Diet and exercise make me IRRITABLE! Help?

katielinds

...Is that normal?

I have been dieting and exercising for the past two months, and I have been slowly but steadily losing inches/lbs. (Mostly inches--- for the first time in my life I am LOVING exercise!)

I eat well, at a rate of attempting to lose 1.5 lbs per week, and i also usually eat back exercise calories. I have been doing 40 min. of daily cardio at the gym and just started with weights.

I have more to lose, so this is absolutely a big lifestyle change. I went from eating whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, to watching calories, eating lots of protein and veggies, healthy carbs, smaller portions, etc.

Aside from noticing a difference in my waist line and legs... I have been extremely IRRITABLE! Snappy, short-tempered, impatient.

Has anybody else experienced this!? What's up with that? And most importantly--- will it pass!?!? I'm thinking it could be psychological since food has been a long-time comfort for me-- but might it also have to do with my body chemistry, etc?

Anybody with similar experiences-- please share!!

katielinds

...

quirkytizzy

How much are you eating? Calorie goal? If you're not eating enough, you hit what we call "hangry." (Hungry and angry.)

healthygreek

Perhaps it's not using food as a crutch anymore, perhaps its a kind of withdrawal from sugar if you used to eat a lot of that. Have you considered that perhaps you need to eat more? I don't know because your diary is closed and I don't know your weight and height. Also make sure you're drinking lots of water.

pspetralia

I would look closely to see if you are getting enough calories with all that exercise.
If you think it is more mental then you might want to start tracking how you feel throughout the day or when you eat.

lithezebra

You're losing weight at a pretty fast rate. I don't know how close you are to your goal, but you could back off and go down to 1 pound per week, thus giving yourself a few hundred more calories a day. Another option is "flexible dieting" where you diet for a month or two, then eat at your maintenance level for 2 weeks. It's supposed to foil any downshifting of your metabolism.

Grouchiness can be a sign of lack of carbs.

jcmartin0313

Yes your nutrition is off

ryry_

My guess without more information would be you are either severely undereating, or eating a very restrictive diet (e.g. Low carb)

katielinds

Thanks for the input everyone. I am eating a good amount. I have been avoiding an excess of carbs, but stil eat them when I want them. Perhaps I need to look at balancing my diet out differently.