I get moody too, but I'm not hungry

April 29, 2007 3:39 PM

Inspired by mrunderhill's question below, I also get moody, but it occurs maybe an hour or so after eating too much, particularly too much of something starchy or sweet. What's wrong with me? I'd guess sugar crash, but it occurs sooner than I would have expected, and eating more doesn't help at all, in fact, it seems to make it worse.

So you might ask why I ever eat that way. I'm learning not to, but i really crave cookies, pastries, sugar in my coffee, donuts, pizza, etc. Also, this seems to have come up just in the last 5 years or so (or at least I've finally noticed the connection). I'm in my 50s.

Lately I find I'm at my best if I eat a small meals based around protein and vegetables, with small amounts of whole grain and fruit.

Anyone else like this? What does it mean? Does it have anything to do with my ongoing depression/anxiety?

Thanks in advance.

posted by DarkForest to Health & Fitness (11 answers total)

Glycaemic index
posted by loiseau at 4:02 PM on April 29, 2007

Response by poster: Yes, I know about the glycemic index. What I'd like to know about is why it seems to cause me increased irritability within a fairly short time.

I said "after eating too much" in the question, but really, any non-trivial amount of carbs or sweets seems to cause this.
posted by DarkForest at 4:14 PM on April 29, 2007

In my experience, an hour is about right for getting these sorts of symptoms after eating something with a lot of sugar in it. If you get this an hour after eating pizza, your body is probably trying to tell you something. You might consider getting screened for diabetes.
posted by yohko at 4:24 PM on April 29, 2007

Best answer: You are spiking your blood sugar when you eat simple sugars like that.

Next time you're craving that kind of stuff try balancing it with some protein. You should see an improvement.

Years ago I stopped eating sugar all together and WOW, what a difference. Now I know just how much I can have without causing any significant reaction. But I also know that I'll over indulge at times. It's just a matter of knowing what I can and can't do.
posted by FlamingBore at 4:26 PM on April 29, 2007

My dad has hypoglycemia and complains of similar symptoms after eating too much starch.
posted by lekvar at 4:27 PM on April 29, 2007

Best answer: Symptoms of high blood-sugar, and diabetes:
Feeling thirsty or excessively hungry
Feeling tired
Low concentration
Blurred vision
Unexplained weight loss
Frequent need to urinate
Slow healing of cuts
Tingling in hands or feet (neuropathy)
Nausea and vomiting

IANAD, but I am a diabetic. Have you ever checked your blood sugar? Go get a cheap machine from the drugstore and check it out.

Me personally, I have different experiences from high and low blood sugar, but the low crashes can be downright scary (picutre Shelby - aka Julia Roberts - in Steel Magnolia's)... I get the shakes, disoriented, and basically wig-out. Not fun. But when I let me sugar levels get astronomically high, I get extrememly tired and irritable with mood swings and lethargy... almost to the point of feeling like I can't move.

Check your blood sugar before you eat - if it's high (over 110) get ye to a doctor.
posted by matty at 4:30 PM on April 29, 2007 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I had the usual doctor exam blood work done twice last year and the doctor didn't say anything about diabetes. I think it was normal, but I can ask about it. I'm about 30 lbs overweight (definitely no "unexplained weight loss" in sight).

I definitely want (at least intellectually) to cut out sugar/bread/starch, but it's a hard discipline for me to maintain.
posted by DarkForest at 5:11 PM on April 29, 2007

FWIW I had no unexplained weight loss either - although I was neither over or under weight. I had annual Navy flight physicals with no problems.

Then one day it just 'started'.
posted by matty at 5:19 PM on April 29, 2007

Best answer: you might just be getting insulin resistant. talk to your doctor and see if he/she can help you lose a little weight. i think even 10 lbs can make a difference.

(and no, i am not one of those people that blames everything on weight.)
posted by thinkingwoman at 6:19 PM on April 29, 2007

Best answer: Some people are more sensitive to simple sugars and carbohydrates than others. I'm the same way - I had to cut out simple carbs altogether. The blood sugar crashes and your cravings for the very things that cause the crashes are directly related (it's cyclical and self-perpetuating, like any addiction.).

I recommend reading the resources available on this website (and the corresponding book Potatoes not Prozac). It basically confirms what your intuition/experience has told you, but in a bit more detail. It's really changed my life.
posted by granted at 7:21 PM on April 29, 2007

Maybe your self-consciousness about overeating just depresses you.
posted by hermitosis at 7:16 AM on April 30, 2007