Cranky! Help!

[decker_bear]

This is my third Whole30 (the first two were a really long time ago) and by far my most difficult. I am very familiar with the timeline. The mods have reviewed my food log before and given suggestions to include more colorful veggies, which I am working on despite feeling nauseated at the thought of food. I am on Day 16 and I am CRANKY. I have had bouts of anxiety (somewhat normal for me) but it has gone beyond that. Nothing on the timeline really held true for me to any significant degree. I ate pretty clean prior to starting the W30 and did a couple of weeks of "practice" with minimal off-plan foods prior to starting, so it's not like this is a complete and total system shock. 

I sleep through the night for the most part. I might wake up once during the night, be aware of the time on the clock and fall back to sleep just as quickly. Eight to 8 1/2 hours later I can barely bring myself conscious enough to smack the snooze button and fall right back to sleep. I usually end up oversleeping by an hour, rush to get ready for work and grumble through the day. I hate everything. I'm resentful of everything (for no reason). In short, this sucks. 

The positives: I no longer crave sweets and don't give them a second thought. I no longer have an overwhelming desire for off plan foods (save for my wine). I don't feel like I'm necessarily mourning any foods I am no longer eating, as I've hit the acceptance stage. My workouts are back to the level they were pre-W30 when I relied on pre-workout supplements to get me going. My lymphocytic colitis symptoms are all but gone. 

Despite the positives, I'm still grumpy and hateful. Shouldn't this hatefulness have subsided by now, to some degree? I do not have cravings. I do not want to snack. I don't really get hungry at all and I'm still eating by time (hoping this changes soon too). Here are my last two days of meals. You'll note that yesterday I ate a LOT of sweet potatoes. I had a couple of packages that were going to go bad if I didn't, so yes, I'm aware it was probably overkill in the starchy veg department. Waste not. 

Today: 
M1 - 1 egg, 1 can oysters packed in olive oil, ~1 cup roasted cauliflower, very small red baked potato (slightly larger than a golf ball) with ghee & salt, 3 pieces dried pineapple, coffee with compliant creamer, kombucha
M2 - 6 meatballs, ~2 cups mixed roasted carrots and broccoli, 4 asparagus spears wrapped in prosciutto, handful of dry roasted almonds, La Croix  
No pre-workout as I ate M2 about 2 hours before the workout
Post-workout - 1/2 package smoked salmon 
M3 - Sweet & Sour Stir Fry (leftover pork roast, asparagus, butternut squash, and mushrooms sauteed in avocado oil, compliant marinara sauce, pineapple chunks, coconut aminos, salt & garlic powder) on a bed of Riced Broccoli cooked in coconut oil with coconut aminos, salt and garlic powder; 1/2 small avocado and small handful of olives 

Yesterday:
M1 - 2/3 package smoked salmon, few sweet potato wedges, 1/2 avocado, 3 pieces dried pineapple, cold brew with almond milk (VERY hard to eat, so nauseous)
M2 - 6 meatballs, ~2 cups roasted carrots and broccoli, few sweet potato wedges, 1/2 avocado, kombucha 
No pre-workout because lunch was later (again), but had an amazing workout and hit two PRs 
Post-workout - 2 eggs
M3 - dozen or so large shrimp marinated in Tessamae's, few wedges sweet potatoes, ~1 cup steamed green beans tossed in ghee, 3 bacon-wrapped dates, La Croix 

I drink at least 5, sometimes more, 750ml bottles of water every day. 

Suggestions appreciated. It's taking everything in me right now not to say "screw it" and open a bottle of wine. I won't, because I have too much invested to give up now, but it's really, really tempting. 

[jmcbn]

How much time are you spending outdoors?

Assuming you're female where are you in your cycle?

[decker_bear]

No cycle because I'm on the depo  (have been for more than four years). I take 3-4, 10-15 minute breaks per work day and go for a walk, and I run a farmers market booth for 6 hours every Sunday. That's the extent of my outdoor time. 

[jmcbn]

4 hours ago, decker_bear said:

I take 3-4, 10-15 minute breaks per work day and go for a walk, and I run a farmers market booth for 6 hours every Sunday.

It's still more than some and it's good that it's regular, however, with your anxiety issues I'd wonder if you wouldn't benefit from a Vitamin D supplement, especially coming into the shorter days. Yes, you can get it from foods (oily fish, egg yolks, beef liver), but along with the DHA in the omega 3's & the serotonin producing foods vitamin D can really impact mood. It might be worth a try. You certainly seem to be getting a good variety of other nutrients in your meals IMHO and there's only so much a person can eat.

Of course it could just be a phase you're going through....

[decker_bear]

6 hours ago, jmcbn said:

It's still more than some and it's good that it's regular, however, with your anxiety issues I'd wonder if you wouldn't benefit from a Vitamin D supplement, especially coming into the shorter days. Yes, you can get it from foods (oily fish, egg yolks, beef liver), but along with the DHA in the omega 3's & the serotonin producing foods vitamin D can really impact mood. 

I'll give it a shot. How long does it generally take to start seeing improvements with supplements, any idea? 

Thanks for the suggestion! 

[jmcbn]

It can take about 6-8wks from what I understand, although I know some people report improvement in 2wks - I guess it just depends how deficient you are.

D3 is preferable over D2, and it should be taken in the morning as taking it at night can suppress the body's ability to produce melatonin which will disrupt your sleep.

Hopefully you'll see some improvement soon!