Today is the final day of my Whole30! I’ll write a recap post soon, but today I want to talk about how I felt when I drank alcohol this weekend (after not having any for four weeks).
I had alcohol on both Friday night (three vodka seltzers) and Saturday night (three glasses of wine), and I felt pretty depressed for most of the day Saturday and Sunday. When I get in these dark moods, I don’t feel like talking to anyone — in fact, it’s a great effort to carry on a conversation.
My mood improved by Saturday and Sunday evenings, but that was after spending most of the day in a funk and then taking a long nap both afternoons (1.5 hours on Saturday, 1 hour on Sunday).
I don’t know whether I can completely blame it on the alcohol — I’ve experienced these moods before, including occasionally during my Whole30 when I wasn’t drinking alcohol at all, so there must be other factors involved. The timing of my dark mood this weekend seemed more than coincidental though, so I’m pretty sure the alcohol played a part.
I want to continue to identify the factors that put me in these moods and also why my energy stays so low. I’d like to do that while continuing to drink alcohol once or twice a week, but I also don’t want to feel so antisocial the next day. It’s not good for me and it’s not fair to the people I love.
I already know that hypothyroidism can mimic the symptoms of depression. (When you have such low energy, doesn’t it make sense that it would affect your mood?) While I know I’m not seriously depressed, I do sometimes experience melancholy in the form of those quiet moods.
I have two outings scheduled after work this week, both of which involve alcohol consumption, and then a trip to Richmond this weekend to see my family. I’m planning to drink, but I’ll also be monitoring what happens to my mood when I do.
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Paul and I went for a 3.5 mile walk this evening. Our route took us around the Capitol, and when we passed by the front we noticed there was a military band playing a concert. We walked closer to get a look and ended up stopping to listen for a few minutes.
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Breakfast: 2 hard boiled eggs, 1 sweet potato
Lunch: Cuban Picadillo with braised cabbage, 1 apple
Snack: A small container of CrockPot Chuck Roast
Dinner: Baked salmon seasoned with dill and lemon, served with braised cabbage (Paul had sauteed spinach)
(Reminder: I followed the Whole30 for the month of July. Here’s why.)
Just want to say that you did great! I can’t wait to hear all the thoughts on your recap. I have hypothyroidism too and I think it contributes to my anxiety. I have some very mild depression type symptoms that come in and out too and I relate those to my thyroid too.
Thank you kindly! I’ve been busy for the past few days and haven’t had a chance to write my recap, but I’m hoping to have it posted within the next day or two. :)
I’ve got a few ideas re: alcohol, especially because I like to be social/have a drink but don’t like to feel in a funk the next day. I will often just have one drink, and then I’ll order a virgin drink for the rest. That brings in the fun factor without having too much alcohol. But when I feel up to drinking more, I make sure I have a full glass of water in between each drink. That seems to keep my hydration high enough that I don’t feel as dragged the next day. So, two possibilities you can try? I continue to applaud your desire to work within your life parameters and desires. You’ll find the right balance point for you.
I could definitely do better about drinking more water when I’m having alcohol. Paul does that — drinks water regularly while consuming alcohol — so I need to use him as my good example. :)