Bad Moody

Syleyna
Syleyna Posts: 86 Member
in Motivation and Support
Most of the time when I want to know something, I google it. I like trying to find the right answers myself before asking others. Not too sure how to search this one though so I thought I'd just ask your opinions and see if anyone else had the same issue.
About 5 days into my new 'calorie counting' I started having quite bad moods. When I say bad, I mean- angry, easily frustrated and generally man-hating. I literally thought of previous conversations I'd had with boys/men in my head and then proceeded to get mad at them. Weird, right? Thank goodness it only lasted a few days, and my partner only really noticed my frustration and put it down to being tired (we have a 4-month old son, so I'm tired a bit).

So this mood-swing thing. Did anyone else experience this when starting a new meal plan? Any advice on what I should change if it happens again? Or is it likely to just be my normal, female hormones kicking back into gear after having a baby?

Replies

  • ajnlee25
    ajnlee25 Posts: 56 Member
    It could definitely be attributed to low blood sugar, I've had this problem in the past. Eating smaller meals more often really helps, and don't skip breakfast. Make sure you are getting natural sugars and enough carbs. Hope this helps. You may not be eating enough, especially if you are breast feeding. Eat when you are hungry, but make sure you are making healthy choices.
  • Syleyna
    Syleyna Posts: 86 Member
    Thanks ajnlee :) I'll keep that in mind. I'm certainly not skipping meals, and I'm 'healthy snacking'. Maybe I'll replace my sugar-free yoghurt with an apple or something next time and see if it helps.
  • jesz124
    jesz124 Posts: 1,004 Member
    Yep it happened to me too when I began on MFP, I just put it down to lack of alcohol and chocolate. I know I sound like I'm being flippant, but i'm not. I honestly missed my large glasses of wine and huge amounts of chocolate I used to have at night. It took me probably a good 4-6 weeks to adjust to not having them on a nightly basis and it made me grumpy and snappy. I suppose it was a kind of withdrawal...But when it did pass I felt soooo much better about myself and really proud that I has managed to change habits that I had had for years. Could this be the case fpr you too? Have you given up sugary foods/alcohol?
  • TheRealParisLove
    TheRealParisLove Posts: 1,907 Member
    It could be a magnesium deficiency. Most dieters are magnesium deficient as it is found in what we normally call "junk food" such as enriched breads, cereals and chocolate. Also keep in mind that it is the middle of winter in the northern hemisphere, and low vitamin d levels cause depression and irritability in some people.

    I hope you feel better soon. I hate being unreasonably irritable, too.
  • gadenni34
    gadenni34 Posts: 294 Member
    this happens to me when my calories are too low. I am not sure where you are set calorie wise but you might consider looking into eating more. Maybe it is something that gets better eventually if you really want to eat low-cal but for me I HAD to up my calories and am still lowing just fine. check out the EM2WL, eat more 2 weight less, group on here if you are interested.
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
    I get a bad case of cranky if I use sweet & low. I switched to equal and now I'm just regular cranky.
  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,674 Member
    Yah, changing the diet/exercise can be pretty stressful.
    Be patient, and set small goals...just keep reaching for improvement without making yourself so stressed out that you are being counterproductive in other areas.
    I am a mommy, too. I can't handle a big deficit (I just keep a small one going). I don't like heart-pounding cardio classes right now ( I prefer early morning weight training). Just find what you can handle and be very happy with yourself for your improvements. They really do add up! The same way bad habits add up lol.
  • sexylonglegs
    sexylonglegs Posts: 278
    <----always moody
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
    Big changes to your lifestyle are hard. I wouldn't worry about it if it's gone now, you've obviously adjusted well x
  • MissBum
    MissBum Posts: 71 Member
    Yep it happened to me too when I began on MFP, I just put it down to lack of alcohol and chocolate. I know I sound like I'm being flippant, but i'm not. I honestly missed my large glasses of wine and huge amounts of chocolate I used to have at night. It took me probably a good 4-6 weeks to adjust to not having them on a nightly basis and it made me grumpy and snappy. I suppose it was a kind of withdrawal...But when it did pass I felt soooo much better about myself and really proud that I has managed to change habits that I had had for years. Could this be the case fpr you too? Have you given up sugary foods/alcohol?
    4-6 weeks to come down off my sweets?! I was hoping for 2 weeks of this raging at the most. Oh boy my family is in for it.
    OP- You are not alone!
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
    When I was on a 1200 calorie diet my doctor asked me if I was moody/ cranky so see if you are too low. She told me it's too low and I am short and older.
  • Syleyna
    Syleyna Posts: 86 Member
    In regards to having too few carbs/sugars- I was previously on a low-carb diet (about 4 weeks) before getting sick, so the amount I'm eating now is much more than I was previously. It's not lack of alcohol, as I haven't had much of that in over a year :P

    All very helpful ideas though, thanks guys and gals :)
  • misseenk
    misseenk Posts: 55 Member
    yup, its definite the body change. we're in our second week [my partner and i] and both have had what i call "grumpy gill" syndrome or my sister-in-law use to refer to it as "vampire hanging off the ceiling" syndrome - because i'd be so drained that i would literally bite peoples heads off ...I have done this whole routine several times, i have gone from 180 to 140 to 175 to 150 to 180 to 169 to 195 to 165, from 18 to 23 yrs old. I can get the weight off, but struggle with something emotionally and throw it all back on.

    regardless, every time i change my **** eating habits and start working out again, i am a grumpy ***** [excuse my language] right before i eat some protein and start working out again each morning. So don't get yourself down on it, what i do to control it a little is when i feel like i am about to snap, i shut up, walk away, and explain that i don't wanna talk about it right then. I use to have to do that when i was a kid too, its a very good way to avoid accidentally hurting someones feelings or upsetting the wrong person
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    this happens to me when my calories are too low. I am not sure where you are set calorie wise but you might consider looking into eating more. Maybe it is something that gets better eventually if you really want to eat low-cal but for me I HAD to up my calories and am still lowing just fine. check out the EM2WL, eat more 2 weight less, group on here if you are interested.

    ^^^ this. it's a common cause of grumpiness as a result of dieting, aka being "hangry"

    or it could be that you're eating the right number of calories, but too few carbs. If carbs are a problem, then you must ensure that you're getting enough of the healthy kind, as you need to keep your blood sugar stable. Processed carbs, e.g. white sugar, will make this worse as they send your blood sugar levels sky high then cause them to crash.

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