Can a newly started healthy diet cause serve anxiety?

TheBuddyHobbs
TheBuddyHobbs Posts: 8
in Motivation and Support
I just started eating healthy 7 or 8 days ago. For the passed 3 days of I had the worst anxiety I have ever experienced. I legit feel like I am going to die and something bad is definitely going to happen. Is it possible that my new healthy diet is causing this? Is it my body detoxing itself and could that be the cause?

Note: I have generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder.

Replies

  • karlahere
    karlahere Posts: 79 Member
    Hmm, perhaps it's your disorder kicking in, and not the eating regimen itself. Have you talked to a doctor about it? I would because I'm not a fan of self-diagnosis. :)
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    yes, too few carbs can make anxiety disorders worse and even cause a relapse in symptoms. Not everyone with anxiety disorders experience this, but some do, including me (I have PTSD)

    healthy eating actually should make things better, if you've had a relapse in anxiety symptoms, then it's probably the case that you're eating too few calories overall, or too few carbs, or something like that

    - eat the right amount of carbs for your activity level

    - exercise (it helps your body get rid of stress hormones and also releases endorphins which helps to relieve stress)

    - get plenty of healthy fat in your diet, including fat soluble vitamins. deficiency in these can worsen mental health

    - eat enough to fuel your body... your brain is an organ in your body like any other, it needs nutrition
  • mercurysfire
    mercurysfire Posts: 144 Member
    i agree with that. a lot of people kind of freak out when they start doing something like this because 1. it's new 2. there's a lot to learn. 3. it's a change in lifestyle for most people and people generally don't deal with change very well.

    unless you're eating something you have allergies or sensitivites to, the food isn't causing the freakouts. just breathe deep and try to relax. this isn't brain surgery, and you will feel tons better in a few weeks.
  • TheBuddyHobbs
    TheBuddyHobbs Posts: 8
    My food diary is open if anyone wants to check it out and maybe help me make adjustments. FYI lunch is hard for me sometimes due to the way I work.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    your calorie goal is very low considering you're male. What are your stats? (height/weight/body fat percentage if you know it)?

    Also, what's your goal in terms of weight loss, fitness, etc?
  • Keygaohda
    Keygaohda Posts: 4 Member
    We have used food as a crutch for many years... to comfort, celebrate, and mourn! It is now becoming nothing more than food in order to be alive...instead of our support network! It is normal, and natural to go through many adjustments as we put food where it belongs! You are normal and I truly believe that you will adjust! Keep busy... have fun, chat with your supportive friends and family!
    Hugs! KeygaOhda
  • TheBuddyHobbs
    TheBuddyHobbs Posts: 8
    I am 5'6" about 173 give or take and I'm not sure about body fat percentage. A lot of my fat is in my stomach area though. My number one goal to be healthy first and foremost. I know with that will come weight loss. I think a good weight for me would be 140-145 area. Is there any other foods or anything you suggest I throw in or take out? I am open to suggestion. I just want to be fully healthy.
  • Joannesmith2818
    Joannesmith2818 Posts: 438 Member
    If I don't eat enough or feel hungry....this can bring on my anxiety, as I feel weak and light headed....feeling I associate with panic attacks.

    What I am eating now very rarely leaves me feeling hungry...feel free to have a look at my diary. Don't let the anxiety stop you from making changes, but do listen to your body :).
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    I just calculated your calorie requirements from your stats.... you definitely need to be eating more. It's not about specific foods to eat or not eat, it's the total amount of food that's the issue.

    With a sedentary activity factor - that is if you do a desk job and no exercise - you'd burn 2197 calories a day. If you do any exercise or have a more active job, you'll be burning quite a bit more than this.

    Your BMR is 1830 cals/day.... as a rough rule of thumb you should not eat less than this, because this is how many calories your body needs to maintain your body's functions. Exercise/activity calories are above this, and with a sedentary activity factor you'd burn around 2197 cals/day. A good rule is to eat more than your BMR, but less than your TDEE. So long as you're eating less than your TDEE you will lose fat. If you're more active and doing exercise, you'll be burning quite a lot more than 2197 cals/day.

    Your current goal is about 500 calories less than your BMR, which is very likely why you're suffering worse anxiety than usual. Your body isn't getting enough energy, which means your brain isn't getting enough energy, because it's an organ in your body and needs energy to function right just as your heart, lungs, liver etc do.

    If you let me know what kind of exercise/physical activity you do, and if your job is sedentary or active, I can give you a calorie goal based on that.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    If I don't eat enough or feel hungry....this can bring on my anxiety, as I feel weak and light headed....feeling I associate with panic attacks.

    What I am eating now very rarely leaves me feeling hungry...feel free to have a look at my diary. Don't let the anxiety stop you from making changes, but do listen to your body :).

    ^^^ this is exactly what I find, only when this happens I often don't actually feel hungry, my blood sugar just drops and causes symptoms that are like anxiety, and also the PTSD gets more easily triggered, presumably because my brain doesn't have enough sugar to function effectively. I have to be really careful about this, i.e. if I ever start feeling like this, I eat more carbs, or a meal that includes carbs, and that generally works.
  • TheBuddyHobbs
    TheBuddyHobbs Posts: 8
    I work at Target on flow team. Which is means I am walking non stop for about 5 hours a day. Taking stuff off the line and loading them onto pallets, but it's constant back and forth walking fast paced. After and hour and a half of that it's stocking the rest of the day. Which is non stop walking after that. I work from 4 a.m. until 9 a.m. or 11 a.m. it depends. Break is usually at 8 for 15 mins, but that's when I try to eat because I eat at 3 a.m. and I don't want to wait any longer to eat. I work 4 days a week. So maybe adding something like almond butter would be a good choice to my lunch? that would add about 200 or so more calories maybe I'll eat a little bit more of than that. It seems when I eat I fill pretty full, but it's stuff that isn't very high in calories. So do you think I am going in starvation mode, or it's not that serve but could become bad?

    It scares me thinking of that because now I feel like I actually might die because my body isn't used to so few calories.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    you're not going to die.... the human body can survive on too few calories for a very very long time... but it will impact your health in a negative way.... you need to aim for optimal health, not the bare minimum you can survive on.

    You are most definitely burning a lot more than 2197 calories a day, probably closer to 3000

    I'm just looking for another calculator with a better activity factor on it.... will give you a better number in a while

    definitely eat more!!
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    you're probably burning around 2800 calories a day, possibly more.

    What I'd suggest is because you don't have a lot to lose, that you set your calorie goal for 2200 calories a day, which is 500 calories a day less than you burn, and would give an estimated 1lb a week fat loss (when you don't have a lot to lose, you need to take fat loss more slowly) - this number should also make you feel much more full and give your brain enough energy to function right, which should reduce the anxiety.

    You can reset your calories in custom goals, and also reset your protein, carbs and fat, to 40% carb, 30% protein, 30% fat. Try to get enough of each of these, from healthy food sources, and to be within 100 cals of your calorie goal each day (i.e. 100 cals over or under)

    Try this number for two weeks........... if you're still having major anxiety, or other signs of undereating such as tiredness, irritability, extreme hunger... raise the number of calories by 200 and see if that helps.

    After two weeks, see how much weigh you've lost, and you can adjust your calorie goal from there (upwards or downwards) depending on your results.

    I personally find that weight training helps with anxiety.... if you start doing weight training (this is well recommended) you should bump up your calories and protein on training days, say 200 or so. Weight training also helps with getting rid of excess fat while maintaining your muscle mass, you'll probably find it improves your overall shape and gets rid of the belly flab... additionally when the belly flab has decreased you might consider eating a lot more to gain muscle while carrying on with the weight training.

    You have a very active job, so although these numbers seem high, you're burning off a lot so you will still be eating at a deficit while eating a lot more than you currently are

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