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kayellr 02-27-2013 08:44 AM

Irritability when starting to low carb - how do you deal?
I've noticed what seems to be a lot of irritability in people new to induction/low carbing. When I first did low carb my moods went completely haywire the first week. Withdrawing from carbs was no fun. My brain didn't seem to work right, and I wanted to bite people in the absence of biting my favorite treats.

Now I know that part of that irritability was that my body had not switched over to burning fat efficiently and so my brain was getting a rather uneven amount of "fuel." Fortunately, before giving this a try again, I did some serious reading and found some things that helped get me through the nasties. The nice part is that now ketosis is well established, my over all "normal" level moods have improved tremendously. So the edginess at first was well worth it.

Like anyone, I certainly won't claim to being free of bad moods!, but they're much better. The biggest things that helped me were 1) eating more fat (lots of fat!) 2) salty broth 3) walking outside in natural light.

What ways have you all found that help smooth out the shakes, the irritability etc?

Kateee 02-27-2013 10:24 AM

5-HTP helped me :)

adiasmc1 02-27-2013 10:38 AM

Kayellr - Ha ha, that made me laugh, the biting people part. I have so been there before when weaning off carbs and I totally know what you mean :rofl:

5 HTP and glutamine have been a big help for me too!

jenericstewart 02-27-2013 10:49 AM

I don't know if this is a good recommendation, but I unintentionally kicked the carb addiction by overloading on everything. I overloaded on the proteins/fats, while eating high carb foods, and the transition happened without my realizing what was going on (transition took approximately 1 month). Before long, I realized how good I felt with the increases, and slowly the carbs dropped off. :D

(I didn't start this with weight loss in mind. That was a byproduct. My intention was to have more energy and lessen the ever plaguing depression.)

Whenever I hear people express their irritability when starting, I always wonder if they're not eating enough.

thealything 02-28-2013 07:11 PM


but now I'm quitting, and my anti-smoking medication causes agitation, so it's altogether a bad scene.

Mimosa23 03-01-2013 12:20 AM

A nice cup of homemade broth with some extra salt helps me.

Also, drinking water, doing something when you feel moody/sensitive, like going for a walk outside.

Kriss 03-02-2013 12:59 PM

Oh yeah i experienced that

Sharss 03-02-2013 02:23 PM

Can't say I ever felt irritable. Felt extremely tired starting Atkins, but felt that way before I started so can't blame low carbs. I do take all kinds of vities though.

Keep your eye on YOUR goal and you'll way more easily navigate around the discouraging obstacles.


zombiegoat2000 03-02-2013 03:13 PM

I've yet to master the art of not being cranky yet!
