21 days paleo- ate a donut- HEADACHE.

MrsBailey149

So yesterday I completed 21 days of Paleo. It was my first time ever doing Paleo. I totally fell in love with it! and I plan to continue it. I lost 6.5 pounds and some inches (not sure how much..). My pants are falling today Tonight I plan to compare my before and after pictures.

Well, today, I decided to eat a donut (a dumb "reward" for all that hard work...I know the ridiculousness of my choice). Well, now I have a bad headache and I'm wondering if it's related. I'm also very tired. I'm assuming the two are connected. Can anyone explain the science behind it? If I was going to veer off the diet, I should have picked something more milder than a donut, lol.

I actually kinda like that this happened. It reminds me how good I felt on the Paleo diet and why I should be continuing to make healthy choices. My next veer off Paleo will be for a "special occasion", e.g. a birthday.

Dragonwolf

This kind of thing happens to me, too. Technically, it has always happened, but I didn't connect the dots until I went Primal.

For me, it was an inflammation reaction. I had actually figured out that it was inflammation after years of dealing with chronic headaches. I could max out on Tylenol for three days straight and not touch the headache, but Ibuprofen or Tylenol paired with something else (barbituate, codeine, etc) would work. They were bad, too. Just before I went Primal, I was taking 800mg Ibuprofen nearly every day to keep from having a headache all day, every day.

Once I went Primal, I found that my triggers were generally grains and anything heavy in starch and/or sugar. So yeah, donuts are pretty much a surefire trigger for me.

I don't really know the scientific details beyond that, other than perhaps it's some kind of intolerance. To my knowledge, there isn't much known on this front, other than that a ketogenic diet has shown promise for migraine sufferers (the going theory is that the ketones provide a neuroprotective effect, decreasing the frequency and severity of attacks).

animalldy

The exact same thing happened to me when I did a pretty strict paleo challenge and then had 2 donuts. I think it's the carb rush and then the crash.

homesweeths

For birthdays, we have found an amazing local bakery that does gluten free cakes. Our favorite is a cake where the layers are made of meringue, and the filling is either chocolate mousse (dairy free, egg-based version) or whipped cream and fresh fruit.

So, it's high in sugar (yeah), but definitely a treat that even the celiacs in our family can enjoy for such a special occasion as a birthday. And the way I've figured out how my body works with carbs, I can do a really high carb day (like under 200g of carbs), just so long as I don't do two of those in a row, or more than twice a week. And we only have five birthdays a year in our family, so that's not too often for such a rich treat.

I haven't tried any of the paleo birthday cake/cupcake recipes I've seen online, partly because so many of them call for almond flour in the mix, and I have nut-free family members.

homesweeths

(But yeah, a donut? That's asking for trouble, for me at least. Bagels, too.)

MrsBailey149

As I continued my day yesterday...feeling tired, bloated, and with a headache, I certainly can say that I felt that way often prior to doing paleo. It was good reassurance that this life style is the way to go. I, too, can't have just one very well. Once chocolate hits my mouth- I will struggle all day to keep more out. I seem to do well with stricter diets, that way I can't justify eating a donut for breakfast because I'm going "eat less calories the rest of the day", which never ends up happening.

homesweeths

MrsBailey149 wrote: »

As I continued my day yesterday...feeling tired, bloated, and with a headache, I certainly can say that I felt that way often prior to doing paleo. It was good reassurance that this life style is the way to go. I, too, can't have just one very well. Once chocolate hits my mouth- I will struggle all day to keep more out. I seem to do well with stricter diets, that way I can't justify eating a donut for breakfast because I'm going "eat less calories the rest of the day", which never ends up happening.

Been there. Done that.

FaylinaMeir

a week or so into paleo and I was throwing an adult sized tantrum because I wanted something from my favorite restaurant, a gyro salad to be exact. When we called the place they told us they put flour in the meat. I hadn't really eaten all day and I had a headache so I said screw it and my had my husband get the salad. Within 20 minutes of eating I feel like absolute *kitten*. Within an hour I was so bloated I looked 9 months pregnant and I couldn't fall asleep for awhile. I woke up feelings sick, my head hurt, my fingers and toes were swollen and I just was blah.
I would often wake up like this previously and assumed it was just salt or something.

Yeah... talk about motivating. I've done gluten free in that past just never grain free. I'm on like 2 week or so now I have no clue honestly and I feel amazing.

homesweeths

Oddly enough, I don't notice a reaction to wheat. It might be better if I did... I ate a giant breadstick tonight (long story). I am feeling no ill effects, no bloating or joint pain or headache or sick stomach. But I know I can't get away with this kind of thing on a regular basis. I'd rather stick to paleo foods, frankly, and will be more motivated to do so because, guess what? That breadstick tasted nowhere near how I remembered them from when we used to go to that pizza place. (But the salad was really sad looking, which is why I got a breadstick instead. I should have just waited to eat until I got home tonight, even though I didn't get home until after 10.)

bluefish86

MrsBailey149 wrote: »

As I continued my day yesterday...feeling tired, bloated, and with a headache, I certainly can say that I felt that way often prior to doing paleo.

You were probably at least somewhat insulin resistant before... feeling like crap after eating something that's loaded with sugar is actually a really good sign.