Tirzah Harper Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 I did the Whole30 in January 2011 and my mood was horrible the whole month. Normally my mood is very associated to when I ate last; if I am cranky, it means I need to eat (or sleep, but I'm pretty good about sleeping enough). I ate meats, veggies, plenty of fats, etc. but my mood was just gray. Normally, I have pretty happy brain chemistry. During the Whole30, I wasn't happy. I wasn't excited about things. My appetite was poor; I had to make myself eat, because I just didn't feel like it. I was tired and I didn't feel like fixing it. Once I added a cup(ish) of blueberries to my meals, things got a little bit better (this was a couple weeks in) but I never really felt like myself the whole month. I just felt gray. My skin cleared up, which was nice, but my conclusion at the end of the Whole30 was that if a moderate amount of sugar is the drug that I'm addicted to in order to feel like life is good, I'm going to stay on my drug, because I'd rather feel like life is good than be at the pinnacle of health and not be able to enjoy it. I didn't keep a food log, and I know it's much, much later, but I read extensively on the Whole30 and I thought I was eating like I was supposed to. Does this just happen for people sometimes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee Lee Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Hey Tirzah! How are you?! Since I have the benefit of knowing you, I am confused as to why you would have restricted carbohydrates to the degree that it sounds like you did. (Meaning that if blueberries made you happy, you were probably living in a pretty low carb world. Correct me if I'm wrong) You are not metabolically deranged, you are not overweight, you are reasonably active. Carbs are not _your_ enemy. Context matters here. Blueberries =! "the drug you are addicted to in order to feel like life is good." As an aside, in the triangle of health, performance and longevity, you DO have to make some sacrifices in some categories to maximize the others, but you have to figure out which is more important to you, and do your personal cost-benefit analysis. Living in a bland, calorie restricted world may increase your life span, but you know what? if i can't enjoy food, i don't think that extra 5ish years I'm adding is really worth the sacrifice. Anyway, eat some fruit, woman! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tirzah Harper Posted April 9, 2012 Author Share Posted April 9, 2012 I thought I wasn't restricting my carbs, honestly. But I probably was if blueberries made me that happy. Thanks (also, hi!). If I go Whole30 again (probably over break sometime when I have more energy for cooking instead of schooling), I'll add fruit and sweet potatoes and whatnot. See if I can't strike a healthier balance between feeling good and eating good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura M. Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 You might look into some of the stuff related to mood and sugars in the book Potatoes Not Prozac. It's not a paleo book specifically but the author goes into a whole biology classes worth of info about how our brains do what they do with the food we eat to make us happy or not. Endorphins, betaendorphins. I can't remember it all but it did make sense. And I agree, more blueberries! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bargeboy Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 I am the same if I go very low carb. The best thing is to do it initially with copious amounts of sweet potatoes and the titration down. That way is like getting off a drug. I did that and it feels much better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.