Depressed and fatigued

[Farrella]

I'm on day 13 and am feeling awful. It's the weekend and I have no energy or motivation to do anything. I have a feeling from reading other forum posts that I'm not eating enough, especially not carbs. But I haven't read that we should be sure to be eating starchy carbs frequently. I've always been a carb person so this is a tough switch for me. The depressed mood and fatigue makes it hard to do anything other than sleep. Even eating feelings like a chore and I feel disinterested. I'm not convinced that this is a helpful diet for me.

[Karen_Suep]

What are your meals composed of in relation to the meal template?

[jmcbn]

If you're feeling both depressed AND fatigued I'm guessing you're lacking in starchy carbs AND fat.

Fat you need for brain health (& so in turn it helps with mood) and for energy. It's also essential for the absorption of fat soluble vitamins & minerals.

Our recommendation in terms of starchy carbs is for at least a fist sized serving daily as a starting point - some people cope well on that amount or less; MANY people need more.

If you'd like to post a few days worth of your typical food intake we can take a look and help you troubleshoot.

Please give specifics on veg types, portion sizes, water intake, pre existing medical conditions, activity/stress & sleep levels...

And don't forget to salt your food!

[Farrella]

Thank you for responding!

A standard day for me so far is 2 eggs fried in ghee with a piece of fruit (I can't do a green vegetable in the morning) with coffee with lots of coconut cream.

Lunch is protein from the night before - often a decent amount, more than a palm size cooked in ghee, then a large salad with lots of different veggies. Then fruit. And coconut water. Midday snack a handful of nuts. Dinner is more protein with a starchy veg and half plate of a non starchy veg. For water I would estimate 120 oz a day which is significantly more than previous. So it's a push for me to drink this much.

My diet wasn't horrible before this - I was doing weight watchers. I'm overweight - 5'4" and probably 225 pounds. I've lost 40 in the past year. My motivation for doing this is because I wanted to detox to prepare to try to get pregnant. I have a history of migraines which have been bad in the past few months and wanted to see if there are food triggers or if this would help with it. So far there is no change. But I wasn't expecting there would be. I also have recently changed thyroid medication in the pastmonth. I have a history of hypothyroidism. I went off the birth control pill in January and it affected the way my thyroid medication was working. So it's possible that it's still not in the right dose. It will be tested again in a few weeks. I have felt worse since starting this diet. Thank you for reading all of that.

[Farrella]

I forgot to add that the salad has lots of olive oil and apple cider or balsamic vinegar.

[LydiaJo]

Farrella,

Just something to think about, NOT judgement.

 

Are you more fatigued and depressed then is normal for you? Are you thinking you should be energetic and feeling great, so why aren't you? Are you thinking, I don't want to do this another day?

 

If your meals are according to the template, give it the full 30 days. Be kind to yourself. Get enough sleep. Make sure you are drinking enough water. Watch your self talk.

 

Be well.

[Farrella]

Yes I am significantly more depressed and fatigued than is normal for me. My boyfriend is wondering if I should go off the diet because he's seen such a change in me.

I do of course feel like I should be feeling better since that's the aim of the plan so I'm feeling like something is wrong.

[Karen_Suep]

A couple of things that jump out at me. 2 eggs often isn't enough protein unless you have kid sized hands. If that is your only protein, add another egg or two OR add another protein to supplement. I totally get you not wanting green veggies but there are so many other veggies you can eat. Try making a hash with veggies you do like but try not to replace veggies with fruit.

Also add fat. Fat that you cook with is great but often isn't enough. Nuts are ok in moderation (closed handful maybe every other day) but can cause a lot of disruption. There are plenty of other good fats out there to try.

Salads need to be like Costco sized in order to provide enough veggies (think about how spinach looks after wilting. A large package is barely anything!) Try something heartier (I'm a big fan of summer squashes and brocolli grilled)

Try not to let the weight watchers mentality stop you from eating healthy fats and more veggies. Maybe back off the fruit just a little?

[SugarcubeOD]

Very good advice that Karen gave you... I would really encourage you to get rid of the coconut water (unless you are doing endurance sports during the day) as it is basically light fruit juice. It's also very clear that the fact that you need to snack on nuts is a clue that you're not eating enough at your previous meals... keep working at getting that template breakfast into you within an hour of waking, it's really one huge part of the magic of the Whole30Until you get your energy and feel goods back, I would back right off the fruit and replace it with a fist sized serving of starchy veg every meal and then fill that plate up with non starchy veg.... not wanting to eat green vegetables in the morning is a red flag that your hormones are off... hormone imbalance can cause many things including fatigue and feelings of depression.

If you are feeling significant depression, I would really encourage you to see your doctor or a helping professional. Food can fix a lot of things and if what you mean by 'depression' is the blues, then food might help bounce you out of that but if it's true depression of the chemical imbalance kind, then food isn't going to be enough to stop that cycle. There are a lot of us who spent a LOT of time thinking we could change our depression by just adding an extra serving of yam and I"m here to tell you that it doens't always work and sometimes we need to ask for help... which is courageous and admirable and not a sign of weakness at all! Just food for thought...

[Kaelisan]

Another factor to consider is that many of us have used eating comfort food as a coping mechanism for stress, anxiety, and depression. Doing this program, if you don't experience that sense of calm and positivity that some people do, can leave you without your old buddy, overeating, to soothe your nerves.

I had 2 weeks of detox then was feeling more positive, but at day 40 I began to feel overwhelmed and depressed. I'm working my way out of it now at day 47. Many of us have to work on our mental, as well as physical, s*#t!

This program works, but it takes time. Don't give up!

[Farrella]

What exactly are starchy vegetables? Yam/sweet potaoes, potatoes. Anything else?

[Karen_Suep]

Many root vegetables (turnips, parsnips, beets, etc) are starchy. Plantains, winter squashes, etc.

[Mlburk21]

My daughter is feeling the same way. She's been told to stay away from starchy vegetables because of her gut problems. So not sure how to get her carbs in.

[jmcbn]

My daughter is feeling the same way. She's been told to stay away from starchy vegetables because of her gut problems. So not sure how to get her carbs in.

What gut problems does she have specifically?

Some starchy veg are easier on the gut than others. If she's eating low FODMAP for instance she can eat white potatoes, turnip & carrots for starch.

She (& anyone else suffering from anxiety/depression) would also do well eating foods such as oily fish (salmon & mackerel), oysters, mushrooms, walnuts, turkey, bananas, pineapple,liver and red meat. All naturally high in tryptophan and/or seratonin which will naturally boost dopamine levels - especially when eaten alongside the starchy veg.

[HopelessDreamer]

Farrella, you said you are on thyroid hormones, and it may need to be adjusted. I suggest you dont wait to see your doctor if you are feeling so awful! It could very well be that the medication needs to be adjusted and you will feel better with the right dosage. I hope you work it out and feel better soon!

[DMKC]

If you were on the pill for more than a year it really messes with hormones and how you are feeling as well when you fo off of it. So with the thyroid and going off the pill it could definitely be part of the problem.

 

Also I would add sausage or something like it for breakfast, make sure to add like chicken or something to your salad. Also when eating try not to drink to much water while eating, wait until you are finished. That way you will not feel so full and helps with digestion.

 

Also for mood, when you are feeling down play a happy upbeat, fast tempo music and move around. I know it sounds odd, but studies show it does improve one's mood. Also try doing something simple like a walk when feeling sluggish. It gets the blood moving and sometimes you will get a little burst of energy and can also improve mood.

 

Best of luck and let us know how you are doing and feeling.

[AL-30]

Your not alone, I'm feeling the same way. It's day 10 for me and I'm feeling fatigue, low, and some times I can't think straight.  I'm really starting to second guess this diet.  I went on a bike ride this morning and I was so not motivated and had very low energy.  I'm trying to eat potatoes, but I feel like it's not enough.  I'm eating until I get full, but it sound like I need to eat more, but I can't.  

 

Not sure how long I can keep this up too.  

[Staggolee41]

Your not alone, I'm feeling the same way. It's day 10 for me and I'm feeling fatigue, low, and some times I can't think straight.  I'm really starting to second guess this diet.  I went on a bike ride this morning and I was so not motivated and had very low energy.  I'm trying to eat potatoes, but I feel like it's not enough.  I'm eating until I get full, but it sound like I need to eat more, but I can't.  

 

Not sure how long I can keep this up too.  

 

AL-30, I'm sorry to hear you are feeling this way. Can you share some meals with us so that we can make suggestions? One big "a-ha!" moment for me was adding more fat to each meal than what I used to cook. So... I might have a chicken breast sauteed in clarified butter, and potatoes roasted with olive oil, but I need to also have some olives to add some additional fat to the meal. Once I started doing that, I felt much better. All of the other pieces are critical, too - get enough sleep. Drink enough water. And so on... I can feel a difference when I don't hit my water goal. When I *do* hit it, I'm on top of the world.

[Pascale C]

On 5/21/2016 at 9:24 AM, Farrella said:

I'm on day 13 and am feeling awful. It's the weekend and I have no energy or motivation to do anything. I have a feeling from reading other forum posts that I'm not eating enough, especially not carbs. But I haven't read that we should be sure to be eating starchy carbs frequently. I've always been a carb person so this is a tough switch for me. The depressed mood and fatigue makes it hard to do anything other than sleep. Even eating feelings like a chore and I feel disinterested. I'm not convinced that this is a helpful diet for me.

I'm on day 19 and keep feeling fatigued.  Eating also feels like a chore.  On day 16-17, I was losing my appetite.  Day 18, I woke up okay, had a chia seeds pudding (I have been tired of eggs for breakfast)  with cocoa nibs and grapes, a bowl of chili (recipe from whole30 book) and a 1/2 bowl of carrot soup.  I went on a run for 4 miles and napped after that because I felt fatigued.  And then by dinner, I felt off again.  I had an In-N-Out burger protein style with no spread.  I pretty much knocked out at 9pm and slept for 10 hours.  This morning I woke up okay, had the chia seeds pudding with the same thing, forced myself to eat mashed potatoes and turkey slices and had some berries.  By then, I was feeling fatigued again and not well, so I slept for 2 hours.  When I woke up, I had a craving for Mediterranean chicken so I got a side of chicken from Halal guys.

Is this normal to feel fatigues like that.  I am usually full of energy and am a work machine.  I am feeling okay now and don't want that fatigued feeling/loss of appetite feeling to come back.

Please help!

[SugarcubeOD]

11 hours ago, Pascale C said:

I'm on day 19 and keep feeling fatigued.  Eating also feels like a chore.  On day 16-17, I was losing my appetite.  Day 18, I woke up okay, had a chia seeds pudding (I have been tired of eggs for breakfast)  with cocoa nibs and grapes, a bowl of chili (recipe from whole30 book) and a 1/2 bowl of carrot soup.  I went on a run for 4 miles and napped after that because I felt fatigued.  And then by dinner, I felt off again.  I had an In-N-Out burger protein style with no spread.  I pretty much knocked out at 9pm and slept for 10 hours.  This morning I woke up okay, had the chia seeds pudding with the same thing, forced myself to eat mashed potatoes and turkey slices and had some berries.  By then, I was feeling fatigued again and not well, so I slept for 2 hours.  When I woke up, I had a craving for Mediterranean chicken so I got a side of chicken from Halal guys.

Is this normal to feel fatigues like that.  I am usually full of energy and am a work machine.  I am feeling okay now and don't want that fatigued feeling/loss of appetite feeling to come back.

Please help!

Not eating enough can exacerbate or cause fatigue.  Chia pudding is against the rules (no recreating sweet breakfast items) and adding cocoa (even 100%) to a sweet dish is absolutely against the rules so one thing you can do to help yourself is to make a template breakfast with protein, fat and veggies and eat that within an hour of waking.  Not eating properly can cause you to lose appetite, which causes not eating propertly etc etc... refamiliarize yourself with the template and then make 3 meals a day to match, each getting you 4-5 hours between.  In this time while you're getting back to basics, leave the fruit alone... fruit should not push veggies off your plate and I can see that you're relying on fruit over veggies... it's common, but not doing you any favors.  You don't have to eat eggs for breakfast (or ever).... leftovers or anything you eat for any other meal can be used for breakfast.... the sky is the limit!

[Pascale C]

Thank you @SugarcubeOD.  I didn't know about the chia seeds pudding.  What you say makes sense.