Headaches and Dieting

stricklee11

I recently started on a nutrition plan my cousin sent me to try to lose weight. Her husband has been able to lose 86 pounds while on this diet. You pretty much eat small meals 5 times a day, with the last meal being at 19h. I am on day 2 and I woke up with the worse headache ever (which is still throbbing). I am trying to stay under 1,200 calories overall so I wonder if I may not be getting enough vitamins? Anyone else experience bad headaches when they started dieting?

didij333

I get pretty bad headaches, but I notice that I havent drank enough water. Another thing to look at, were you a soda drinker or heavy caffeine drinker, cutting caffeine out completely can shock the system and give you headaches too. Just a couple things to look at and see if it will help

pinuplove

Caffeine withdrawal gave me one of the worst headaches I've ever had (and I get migraines) so that's also usually my first suspect when someone says they are getting headaches at the beginning of a new diet.

stricklee11

didij333 wrote: »

I get pretty bad headaches, but I notice that I havent drank enough water. Another thing to look at, were you a soda drinker or heavy caffeine drinker, cutting caffeine out completely can shock the system and give you headaches too. Just a couple things to look at and see if it will help

Maybe it is caffeine headache! I usually have 2-3 cups of coffee per day but had to quit cold turkey as I can only have water with lemon as a beverage. I have been drinking much more water as well. Normally I drink 2 bottles of water during my 8 hour shift. My shift started three hours ago and I am already on my 3rd bottle.

kgirlhart

Did you cut out coffee, tea or soda? Caffeine is very addictive and caffeine withdrawal headaches suck. You may also be getting headaches from not eating enough. You shouldn't eat under 1200 unless you are under a doctor's supervision.

If you want to use the nutrition plan from your cousin then that is your choice, but it isn't necessary. I lost ~75 pounds using mfp to set a calorie goal and eat at that goal. I ate what I wanted that fit my goal and I ate when it worked for my schedule. I pretty much eat 3 meals per day and sometimes a snack after dinner. It isn't necessary to eat lots of small meals unless that is what you want to do. Good luck.

murp4069

Agree with the suggestions about caffeine. If you previously had a lot of caffeine and suddenly cut that out you may be having withdrawal symptoms. Also, under 1,200 is very low. With the exception of very small women and under the supervision of a doctor, 1,200 is the minimum calories women should be having to meet nutritional needs. Also, eating that low number of calories is likely going to be unsustainable in the long term, so while you'll lose weight more quickly than you would eating more calories, the likelihood that you will give up is higher.

My last thought is really just about the types of foods you are eating. I suffer a lot of headaches and migraines, and I find that low carb diets make the frequency and intensity of my headaches worse. So that may be something to consider as well, though you are only on day 2 and one day of low carb (if that's even the case for you) might not be enough to trigger a headache.

AmandaEdwards1

kgirlhart wrote: »

Did you cut out coffee, tea or soda? Caffeine is very addictive and caffeine withdrawal headaches suck. You may also be getting headaches from not eating enough. You shouldn't eat under 1200 unless you are under a doctor's supervision.

If you want to use the nutrition plan from your cousin then that is your choice, but it isn't necessary. I lost ~75 pounds using mfp to set a calorie goal and eat at that goal. I ate what I wanted that fit my goal and I ate when it worked for my schedule. I pretty much eat 3 meals per day and sometimes a snack after dinner. It isn't necessary to eat lots of small meals unless that is what you want to do. Good luck.

This. You really should be eating above 1200 calories.

I get caffeine headaches too. I even get "weekend headaches" because I wake up a little later on weekends and my body is used to having coffee at a certain time and when I don't, it's not fun.

One of my goals is to wean myself off the amount of coffee I drink. Ultimately, I would like to get to one cup per day but I'm at 3 at the moment.

ladyhusker39

You understand that your cousin's husband lost the weight because he ate consistently in a calorie deficit right? Not because of how he timed his meals or because he drank lemon water.

I get the distinct impression you believe that's why he lost, but it's incorrect. You might consider doing some research right here on the forums and learn about how calories and weight loss really work.

You're putting yourself through unnecessary difficulties. Why not make it as easy as possible?

I really hope you'll reconsider this plan for your own sanity if nothing else.

pinuplove

ladystrick11 wrote: »

didij333 wrote: »

I get pretty bad headaches, but I notice that I havent drank enough water. Another thing to look at, were you a soda drinker or heavy caffeine drinker, cutting caffeine out completely can shock the system and give you headaches too. Just a couple things to look at and see if it will help

Maybe it is caffeine headache! I usually have 2-3 cups of coffee per day but had to quit cold turkey as I can only have water with lemon as a beverage. I have been drinking much more water as well. Normally I drink 2 bottles of water during my 8 hour shift. My shift started three hours ago and I am already on my 3rd bottle.

There is no reason you can't have coffee (other than your cousin said so, I guess). Or tea or diet soda. Just beware of caloric additions such as sugar (no-calorie sweetener is fine) and creamer.

And as others have said, eat at least 1200, not below.

TeaBea

ladystrick11 wrote: »

I recently started on a nutrition plan my cousin sent me to try to lose weight. Her husband has been able to lose 86 pounds while on this diet. You pretty much eat small meals 5 times a day, with the last meal being at 19h. I am on day 2 and I woke up with the worse headache ever (which is still throbbing). I am trying to stay under 1,200 calories overall so I wonder if I may not be getting enough vitamins? Anyone else experience bad headaches when they started dieting?

Caffiene?

Low carb?.....Look up electrolytes

It's not vitamins - but less than 1200 on a steady basis isn't a healthy thing (unless you are 4'6" tall and sedentary).

When you choose aggressive weight loss you have a better chance at losing a higher % of lean muscle mass. A lower body fat % (not just the number on the scale) is the healthy goal.

kommodevaran

It could be caffeine withdrawal, it could be the low calorie intake, it could be lower salt intake, it could be too much water (the last two causing headache by dehydration). It could also be a coincidence.

You do NOT have to eat 5 meals per day, or eat the last meal at seven, or drink water with lemon, or cut out coffee, or eat or drink anything or cut out anything in particular, or do any other crazy stuff, to lose weight.

You DO have to eat less than your maintenance calories (have a calorie deficit), for real, consistently, and for a long time. MFP is a great tool to help you with this. You still have to eat less.

You should NOT try to eat less than 1200 calories. 1200 calories is regarded the lowest safe calorie intake for women. Long term danger is malnutrition, short term danger is bad adherence to calorie deficit, which produces long term danger of weight gain.

ISweat4This

I got headaches when I wasn't eating enough food