Detox Cleanse - Headache Migrane Help

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thestoryofangelina
thestoryofangelina Posts: 34 Member
edited February 2017 in Food and Nutrition
Hi all. My PT has upped my fitness routine to include a detox cleanse, where I am eating natural, lean foods, no sugar, no caffeine, no alcohol, no processed anything. Basically the diet is fruit, veggies, protein with a carb in the evening at supper (sweet potato, wholegrain rice only). Minus veg I am averaging around 1100-1200 calories a day. This diet is quite similar to the Paleo diet.

Anyhow, where I need help... First 5 days were bad, no energy, etc but I have gotten used to the foods and am not as hungry anymore. However, I am on day 10 with a headache, and it is only getting worse. Two days ago it crossed into migraine territory. Drinking more water is not helping. I was sick to my stomach this morning because of the pain and even with having a high pain tolerance, I am not sure how much more of this I can take.

My trainer says after our 10 day cleanse, we will add in some things but no caffeine. I imagine this is what is causing the migraine, but my question is - is it worth it and have any of you experienced this before? I had 2 coffees a day with skim milk and no sugar - for reference. Between last week's no energy falling asleep at my desk fog and this week's migraine from hell, it is effecting my performance at work, which is really not good. And I should also add I haven't gone to the gym as usual either because of the effects of all of this. Especially the migraine.

Any insight, help, tips, etc would be appreciated.
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  • thestoryofangelina
    thestoryofangelina Posts: 34 Member
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    Overall goal for me - lose 150 lbs.

    According to my trainer, his goal here is to get rid of the crap I was eating out of my body, in his words, the toxins. He attributes the headaches to the no caffeine and no sugar (basically going through withdrawal). It is a very strict diet but I can eat lots of fruit, veg, protein, just not carbs or grains (pasta, bread, etc). Again really sounds like Paleo to me.
  • burlchen15
    burlchen15 Posts: 1 Member
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    I am also not a fan of detox cleanses but I do have some experiences with caffeine withdrawal causing migraines and headaches. But in my case it only lasted a couple of days. If you feel so bad with this diet consider stopping it and eating normal again minus the caffeine maybe.
  • BABYLILAC
    BABYLILAC Posts: 148 Member
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    Your health is important. I am not a fan of detoxes of any kind. If you cannot go to the gym because of the migraine then you need to stop. A lot of people here have lost weight without detoxes. Its time to re-evaluate your plan .
  • thestoryofangelina
    thestoryofangelina Posts: 34 Member
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    @burlchen15 - I am good with the diet, but I not so much with whatever is causing the headache and migraine. All signs are pointing to the caffeine withdrawal but this is the first time I did anything like this. I am not sure why he wants me to cut out caffeine but says it is addictive and that is about it.

    But you guys are right, the suffering is not worth it. I have a lofty goal to lose, and with vegetables included in the caloric intake per day I hit 1500 - 1600 calories... It's so overwhelming which is why I reached out to a trainer for help, have gone through 3 because the first 2 quit the gym I am at, and now onto the 3rd who is the GM of the gym. I do agree though that not being able to go to the gym trumps everything. I have to be able to work out.
  • thestoryofangelina
    thestoryofangelina Posts: 34 Member
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    MFP Goals are for loss of 2 pounds a week:
    Calories: 1,930
    Carbs: 50%
    Proteins: 20%
    Fats: 30%
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
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    It sounds like a combination of caffeine withdrawal and a significantly lower carb intake causing the headaches. Your diary doesn't look to be super low carb, but you do seem to be under 150g per day, and that can cause some of the symptoms you are experiencing. You also are not getting a lot of fat. How is your sodium intake? I know low carb people report similar symptoms and have mentioned electrolyte imbalance.
  • thestoryofangelina
    thestoryofangelina Posts: 34 Member
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    Sodium is good since I am not eating anything processed and not using salt.

    One thing that has always confused me is that people say higher protein, lower carbs to lose weight. I am a big person, I am at 310 and have a long way to go. And my goal for the gym is 4 days a week (2 upper, 2 lower weight sessions) and walking for cardio (30 minutes fast as I can) to start 4-5 days a week as well. Any advice on that would be helpful.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    thestoryofangelina wrote: »
    Sodium is good since I am not eating anything processed and not using salt.

    One thing that has always confused me is that people say higher protein, lower carbs to lose weight. I am a big person, I am at 310 and have a long way to go. And my goal for the gym is 4 days a week (2 upper, 2 lower weight sessions) and walking for cardio (30 minutes fast as I can) to start 4-5 days a week as well. Any advice on that would be helpful.

    if low carb works for you, then go for it, but its your calorie deficit that will make you lose weight, not the number of carbs you eat.

  • eugenia94102
    eugenia94102 Posts: 126 Member
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    I really, really don't understand why anyone would suggest that you have to stop drinking coffee on a weight loss diet. I'm not being sarcastic, I cannot phantom what the reasoning behind it is. Are you drinking enough water? Dehydration is a very common cause of headaches.
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
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    eugenia94102 wrote: »
    I really, really don't understand why anyone would suggest that you have to stop drinking coffee on a weight loss diet. I'm not being sarcastic, I cannot phantom what the reasoning behind it is. Are you drinking enough water? Dehydration is a very common cause of headaches.

    I suspect the reasoning behind the suggestion to cut out coffee for weight loss is that the caffeine is addictive, which can lead/has led to increased coffee intake. For some people, coffee means coffee plus cream plus sugar, or a large "coffee drink," and those calories add up. Cutting out or reducing intake can be a way to reduce calories if you are someone who adds a lot of extras to your drink.
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
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    thestoryofangelina wrote: »
    Sodium is good since I am not eating anything processed and not using salt.

    One thing that has always confused me is that people say higher protein, lower carbs to lose weight. I am a big person, I am at 310 and have a long way to go. And my goal for the gym is 4 days a week (2 upper, 2 lower weight sessions) and walking for cardio (30 minutes fast as I can) to start 4-5 days a week as well. Any advice on that would be helpful.

    I will join the echo chamber and say that you don't have to go low carb to lose weight, and your trainer is full of crap. Trainers are generally not very educated on nutrition - they may be able to show you good squat form, but when they start talking about cleansing the "toxins" in your body, that's when you should stop listening. Cleansing/detoxing is not a real thing. It's a marketing/buzz word that was created to sell expensive complicated diet plans to people trying to lose weight and get healthy.

    All you need to worry about is eating a calorie deficit. Hit your MFP calorie goals. It's great to eat lots of veggies and good sources of protein and healthy fats, but you don't have to restrict yourself so much. Enjoy your coffee (if you add milk or creamer, just log it), you can still have sweets as long as you're hitting your goals.

    You have a liver and kidneys for a reason. There is no need to make weight loss more complicated. The trainer has a vested interest in making it harder with more "rules", since if you believe it's that hard, you'll pay more money to keep coming back to him. Get out of that trap now!

    Good luck! :smile:

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