Just starting Low carb again. Depresion has been my has derailed my previouse attempts. This time i have started with deeling with my depression first. After about a week or so of low carb I end up hitting a low energy lull. As being depressed and apathy go hand in hand i fall back into my old eating habits of eating carbs. Not sure wheather the loss of energy is from the diet or just deppreisin but ive decided that getting some help with the depression is my first priorty. Having got a handle on the depression im now ready to try low carb again.
My primary concerns are the lowerd energy i hit at about at 1 week in at low carbing. I find eating 10 to 12 calories per pound of my weight hard after a week of low carbing. For me eating 2700 to 3200 calories seems a colasal effort as the appitite supresion effect of the diet real kick in fer me about 4 to 5 days in.
It is also hard fer me to eat when not hungry as hunger is my que to eat. Also i have a hard time getting over the thought that eating less is the only way to sucseed at losing weight.
Looking back at my previose attemps i can see that my decreased caloric intake is probably the cause of my lowerd energy. any tips would be appreseated

Sorry to hear you so worried. There is no exact number of Calories because it varies so much with the person. I have some questions. What's your dosage? Also are you exercising even a little? Depression and Anxiety can make us lumps on a log. We don't move. I suffer from that. This makes us not want to eat or pretty much do anything else
Try adding small walks or try dancing or moving to some music.
Also try to eat small meals 5-6 times a day with additional fats.
This will help the appetite and the mind. Hope this helps.
I'm here if you need to talk.

Hello Forager,
Lessara's so right about the exercise. I know it's nearly impossible to function, let alone think about exercise. Maybe finding something physical (rollerblading or sparring in my case), that you find enjoyable would make getting moving easier.
In the case of calories, I found that by adding more fats it boosted my daily caloric intake rather than having to eat more. (It's hard to rationalise adding butter and mayo to things, but it does get easier.)
Glad to hear you're on the road to getting your depression under control!!! I wish you the best of luck!


Melissa

Hi there Forager.....

First of all......let me say Welcome to the Forum! You are in the right place to find information and inspiration!

I think one of the best resources that you can find here to help you figure out ways to keep your calories up, is the journals. Many of us post our menus daily and that should help you to see combinations that might work for you as well.

I know that there is a bit of a lag in the beginning of LCing before you start to feel the increase in energy, but it's usually just in the first two weeks. If you can persevere through that time, you should be home free. YES...it's a very good idea to get in some exercise. Exercise is known for getting the good brain chemicals flowing!

I've suffered from depression myself, most of my life and I have learned that one of the best anti-depressants on the planet is exercise. I know it's not easy to get started, but if you can push yourself for the first little while, you too will see results!

Marlaine

Marlaine is right, just a warning though. I had a month of lag time but It could have because I lost 20lbs in 2 weeks. (I'm suppose to eat veggies? ) I had made some mistakes and lost too fast. So base what you have lost to as well as fat intake to see if your energy returns.
Take Care.