Mood slipping depression increasing

[ylime972]

I am on day 18. today I had another round of depression spiking . The first time it happened I slid into it from day four peaking around day nine. Feeling cranky irritable less self confident and very self critical overall leading up to day nine. What i remember of Day nine was an overall increase of that along with feeling depressed and defeated about life. I am being mild here about the severity to keep it forum appropriate. I should note I have quite a history if depression which never seems to go 100% away but is managed most of the time. I made it through and the mood shifted - i did cave and eat a think thin bar out of desperation. now im in another slump . I have been making sure to not go on the light carb side due to the depression history and have been eating sweet potato, butternut squash, plantain ect with each meal. I eat tons of veggies. I actually am eating just a ton of food in general. Avocados, coconut milk, nuts, hearty portions of meat meat and more meat. I'm just discouraged by the mood piece and if I ate any more starchy veggies I don't think it would be paleo anymore- I bet I'm pushing it already. The question seems will i get over a hurdle here or is eating this way just not going to work for someone whos biochemistry makes them susceptible to depression? Any advice or suggestions?

[GFChris]

I'm sorry you're feeling so low. Have you read the thread in this section of the forum titled How Whole30 Made Me Crazy and Why? There are several tips there (I'm posting from a device where I can't copy and paste the link -sorry).

EDIT: here's the link: http://forum.whole9life.com/topic/9938-how-whole30-made-me-crazy-and-why/?hl=%2Bwhole30+%2Bmade+%2Bcrazy

[Beets]

How is your sleep?

[PamH]

High dose Omega 3 fatty acids (EPA, especially).  

 

I use Nordic Naturals EPA Xtra; take 3-4 a day.  It will take some time (weeks), but 10 years ago I was able to forever stop antidepressants by using fish oil for moods.  I don't know if this will work for major depression, but low level blahs and moderate blahs (like me) it REALLY changed my life!

 

I took meds, off and on, for 15 years without huge help.  I feel better now than ever.  I've been able to stop the fish oil for periods of time, too.  I started taking them again a few months ago.

[MaryellenB]

I totally sympathize. I've struggled with dysthemia most of my life - until I finally got diagnosed and proper treatment about 8 years ago and now I tend to be okay, just minor dips instead of deep wells that are hard to get out of. I have found that since I got rid of the processed food, refined sugar, and "easy carbs", I've had much more stable moods - in fact, tmi here, but usually it's PMS time that brings me down in a severe way each month. This month I didn't even notice it and sailed through without difficulty. I'm interested to read the Whole30 Made Me Crazy posting for sure. Brain chemicals are so tricky and complex. I wonder if your struggle is with some kind of chemical imbalance or if it's your brain adjusting to the lack of what it normally desires. I found myself feeling blue and angry when I was adjusting to the situation (though I wouldn't have called it depression). I'm wondering about this for you when you say you "caved" and ate a think thin bar out of desperation - do you mean you were desperate for something to make you feel good? 

[Beets]

Fermented cod liver oil really helped my moods. I felt down during my first w30. I had to nap a lot. Sleep was key for me, which is why I asked about sleep. Overall eating this way has helped my moods dramatically. I didn't fully realize how much better I'd been feeling till I ate some wheat last weekend and all the bad feelings (depression as you described, serious anxiety to the point of not wanting to leave my house) came flooding back.

I think there is also a lot of emotional work going on behind the scenes when you are changing your WOE, especially if you've been using sugar and processed carbs and caffeine to prop up your moods. I know I was. I think it's scary on a deep subconscious level when you are taking those props away.

TBH I never felt tiger blood. I had a glimpse of it between feeling tired and down and then anxiety in the last days about the w30 ending. But I was coming from a sleep-deprived, anxious, depressed state. 18 days or 27 days or 30 days are not enough to fix all of that. You need to assure your subconscious that you'll be using other healthier crutches: exercise, especially walks outside have helped me *immensely* in this regard. (Not for exercise even, just as a walking meditation.)

[Beets]

Also, I'm not sure what's in a think thin bar but anything non-compliant can throw you back into a depressed state of mind--depending on what your sensitivities are.

[ylime972]

Thanks everyone for your support, it amazes me, I appreciate it. Here are responses to the threads:

GFChris- yes I did read the post and it really does make me wonder if that's whats going on. I do not respond to SSRI's or at least didn't years back. But the tryptophan is an interesting supplement to consider. What it leaves me wondering is, do I go back to my sugar/carb abusing ways to avoid depression/suicidal thoughts/irritability/sadness or do I take that as a sign that the whole30 is working and my body is adjusting and just not comfortable but I just am not fat adapted yet. Please don't freak out due to my above mentioned signs and symptoms, this is not new for me and I will take care of myself. which leads to

MaryellenB- yes I caved due to the feelings, it was in an effort to try to boost myself up to a more tolerable level so I could keep going.Ive felt the need to do this 2X now. I want to distinguish this from seeing some noncompliant food at a potluck or something and 'caving' I have seen lots of thise things thus far and am not interested in breaking the whole30 in those times at all. This is an interesting question - did I set myself back or give myself some easy carbs and non-insulin impacting sugar combined with the protein in the bar and therefore boost myself into a higher mood state so I could go on? The interesting reason for this question is both days after I have done this I felt much better- curious... But whatever way you look at it, I haven't been 100% compliant and therefore am not doing a real whole30. Im just clinging to the best one I can do. The thing is, is that a smart idea? Will this work for me? I have reached out to a nutritionist and hope to make an apt soon however we have been playing phone tag.

Beets- sleep is ok. no better or worse than before. I wake up feeling a little shaky, and anxious but I think that has to do with the fact that I am a bit stressed now and isn't the food. not entirely sure. Interestingly I am very sensitive/allergic to gluten and have been GF 5-6 years now. I know what it feels like to get 'glutened' as I call it and holly cow it does make me and my physical body depressed, sleepy, feeling unable to cope etc... I haven't been feeling that same way. This feels much more brain chemistry less allergic/sensitive response but maybe one of the compliant foods I am sensitive to enough that it is creating all this. Maybe I should do more food sensitivity testing?

Beets and PamH- completely behind omega3's!! At one point in my life I was taking 10 fish oil pills a day and it did make a difference with the depression. I currently take 4-5 a day.

Thanks for any insight and your posts

[Revived]

keep us updated about whats working/not working.  I've been experiencing similar issues and still trying to work out how to address it. wish it were simple

[PamH]

"I wish it were simple"   SO TRUE!

 

What works for one person isn't going to always work for another.  I have spent 30 years trying different life style changes and different remedies.  Male vs Female will make a difference, too.  It just goes to prove that we know so little about depression, which is why I am so wary of the drugs the pump out on the market for us!

 

I have grown to accept that I will never be the cheerleader type.  The eternal optimist that grabs the room when they walk through the door.  I think for many years I thought that was what it meant to not be depressed.  Now?  Contentment, and the ability to feel both joy and sorrow are my daily goal.  Embrace my inner cynic!  

 

In all seriousness, fish oil, no sugar, exercise and therapy have helped me the most.  Therapy can be accomplished with just speaking to a trusted friend...

[EileenM]

Depression runs in my family, and I've struggled with it for years. I'm on Day 12 of my first W30 and hope to see some improvement, but right now the depression seems to be getting worse.  Sugar binds to the opiate receptors in the brain; it's a drug!  That's why when we're depressed and eat sugar, it can provide immediate relief, that feeling a drug addict gets when he craves and then uses his drug of choice (To a much lesser extent, obviously, but you get the idea.) My brain is in sugar withdrawal.  It's not happy at all.  It's depressed, and angry, and soooooooo edgy. It's the brain chemicals trying to fill in the empty receptors that are screaming for their drug. That may be oversimplified, but it helps me to understand a little better why I'm feeling this way, so  I won't lose hope.

I hope that your depression will lessen as you continue on the W30.  It you decide to try 5HTP or Tryptophan, or any other supplement or herb, be sure to check how it will react with your antidepressant.  I know you can't take 5HTP with an antidepressant.  I'm sure you'll do your research.

Best of luck and I hope you'll share how you are doing, especially anything you have discovered that alleviates or decreases the depression. I will do the same.

Eileen

[Revived]

Someone here suggested the book/program potatoes not prozac.  I'm thinking about trying to combine that with the whole30 principles to see if it makes a difference. For example, eating a potato before bed.  I've gotten off track again since i finished my whole30 and i dont feel as depressed but i do feel terrible mentally and physically about being off track.  can't win! (but I'll keep trying)

[ylime972]

Its been another 5 days or so and I am in the same place as before. depressed, on and off agitated, feeling weak, and sad. Im not sure I spoke about the feeling weak before but I am a very physically active person and expected performance to drop, interesting though that day 23 and I still feel tired and am working out less and not feeling it. Anyhow, has anyone heard or experienced it taking more than 30 days to see any shifts? I still feel significantly worse that I did before the whole30 began.

P.S. Potatoes not Prozac is a good book, worth the read. I think Ill go and grab some extra potatoes for nighttime and see if that helps.

[jillian]

I'm the gal that has been recommending Potatoes not Prozac to folks that are really struggling with depression during their Whole30s. It truly is a great program. That said, there are 7 steps - not just taking a potato before bed. Brain chemistry is COMPLICATED. Following the 7 steps is a critical part of the process. If you're feeling good on the Whole30, you may be able to easily transition to all 7 steps in PnP. However, if you are not feeling good after completing a Whole30, I would strongly suggest following the steps in PnP one at a time as written in the book. You can't rush fixing your brain chemistry.

 

I hope no one has gotten the impression from my posts that you just simply need to eat potatoes before bed - there's much more to it than that. Read the book. Check out radiantrecovery.com for more help. Ask questions on their Community Forum.

 

I love the Whole30 - but for some of us with delicate brain chemistry (for lack of better wording) a slower, more gentler transition to a paleo diet may be necessary. And ultimately, isn't the goal to eat a paleo/healthy diet for life? Not just for 30 days? You can always try another Whole30 after you've worked your way through the 7 PnP steps, if you'd like.

[eronn_actually]

My therapist recently recommended the book "Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy" by David Burns.  It helped me so much that I practically forced my mom to read it, too, hoping it would help her and my stepdad figure out some strategies for helping my younger sister (still living at home).  It teaches you to recognize the negative thoughts that are creating all those horrible feelings.  For me, just recognizing the irrational thoughts alone has been hugely helpful.

 

It might not work for you, but it definitely can't hurt.