Major mood swings & a meltdown :/ Help?

giaciccone · July 2011

Ok, so this isn't something I'm proud of, but I need to address it because it's completely out of my typical behavior.

Last night a friend of mine called me up & asked if I wanted to go to dinner. I said yes, of course, this is one of my very good friends & I always enjoy her company no matter what. I told her I'd meet her at her apartment around 7. Around 6:30, I decided to start getting ready. I put on some makeup, fixed my hair a bit, and then stepped into my closet to figure out what to wear.

This is where trouble starts. I put on something that I thought was going to look nice - because of course it did in the past - and I realize I look completely ridiculous. I get frustrated, and I change into another outfit. It looks tight, too tight, & I look like a beached whale with the navy blue color scheme between the shirt & jeans colors. I get even more frustrated & change into something else.

Cue 7:00. I texted my friend saying I'm having a little problem figuring out what to wear & that I'd be late. I'm screaming at myself because I've been through at least 4 different outfits & all of them make me look like this fat slob. I call myself names. I get really childish & throw this temper tantrum - for who? Me. I live by myself, so I wasn't really trying to get attention or anything. No one is there to give it to me anyway.

Around 7:15 there have been at least 10 outfits tried on & still nothing. I still feel gross & pathetic. I get so upset that I throw all of the shirts I have onto the floor & start throwing them individually around my room because I'm racing through them looking for options. Seriously? What am I a toddler? Meanwhile, I'm crying my eyes out because I'm this disgusting fat slob who can't fit into anything (yeah, I told myself that). I even ripped a shirt because it had a hole in it & that's the only reason why I couldn't wear it. So, I took two fingers, made the hole bigger & eventually just ripped it in half. WHY WOULD I DO THAT? I don't know.

I called my best friend from my hometown for backup. She calmed me down a little, but I think I was crying out of sheer frustration. I know it's only been less than a week that I've changed up my eating habits - I wasn't expecting results right away, I know they won't come overnight. I think I was just frustrated because I have all of these clothes & NOTHING looks "wow." Nothing.

(If you cared to know what happens: Eventually, my friend came over at 7:45 to see my face tear-stained & she also offered a hug & a pep talk. We went to dinner & I ended up wearing a longer white graphic t-shirt, skinny jeans, & flip flops. We stayed long enough for $1 wines at the restaurant, had 2 glasses & went home)

So, does anyone know why that happened to me? Are major mood swings typical when changing up food habits? Am I entitled to this meltdown or was it completely out of line? I feel really embarrassed talking about it, but I want help, too.

ProTFitness · July 2011

Once you clean your eating up and eat enough GOod CLean Healthy Nutrious foods your body chemicals should even out. You may not getting enough of the good stuff and still eating to much of the bad. Remember eating or drinking foods with artifical colors, sweetners chemical over processed can cause inflamation and worst of all chemical imbalance. Go for the green! Go for color and get lean meats drinks lots of water and KEY BE Consistant. Do it for life not just for the moment and all should straighten its self out

scapez · July 2011

I'm sure there are a whole lot of potential reasons for the 'exaggerated' meltdown...maybe getting close to TOM, maybe you were just tired or worn out...or maybe you were just extra frustrated! Show me a woman who's never had a major meltdown from time to time and I'll call you a liar!

I've done that trying-on-multiple-outfits-because-nothing-looks-good routine many a time...definitely NOT fun. But the good news is, keep on keeping on and soon you'll be doing the happy dance in your better fitting clothes!

Best of luck to you!

EmBlazes · July 2011

Hi!

Don't feel embarassed - lots of women feel this way. It could be a few different things making you especially bad tempered that day:
- stress because you were under time pressure and knew you needed to hurry up
- anxiety because of time of the month or just generally not feeling great
- normal "fat day" blues
- perhaps a "sugar low" in the case that you have stopped or limited eating carbs and refined sugars.

So it really could be lots of things. Give yourself a chance to get into your healthy eating regime. When you do start to lose weight you will notice and it won't be such a chore to go out.

I still have this problem when I put clothes on before I go out and I find it frustrating that even after trying half my wardrobe on I still can't find anything to wear. If this is the case I normally end up defaulting to one particular top I like because it doesn't make me feel like a whale. Then I team it with jeans and I make sure I put some make up on because that makes me feel better.

I hope you are less meltdown-prone as you continue on your weight loss journey!! :happy:

srp2011 · July 2011

Try not to be so hard on yourself. You may be experiencing some chemical changes in your body if you have transitioned away from high sugar/carb foods to a healthier diet. It may also be that you've increased your awareness of how you look and feel since starting this new eating plan, and while before you could kind of ignore how your clothes fit and such, you're now acutely aware of it, and while your brain knows it's too soon to expect to see results, your emotions aren't quite so rationale :-) This is normal. I'm in kind of a similar place where I see some change, but I'm not where I want to be yet, and I hate my clothes but it's too soon to start shopping for new ones... Anyway, stick with it and it won't be long before you do start seeing positive changes in the mirror and in the way your clothes fit :-) Until then, go easy on yourself.

uniqute1888 · July 2011

Yes its kinda typical.... In a way your body is going through withdraw - Its used to a certain routine of high sugars n sodium which have all proven to have effects on the brain like a drug... You love eating the garbage because it 'tastes good' and you think healthy stuff is gross... so thats how your brain reacts- and is now itself throwing a tantrum because it wants the bad food...

Be strict with yourself for two weeks- seriously strict! Because it takes 2 weeks to make or break a habit. So for every bad one you drop develop a new one.
*No more watching tv at night without having done your weight training or sit-ups
*you resisted temptation - go get a pedicure

Whatever works for you. And before you know it you will feel 10x better than you ever could eating that tray of brownies and you start automatically picking better choices and craving them!...
Happy losing and feel free to add me for extra support- I could use it too!

LushLoni · July 2011

Consider if your TOM is due too...

You've just started a new way of eating where you are taking in less than you're used to - you'll feel tired and cranky, that could have had been what that was.

Use your meltdown as motivation = the further you get on with your weightloss journey the more clothes you'll love wearing that have the "wow" factor for you

emily2mcmillan · July 2011

I know exactly how you feel, well maybe not exactly because we all experience things differently, but I went through a similar experience last night as well. I was getting ready to meet up with this guy I'd just met and NOTHING looked good. I decided to wear a skirt because my skirts tend to hide the waist line I'm trying to tone up, but I felt like it just moved all the fat to a different spot on my body. AND then my left boob (yes, I'm going to get pretty personal here) decided it just didn't want to stay in my bra. (My boobs are a whole other story). So here I am, frustrated because my skirt isn't doing it's job, my boob has a mind of it's own and I want to make a good impression on this guy! I ended up finally just saying "whatever!" and left. I ended up having a ton of fun, probably sharing too much information with him (haha) and threw on a jacket before I even met up with him because it got chilly.
Now, I don't know if this story helps you at all (I hope it at least made you smile) but everybody has days where they just feel like nothing looks right on their body (even people who are sticks!) You just have to remember that you're in charge of your body, you've decided to get healthy and take care of yourself! And that's probably one of the MOST important decisions you could ever make! Chances are you're going to have a similar experience again. Just take it one day at a time and I'm sure you'll get there!

-Emily

"Surround yourself with people who make you laugh so hard you forget the bad and focus solely on the good."

giaciccone · July 2011

Thank you everyone for your help.
To those of you that did ask, TOM's visit is not for another 2 weeks, so I don't think that's the reason behind my actions. I do think that the imbalance a lot of you were talking about may be a trigger. Either way, I do appreciate all of your support & kind words. This is one of the main reasons why I joined MFP - support.

I wish all of you the best in your journeys, too!

Crystal_Pistol · July 2011

I have had MANY days like this getting ready for work. I'm a therapist, and I always tell clients to create a thought stopping phrase to re-center them when they lose it. Doing it myself... well I'll just say practice makes perfect and it's much harder to do than tell. You can do it!

NancyAnne1960 · July 2011

I went through somewhat the same type "clothing" meltdown the other day. None of my 'big' clothes fit, and I looked like a slob in all of them, but the smaller ones were still a little tight. Once I found a good pair of pants (I couldn't believe I fit into them, and looked so good), but the down side - all of my shirts were like tents!!! I didn't have one single top that looked like it 'fit'. It was a hot day, and I had to walk downtown to get to my destination. I ended up wearing a cotton jacket that fit - too hot - and was sweating when I got to my destination. I almost broke down, but once I got with my friend, and it was cooler in the restaurant, all the 'bad' stuff just went away. I am now preparing for the next occasion so I don't get caught up like before, and like you did. I understand, and I think it is perfectly natural when loosing weight!! You are doing great, keep up the good work!!!

UltraRunnerGale · July 2011

Most people who overeat have some sort of food addiction. It's the same thing as ANY kind of addiction. When you are newly "recovering" you are under tremendous stress, whether you realize it or not. You have lost your coping mechanism so when something stresses you out, you don't know how to cope. I know this because I'm a recovering alcoholic. Your "meltdown" is typical to someone new to recovery. Just remember that it does get better!! Treat bad food choices like poison (like I do alcohol) and avoid them like the plague. Soon, good food choices will become the norm and in time, you will actually feel better when you eat better.

I have never been really overweight, but I certainly understand your plight. Keep in mind that your body is going through withdrawal from all the sugar, fat, and chemicals. It is, without a doubt, a real physical manifistation and can cause all sorts of mood swings and other things. Be kind to yourself, but don't give up the good fight!! It WILL be worth it in the long run.

When I went through menopause, I suddenly gained 20 pounds, even though I'm an endurance athlete. I couldn't, for the life of me figure out how to drop this unwanted weight. By the time I found this website, I thought I was just stuck with the weight. By using this site every single day, I have lost 14 pounds! You CAN do it too!! You are WORTH it!

A couple of months ago, I had to go to a wedding. Every outfit I tried on made me look short and fat. The other day I went to the same store, trying on outfits because all of my clothes were just hanging on me. Everything looked CUTE!! Hang in there and that could be YOU!!!!!!!! :drinker:

azsuzi · July 2011

I went through about a month of feeling depressed when I started cleaning up my diet and watching my portions. One of the things I gave up was visiting my co-worker's chocolate bowl every day. I know that chocolate tells your body to release endorphins and can improve mood - so my theory is that until my body adjusted to life without my "antidepressant" (chocolate), I just felt down all the time. The good new is, it only lasted a month and I haven't had a problem with it since. Good luck to you!

Major mood swings & a meltdown :/ Help?

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