I've now been following Atkins for a full month. I have stayed on the induction diet and have managed an end result of 14 pounds lost. I think I'm finally getting the hang of it and I plan to stick with the plan allowing up to 20 grams of carb because it does appear to be working.

One thing I have noticed recently is bad mood swings. I'm a very level headed happy person, but sometimes I'll be doing something and have to suddenly fight back tears for no reason. Or laughter. Very odd. I was wondering if this could be caused at all by the dieting? I know it sounds strange but its an odd sort of emotionalism that just doesn't feel normal at all. Has anyone else had any experience with anything like this?

(Oh and for the record, I'm not pregnant and its not that time of the month )

Thanks!

Hi Patti,

This was my shocking realization with moodiness and LC'ing...

I would regulate the way I felt by the intake of sugar, grabbing for the nearest cookie whenever I felt angry or sad or frustrated. I had to keep eating sugar to avoid the "crash" that would be inevitable if I stopped.

If you are an "emotional eater", going LC can make you moody. Most people who turn to food for comfort usually turn to stuff that's high in carbs. So, if you eliminate the carbs, there is nothing to comfort you, and you have to learn how to comfort yourself. Not an easy task! I deal with it on a daily basis, but I get better at dealing with it the more I do it.

I have to have a really bad day now to seek out sugar, and usually can talk myself out of it, but it's really hard to break the habit.

You may be able to go over 20 grams of carbs. Watch out for starving yourself, it could slow your metabolism and make it even harder to lose weight.

Your weight loss stats are incredible! How did you do it before LC?

Karen

Hi Karen,

Thanks for your support. I guess I probably was managing my emotions with carbs. I certainly was (am?) a total out of control carb addict. Although I've never been a drinker, I take this low-carb thing one day at a time, with a very similar methodology to AA.

As for how I lost all that weight: One day I was 33 years old and 387 pounds. I gasped. How did that happen! I tried to lose weight but on Weight Watchers and 1000 calories daily I managed to gain weight slowly but steadily. At best I could lose about 1/2 pound. I eventually found my way to Dr. Flancbaum at Van Italie center in Manhattan. He is probably the world's leading expert on gastric bypass surgery (a more advanced, modern version of stomach stapling. My stomach is now the size of an egg). On July 19, 1999 I went under the knife. By that point I had starved myself down to 363. I quickly got down to 250 where I stayed. Struggling I worked my way over the next year down to 218 and that was when I started Atkins. Perhaps had I done Atkins back in the beginning I would not have needed the surgery, but I don't regret my decision for an instant.

Now I'm 35 and getting used to life without carbs. I had one day of failing but 29 days of success so all in all very good. I've been using fitday.com to track my food diary and have found that I am eating between 1000-1400 calories a day. One day I did 1700 but the next I really wasn't hungry and only at about 800. I guess it all balances out in the end. According to my activity level I should be losing about 1/2 pound a day. For Aprill, that was true. I hope to do the same in May but we'll see. I'm sure I was eating the same # of calories before but could not lose weight with all those carbs. This is working.

Anyway, that pretty much sums it up. Thanks!

Patti, I'm really impressed! You are one determined, tenacious person! If anyone can make this way of eating work, I'll bet you can! Keep it up!

Rachel

Patti, I do experience mood swings when I first get into ketosis, not sure if this is what you're experiencing. It rarely lasts for more than day.

Thanks for sharing your experince with surgery and I agree with Rachel, things should come easy for you when you're determined. You already are the biggest loser on our forum, I think with -183 lbs.!!

Wa'il

That's amazing! And how wonderful to have found a WOE that seems to be working for you.

Karen

hi Patti,

I hope you don't mind if I relate your experience to a friend of mine. She's in her late 50s, and has a lot of health problems, all aggravated by her obesity, and was unable to lose any weight at all with the usual diets. She underwent gastric bypass only 3 weeks ago, and has already lost 20 lbs. I've gently suggested lowcarbing to her, but she tends more toward vegetarian and rice. Maybe this will help to change her thinking.

Continued success to you.

Doreen

Hi Doreen,

If you'd like, I'd be more than happy to talk with your friend. I talk with alot of pre-surgery patients to help them decide what is best for them.

I was told to eat potatoes, cream soups and crackers. I think if I had ignored that and eaten what my body really should be eating, a high protein low carb diet, I would have lost more weight more quickly. The nutritionists I have worked with are completely stuck on the old food pyramid. It can be very difficult to stand up to EVERYBODY and say I'm not gonna take it anymore. I followed a low-fat high carb diet for my whole life and went from fat, to fatter to obese to morbidly obese. Boy that sure was effective. But the doctors and nutritionists will wag their fingers at you and tell you "You must not be following the diet properly. You are cheating somewhere!".

Your friend will lose weight for a year after surgery regardless of her diet. It's just the nature of the surgery. But, she will suffer numerous uncomfortable side effects if she continues to eat the high-carb diet they recommend (I know because I did) and she will hit a brick wall of a plateau in the end. The sooner she learns to follow a low-carb diet plan, the happier she will be. That's my story, and please feel free to share it with anyone you feel it may help.

Patti

You are really inspirational and courageous and its interesting to read about your 'journey'. I've been doing this a month as well and find that it is effective and easy enough to do.

I have experienced hugely much more energy since beginning and a much more assertive frame of mind. However I too have been getting steadily more 'emotional' and nearly wigged out today when the baby just wouldnt go to bed. I feel a bit tetchy a lot of the time and respond to stress much worse than normal.

I dont think that its an emotional thing because although I am a comfort eater, I havent felt deprived and the one or two really upsetting occurences have not even vaguely sent me running for my comfort food. Which absolutely it would have previously resulted in a few alcoholic drinks and a pig out on sugary stuff.

I've been beginning to wonder whether its some kind of vitamin deficiency (maybe B vitamins??) , whether this woe has some subtle effect on the neurotransmitters in the brain (which some are more sensitive too than others) or for me as I have a 60 carb limit, whether it is because I am not getting my carb release evenly enough and my body still experiences highs and lows.

Also in your case - could it be too little food or too little carbs?? One of these worthies who are lurking, must have some ideas on this

(Be interesting to see who arrives as a 'worthy'!!!)
And if you do jump in - is cheese whey powder the same as whey protein???

Nicola

Hi Patti,

I admire you for your strength and determination. One thing about the mood swings you may want to consider is the dreaded beast of menopause. Which normally starts between the age of 30-40.

I know I have hot flashes, mood swings (crying spells, laughing so hard at nothing that I start to cry etc) and it has NOTHING to do with food . I had those before I started the low carb diet.

Try something like Rejuvex (made by Sunsource) which is an estrogen free, drug free formula to even out the rough spells. It contains no sugar, starch, yeast, caffeine, dairy or preservatives.

And yes it is high in Vitamins B1 ( 133%), B2 (117%) and B6 (500%) as well as other complexes.

Patti, Your dedication and determination are something you should be very proud of. Speaking for myself - I can be very hard on myself. When I accomplish or create something part of me says "well if I did it, how good could it possibly be". Feeling good about myself is equally as important to me as loosing weight.

I have been LCing for almost 2 weeks now and I too have experienced the mood swings you spoke of. I have not been depressed but rather intolerant and short tempered one moment and accepting and serene the next. My poor wife is an absolute angel and has not sought a divorce attorney as of yet. She too has begun the Adkin's diet and has shed 8 lbs so far. I am blessed to have her as my soulmate; it just goes to prove that there is a wrench for every nut!

Keep up the good work. Someone (Doreen I think) said that it is the persistent person that succeeds. Amen.

Patti,

Congratulations on your weight loss. That is more than 1 person in weight you've lost & I'm enormously impressed.

Mood swings ... gee I get those all the time, especially when I don't get enough sleep, like in the last 2 weeks. Are you getting enough rest?

Karen got it just right, I'm sure we are not the only ones who identify with emotional eating. (That's probably how most of us got to where we are in terms of weight). I've been lurking on several list sites lately & can't remember where I read this information, but basically carbs will contribute to an increase of serotonin in the brain.
Low serotonin is the culprit of most clinical depression, and eating sweets & other carbs ups serotonin & consequently we feel better. Low serotonin.... tears, etc.

I'm on anti-depressant meds & with IBS I find some days that the meds don't stay in my body long enough to be truly effective. Real bummer (pardon the bad pun). I can deal with being weepy as long as I know what is the cause... IBS symptoms. When I'm feeling like a basket case & don't know why, that's when I get bothered.... thinking "What's the matter with me? Of course I'm probably suffering a wee bit without my usual sugar fix HTH Ruth

You might want to try having some carbs with each meal & or a snack. I love Mozzarella string cheese that are individually wrapped... very portable & delicious.

Well, that's my 2 cents worth. Keep up the great losing!

Ruth

I have been slowly adding carbs with meals. Maybe an ounce of almonds (6) or some fresh melon. This has really helped make everything more comfortable for me. I've set a limit of 25 carbs daily for this week and am carefully monitoring the ketone sticks. I also love those Polly-O string cheese sticks. They are >1 gram of carb aren't they?

I was not aware that carbs helped increase serotonin, but I guess that is the best explanation for my recent bouts of "depression?" That's not really the right word. It actually feels like someone is pulling the tears button in my head. Totally foreign and out of left field which makes me think chemical. It passes quickly, luckily. I honestly don't feel depressed at all. Quite happy.

Patti,

My recent weepy incidents have just been the weepies, I don't feel particularly sad or depressed but the least little thing could bring on the tears. Anyway, it was just a thought.

Aren't you lucky, no depression! Wish that was me.

Ruth

hi Patti, and everybody,

For the record, carbs and glucose do not raise serotonin levels, they deplete it actually, by increasing uptake into the brain cells. Gives a wonderful temporary rush, but then there's a rebound slump ... triggering cravings for more ... and so on, until the supplies of serotonin are used up, and depression sets in, because circulating levels are so low. Serotonin requires amino acids (ie, protein) and cholesterol for peak production and effectiveness in the body.

Best advice, keep blood sugar levels stable with your lowcarb eating plan, and try as much as possible to distribute the carbs evenly through the day. And make sure you have some protein with every meal and snack.

Patti, I checked back through your posts, and you did mention that over Easter you had more carbs than you'd planned on, also only a week ago, your posted menu suggested you weren't getting enough calories. Then, you mentioned that you had an occasional Atkins bar, which has glycerin as the sweetener. It sounds very much like an issue of your body still getting rid of all the carbs and by-products from your system. It can take a few weeks for some folks. Do stick with it, you sound as though you've got a good plan of action; this WILL pass...

And Nicola's suggestion about the vitamins is a good one. Do make sure that you are getting at least a once-daily multiple vitamin and mineral. Best would be a formula with a minimum of 50 mg of the important B-vitamins, as she pointed out. One mineral often overlooked in mood and stress is Calcium. It would be good to get in 1000 mg a day. Try to take a dose at bedtime. Calcium with magnesium is even better, the two together have a calming effect.

Doreen