Curbing Crankiness

[Non.sequitur]

Every once in a while I get really cranky and snap at people. During this time there is no pleasing me. I am just irritated for irritations sake. Usually after being irritable for a while I start craving fruit and veggies. I never used to get hungry, but then again I rarely used to feel hungry. Could this be caused by lower intake of carbs or fat? If so is there a recommended snack you have used for hanger? I have been on whole 30 for 3 weeks, I recently had to restart because the steak house I went to on date night cooked the steak in butter even though I requested no butter, oh and potentially added Brown sugar to my sweet potato with cinnamon (couldn't tell 100%).

[ShannonM816]

The first thing I'd do is make sure your meals are big enough. Follow the meal template -- keep in mind it lists a range of serving sizes. Make sure your meals are keeping you satisfied for 4-5 hours at a time. If they're not, you may need to tweak them some. If you're not sure if you've got them quite right, you can list a day or two of meals here, including approximate portion sizes as they relate to the meal template, and we can take a look and see if anything stands out. Keep in mind that you often need to add fat in addition to what you cook in, as the stuff you cook in can stay behind in the pan and not get eaten, so don't be afraid to add more to your meals.

Most people feel best if they have at least a fist-sized serving of starchy vegetable each day, so if you're not doing that already, definitely try that. Some people do feel best with more -- specifically, people who are active, who are prone to depression or anxiety, and women who are nursing, pregnant, or in the week or so leading up to their period often find they need more. If you think you'd benefit from more than what you're eating now, you can definitely try that. You might also play with what time of day you have your starchy vegetables. Some people find that having a serving at their final meal of the day helps them sleep. Some people like them as part of a big breakfast, but some find that carbs at breakfast leave them hungrier throughout the day, so that might make a difference for you as well, the only way to know is to try for a few days and see if you notice a difference.

If you are hungry -- as in you'd eat something boring and bland like plain steamed fish and broccoli -- fix yourself a mini-meal of protein, fat, and vegetable, or at least two of the three. Try to avoid having fruit on its own, or things like Larabars or RXBars, as they are as close as you can get to candy bars on a Whole30 and can cause a spike in blood sugar, which leads to a drop, which can leave you tired, grumpy, or craving more sweet things.