ANXIETY

Bertha63
Bertha63 Posts: 22 Member
edited November 2021 in Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
I’ve been obese for 30+ years and am a compulsive overeater. I self-medicate with food, the way some people do it with alcohol. So if I have a bad day, or experience some negativity in some other way, the way I handle it is by eating things that are not good for me -- and lots of it.

Here I am now, trying to lose weight. The central part of this latest attempt is exercise, but exercise alone won’t cut it so I’m trying to eat better. Protein shakes are a great way to have dinner without being tempted to overeat.

But the last two evenings that I had shakes (Monday and Tuesday), I had severe anxiety attacks. Last night I made myself a quesadilla for dinner. No anxiety attack. Hmm….

Have you experienced anxiety as a result of fighting off how you really want to eat?

Replies

  • myrnamclain
    myrnamclain Posts: 3
    Good Morning, maybe you were low in protein on the days you had anxiety. Did you check your foods entry to see if you were down on protein for those days?
    Or maybe you were dehydrated? Adding water to your body makes it work better and you feel better too.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    What brand/type of protein powder are you using? Just wondering if maybe it contains caffeine or some other stimulant that's bringing on that anxious feeling?
  • Bertha63
    Bertha63 Posts: 22 Member
    Good Morning, maybe you were low in protein on the days you had anxiety. Did you check your foods entry to see if you were down on protein for those days?
    Or maybe you were dehydrated? Adding water to your body makes it work better and you feel better too.

    I didn't check those things. I will in future. Thanks.
  • AsaThorsWoman
    AsaThorsWoman Posts: 2,303 Member
    Or hypoglycemia.
  • Bertha63
    Bertha63 Posts: 22 Member
    What brand/type of protein powder are you using? Just wondering if maybe it contains caffeine or some other stimulant that's bringing on that anxious feeling?

    It's called Body Fortress -- it just happened to be what they had at the grocery store. I don't know if it contains caffeine. But I have so much caffeine throughout the day, all day every day, that I doubt that caffeine in the protein powder would make a difference. Thanks for the thought, though. :)
  • Bertha63
    Bertha63 Posts: 22 Member
    Or hypoglycemia.

    Hypoglycemia could cause anxiety?
  • KaraP18
    KaraP18 Posts: 145 Member
    Were you constantly thinking about food and not eating it after drinking the protein shake? Alot of times you can sort of think yourself into anxiety or cause a panic attack by focusing to much on something. Maybe you should try something to distract yourself from thinking about it. Are you actually hungry or did the protein shake fill you up?
  • jenn26point2
    jenn26point2 Posts: 429 Member
    Here's an interesting article I found on Facebook. It might help shed some light, or at least give you a glimmer of hope.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/can-what-you-eat-affect-your-mental-health-new-research-links-diet-and-the-mind/2014/03/24/c6b40876-abc0-11e3-af5f-4c56b834c4bf_story.html

    My own experience is that what you eat matters very much when suffering from mental health concerns. I went from unstable on 4 medications to stable on zero medications by simply changing my diet. I was taken off medication 4 months after changing my diet, after allowing for adequate taper time. I think we started reducing meds within the first month.

    I also agree that hypoglycemia can cause anxiety, but there again, hypoglycemia can be controlled with an adequate diet.
  • WorkInProgress323
    WorkInProgress323 Posts: 114
    Does it contain creatine? I believe that can cause anxiety .

    Or maybe it's the stress of not eating.
  • Fuzzipeg
    Fuzzipeg Posts: 2,301 Member
    I have no idea what goes into protein shakes, it could be the balance or lack of ,which might upset the system. Feeling anxious can be part of many different problems, just one of the way the body says it is stressed. I have no idea what your calorie allowance is but you may be restricting too far, too fast. Could you find time to plan ahead and put together a balanced meal if you can feel up to it, even something grilled with a roll and a veg of some kind, even salad.

    I can well understand your temptation, "do better" by avoidance. Often I read of the expectation to eat less and weight falls off. For some who are rather heavy there can be more to it. Could you consider getting yourself checked out to make sure there is nothing going one which you should take care of which contributed to where you are now.

    All the very best
  • Bertha63
    Bertha63 Posts: 22 Member
    Were you constantly thinking about food and not eating it after drinking the protein shake? Alot of times you can sort of think yourself into anxiety or cause a panic attack by focusing to much on something. Maybe you should try something to distract yourself from thinking about it. Are you actually hungry or did the protein shake fill you up?

    No, not obsessing on food (or anything else). The shake always fills me up: strawberries, banana, skim milk (usually; sometimes water) and whey powder.

    Distraction is good. Fortunately the start of the baseball season is Monday!
  • sweetcurlz67
    sweetcurlz67 Posts: 1,168 Member
    Speaking of caffeine...

    you might want to start weaning your way off of the stuff. I had to cut it out completely with the exception of I still eat chocolate and there is trace amounts in chocolate.

    I use to drink a popular diet drink every day and a good amount. I don't like coffee, so I felt I 'needed' some type of caffeine, right? Anyway, January 2012, I decided to quit all caffeine cold turkey. yes, I did get headaches (withdrawals), but they went away after a week or two. You wouldn't believe it, but I lost 20 pounds in a month and a half!!!! Just from giving up my favorite diet soda!!!!

    I increased my water intake (slowly up to at least 64 oz per day) and now, all I drink is water. Ok, occasionally alcohol and once in a blue moon I'll have a cup of my son's fruit juice.

    Giving up caffeine worked wonders for me!
  • Bertha63
    Bertha63 Posts: 22 Member
    Does it contain creatine? I believe that can cause anxiety .

    Or maybe it's the stress of not eating.

    Yes, it does. Whattya know? Thanks for the tip.
  • Bertha63
    Bertha63 Posts: 22 Member
    Speaking of caffeine...

    you might want to start weaning your way off of the stuff. I had to cut it out completely with the exception of I still eat chocolate and there is trace amounts in chocolate.

    I use to drink a popular diet drink every day and a good amount. I don't like coffee, so I felt I 'needed' some type of caffeine, right? Anyway, January 2012, I decided to quit all caffeine cold turkey. yes, I did get headaches (withdrawals), but they went away after a week or two. You wouldn't believe it, but I lost 20 pounds in a month and a half!!!! Just from giving up my favorite diet soda!!!!

    I increased my water intake (slowly up to at least 64 oz per day) and now, all I drink is water. Ok, occasionally alcohol and once in a blue moon I'll have a cup of my son's fruit juice.

    Giving up caffeine worked wonders for me!

    I have thought for a very long time about giving up caffeine. I enjoy the ritual of coffee drinking as much as the coffee itself. It would be hard to give up, but I'm thinking about it. Thanks for the encouragement, very much.
  • Bertha63
    Bertha63 Posts: 22 Member
    I have no idea what goes into protein shakes, it could be the balance or lack of ,which might upset the system. Feeling anxious can be part of many different problems, just one of the way the body says it is stressed. I have no idea what your calorie allowance is but you may be restricting too far, too fast. Could you find time to plan ahead and put together a balanced meal if you can feel up to it, even something grilled with a roll and a veg of some kind, even salad.

    I can well understand your temptation, "do better" by avoidance. Often I read of the expectation to eat less and weight falls off. For some who are rather heavy there can be more to it. Could you consider getting yourself checked out to make sure there is nothing going one which you should take care of which contributed to where you are now.

    All the very best

    Thank you, Fuzzipeg. (I like your name.) :)
  • kuolo
    kuolo Posts: 251 Member
    Whey powder can cause anxiety, something about the free amino acid glutamic acid turning into excess glutamate in the brain in susceptible people, as I understand it. Or it could be another ingredient in the shake. I get a lot of anxiety and can't tolerate whey powder, had terrible panic attacks for weeks before I worked out that one. If you do an Internet search you'll find its not too uncommon.
  • kuolo
    kuolo Posts: 251 Member
    For example http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/2293-protein-causing-anxiety/
  • textilexst
    textilexst Posts: 2 Member
    Have you tried medical cannabis to fight your anxiety?
  • jamu1528
    jamu1528 Posts: 7 Member
    I don't have any answers to your protein shake issue, but I wanted to offer some comradery as I too compulsively over eat at night. I think it may go back to all my years of dieting and eating too little during the day and being starving at night that has put me into this habit. I am trying to break the habit now but it is very hard!!
  • SamanthaLeona84
    SamanthaLeona84 Posts: 2 Member
    I have experienced anxiety when fighting what I want to eat. For me, it takes several days to manifest into a physical uncomfortable-ness. I don't have panic attacks but It does become a situation where I have just given up and overeaten junk.
    I would never be able to sub a shake for a meal due to this. Instead I have to find a healthy alternative that is less calorie dense. Soups work great for this, as well as greek yogurt. That is what helps me.
  • MeggyMoonRocks
    MeggyMoonRocks Posts: 5 Member
    edited June 2022
    Hey there! Coming from myself who is also an alcoholic and I got sober a little over a year ago, I have also used food as a way of comfort. It is also a form of addiction. I am also a registered nurse. The anxiety attacks could be due to hypoglycemia, which creates physiological side affects in our bodies. It could also be from being outside of your comfort zone and forcing yourself and reprogramming your brain to do something it isn't used to. Speaking from experience, I have also lost 117 lbs and eventually gained it all back while I was in active alcohol addiction. I can relate to what you're going through. Change is super freaking hard but when we force ourselves to live outside of our comfort zones, that's where the magic of growth and CHANGE happens! Feel to reach out to me anytime you need to talk! I'm here for you! And don't forget, you're STRONG and are capable of persevering through extremely tough challenges!
  • curwhibbles
    curwhibbles Posts: 138 Member
    Slowly lowering your caffeine could bring relief to your compulsive habits and anxiety. Worth some consideration!
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  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,333 Member
    if the only new thing you did was drink a protein shake and then you had anxiety.. I 'd say it would have to be the shakes. Don't drink them.. see if the anxiety goes away.

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