Did anyone experience sadness when going extremely low carb? I am just curious.

No. But if you are feeling depressed, try adding in some carbs and see if it helps. If that does not work, check with your Dr about antidepressants.

Ty. I don't need antidepressants for heavens sake but def appreciate your thoughts. Probably just a long day yesterday

hey there, I know the feeling of feeling low without any reason at all, actually this happens to me when I eat bad carbs of dairy. But vlc / high fat cures it, so I agree it can be dietry related.

I know some people say perhaps you are short of something, try having seaweed/kelp some succeeded and noted a change in the way they feel if they had it.

I am not really sure what is your diet like, i.e. fat/protein and calories etc, one needs to experiment to find what's good for them.

Thanks... Yep, I am a believer in the mind/body connection. Upping my fat today.

Ty for sharing about the dairy. I do better without it as well.it actually doesn't digest at all.

Everyday will not be perfect for sure

Do try adding seaweeds to your diet, I heard many had great success with it when feeling low.

No sadness but yes to a general feeling of crapiness. It was temporary (3-4 days). I have pretty bad depression and anxiety problems but LC has improved the depression a lot.
Make sure you're getting 5 g of sodium a day.
If that doesn't help try adding back some carbs.
Seaweed sounds like a good idea. It has lots of iodine. I supplement with iodine and I feel loads better on it.

For me, I wouldn't say sadness. I get what i call mind numbing or no energy/a bit of a ghost feeling. And also get in a bad mood.

For instance, when I have no carbs in the morning and a bigger protein breakfast. I have tried eating 3 scrambled eggs with a 4oz hamburger patty in the morning and that leaves me not feeling all too wonderful. But I can do 3 eggs scrambled with frozen sausages (which have a couple of carbs in it and less protein)...

Wish I could help more...

Always happens to me right before I drop weight. Seems like the scale is always smiling at me the next day...but I'm usually too blue to care as much as I should. Then I up my carbs and stop losing weight. Some people think this indicates a thyroid issues.

I think I overused the word "sadness", I guess what I was referring to was feeling kind of numb sometimes, but I don't think it is something that is totally a "bad" thing.

I guess it is all about balance.

i agree with salt! when my salt intake is too low, i can have a lot of symptoms, sadness is one. you need a lot on low carb. drink some broth or actually measure out the right amount and use it throughout the day.

I actually find I feel better when I eat fewer carbs. The trick is to find a balance - that said, if you are used to sugar highs and the crash that inevitably follows, being in balance can be blah - is that what you're feeling?

All I can suggest is to educate yourself on why carbs are not necessary and to trust the process. The conversion will not happen overnight. The thing that concerns me, though, is that you say you've been eating low carb for a long time. Are you following a "well formulated low carb diet" (to use Phinney and Volek's term)? Are you sure you are eating enough?

What kind of sadness is it? That could give a clue to how to lift it.

Sadness like blah, lack of excitement, low self-esteem, fear of being a bag lady = could be an endorphin low. the fix is to do things that raise endorphins naturally. Watch or listen to some comedy and laugh out loud, Loud upbeat music, perform in public, have sex, do sports or athletics.

Sadness like loneliness and lack of comfort- could be serotonin lows. the fix is to do comforting things - cuddle, pamper yourself, talk to a really great friend, coze and read in front of a fire, surround yourself with uplifting whatevers. Ha ha have you seen cuteoverload.com ? Long term, get enough sleep and not too many stimulants - they can go through serotonin like kleenex (it's a consumable, we make it and use it up)

Sadness like anxiety and anxious jitters - could be suddenly dropping blood sugar, like you're running out of glucose fuel. fix is to add fat or protein or whatever you think contributed to running out of fuel; tweak your food and exercise if you think it's from your exercise outstripping your fuel

First- ty for the responses. Second- I got it... I am sad becausey cardio keeps me sane. It's how I am and I want to find a good plan with low carb eating to sustain it. Now, I am working at night so no room for gym but I go in the mornings for the weight classes. However, not cutting it. Yes, this is not about weight loss but feeling healthy and positive. Seriously, there has to athletes to live on low carb. I will re-read the threads in athletics. Also, if it means I have to run then I am going to have to suck it up and do whatever it takes to get the cardio in, mental health is too important to me. Endorphins... I think that is it. Totally appreciate your comments.

I don't think there's anything wrong with moderate cardio, as long as you enjoy it. People who are miserable doing it shouldn't do it. I do think we're made to move. We're just not made to run marathons.