Anxiety? Aggression? Am I hangry?

mommyvudu
mommyvudu Posts: 99 Member
edited November 22 in Health and Weight Loss
SO, even though I've been much more active and working out rather intensely 6 days a week, I seem to be easily irritated. Or at least I was super irritable...now I'm emotional. I feel anxious and depressed. Super anxious. WTH is going on with me? I don't feel hungry. When I do, I eat something nutritious. I'm getting enough calories while staying within my goals. But I'm acting HANGRY (hungry + angry for anyone who doesn't know) all the time. What gives? Have you experienced this? Will it pass? I've only been at this lifestyle change for a couple of weeks. I've also given up alcohol completely. I was drinking a lot before. Everyday.
Someone tell me I'm going to level out soon because I can't stand feeling like this. My poor fiance understands but I still feel like a jerk and it's not helping my general happy about myself vibes.
I'm stressing out over here.

Replies

  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
    What's your calorie goal?

    And I hate to say this... but could it be pms making you moody? You don't say how long you've been like this.
  • mommyvudu
    mommyvudu Posts: 99 Member
    I hate that you said it too lol I though a guy might go there but didn't expect a lady to haha NO, it's not pms.

    :D

    My calories are 1200/day, but I workout and compensate for calories burned somewhat. I'm not hungry so I don't want to eat more than I'm already eating.
  • ElleMarieRose
    ElleMarieRose Posts: 37 Member
    It could be because you gave up alcohol? When I gave up coffee cold turkey I had mild depression and panic attacks (not even alcohol, but coffee!). I feel like a professional can help you more with this, but I doubt it has anything to do with working out 6 times a week.
  • healthygreek
    healthygreek Posts: 2,137 Member
    You could need to eat more and/or you could be feeling the affects from alcohol withdrawal.
  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
    mommydie wrote: »
    I hate that you said it too lol I though a guy might go there but didn't expect a lady to haha NO, it's not pms.

    :D

    My calories are 1200/day, but I workout and compensate for calories burned somewhat. I'm not hungry so I don't want to eat more than I'm already eating.

    Hey, when it's my TOM I turn into a monster. LOL :D

    It could be the alcohol, I can't really say. But if you're 100% sure you're eating enough I guess the drink would be the next logical culprit.
  • mommyvudu
    mommyvudu Posts: 99 Member
    I'm sure it is from cutting calories and quitting alcohol but how long will this go on? I'm assuming its not permanent. Has anyone been there done that and gotten through it? Did it take you a month? Weeks?
  • mommyvudu
    mommyvudu Posts: 99 Member
    mommydie wrote: »
    I hate that you said it too lol I though a guy might go there but didn't expect a lady to haha NO, it's not pms.

    :D

    My calories are 1200/day, but I workout and compensate for calories burned somewhat. I'm not hungry so I don't want to eat more than I'm already eating.

    Hey, when it's my TOM I turn into a monster. LOL :D

    It could be the alcohol, I can't really say. But if you're 100% sure you're eating enough I guess the drink would be the next logical culprit.

    I do, too...which has actually got me a little concerned. Maybe I should plan a retreat away from my dude to spare him next month if this is something that will continue. I can't imagine doing my time with this as my jumping point. God save him...
  • JayRuby84
    JayRuby84 Posts: 557 Member
    Hey, if you've recently cut alcohol and also just started working out and eating better, your body is going thru a LOT. It's no wonder you are cranky as all get out. And like others have mentioned, your TOM can wreck havoc on your emotions. When you mentioned the booze and cutting it out, it made me also think it may have been masking other feelings that are now unmasked! You are feeling stuff you couldn't before with all the alcohol. I think over time you will be feeling better. Maybe you need a counselor or a couple more friends to talk to. I don't know. But I do know that what you are describing sounds like reasonable reaction considering all the recent changes. Hang tight, feel free to add me as if friend if you like.
  • mommyvudu
    mommyvudu Posts: 99 Member
    JayRuby84 wrote: »
    Hey, if you've recently cut alcohol and also just started working out and eating better, your body is going thru a LOT. It's no wonder you are cranky as all get out. And like others have mentioned, your TOM can wreck havoc on your emotions. When you mentioned the booze and cutting it out, it made me also think it may have been masking other feelings that are now unmasked! You are feeling stuff you couldn't before with all the alcohol. I think over time you will be feeling better. Maybe you need a counselor or a couple more friends to talk to. I don't know. But I do know that what you are describing sounds like reasonable reaction considering all the recent changes. Hang tight, feel free to add me as if friend if you like.

    Thank you. <3 I've always used unhealthy methods to mask my feelings. I have PTSD, I've done therapy and all sorts of treatments. I just moved far, far from "home" and have very few friends so that's not helping. I used to work all the time and was super independent, and now i'm a stay at home mom with no car in a new city (I sold it to buy a new truck for me and my dude). Maybe I should jump back into AA/NA meetings. I need SOMETHING to help me cope.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    JayRuby84 wrote: »
    Hey, if you've recently cut alcohol and also just started working out and eating better, your body is going thru a LOT. It's no wonder you are cranky as all get out. And like others have mentioned, your TOM can wreck havoc on your emotions. When you mentioned the booze and cutting it out, it made me also think it may have been masking other feelings that are now unmasked! You are feeling stuff you couldn't before with all the alcohol. I think over time you will be feeling better. Maybe you need a counselor or a couple more friends to talk to. I don't know. But I do know that what you are describing sounds like reasonable reaction considering all the recent changes. Hang tight, feel free to add me as if friend if you like.

    what jay said.
  • justrollme
    justrollme Posts: 802 Member
    Hey, when it's my TOM I turn into a monster. LOL :D

    Arrrghhh, that monster! It uses my voice to say absurd things. Like the time I yelled at my hubby for chewing a banana too loudly. :neutral:

  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
    It sounds like you have made a LOT of changes in a very short time. That would be difficult for anybody.

    Going to meetings sounds like a great idea.
  • Bowsergirl
    Bowsergirl Posts: 89 Member
    I've been feeling the same way. Are you getting enough sleep?
    I've only been getting 4 hours of sleep most nights, and it's putting me on edge.

    Meetings sounds like a good idea.
    I'm also a stay at home mom and a lot of the time just getting out of the house alone for a little bit makes me feel better.
  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
    justrollme wrote: »
    Hey, when it's my TOM I turn into a monster. LOL :D

    Arrrghhh, that monster! It uses my voice to say absurd things. Like the time I yelled at my hubby for chewing a banana too loudly. :neutral:

    LOL I'm dying!
  • Pinnacle_IAO
    Pinnacle_IAO Posts: 608 Member
    When I first began this journey, I recall getting in fist fights about every 3 days.
    Somebody would say the wrong thing; I'd feel the rage building, then some guy would laugh or something, and I'd just go off.

    I kept asking myself "what is happening to me?"

    It passed, and my theory is that the initial shock of not feeding my body all that junk threw off my sanity for a few months. I have not been is any kind of street fight since.
    That was just crazy!
  • Katiebear_81
    Katiebear_81 Posts: 719 Member
    mommydie wrote: »
    JayRuby84 wrote: »
    Hey, if you've recently cut alcohol and also just started working out and eating better, your body is going thru a LOT. It's no wonder you are cranky as all get out. And like others have mentioned, your TOM can wreck havoc on your emotions. When you mentioned the booze and cutting it out, it made me also think it may have been masking other feelings that are now unmasked! You are feeling stuff you couldn't before with all the alcohol. I think over time you will be feeling better. Maybe you need a counselor or a couple more friends to talk to. I don't know. But I do know that what you are describing sounds like reasonable reaction considering all the recent changes. Hang tight, feel free to add me as if friend if you like.

    Thank you. <3 I've always used unhealthy methods to mask my feelings. I have PTSD, I've done therapy and all sorts of treatments. I just moved far, far from "home" and have very few friends so that's not helping. I used to work all the time and was super independent, and now i'm a stay at home mom with no car in a new city (I sold it to buy a new truck for me and my dude). Maybe I should jump back into AA/NA meetings. I need SOMETHING to help me cope.

    Yes! Meetings are a good idea. It will help keep you sane (alcohol related), plus you might be able to make some friends, if you find other like-minded people. :)
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    mommydie wrote: »
    JayRuby84 wrote: »
    Hey, if you've recently cut alcohol and also just started working out and eating better, your body is going thru a LOT. It's no wonder you are cranky as all get out. And like others have mentioned, your TOM can wreck havoc on your emotions. When you mentioned the booze and cutting it out, it made me also think it may have been masking other feelings that are now unmasked! You are feeling stuff you couldn't before with all the alcohol. I think over time you will be feeling better. Maybe you need a counselor or a couple more friends to talk to. I don't know. But I do know that what you are describing sounds like reasonable reaction considering all the recent changes. Hang tight, feel free to add me as if friend if you like.

    Thank you. <3 I've always used unhealthy methods to mask my feelings. I have PTSD, I've done therapy and all sorts of treatments. I just moved far, far from "home" and have very few friends so that's not helping. I used to work all the time and was super independent, and now i'm a stay at home mom with no car in a new city (I sold it to buy a new truck for me and my dude). Maybe I should jump back into AA/NA meetings. I need SOMETHING to help me cope.

    I did a variety of things when I changed my relationship with alcohol in the late 90s, and while they may have all helped, yoga was the most helpful.

    Yoga for Addiction Recovery

    ...These days it’s difficult to find any private rehabilitation facility that doesn’t offer some form of yoga or mind-body awareness programming. Some teach meditation, so that recovering addicts can learn to sit quietly and calm the body and mind with the breath, and experience feelings of peace and comfort. Other facilities teach a series of postures that are simple enough for people who have never done yoga and who probably have not taken good care of their bodies. The goal is to give addicts the skills they need to learn in order to tolerate the uncomfortable feelings and sensations that can lead to relapses. (An example of this kind of yoga practice is featured on page 2 of this article.)

    “When people take substances, they’re seeking a certain experience, whether it’s escapist or transcendental or just wanting a different psychological state, to get away from whatever is making them unhappy,” explains Sat Bir Khalsa, director of the Kundalini Research Institute and an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. Khalsa wrote a study on a small pilot program in India that featured yoga as the main intervention in its substance-abuse treatment. “Yoga is an alternative, a positive way to generate a change in consciousness that, instead of providing an escape, empowers people with the ability to access a peaceful, restorative inner state that integrates mind, body, and spirit.”

    Back to the Body

    The importance of developing a positive relationship with physical sensation is one reason that the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California, has offered yoga as part of its fitness regime for more than 10 years. “Addiction takes a person out of their body and prevents them from connecting to who they are physically and feeling what their body is telling them,” says Jennifer Dewey, Betty Ford’s fitness manager. “Yoga is a great way to slowly reintroduce someone to physical sensation. It’s also very relaxing, so in terms of the anxiety, stress, and depression that arise from detox, it’s invaluable in helping people stay calm and grounded.”

    Read more: http://www.yogajournal.com/article/practice-section/higher-ground/
  • slowrollem
    slowrollem Posts: 55 Member
    Feel free to add me as a friend. I'm a stay at home Mom of 3, who got sober 10 yrs ago.

    A lot of times people with addiction are self medicating because they have physical/mental health issues and are seeking relief. Uou mentioned your PTSD and thats a very common symptom.

    I suffer from depression which presents with anxiety and alcohol definitely helped quiet my mind and that uneasy feeling. Until it didn't anymore. Finding something that worked took meetings, counseling and for a while, medication.

    Throw in a new schedule, diet and staying home with babies in a new city, I can see why you're on edge! :)

    You're making good choices, stay with it and I'm happy to chat anytime you wish!
  • RamonBecerra
    RamonBecerra Posts: 15 Member
    What i think it is tour fat intake. Increase it way more during the day. That helpd me wen i was cuttting. Like faty meats. Avacodo. Nuts. Even butter on ur veggies.
  • mommyvudu
    mommyvudu Posts: 99 Member
    What i think it is tour fat intake. Increase it way more during the day. That helpd me wen i was cuttting. Like faty meats. Avacodo. Nuts. Even butter on ur veggies.

    I will definitely try this! I've already been attempting to figure out what my fat level should be. I'm pescatarian so it's not always easy for me to get fat into my 1200 calories a day without really planning out the day.
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  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    mommydie wrote: »
    SO, even though I've been much more active and working out rather intensely 6 days a week, I seem to be easily irritated. Or at least I was super irritable...now I'm emotional. I feel anxious and depressed. Super anxious. WTH is going on with me? I don't feel hungry. When I do, I eat something nutritious. I'm getting enough calories while staying within my goals. But I'm acting HANGRY (hungry + angry for anyone who doesn't know) all the time. What gives? Have you experienced this? Will it pass? I've only been at this lifestyle change for a couple of weeks. I've also given up alcohol completely. I was drinking a lot before. Everyday.
    Someone tell me I'm going to level out soon because I can't stand feeling like this. My poor fiance understands but I still feel like a jerk and it's not helping my general happy about myself vibes.
    I'm stressing out over here.

    How much fat are you eating? Hormones require a certain minimal level of fat to function, and if you're eating at a deficit you might not have enough available in your bloodstream right now. And I don't mean just the lady hormones. Hormones regulate all kinds of bodily functions, like your thyroid.
  • mommyvudu
    mommyvudu Posts: 99 Member
    shell1005 wrote: »
    You should you kinda sorta eat your exercise calories back? What does that mean? At 1200 calories and the intense workout you described...coupled with a diet change and going cold turkey with alcohol...no wonder you are a monster.

    I wouldn't go so far as calling me a monster but I'm not my usual sweet self. And I meant I try to eat the calories I burn off on intense workout days but I sometimes fall short. I just don't have much of an appetite for once.
    WBB55 wrote: »
    mommydie wrote: »
    SO, even though I've been much more active and working out rather intensely 6 days a week, I seem to be easily irritated. Or at least I was super irritable...now I'm emotional. I feel anxious and depressed. Super anxious. WTH is going on with me? I don't feel hungry. When I do, I eat something nutritious. I'm getting enough calories while staying within my goals. But I'm acting HANGRY (hungry + angry for anyone who doesn't know) all the time. What gives? Have you experienced this? Will it pass? I've only been at this lifestyle change for a couple of weeks. I've also given up alcohol completely. I was drinking a lot before. Everyday.
    Someone tell me I'm going to level out soon because I can't stand feeling like this. My poor fiance understands but I still feel like a jerk and it's not helping my general happy about myself vibes.
    I'm stressing out over here.

    How much fat are you eating? Hormones require a certain minimal level of fat to function, and if you're eating at a deficit you might not have enough available in your bloodstream right now. And I don't mean just the lady hormones. Hormones regulate all kinds of bodily functions, like your thyroid.

    I'm getting about 45 grams a day according to my food diary. I'm trying to up my fat intake with avocados. I'm going to start using butter on veggies. Protein has been more difficult. I find meat repulsive. I can only stand so much fish. I think I'm going to get a good whey protein this weekend, even though I'm not lifting heavy or anything. It should make getting the calories and protein I need in my diet a little easier.
  • slowrollem
    slowrollem Posts: 55 Member
    Peanut butter, cheese, cottage cheese, greek yogurt are good sources for protein if you're not into meat.
  • mommyvudu
    mommyvudu Posts: 99 Member
    I love all of those! I guess I just haven't been very into dairy as of late. I'm going to get some cottage cheese and Greek yogurt tomorrow thank you
  • skittlsv2
    skittlsv2 Posts: 85 Member
    PTSD panic/anxiety depression and addiction is hard to handle for anyone. I've never had an alcohol or drug addiction but I've lived with it in my family. I would say firstly that your withdraws from alcohol are present and that kicks up your PTSD and depression and anxiety. I really hope you can find AA meetings near you and perhaps a counselor also. Congrats on your decision to stop the alcohol and to live again. This is a bump in the road that you need support with. Getting busy with exercise and focusing on eating healthy is a huge plus plus for you. Loving yourself enough to pursue this journey is great. Your body is going through all kinds of changes and so are your emotions. I like to say when my depression anxiety panics kick in that I feel like arrows are shooting through my head 100 miles per hours. It's chaos. There is nothing wrong about seeking professional help and support. I know you can do this because you've already took a huge step. Best wishes and I hope you will continue on your healthy journey.
  • HaroldStearns
    HaroldStearns Posts: 2 Member

    It may be happen that you are in depression and anxiety because earlier you had an addiction with alcohol. But I never had such type of addiction. In spite of this I didn't get enough sleep always. Hardly I used to sleep 3 to 4 hours per day and had lots of trouble. And my doctor advice me to buy Ambien and take in a regular basis. So, you need to take some professional help if you are facing trouble like me.
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