Can dieting cause anxiety attacks?

I started a new pretty strict low calorie diet this week. I have winter weight to take off and I don't want it to be a long drawn-out thing. So this time no cheating. I have done five days...pretty strict...no cheating. I feel better physically. Even my joints feel looser which is weird but it feels nice. But I am more anxious. As I battle anxiety I hate when it increases. Could it be dieting is raising my anxiety? What can I do?

I don't have any medication for anxiety. I just took a calcium magnesium tablet, and two valerian capsules. I think I will top it off with an anti-histamine and go to sleep.

I haven't done a really strict diet with no cheating for a long time. I don't really remember from the past how it affected me. Once I go down a few sizes and get into my wardrobe again maybe I will feel less anxious.

Well, I'm not an expert but it makes sense to me that if through the dieting your brain and body wasn't receiving the right amount of nutrients and calories etc., then, yes, it will effect your moods and quite possibly raise your anxiety levels as well. Just my opinion.

That's why we comfort eat

My diet is very healthy just low in calories. I mean, you have to operate at a deficit to lose weight...so yes, I do need to be careful about adding in vits and supplements.

Yeah, giving up comfort eating is causing anxiety for certain. Thanks, guys, both made good points.

I don't know if it's safe to carry the mindset of 'you have to operate at a deficit to lose weight.' I think that with the right balance of nutrients and cutting out excessive calories like those from sugars and pairing that with exercise, you'd be better off.

I can't say for sure, either, but I imagine putting your body in a stressful state like depravity of nutrients could certainly induce anxious feelings. I'd guess it depends on the diet and your personal relationship with anxiety

I think the anti histamine could be the culprit.

I am talking about a calorie deficit. You cannot lose weight unless you cut calories. My diet is very healthy...just low calorie. I'm used to comfort eating which isn't really included in dieting...that's probably why I am anxious.

Anti-histamines never have caused me anxiety...my doctor actually told me to take one at night for anxiety...just not habitually. Since my doctors refuse to give me medication for anxiety...I take an anti-histamine, which, frankly, I think is stupid, and I hate the doctors for knowing I have anxiety and not giving me anything for it.

I think carbs release serotonin, or something like that.

Yes. I think the reason I may have gained weight is eating way too many carbs. Now I am on pretty much a low calorie, low fat, low carb meatless diet. I eat fish. I had zucchini noodles for dinner and they were pretty great. (You need a special gadget to make them.) -- I think I had more patience with dieting when I was younger.

I had a neighbor who was in her 80's and she put herself on a diet and lost 40 pounds. Next thing you know this women was out snow shoveling! She became very active and stayed that way into her 90's. It was beautiful to witness.

My thought with them is the dehydration factor of such an otc. I do have a neurological condition on top of anxiety and have for years paid attention to what can trigger physical anxiety symptoms. Otc's like this one have personally triggered physical symptoms.

Low carb diets raise cortisol.

I am not knocking low carb; I have lost a great deal of weight permanently doing this.

I learned about it from Chris Kresser, but there are a lot of hits on google for this.

There are some foods you can use considered safe starches on the Paleo diet if you want to moderately add some carbs until you feel better (parboiled rice or potatoes, but not bread/wheat or sugar)

Thank you for this. Maybe I should be paying more attention. I do think that using Benadryl to quell anxiety is ridiculous...but this is what the doctors say now (to me) while refusing to prescribe benzoes. I never abused the diazepam I had taken long-term...and now without it life is a bit of a roller coaster.

Yes, I did Paleo for six months. I actually did not feel very good on that diet and all the meat on the Paleo diet actually started to repel me. So I finally just became pescatarian (fish, but no meat) and I am much happier. I didn't really go into good vs bad carbs in reference to my diet. If you eat a lot of vegetables you are getting carbs. As well, pulses, legumes, and beans contain carbs. I am talking about giving up all refined carbs...such as bread, pasta, and highly processed cereal. I am using quinoa instead of rice because it's higher in protein.

It's been about a week and physically I now feel great. I think I have a high sensitivity to chemicals in foods. When I go low calorie I cut out processed foods. It is amazing what a difference this makes.

Maybe when I started this thread I was in some kind of detox mode and not feeling well.

Also, I think it is more about the mental thing of giving up "comfort eating" that was causing anxiety...and not the diet.

Yes, it is low calorie...but low calorie (if properly done) can be quite beneficial.

I have always been an emotional eater and even a "foodie"...and diets make me confront that I use food as a kind of drug, which I really dislike. So this is a journey and I really hope I will get to the point of finding out what I can incorporate in my life to fill the hole left by emotional eating.