To think being healthy is making me feel worse?

[Funkytuna]

So fully prepared to be told I am being ridiculous, I probably am 😅 but here goes.

So around Christmas like a lot of us I made the decision to have a lifestyle change. Prior to that I was eating what I wanted, whenever I wanted which included a lot of junk food and take aways etc, was only walking about 10 mins a day for exercise.
So I changed my diet around to eating healthy following mainly NHS guidelines but lots of fruit, veggies, proteins, wholemeal, nuts etc, a restricted but not crazy calorie (and fat and sugar) limit. And upped the exercise, again nothing crazy but try to do 30 or 40 minutes of moderate exercise a day, also cut out the booze completely.

Now the first thing that started was my mood became FOUL, like teenage pms foul. Irritable, zero patience, just plain angry from morning to night. Now fair enough, I thought at first my body is probably missing all the crap it's used to... But it's been 8 weeks and it's getting worse, not better. It is seriously beginning to effect my life as I am having outbursts in public.

Now the second thing which is the last 3 weeks, suddenly as if overnight I'm am knackered by 10/11am, utterly shattered and my body aches all over now. Previously, I wouldn't get tired till about 8pm and my body never ached. I am sleeping just the same (well, thankfully).

And to add insult to injury I've not even lost 1 pound!! I'm in my early 30s and have found it quite easy in the past to lose a few pounds when needed.

So feeling pretty dejected and wondering if despite everything we are told there's something in the fat but jolly stereotype 😂

Could ypu get your thyroid checked out? Just because you haven't lost any weight even with reducing calories and upping exercise.
I hate diets and just don't do them. I eat when I'm hungry and what I fancy, simple as. I'm still a healthy weight as I don't go OTT but I've found in the past diets just don't work. I end up craving things more and the moods could be your body craving sugar. Try not to stress about what you eat too much. At this stage I'd go to the doctors and ask for a blood test just to rule out the potential thyroid issue.

I'd ask your GP for blood tests if I were you. It might have nothing to do with your change in diet.

That's a very drastic change. 30-40 mins per day after only walking 10 mins per day is exhausting and needs gently building up to over a longer period and with rest built in to recover. Cut the exercise back so you have rest days and build it up gradually as you have the energy to manage it. Rest is when your body heals and gets stronger.

That might be enough to balance things back.

I think I saw somewhere that giving up sugar can do the things you've said you're experiencing. So irritability, energy crashes etc. I'd hang on in there and have a Google about it to see how long the withdrawal from sugar should take.

First thing first. Are you getting enough fat? Vitamins A,D and E require fat for absorption. In addition, it's important for mental health, energy and cell function.

www.google.com/amp/s/www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/the-science-mental-health/202002/low-fat-diet-can-make-you-angry-irritable-and-depressed%3famp

Check you haven't introduced loads of artificial sweeteners into your diet by switching to 'healthier' sugar free options. As you can have lots of intolerances around them which cause all sorts of side effects. They even have them in crisps nowadays, which I appreciate you're not eating anymore. But it just shows they're everywhere.

Are you eating meat? If not, you could be deficient in b vitamins and iron (iron from plant sources and supplements can be less bio available than from animal sources). Also beware that some whole grains can inhibit absorption of certain nutrients.

also make sure you are getting enough fat in your diet. Where possible, pair vitamin containing foods with a source of fat (many vitamins are fat soluble only).

It might be worth visiting a GP or getting blood tests done to check for deficiencies or absorption problems.

Seconding Buzzinwithbez and BonnesVacances. NHS diet advice is decades out of date. You need fats! Good fats from fish, nuts, olive oil, avocados and such. Swap NHS advice for Tim Spector/Zoe podcasts. And give yourself time to adjust. And do get anything odd checked by GP. Not everything is diet related

2 things. Definitely request routine blood tests.

Also - are you sure you're getting enough of all nutritional groups? When you increase exercise you also need to fuel your body.

Download the nutracheck app and measure and enter everything you consume over a couple of weeks. Should give you a good idea of how much you're getting in terms of fats, proteins and carbs.

Are you drinking enough water as well?

I disagree with this. Walking is the gentlest form of exercise there is, and most people spend more than 30 minutes walking round a supermarket.

Thanks for your comments all, I do use myfitnesspal so I know what I'm getting and am on track most days give or take a little bit for fats and sugar! I do eat chicken, pork, fish and will have a portion with my evening meal.
I've done fad diets before and whilst they work for dropping pounds I do want to be genuinely healthier, getting older and wanting to take it all a bit more seriously this time round.
I should have said in my op I did build up with exercise I'm at 30 mins to 40 mins a day now, I was doing it 5 days out 7 but I just haven't had the energy this last week to do much. Just seems typical I finally have the motivation and genuinely want to but just too wiped out!

I'd definitely see GP to be on safe side. Also, how old are you? Any chance you're in peri Territory?

I’d say

• take multivitamins and spatone
• Check bloods for iron deficiency
• really check your diet contains enough carbs and fats.

That happened to me when I went low carb. I was moody and irritable

There’s walking and there’s walking, dawdling round a supermarket compared to a 5 mile hike at pace, there is no comparison.

Reminds me of Bear Grylls. He said he went vegan and had never felt so crap. Now he eats steak and eggs every night or something. Was in the Louis Theroux doc.

I don’t know what my point is.

I would quit with the calorie counting because calories are not equal in different foods. 100 calories of raw veggies is not equal to 100 calories of dairy cheese. Just not going to do anything like the same things to your body in terms of overall health and nutrition.

I really feel it when I eat like crap. I know what constitutes crap for my body because it all goes on how I feel.

I have two smoothies a day, fresh fruit and frozen fruit and raw greens. I put Nesquick on it to make it yummy so it's like a shake.

I eat lots of crap but I just ensure I get that because it gives me energy my body can use properly.

And I fast and I think that's important so my gut gets a break.

I think you're being too rigid and if you took advice of a random 41 year old woman on the internet who feels great most of the time it would be to forget about calories and focus on loading on obviously nutritious stuff first then building on that.

I get grumpy and fatigued when I don't eat enough carbs. Could it be that?