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Day 16 - Cannot. Stop. Crying.


NotoriousADG

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I am on Day 16 of my first Whole30. I had several motivations for taking on this challenge, but one of the biggest was hormonal balance. I have suspected (without support from my doctors or testing, because #healthcareinamerica) that I am suffering from a hormonal imbalance. This presents itself in many ways, but the most noticeable is intense emotional sensitivity and depression around / during my period. 

 

I am trying so hard to stay committed to the program, but I feel like my hormonal symptoms have gotten significantly worse. I literally cry at the drop of a hat, my hormonal acne has flared, and I am exhausted. I keep checking the timeline, reading my “Day-by-Day”, and pushing through but it isn’t getting better. I am holding out for the promise of tiger blood, but I don’t know how much longer I can put up with this. My poor husband is a trooper, but I’m pretty sure I am making him miserable. 

 

Has anyone experienced this? 

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Not that symptom, but W30 can really play hell with your hormones, I have a Mirena IUD and haven't had a period in 4+ years save for both Rounds when lo and behold, the W30 managed to override hormonal birth control!! It better not get me pregnant!! haahaa.

But much sympathy to you, that's got to be so frustrating. 

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9 minutes ago, ShannonM816 said:

One thing to pay attention to is the amount of starchy vegetables you're eating. People who experience depression or anxiety often find they need several servings a day. 

 

Most days I have 1-2 servings of potatoes (white, sweet, or red). But I will try to make sure I am working that in more thoughtfully. 

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In my (limited, non-medical) understanding it's fairly complex to diagnose & treat hormonal balance issues unless there's something dramatically out of sync., so that route could take a while to find anything and, even in the UK, there is a tendency for GPs to want to prescribe rather than investigate - in the past I've had anti-depressants pushed onto me on more than one occasion, which for me absolutely fails to address the cause(s) of the problem (though obviously everyone is different and this may well be exactly the right approach for someone else). 

I found that insufficient food in general was contributing to low mood in the week before my period & deliberately choosing to include starchy veg (esp. after ovulation) and being careful to eat enough of everything in that final week of the cycle seems to help a lot. I also started supplementing with magnesium a couple of months ago and have found that it greatly reduces the bloat & physical discomfort and also seems to help with emotional symptoms, but again that might not be an option for you depending on what other medical conditions & medications, etc. you might have....

In terms of getting enough food I sometime play a 'game' with myself where the aim is to maximise the nutritional value of every meal and snack, e.g. trying to get as many different types of veg into a meal as possible, obvs. that's an underlying aim of a W30 but I find it helps to keep me focused on the fact that eating well is a good thing and that overly restricting food is not a very nice thing to do to yourself.... but again that's based on my experience and a history of constantly striving to eat fewer calories rather than aiming for optimal nutrition...

 

I hope you feel better soon :)

 

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1 hour ago, FairyL0u said:

In my (limited, non-medical) understanding it's fairly complex to diagnose & treat hormonal balance issues unless there's something dramatically out of sync., so that route could take a while to find anything and, even in the UK, there is a tendency for GPs to want to prescribe rather than investigate - in the past I've had anti-depressants pushed onto me on more than one occasion, which for me absolutely fails to address the cause(s) of the problem (though obviously everyone is different and this may well be exactly the right approach for someone else). 

I found that insufficient food in general was contributing to low mood in the week before my period & deliberately choosing to include starchy veg (esp. after ovulation) and being careful to eat enough of everything in that final week of the cycle seems to help a lot. I also started supplementing with magnesium a couple of months ago and have found that it greatly reduces the bloat & physical discomfort and also seems to help with emotional symptoms, but again that might not be an option for you depending on what other medical conditions & medications, etc. you might have....

In terms of getting enough food I sometime play a 'game' with myself where the aim is to maximise the nutritional value of every meal and snack, e.g. trying to get as many different types of veg into a meal as possible, obvs. that's an underlying aim of a W30 but I find it helps to keep me focused on the fact that eating well is a good thing and that overly restricting food is not a very nice thing to do to yourself.... but again that's based on my experience and a history of constantly striving to eat fewer calories rather than aiming for optimal nutrition...

 

I hope you feel better soon :)

 

All of this is so helpful, thank you! I definitely don’t track my cycle closely enough, so I bet that would help me choose my meals more wisely in the days leading up to my period. I will do some research and check out the magnesium. 

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I don't track my cycle that closely, and honestly eating Whole30 threw mine off last time so I wouldn't trust what my tracking app tells me (last time I wound up about 2 weeks late compared to my "normal" cycle)... but I can definitely agree that extra starchy stuff and extra protein are both necessary when my body starts feeling like it's gearing up for the monthly adventure. I tend to look more at my symptoms to gauge what I'm needing, though, rather than looking directly at where in my cycle I am (I'm also bipolar, so this might be part of why I look at symptoms to give me an idea of what's going on, since I'm used to gauging my moods that way).

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As a side note specifically related to depression, one thing I find really helps is to get outside for a gentle walk every morning (20-30 minutes). do not wear sunscreen and do not put on sunglasses - you want your body reacting with the lovely morning rays. The combination of gentle exercise and vit. D exposure really help.  

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  • Whole30 Certified Coach

@NotoriousADG How are you sleeping and what is your stress level right now?  These two things will have a large impact on how you’re feeling!! Make sure you’re getting enough zzz’s and that you are managing your stress levels.  I find that spending time with close friends and family helps me feel better.  I also love cuddling with my dog and make time for things I personally enjoy such as gardening.

Also movement of any kind will likely help your mood.  I like to go for walks after work and call a college friend to catch up.  Getting fresh air and some exercise will work wonders! 

I also get very emotional around the time of my menstrual cycle but I like to give myself grace during these days.  I have found that movement helps me the best but I also like to cry over cheesy Halmark movies :) 

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11 hours ago, ElainaR said:

@NotoriousADG How are you sleeping and what is your stress level right now?  These two things will have a large impact on how you’re feeling!! Make sure you’re getting enough zzz’s and that you are managing your stress levels.  I find that spending time with close friends and family helps me feel better.  I also love cuddling with my dog and make time for things I personally enjoy such as gardening.

Also movement of any kind will likely help your mood.  I like to go for walks after work and call a college friend to catch up.  Getting fresh air and some exercise will work wonders! 

I also get very emotional around the time of my menstrual cycle but I like to give myself grace during these days.  I have found that movement helps me the best but I also like to cry over cheesy Halmark movies :) 

I am definitely focused on quality sleep and exercise, because I do in fact go insane without both! My job is stressful by nature, but a little more so at the moment, so that could be coming into play a little. But I am typically pretty high-strung regardless of my environment (type a!) so I don’t know how much it’s coming into play. 

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Ok so this happened to me, only more severe than what you described. I’m bipolar so I just brushed it off as yet another episode, that stemmed (at least partly) from getting my period. I have PCOS and a hormonal IUD, and my periods are not regular. I was actually hospitalized for eleven days. They had to double my antidepressants. 

What I’d suggest is DEFINITELY make sure you’re getting enough starchy vegetables. They play a role in serotonin production. I make sure to get 2-3 servings a day. 

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I was a crying mess the first 17 days! You aren’t losing your mind, don’t worry. I found myself having really low self esteem from day 7-17 for some reason. I took it to mean that my best was detoxing HARD from all of the chemicals I was eating before this reset. 

 

Maybe also take a look at the meal template again? I know that I was also not eating enough healthy fats and carbs around that time, so I changed things up. I remember my mood almost instantly improving after I ate a piece of salmon (Our Harvest has really great wild caught Scottish salmon), and it was a lightbulb moment for me. 

Remember- your husband is your husband for a reason. You guys took very important vows, so he will probably be fine. Thank him for taking the journey with you! You got this.

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