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Shark week and depression on keto

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Kimo159
Kimo159 Posts: 508 Member
in Social Groups
Hey LCD friends!

So this holiday season wasn't fantastic for me as far as keto is concerned...I did stay active though and I didn't go absolutely crazy, but I was DEFINITELY not keto for these past 2 weeks. I did get some potentially valuable information about myself though.

1. This time around my shark week wasn't as bad as it's been on keto...like...not even close. Lighter and way less crampy...
2. The depression I've been dealing with has left the building.

I don't know if this is a coincidence...but maybe my body doesn't do well at keto carb levels. My plan for the next few months is to low carb, but not keto. Still aiming for no sugar though, and no gluten. I'll be trying to get my carbs from starchy veggies, oats (I have GF rolled oats), and fruits. I'm interested to see if this continues to keep me feeling better. Has anyone else found themselves to be in better health when LC vs keto?
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  • KnitOrMiss
    KnitOrMiss Posts: 10,104 Member
    edited January 2017
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    @Kimo159 - My experiences with that have to do with neurotransmitter (and amino acid) deficiencies. There were some recent threads that show this absolutely to be true for some folks. Much neurotransmitter conversion/production happens in the gut, so I would absolutely recommend getting a probiotic in your daily life, and if that isn't enough, possibly getting some testing to better gut health.

    So, TL/DR - absolutely real thing. Love the new game plan.

    EDITED TO ADD: My thyroid does not seem to function hardly at all under the stress of keto... So I'm currently forging a new path, too.
  • KnitOrMiss
    KnitOrMiss Posts: 10,104 Member
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    Article I randomly ran across just now that I'd saved, @Kimo159

    drchristianson.com/eating-for-serotonin/
  • castlerobber
    castlerobber Posts: 528 Member
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    I used to do well on 40g carbs, but the past year or two, I've found that 60-70g is working better for me. I wasn't having problems on 40g, but I wasn't losing the excess fat I still had. Possibly related to the cessation of "shark week." (LOL) Upping the carbs restarted the weight loss. I only have another 10 or 12 lbs. to go.
  • swezeytba
    swezeytba Posts: 624 Member
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    Anyone one here find that shark week goes away because of going keto? Just started keto 12/11 and over due for shark week now....Took a PG test cause shark week usually comes early not late for me, but thankfully that's not the cause! :)
  • cedarsidefarm
    cedarsidefarm Posts: 163 Member
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    Thanks Knit for that link. I especially like the info on aspartame. I found it makes me swell and inflames my arthritis. But it is hidden in many sugar free sweeteners and when my hands start aching, I go looking for the hidden aspartame.

    But for mood enhancing I found fat really works for me. It doesn't matter what type. Just keeping my fat levels at 70% makes me so happy. Those low fat diets really put me in a mood. Glad I've found a better way to lose weight.
  • KnitOrMiss
    KnitOrMiss Posts: 10,104 Member
    edited January 2017
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    Shark week gets thrown into the blender and hit frappe... @swezeytba IMO anyway.

    For some it gets paused, for some it gets lighter, for some it gets heavier, and others more often...or any combo therein.

    Most level out sometime in the first 6 months as long as you stay level with your carbs, but yo-yoing or including cheats prolongs the misery and chaos.

    For me, it kind of hit the 10 year rewind button hormonally, which sadly, put me back into PCOS HADES and hormonal insanity. I've leveled out...but I liken it to hitting a random button generator - what fresh HECK will I get today? *pushes button* *cries at result* LOL
  • Cadori
    Cadori Posts: 4,810 Member
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    shark week - I've always been regular...typically 30-32 days, can feel ovulation and have a consistent 14 day luteal phase (we use FAM for BC). My periods were always heavy and 7 days, and I had bad cramping. Now, my cycles are exactly 28 days and this last period I had no cramping and the bleeding, while heavy, was only 4 days.

    depression - I had moodiness that I now assume must have been caused, or at least exacerbated by, blood sugar swings. Now that I don't have those, my mood is much more stable and even PMS irritability has lessened.
  • Kimo159
    Kimo159 Posts: 508 Member
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    @KnitOrMiss Thanks for that article! It was great. Funny how many of those symptoms I had been developing lately...Also good to know that I was on the right track with eating the majority of my carbs later in the day. Thanks for the tip on the probiotic too, I used to take them but I've been slacking a bit on that. I hope the new path your forging works out well for you...I'm sorry that youre in a PCOS hades right now...Hormones are such a powerful thing..Hopefully you can get a good result on your random button generator VERY soon!!

    @castlerobber That's really interesting that you started to lose weight again when you upped the carbs. I was having issues with losing even while strict keto so maybe this will help. I have more weight to lose...as much as I would be happy to just feel better, losing a bit more weight would also be nice...Congrats on the losses!

    I never found that I lost shark week on keto...but almost every one was 7-8 days with 1 being almost unbearable with cramping and 3 being unbelievably heavy. Which then gave me all sorts of fun things to deal with in regards to iron deficiency.

    @swezeytba I actually found the first few months of keto my period came late...only a few days though.
  • swezeytba
    swezeytba Posts: 624 Member
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    Very interesting @KnitOrMiss & @Cadori . I guess we'll see what happens long term! :) Was always extremely irregular in my younger days, but as I got older I became more and more regular. May have to keep some PG tests on hand just to keep the hubby from having a heart attack before he's 50! :)
  • pacific904
    pacific904 Posts: 92 Member
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    New here -?what is "shark" wwe? Thank you.
  • KnitOrMiss
    KnitOrMiss Posts: 10,104 Member
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    Shark Week is called that "jokingly" because sharks go after blood, and blood happens on a woman's period. Therefore, to speak of it in mixed company, it is often called Shark Week (also ties into presumed aggressiveness with PMS) or a visit from Aunt Flo (flow?). It is an American attempt at humor in misery, @pacific904
  • Patti2008
    Patti2008 Posts: 48 Member
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    I found I can't do keto without experiencing depression. I have gone low carb and my mood is normal. I increase carbs with fruit, nuts and starchy veg and am still losing weight.
  • ijhardwicke
    ijhardwicke Posts: 8 Member
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    New to LC/Keto, so will see what happens w/ regard to the shark...though, I only have one more (hysterctomy scheduled for Febr). Thanks for the articles, will read them ASAP -- this is a learning curve -- trying to get/keep hubby on board...we'll see how that goes!
  • KnitOrMiss
    KnitOrMiss Posts: 10,104 Member
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    @ijhardwicke - Even after hysterectomy (unless both ovaries are removed, too - and even then), most of this relates to the underlying hormone situation, not the physicality of shark week itself.
  • ijhardwicke
    ijhardwicke Posts: 8 Member
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    @KnitOrMiss, so far the plan is to leave the ovaries...but we all know that can change, so I'm still heading down this path with a spring in my step...hoping to drop 70#...wonder how much surgery will help w/ that (LOL -- .5?)
  • loxottica
    loxottica Posts: 26 Member
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    KnitOrMiss wrote: »
    Shark Week is called that "jokingly" because sharks go after blood, and blood happens on a woman's period. Therefore, to speak of it in mixed company, it is often called Shark Week (also ties into presumed aggressiveness with PMS) or a visit from Aunt Flo (flow?). It is an American attempt at humor in misery, @pacific904

    Actually I've learned that its called shark week cuz the shape of a shark's brain is the same shape of a woman's uterus. LOL
  • KnitOrMiss
    KnitOrMiss Posts: 10,104 Member
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    loxottica wrote: »
    KnitOrMiss wrote: »
    Shark Week is called that "jokingly" because sharks go after blood, and blood happens on a woman's period. Therefore, to speak of it in mixed company, it is often called Shark Week (also ties into presumed aggressiveness with PMS) or a visit from Aunt Flo (flow?). It is an American attempt at humor in misery, @pacific904

    Actually I've learned that its called shark week cuz the shape of a shark's brain is the same shape of a woman's uterus. LOL

    @loxottica - I've never heard that, but I can see that one, too. When folks started calling it Shark Week, my twisted friends anyway, it was for the shark/blood and PMS/aggressive reasons. I'm sure we could brainstorm and come up with 10 or 20 reasons...but those two are why I, personally, use it to laugh through my misery. :)
  • Kimo159
    Kimo159 Posts: 508 Member
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    I definitely use it because of the blood and aggression haha!
  • swezeytba
    swezeytba Posts: 624 Member
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    Maybe we should have warned the fellas of our discussion content...lol....

    Ironically....since the discussion shark week has finally arrived for me....

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