Low Carbs and Anger

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Troy67
Troy67 Posts: 556 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hey everyone,
Just an observation about something that has been going on with me and wondering if others have had similar issues.
I was at my heaviest weight (336 pounds) in 2005 and had lost 145 pounds that next year. Since then I had been up and down several times. I was back up to 257 pounds in April 2011 when I finally realized I needed to change the whole lifestyle. Couldn't "diet" any more. Dieting made me feel like I was missing out on things or being punished. I am now at 171 pounds due to eating better and exercising. I never go hungry, I have just found all of the lower calorie or healthier versions of things.
For awhile now I have been having more irritability, anger, etc. Feeling shaky, tense, headaches and so on. I at first wondered if losing all of that weight was lowering my Serotonin levels. According to all of the things I have read recently that is a possibility, but today I was looking over my food diaries for the last several months and came to another conclusion.
I burn a lot of calories through exercise every week and have noticed that I am one of those people who don't really seem to need to eat my exercise calories back. I hadn't considered that by having 150, 200, 250 or more carbs left over on a daily basis it would be a bad thing. I figured that eating somewhere in the neighborhood of 1200 calories a day was a good thing and not eating a bunch of carbs was even better.
I now realize from reasearching on a lot of different nutrition sites that this has been gradually lowering my serotonin levels and causing most if not all of my symptoms of late. I always heard the term comfort food and similar things but just thought that it was a mental thing with being obese for so long; my body craved carbs, etc, even when I didn't really need them.
Now I understand that it is actually a chemical process the carbohydrates go through to increase Seretonin and thus elevate mood. I was convinced I was going to have to go see my Dr. about getting on some meds for anger or something.
For the next couple of weeks I am going to adjust my diet by 1) eating breakfast ( I usually don't eat for the first time to 7pm or later as I always work 3-11 and/or 11-7 shift). 2) eating more carbs; not a bunch of crap-but still increasing the total and 3) adding more little snacks in between meals. Whether it is just a piece of fruit, some peanut butter, etc. Just getting carbs on a more regular basis throughout the day. If this makes a difference, I will realize that is what was going on and I do not need psychiatric care. lol
My mother's side of the family has a huge history of Diabetes/High Blood Sugar. I just figured that the less carbs I ate, the better it was for my chances to avoid the same thing. I now know though, that the other end of the spectrum isn't necessarily better. Times at work where I feel jittery, clammy, sweaty, etc and I have used the glucometer on our nursing floor I have always been low.
Just my thoughts/concerns on the matter. Any suggestions, feedback, opinions are always welcome.

Troy
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Replies

  • Flissbo
    Flissbo Posts: 302 Member
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    very interesting post!
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    1200 seems very low for a man, I'm glad you are looking at eating more regularly, maybe some more calories in will be good for you too.
    Personally I find that I get very cranky when I'm hungry -not specifically related to macronutrients but just generally grumpy when hungry.
    Now I know this, I try to eat regularly to keep my mood steady. I know this isn't the case for everyone, but it certainly is for me.
    Good luck in working out the healthiest pattern for you.
  • AirCircleI
    AirCircleI Posts: 334 Member
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    I definitely get cranky and bad tempered when I haven't eaten. Sometimes I notice this before I get hungry and it makes me realise I need to eat. For the last month or so I have been in a great mood, which I think can partly be put down to a new eating and exercise regime. For me, it is involved no alcohol, sugar or caffeine. Also definitely having breakfast and lots of snacks (usually fruit and nuts, or a glass or soy milk, or some peanut butter on crackers). You can also have healthy carbs - like fruit, brown rice, brown pasta, quinoa, sweet potatoes, etc. good luck!
  • niknak2308
    niknak2308 Posts: 315 Member
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    Very interesting post! I had never realised the connection with Seretonin and Carbs before but that's something I shall
    be keeping an eye out for when I'm having a rubbishy day.
    Do you think it's something that takes a while to have an effect? (You said looking back through your diary, I was wondering how far.)
    I also echo that 1200 does sound low for a man - perhaps if you do make a point of eating some carbs for breakfast you'll eat an extra 300cals or so and it should give you some energy for the rest of the day :smile:
    Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
  • Ryhenblue
    Ryhenblue Posts: 390 Member
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    There's nothing wrong with increasing your carb intake to see how you feel. Everyone is different and some do well on low carb diets others don't. I eat a lot of carbs myself because I eat a lot of beans and pasta. I don't think I could ever go on a low carb diet since all the food I love has carbs.
  • CharityPearce
    CharityPearce Posts: 215
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    I took a Nutrition class last semester that was really eye-opening for me as far as carbs go. Of course some carbs are just bad... simple sugars are just wasted cals - not to mention what they do to your teeth and blood sugar. But you do need a certain amount of carbs for many reasons. I hadn't even heard about the serotonin thing, but it makes sense. Troy, I see your diary most days and think "Holy crap! I can't believe he can function on that few cals!" Not judging, as I tend to keep my cals really, really low also. But you do exercise like a beast... : ) If you're having issues - I'm so glad you're upping the cals at least a little, and good luck!!!
  • dawnmcgee
    dawnmcgee Posts: 26
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    Great job on realizing nutrition is affecting your mood! I also wasn't aware of this so this helps me be more alert and I agree with you a little bit of a calorie and carb increase will help,keep us posted I am curious to see what the outcome is and thank you for sharing this with us:)
  • LesliePierceRN
    LesliePierceRN Posts: 860 Member
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    I've never had any doubt that low carbs make me cranky, and upping them makes me feel better.
  • islandgirldl76
    islandgirldl76 Posts: 47 Member
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    You are right, there is a connection between seratonin and carbs. Have you done a good liver and kidney cleanse since you lost all of this weight? When you loose fat all the chemicals that are in it dumped into your system really give those organs a workout.

    Plus I spoke to my doctor about how I can't seem to lower my carb intake to a more reasonable amount, nothing crazy low. And she said if that is the case you have Adrenal Fatigue and you need to be treating that also. If your adrenals are shot you are running on carbs and when you don't have them, you get pissy, moddy, light headed etc. This is different than low blood sugar from not eating in a while. Adrenal Fatigue she stated is underdiagnosed now days. It's all connected.

    But I also agree that seems low for calories for a man, unless a doctor gave you that caloric goal. The no carb diet has shown to cause problems long term and isn't something we should strive for. It's about balance. Unless you are doing that short term for some medical reason under a doctors supervion be careful.

    If we listen to our bodies they can teach us things.
  • sergetns73
    sergetns73 Posts: 172 Member
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    oh my , i have been starving myself since day one ( 5 days ago) to only 1200 kl a day, of course i was only able to do that once and the rest i went overboard with the wrong food, my highest was yesterday with 1700 kl, i am really worry , everying i eat has high sodium , even whole wheat bread kills me 90 cal for one piece and the sodium is 175 mg, i really need help to straighten me out . i am going insane .
  • KYMUSE
    KYMUSE Posts: 66
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    I've been through the low carb dilema...was seriously into body building in my 20's and training to compete..living on about 30 carbs a day-and went thru the same thing, moodiness all of it. I gave it up when I started having brown outs during a work out (not passing completely out, but couldn't stand up because the room went dim and everything starting "swirling" around me).
    I really screwed my body up doing this. I think you made a really wise choice-good luck with everything!
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    I've heard it called "Atkins Attitude." http://www.geneva-health.com/sciencehealth/lowcarb.html
  • Deedee0075
    Deedee0075 Posts: 78 Member
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    I low carbed (less than 50g/day) for 13 years before joining MFP. I realized that I had been doing it all wrong - I have no idea how I punished myself for so long. I don't care what anyone says - If you are working out, you need carbs.

    I was not happy. I developed skin discoloration on my arm that grew larger as I continued to low carb - my doctor immediately advised me to incorporate carbs. Once I did that, I relapsed completely, gained all the weight back before losing another 40 pounds. I was lightheaded ALL of the time and eventually I could no longer lose weight by low carbing.
  • jared767
    jared767 Posts: 76
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    That was interesting! You actually motivated a lot of people here..like me :)

    I am the kind of person who wants to keep fit by doing the natural way of losing weight. Although at times, I feel like losing hope and wondering if it's really possible.

    After reading your story, well I just thought that if you can do it, why can't I?
  • Troy67
    Troy67 Posts: 556 Member
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    Thanks for the responses everyone.
    Islandgirl, the adrenal fatigue sounded possible but when I took the self test, I realized I didn'e have very many of the symptoms.
    I ate breakfast before going to work for a change (1st food of the day about 5 or 6 hours earlier than I usually do); have had a couple of snacks and a small lunch and feel significantly better today. No shakes, irritability, headaches, etc. Feel relaxed and calm. Hopefully it was just being low on carbs for so long and these little tweeks will fix the problem.
  • nels2233
    nels2233 Posts: 8
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    1200 calories is way too low if you are also exercising everydayl serotin comes not only from carbs but also from turkey. think of the after thanksgiving glow. you have lost lot of weight, now you should be in maintenance -not starvation.

    feel good about yourself. you have accomplished alot. now, take care of yourself.
  • econut2000
    econut2000 Posts: 395 Member
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    I have Type 2 diabetes but I get low blood sugar (occasionally now, but used to be multiple times a day when I was younger) and I am a complete and total *kitten* when that happens!! I sweat and get the shakes and lash out at EVERYONE! The only thing I can think about is getting food in my tummy. Honestly when I went super low carb 10 years ago, I stopped having this problem (although the first few days of starting the diet I was not a happy camper). You may check to see if you are pre-diabetic or have Type 2 diabetes. Of course getting some added calories won't hurt! :wink: Good luck!
  • SparkleShine
    SparkleShine Posts: 2,001 Member
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    So what time are you getting up? If you get up several hours before your 7PM meal that could make you very cranky!
  • sweet110
    sweet110 Posts: 332 Member
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    ...the added calories will probably help. 1200 calories...I think I'd just lay down and die if I had to live on 1200 total calories WITH exercise. And I'm a 4'11" woman. Irritable?...I think I would have killed someone already...and maybe taken a bite out of them. You probably felt okay for as long as you did because you had enough excess fat to metabolize. Now that you don't...your body starting sending you a message you couldn't ignore.

    And "low-carb" without a plan is no good. Even the king of low-carb, Mr. Atkins himself, had people eating a decent amount of fruit, vegetables, and some grains after the first 2 weeks.

    So, it sound like you are back on the right track. Good luck!
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
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    !800-2200 calories daily!
    Protein 30%
    Carbs 40%
    Fat 30%

    Dedication 100%
    Mood elevated due to fabulous food stuffs fueling body needing training!

    Heres the deal!

    I'm 37 5'5" I lose fat on anything under 2500 calories.
    I lose lean mass on anything below 1600 calories.

    Screw that! I would rather lose 1 lb of fat a week with maximum lean mass retention.

    Set MFP up.
    download Stronglifts 5x5 app from android or iTunes and do that 3 times a week at the gym.
    Jog once or twice a week if you have too.

    Your better body is built in the kitchen and while you sleep!
    Everything else is secondary!

    PS! Yuor lifestyle fits well into Intermittent Fasting!
    Stop eating after 10pm, start eating again after 2pm.
    youll lose fat that way too!
    www.leangains.com

    So sleep in, skip breakfast and lift heavy!

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