Sorry for the hiatus, blogosphere! (Isn't that the word used to describe the blogging community? Blogosphere? It sounds silly. Try saying it out loud.) I've been so insaely busy this last week or so. My days start at aroung 6:30. Some days I am home for about 10 or 15 minutes to make a quick dinner and then it's back out til 11pm. Some nights I''m not home at all and it's a shake on the go or dinner at my office. So it's been 18 hour days for a few weeks now. Even this weekend, fun as it was to hang out with one of my absolute best friends in the best city in the world, was jam packed. I find myself constantly forgetting things because I have SO much on my plate.
So I'm busy and frazzled and run down. But it's more than that. Lately I'm crying all the time. I'm flying off the handle for ridiculous stuff. I feel awkward and out of sorts and unable to respond in standard social situations. I'm losing my hair, I am not sleeping well...
In short, I feel like I'm going batshit crazy.
And I haven't wanted to say anything because nobody wants to admit something like that. I mean, most people at one time or another will struggle with this sort of thing, but it always leaves a person feeling weak and unreliable. I don't like feeling that way.
Then I read a post on a friend's weight loss blog, and it sounded like she was going through the same thing, going through the motions and trying constantly to get herself out of this funk. And it got me thinking- when you're losing massive amounts of weight in a rapid fashion, is this normal?
So I did a little research, and guess what? It totally is.
Turns out that when you gain weight, you crave sugars and other carbs, and then when you go on a more low-carb diet, you are depriving your brain of seratonin (the brain chemical that makes you feel happy), which can lead to depression and mood swings.
In short, it all comes back to carbs. My arch nemesis. Damn you, carbs! (You can't see me but I am shaking my fist like william shatner right now.)
But I'm glad that it all makes sense now! I SHOULD be miserable and feel crazy right now. My brain chemicals are all kinds of messed up. The question is, what can you do about it? Carbs are not the answer- I accidentally left my herbalife shaker at home over my weekend vacation and went a little carb crazy- and paid for it afterwards, with a huge food hangover (food hangovers are what happens when your body feels awful after binging on deliciousness. If my digestive system could scream and curse at me, it would have.)
I found this article fabulously helpful :
Is your diet making you hangry? (Hungry and angry)
They suggest cutting back on calories and carbs more slowly, which I don't think is going to work for me, and that 45-65 percent of your diet should be carbs. So I'm going to go stock up on some whole grain crackers and whole wheat pasta. It also says I should be getting more omega 3 fatty acids, which are found in things like fish and walnuts (both of which I tend not to eat). I'm also going to try to work in more small amounts of dark chocolate into my diet.
This is all so complicated! How am I going to remember it all? Simple- it's time to buy a new planner, start making to do lists again (I made one for today and yesterday and monday and felt fabulously productive- does anyone else LOVE checking things off of a to-do list as much as I do?) And I'm going to try to do more brain excercising on the weekends- back to sudoku,, trivia, and crossword puzzles for this geek!
I feel good about all of this information and changes. I feel like,w ith anything, it's going to start slowly- all of this is not going to happen over night, but I am going to work at it and try to find that balance, you know? And I mean, if you had asked me if any of this, or any of the things I've done over the last 5 months were possible a year ago, year ago me would have laughed in your face. So I'm sure I can tackle this too.
Also- I have upped my workout regimen in a fun way- more about that tomorrow!
For now, this:
8/7/12
7:45am- herbalife shake and tea
11:15am- herbalife shake, a plum, and almonds
2:30pm- oikos strawberry yogurt
6:00pm- amy's pizza (DELICIOUS- best frozen pizza I've ever had- and organic/okay for you too!) and carrot sticks
Hey Jen!
ReplyDeleteI love making lists and checking them off. my problem though is usually I write one thing that takes a long time and it never gets checkd off....and hard to show my progress. :(
Try to see if you can get a vitamin to avoid the fish and walnuts.
I like to think of life as a chess game. With each move you basically "plan" how your attack would go if everything went exactly right. however, as soon as the next person takes a turn, it's very likely you need a new plan. maybe not a NEW plan but you must adjust accordingly. You are just finding ways to adjust accordingly - and you're doing a great job!! Def. add dark chocolate....yum yum!
Margaret