Eat Those Carbs!

[Lainey]

Hi All

Just thought I would share this with you.

I now consider myself almost recovered from pni, not quite but almost. However, for the last week I have felt dreadful, quite down and negative thoughts starting to rear their ugly head again. I have now realised why this was (or I think I do).

I started a really strict diet about two weeks ago as I have put on quite a bit of weight - I was quite harsh and cut out most carbohydrates. I now realise how silly that was as carbohydrates are what we need when we have pni as they help boost our serotonin.

So keep eating the carbs girls, bread, potatoes, pasta. They don't have to be fattening so long as you don't smother them in butter, creamy sauces etc (oh I feel hungry now). Since going back onto carbs I feel completely fine again!!

Hope this is of help to someone.

Much love

Elaine
xxx

[newwie]

hi
i have heard a lot can be done by what we eat and i know i tried the atkinsdiet once and made me feel worse lack of carbohydrates so maybe
thanks
newwie

[yorkslass]

Thanks Lainey

I will try this. Anything that will help is worth a go I say.




Melx

[Wendy]

Hi Elaine

Sorry to hear that you've had a rocky road (excuse the pun - do you get Rocky Road chocolate over there??!!)


Hey that's interesting what you said. I've been craving lollies and biscuits lately. I think it's mainly boredom. I don't go overboard with them though because then I feel sick. A little bit now and then never hurt anyone eh?!!

I'll keep up my carbs too. I didn't know they were helpful so thanks for that.

luv Wendy

[Jane]

Thanks for that Lainey

Like yourself I also feel that I am on the road to recovery - but I do still have bad days when I am full of doom and gloom. The only way I can describe it is like having a broken heart.

Lately I have been trying to work out if there is a pattern to it. I thought maybe it might be worse around the time of the month or when I know I am going to see certain people - like Steve's mum or my sister. But haven't found any patterns so far.

However my eating pattern is very strange. Some days I hardly eat a thing - maybe just a chocolate bar or something - and on other days I can't stop eating. Lately I have had a craving for peanut butter on toast, I can eat 8 slices in one go and still feel hungry. I'm going to start writing down what I eat each day and record my mood as well to see if there is a link.

Wouldn't it be wonderful it eating carbs can cure us all of our PNI!!

I'll let you know if it works for me.

Jane

[Veritee]

Hi Lainey

You are not alone in thinking that Carbohydrates help PNI.

Many have proposed it in the past as a cure for PNI/D. While I am certain it is not a cure I do think it is helpful along with other treatment, support and/or lifestyle changes.

In fact while Katharina Dalton ( book Depression After Childbirth . isbn: 0-19-263277-9.) main emphasis was on the use of progesterone to cure PNI alongside this she suggested that women eat complex carbohydrates every half hour or so at least.

These carbohydrates did not have to be much maybe only half a wholemeal biscuit or a tablespoon of brown rice etc but they did have to be long release complex carbs not sugars.
So what she was talking about is brown rice, wholemeal bread, whole cereal and anything else made out of this such as whole oat grain biscuits.

I tried this and it appeared to work however their were some side effects not least I put on weight but also I find I get irritable bowel if I eat too much fibre and it also made me feel sluggish and without energy.

However this technique certainly had an effect and staved off the worse of PNI some days.

Therefore if it works for you without to many ill effects I would say go for it.
After all anything that makes you feel better is worth it.

I also think you are right in saying that dieting when you have PNI is probably not a good idea.

I know it is also depressing to put on weight but still I would say do not diet with PNI as it alters your metabolism at a time you do not need body chemistry to change. All the advice I have ever been told and read is against dieting with PNI
So get better and then deal with your weight….

All the best

Veritee

[sutherjess]

Hi all,

It's funny you should mention dieting as a factor because my depression seemed to begin towards the end of losing an awful lot of weight.

I've always been a fussy eater and love my bread and savories but in August last year i was a size 22 and up to nearly 15 stone. I joined weight watchers and it fell off me, I was very strict and being so fussy I didn't vary my diet much at all. By this new year I was a size 14 and under 11 stone, I was happy about this but then the depression set in. I've put on a stone since then but I'm wondering if my 'crash' diet was somewhat responsible for my downfall.

I think I need to concentrate on exercising now and am determined to walk instead of jump in the car at every opportunity.

Jessica

[WileyKit]

Hi there,

I do find this v interesting as though i may have had PND already, I was still functioning in my life ok, i joined weightwitchers and lost 15 1/2lbs without really trying (it felt). All of a sudden i was feeling so bad i could not face the day. The doctors all asked if i'd lost weight recently and i (stupidly) said no. The main things i reduced were my pasta and bread as i used to eat so much. It is nice to know that there is a reason i want those carbs so much.

I feel that eating normally again has really helped me feel better. It's bad enough having no energy anyway but diets make it so much worse.

Jan xx