Crankier with less food

Sunshineandmind

Hi all,

I’ve been using food to improve my mood for awhile now and with lower calories I feel less happy. Anyone else? What are your strategies for improving mood while losing weight? Thank you 🙏🏻

csplatt

When I need to go back to a deficit for a few months, it takes me about two weeks to adjust to feeling a smidge hungry between meals then the crankiness swaps with feeling proud and in control.

AnnPT77

Without disagreeing with Csplatt, because what she said is sensible: Pay attention to how fast you're losing. If your system doesn't adjust fairly quickly to lower calories, especially if you're losing faster than half a percent of your body weight weekly, consider slowing down the loss rate.

Maybe this isn't you, but too many people have been influenced to think that fast weight loss is normal, expected, and a great idea. Big nope.

In real life, successful weight loss, followed by successful long-term weight maintenance, is the big win. "Lose weight fast" requires more extreme tactics and causes more side effects than gradual loss. Gradual loss is more achievable for most of us, helps us learn/practice new long-term habits that make it easier to stay at a healthy weight, plus avoids those side effects.

What side effects? Well, low mood or "hangryness" are one. Weakness. Fatigue. Feeling persistently cold. Lowered immune system and slower healing. Maybe hair loss or worse. Guaranteed to happen with fast loss? No. But higher risk.

"Lose weight fast" also requires a very different mindset from "find new happy, healthy habits that work permanently", as well as very different tactics.

If the loss rate is already sensibly gradual, like that half a percent of current body weight per week or slower, then yeah, other forms of mood management may be a good plan.

Some people find exercise to help. For some, that's mild exercise, for others, very vigorous exercise (without overdoing overall to the point of systematic stress, of course). Things like meditation, prayer, affirmations or self-hypnosis help some people. Rituals involving things like calming music, hot bubblebaths or showers, herbal teas, etc., help some. Creative pursuits can release some troubling moods, in my experience. It's pretty individual.

If sleep quality/quantity is sub-ideal, improving that to the extent possible may help. If overall nutrition is sub-par, that might help, too: Enough protein, healthy fats, plenty of micronutrient/fiber-rich foods.

I'm sure you already know that medications can also help, if needed. I'm assuming you're asking more about non-medical options, so I'm trying to speak to that idea, not dissing medications as an option.

It may take some experimenting, but I hope you're able to find a personally suitable solution!

Jthanmyfitnesspal

@Sunshineandmind : Some hunger is unavoidable, but as @csplatt says, it gets better. I have found that adjusting when and what you eat is also critical. I push my calories later in the day so I can eat more at dinner, for example. I also find sweets to be habit forming and I'm always struggling with wanting something sweet after dinner. It's usually within my plan, and I do, but it is really hard to drop it even if I'm full up for the day.

@AnnPT77 has good advice about considering GLP-1 if you need to lose a significant amount of weight particularly if you have a medical condition looming over you. I agree with her that it can be an advantage to lose weight slower as the point is always to maintain your new weight. I always shoot for no more than -1lb/week.

If you want to read about my recent 22lb weight loss, look up my other "discussions" (by clicking my icon). It wasn't easy and I whined a lot!

csplatt

i also eat dinner early, at 5 or 5:30 when i can

Zombella

I did go through this as well for a week or two when I started (again) back in March. What really helped was changing up what I eat, and eating more often. I had to change what I eat anyway because I found out that I have fatty liver. I also eat more fiber and protein. For example, I will have a fiber brownie, strawberries, and Greek yogurt for breakfast almost every day because the Greek yogurt has like 7g protein for the serving size I have, and I eat a decent amount of strawberries so I am satisfied and full for a while after eating it.