Justwrightwendy Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 My question is about my husband and what seems to happen to him 4 days into a Whole30 round. He is on an antidepressant and is about 150 pounds over weight. We've tried Whole30 twice, but he drops out by day 4 claiming to feel "homicidal" (NOT REALLY, but you know what I mean??). Can you tell me what's happening? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmary Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 "homicidal" Sorry, but we need more information for sure. How are you eating on the whole30? how do you eat normally? Is this "homicidal" feeling meaning angry? depressed? annoyed at the restrictions of the plan? hungry? Clarifying this and posting a few day's worth of food for review might help us help you more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justwrightwendy Posted July 30, 2014 Author Share Posted July 30, 2014 His normal diet is fast food, frozen dinners, anything processed and ready to eat. He does, however, like salads, but his idea of a salad is: in addition to the lettuce and veggies, TONS of croutons or other bready things that crunch and copious amounts of bottled dressing. The creamier, the better. By homicidal I mean edgy, angry, annoyed, grouchy x100. When doing a round of Whole30, the cooking and meal planning is left to me. Meat, veg, fruit. NO CHEATING! After 4 days he's snappy and soothing his ruffled feathers with something from a drive-thru. At this point he's DONE. He says he's not getting the happy endorphins from his food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFChris Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Is he eating starchy carbs daily? Vegetables like sweet potato, winter squash, beets, carrots, jicama, plaintains, rutabaga and parsnips? That might help.Also, is he eating enough? Protein, veg and fat at every meal, with each meal satiating him for 4-5 hours? Have you made homemade olive oil mayo? You can use that as a base for countless dressings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missmary Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 Feeding him LOTS of starchy carbs and good fat and protein during the early days would probably help quite a bit, but might not totally fix his mood. A lot of those fast foods and processed foods have addictive qualities and it can be hard to transition (hard, but worth it IMO). He has to be on board enough to tough it out for more than 4 days or this won't really work. You might have more success focusing on your own eating, and letting him see how much better you feel rather than putting the pressure on him to change when he isn't ready. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sundial Posted July 30, 2014 Share Posted July 30, 2014 I had a good experience with this. In her book (and probably website), she also explains why starches contribute to the depression cycle and mimic certain brain chemicals, and why it is necessary to stay off them to break that cycle. Maybe reading something like this might help him. http://www.dietcure.com/aminoacids.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsStick Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 Could that maybe be kill all the things manifesting? Definitely try giving him more carbs and stuff. And you can give him a salad with creamy dressing - homemade mayo + spices can be almost any dressing. And instead of croutons, maybe some toasted nuts will give him the crunch? Just a thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
km4098 Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 If eating processed foods (especially sugar) are psychologically well embedded for him as good things, it can be very hard to break the cycle of not having treats. I'm on day 5 of my Whole30 AIP. I've attempted similiar in the past but always quit around day 8 as my depression and PTSD had worsened a lot. This time, I understand that I'm re-wiring my brain away from rewarding myself with sugar and I'm also seeing a counsellor regularly, and having a weekly massage or acupuncture session etc to help nourish me. I would encourage him to do an activity that nourishes him that doesn't involve food. Whether its reading, getting a massage, going to the movies. Ideally things he can do with minimal temptation would help but finding other ways to nourish him would be helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SymJax Posted October 16, 2014 Share Posted October 16, 2014 He is detoxing. Just like any other drug, when you take away sugars, your body reacts angrily and you lash out because it wants more. I have had experience with people who are coming off of pain meds, and various street drugs. The first step of detox is anger. Their minds will say and do anything to get more of whatever they are addicted to. It is the same with sugar. Extra starches and good fats should help keep it at bay a little bit. If he can just get over the hump of the first 10 days, it would help a lot. I'm sorry it is so difficult for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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