Keto and migraines - my reflections
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tcunbeliever
Posts: 8,219 Member
I starting having migraines the year I turned 30 (monthly during menstruation), and they drastically increased in frequency the year I turned 35 (5 days a week every week).
I started doing keto for migraine control last year. Almost immediately I stopped having migraines, including the monthly hormone triggered ones, but I continued to have them when I ate migraine triggers (like gluten or MSG). I could eat off-keto for about a day and then I would have a headache the next day, but not a full blown migraine.
After about 100 days there were changes. I could eat migraine triggers and NOT get a migraine. Plus, I could go about 3 days eating off-keto before headaches started to appear.
Now, after about 275 days, I can eat off-keto a full week before headaches start to appear, and so far it's very mild.
Just to clarify, I am not always planning to eat off-keto - I mostly plan to stay keto most days with some carb cycling thrown in on weightlifting days. However, there are vacations, and trips and sometimes just life events that make access to keto foods more difficult and I can't always predict those. Or sometimes I do predict them and make a conscious decision to push the limits or to roll the dice and take my chances so that I can enjoy new foods or restaurants that aren't keto friendly.
My original plan was to go 2 years keto and then switch to low carb and see how it goes - in epileptic children the brain chemistry changes are permanent after 2 years, but no one has really studied the permanence in adults...it's looking more promising as time goes on and I can see that my brain is adapting to this metabolic pathway and I haven't the slightest idea why this is keeping my migraines under control, but it's a miracle and I'm grateful.
I started doing keto for migraine control last year. Almost immediately I stopped having migraines, including the monthly hormone triggered ones, but I continued to have them when I ate migraine triggers (like gluten or MSG). I could eat off-keto for about a day and then I would have a headache the next day, but not a full blown migraine.
After about 100 days there were changes. I could eat migraine triggers and NOT get a migraine. Plus, I could go about 3 days eating off-keto before headaches started to appear.
Now, after about 275 days, I can eat off-keto a full week before headaches start to appear, and so far it's very mild.
Just to clarify, I am not always planning to eat off-keto - I mostly plan to stay keto most days with some carb cycling thrown in on weightlifting days. However, there are vacations, and trips and sometimes just life events that make access to keto foods more difficult and I can't always predict those. Or sometimes I do predict them and make a conscious decision to push the limits or to roll the dice and take my chances so that I can enjoy new foods or restaurants that aren't keto friendly.
My original plan was to go 2 years keto and then switch to low carb and see how it goes - in epileptic children the brain chemistry changes are permanent after 2 years, but no one has really studied the permanence in adults...it's looking more promising as time goes on and I can see that my brain is adapting to this metabolic pathway and I haven't the slightest idea why this is keeping my migraines under control, but it's a miracle and I'm grateful.
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It's a wonderful NSV.
I appreciate you updating us and discussing how it's changed for you over time too. It's bound to help others.0 -
That's what I do @tcunbeliever as you may have read over the last 1.5 years. I value eating LCHF and I value flexibility in not "having" to eat LCHF. I basically eat LCHF at home which is 95% of my meals and I "flex" on carbs the other 5%. I don't seek/create reasons or opportunities to eat higher carb foods. They just happen. As I have always indicated they are fairly predictable: vacations, holidays, meals at a friend's house.
We just came back from visiting family in Iowa. I knew sorta how and what they eat plus what the festivities would be. I flexed on carbs while there eating what was available at the planned meals/festivities. Monday AM (departure day) my SIL happened to make eggs and sausage for breakfast so it worked out perfectly to get back to LCHF even sooner than expected. No lunch was eaten (she brought out some snacks as we sat around and talked) and I just skipped them. No one said a word or asked or pushed me to eat anything. My husband and I ate dinner around midnight when we arrived home. Quick and easy fried eggs. A nice LCHF, low calorie day to offset the XYZ I had Saturday and Sunday.
It's really a commitment to overall health and well-being and my health doesn't require <20 or even <50 carbs per day. Every.single.day.of.my.life. I'm glad you have found a way of eating to control your migraines and bring you overall good health. 0
