted by a chinese doctor that i kind of have inner stress that changed from week to week- there was no physical reason for the change just my natural bio rythum but was internal and never affected my work or personal relationships.

the analysis sounds interesting--i definately crave carbs and used to eat a lot of bread in my diet. my mother is a celiac and at one point in this diet i was getting headaches after i ate pasta--i thought i may have some intolerance but it seems to have levelled out now after i have upped my consumption because i had purged myself prior to the headaches-i will do a test!

i did the test and it said i should eat about 50pc of a plate in carbs-something i have been fighting against doing because of the calorie bulks these pile on-where i live people eat rice instead of potatoes but i come from the uk where potatoes are the main source so its a cultural change to my system and diet- they put yoghurt on most dishes something which i have been slow to do so i must adapt.--it said i am a mixed type 3 which means i am adaptable and can eat everything as a mixed diet

Briannah

Major link between low carb diets and moodiness... you should look it up it may help. Or otherwise enjoy a big plate of pasta and see if it makes a difference.

de1amo

it makes me feel great! i also add plain yoghurt at the side for the protein--makes a real meal

suziblues2000

What REALLY helped my mood is Omega Oil.
Good luck to you.

de1amo

i tried omega 3 a few years ago but it had little affect on me however, now i am actually moody it might alter things! thanks

megamom

Also looking through your diet you seem to be pretty low and under your daily by most days, increasing your calories will help. I also meditate twice a day. This helps to focus me and keep my mood straight. I have been meditating for years and when in a stressful situation I find all I have to do is take a couple of cleansing breaths and I can relax and focus. Good luck.

de1amo

i also do transendental meditation for calming my mind--i have done for 25 years.
--i find eating unnecessary calories unatural because i feel i eat well and dont crave a higher intake. i keep close to most things apart from the headline calorie count. --i exercise and dont want to eat back the calories because i would eat more than i ever have done here-i am from the uk but live in a hot climate where over consumption is uncomfortable