Headaches

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i'm sticking to my 1200 calories a day..but by the afternoon I get a killer headache..is anyone else going through this and if so what should I do about it?

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  • MaureenAnn321
    MaureenAnn321 Posts: 1 Member
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    Drink more water . It may help.
  • Ashtoretet
    Ashtoretet Posts: 378 Member
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    I eat 1300 a day and don't get headaches even when fasting for 10+ hours at a time, it's probably more likely from the stress of all these lifestyle changes.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    edited August 2015
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    levie27 wrote: »
    i'm sticking to my 1200 calories a day..but by the afternoon I get a killer headache..is anyone else going through this and if so what should I do about it?

    I've been doing 5:2 ....it has 2 low calories days (and 5 maintenance).....anyway. On some of the low calorie days I get a wicked headache. The advice I found was this

    1. Are your caffeine levels the same as before? Even many sodas have caffeine.
    2. Has your sodium intake been largely reduced?
    3. Low blood sugar levels......meal spacing

    For me it's #3. I can't have too many hours with nothing. Fairly common reason for giving up 5:2...despite Ashtoretet's experience.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    1200 is as low as MFP will go (before exercise). You are young, so you can still lose weight while eating more (just not quite as fast).

    Anyway, if you can't find a way past the headaches.....definitely eat more. It's more important to stay on track than it is to stay at 1200 (and be miserable). Find something that is comfortable for you long-term.
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
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    You may need to eat a little more. I was on a 1200 calorie plan too and the headaches were hard to bare despite drinking lots of water. Eventually my nails became brittle and my moods were horrendous. I spoke with my personal trainer and he put me on a 1500 plan instead. Losing slower but feeling better :)
  • skeo
    skeo Posts: 471 Member
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    Are you cutting out anything you used to drink or consume a lot of? Like caffeine or processed sugar? For me, I would drink 2 Coca Cola's a day and eat 1 candy bar of chocolate and also drink a sugary Starbucks drink, then when I went cold turkey and cut those out, in the beginning I had the worst headaches, after about 4 days it got better. If that is the case, just be sure to drink a lot of water and give it time..otherwise, like others have said, it may just be too low of a calorie consumption?