Trying to get over my anxiety & just go for it!

[TMsquared]

Hello ladies!
I thought I'd come here first, hopefully, I'm sure, to find much support! =)

 

So, I researched the Whole30 program for a couple months & decided it was something I needed to do. I was going to start, ya know -- after the wedding... once we got settled into the house... etc.! Well, I've been married & moved (does one ever really get settled? lol) for almost 3 months now & my eating habits have been pretty gross, with no movement towards starting the program! =(

 

Recently, my husband showed interest in getting healthy by eating better & I thought YES! This is it - the chance to do it right.

 

Except, I'm super aprehensive now! (What??) I'm pretty nervous about my body adjusting.

 

What if I'm super exhausted? I already usually am exhausted most of the time, actually. One of my main motivations for being healthier is the hope for increased energy & feeling better overall.

 

What it throws my hormones off & I'm a sad, moody basket case? (More so than usual... LOL) How do I cope with that? (without feeding my emotions full of delicious brownies, of course)

 

As I'm trying to psych myself up to conquer this grocery list, which I though I'd look so forward to, I'm now feeling more & more anxious over it.

 

Thanks for your time reading & also any replies of encouragement! =)

[laceface224]

Hi! I am a suffer of anxiety and hormonal craziness and ppd (which is hormonal) and I want to reach out and say DO THIS. DO THIS AND START TODAY. If you get the book and read it, it will explain how eating on whole thirty actually rebalances your hormonal response to food and in turn you have less hormonal issues. I was eating at least two palm fulls of chocolate chips a day to help with my anxiety and hormones etc. I was terribly PMS-ey and an anxious mess. I am on day 47 (of my Whole30) and my anxiety (which used to be constant) is now only situational and I have never in my entire life felt more balanced hormonally- last month all signs physically told me old aunt flow was coming- but I had ZERO PMS. ZERO. I was fine. I wasn't mean. I wasn't craving chocolate and I have not craved it since the third day after I started my whole30. There was a time in that first week that I wanted to kill something but that is normal and is part of the time line ( I didn't learn this until I had completed thirty days though). And you won't be exhausted, esp not after that 15th or 16th day. You will surprise yourself with your energy level and ability to wake up first thing and feel awesome- without even a cup of coffee (<-that was a huge shock for me!). Plan your meals ahead of time and prep large batches ahead of time so you always have protein and fat options readily available to you! I also recommend the book Well Fed by Melissa Joulwan that includes a great section on food prepping. Once you get into the swing of things, you will be golden. I encourage you to encourage your hubby to do it with you. Mine refused, but he eats everything I prepare and so do our kiddos... he's coming around. I wish you the best and come back to these forums if you need more encouragement!

[lexes42]

Do pick a 'good time' if that's possible.  December, for example, is probably not a good month for this kind of thing given all the social / office things that highlight food=love....

 

Week 1 & 2 you want to have as stress free as possible.  When you make it to week 3 you have more resolve to see it through AND you start to feel better.

 

I agree with laceface...you really will feel a positive difference pretty quickly..  it's unlikely your ppd will be WORSE so much as it might be 'different'     And if you're already exhausted / moody  - why WOULDNT you try it?  At least it's something new to blame

 

You do need your husband on board enough so that if HE goes off plan... he does it out of your house / time together!

 

Also I quit artificial sugar in the weeks leading up to going whole30 official... and I cut way back to almost no wheat.  I think this helped ....only  a little.... it just meant I had TWO detox weeks of crankiness (the first week w/o diet coke and bagels and the first week of the W30 instead of just one detox week!

[Carlaccini]

Hi There!

 

Yes you will be tired.  And yes you will dream that whatever level surface infront of you is a beautiful bed..... But it will pass.  My hormones were regulated within 5 days. But everyone is different.

 

This is singularly one of the best things I have done for me in my life!  My PMS is now non-existent.  Nada. NIL. And I used to have over 10 days of PMS crazy mood swings, cramps that would sometimes put me in bed, and migraines that would put me out of comission for 3 days.  So definitely worth it.

[TMsquared]

Thank you ladies SO so much! I've ordered the ISWF book, and it should arrive tomorrow. In the meantime, I've begun to cut back on the more unhealthy things I eat and started to make a good grocery list & do a little meal planning. (Okay -- so I did indulge in a few just-one-last-bite treats this weekend - but how often does one get presented with both homemade ice cream AND a lactaid pill? HAHA! and right before I start Whole30? I had to go for it!)   I'm less aprehensive now and looking more forward to feeling better and being healthier! I know it may be a bit rough at times at first, but the outcome will far outweigh any struggles & it will be so worth it!

 

Laceface - your post was super encouraging!! (I was about half in tears when first reading it) Thank you!

 

Lexes - I quit the bagels last week so that's good at least! I gotta kick my cereal habit now. I tend to be an on-the-go breakfast junkie

 

Carla - that's wonderful about your pms symptoms! So far, all testimonials I've read have very positive results for improving pms/pmdd so I'm definitely kind of excited to see that happen!

[4everchanged]

LOVE the encouragement on this thread!  I'm reading everything I can about Whole30 and I just ordered the book.  My Dr. told me to go Paleo - which I "dabbled" in for awhile. Reading these postings is making me realize that I CAN do this.  Good luck to you TMsquared!