Low Carb headaches

angelapolite

Ugh...I started restricting my carbs and sugars, and I have an annoying headache. I know this is a side effect and will go away soon, but I feel weird...
Also, is there a way where a way I can track my sugar alcohols?

LabRat529

It might not go away. The one and only time I tried a low carb diet, I was miserable. I lasted a month. That was a long time ago, when Atkins first became popular. I decided I like feeding my brain glucose.

Teaeli

This happened to my brother with the headaches. You need to add more carbs to your diet. Your body needs carbs. Just make sure they are healthy carbs. You will see the headaches go away when you do this. Pain is your bodies way of telling you that something is wrong.

angelapolite

This happened to my brother with the headaches. You need to add more carbs to your diet. Your body needs carbs. Just make sure they are healthy carbs. You will see the headaches go away when you do this. Pain is your bodies way of telling you that something is wrong.

I'm not doing the super low, Induction phase. I'm at about 50 grams, from over 200 grams a day.

WilliamsPeggy

Interesting. Maybe I'm having the same problem. I made really healthy choices last week and have been having headaches. I thought it might be the weather but maybe it's the sudden lower carbs. Like you, I'm not "no carb," just much lower and switched to whole grain stuff. I hope you feel better without having to eat bad stuff again.

WilliamsPeggy

Interesting. Maybe I'm having the same problem. I made really healthy choices last week and have been having headaches. I thought it might be the weather but maybe it's the sudden lower carbs. Like you, I'm not "no carb," just much lower and switched to whole grain stuff. I hope you feel better without having to eat bad stuff again.

WilliamsPeggy

Interesting. Maybe I'm having the same problem. I made really healthy choices last week and have been having headaches. I thought it might be the weather but maybe it's the sudden lower carbs. Like you, I'm not "no carb," just much lower and switched to whole grain stuff. I hope you feel better without having to eat bad stuff again.

WilliamsPeggy

Interesting. Maybe I'm having the same problem. I made really healthy choices last week and have been having headaches. I thought it might be the weather but maybe it's the sudden lower carbs. Like you, I'm not "no carb," just much lower and switched to whole grain stuff. I hope you feel better without having to eat bad stuff again.

WilliamsPeggy

wow. obviously something is wrong with my laptop. I didn't mean to post that 4 times. Sorry.

angelapolite

wow. obviously something is wrong with my laptop. I didn't mean to post that 4 times. Sorry.

HAHA, it's fine. You're "bump"ing me up! :flowerforyou:

knewbill72

This happened to my brother with the headaches. You need to add more carbs to your diet. Your body needs carbs. Just make sure they are healthy carbs. You will see the headaches go away when you do this. Pain is your bodies way of telling you that something is wrong.

Yeah, there is something wrong and that his her body is addicted to using carbs as a primary fuel source and wants to continue down that unhealthy road.

Reducing her carb intake to where she is now is better for her not worse. 50-100 grams a day is plenty for anyone.

One of the ways to combat the carb withdrawal headaches is to up your fat content. This will also help calm carb cravings too.

angelapolite

This happened to my brother with the headaches. You need to add more carbs to your diet. Your body needs carbs. Just make sure they are healthy carbs. You will see the headaches go away when you do this. Pain is your bodies way of telling you that something is wrong.

Yeah, there is something wrong and that his her body is addicted to using carbs as a primary fuel source and wants to continue down that unhealthy road.

Reducing her carb intake to where she is now is better for her not worse. 50-100 grams a day is plenty for anyone.

One of the ways to combat the carb withdrawal headaches is to up your fat content. This will also help calm carb cravings too.

Someone on MY side! Thanks! I have been eating fats, I just started this on Saturday, so it's the beginning...I've done thie WOE in the past, and the headaches subside in about a week.

Acg67

This happened to my brother with the headaches. You need to add more carbs to your diet. Your body needs carbs. Just make sure they are healthy carbs. You will see the headaches go away when you do this. Pain is your bodies way of telling you that something is wrong.

Yeah, there is something wrong and that his her body is addicted to using carbs as a primary fuel source and wants to continue down that unhealthy road.

Reducing her carb intake to where she is now is better for her not worse. 50-100 grams a day is plenty for anyone.

One of the ways to combat the carb withdrawal headaches is to up your fat content. This will also help calm carb cravings too.

Her body is addicted to using CHO as the primary fuel source? increased CHO intake leads to increase CHO oxidation, how is that being addicted?

50-100g of CHO a day is plenty for anyone? care to back up that statement?

angelapolite

This happened to my brother with the headaches. You need to add more carbs to your diet. Your body needs carbs. Just make sure they are healthy carbs. You will see the headaches go away when you do this. Pain is your bodies way of telling you that something is wrong.

Yeah, there is something wrong and that his her body is addicted to using carbs as a primary fuel source and wants to continue down that unhealthy road.

Reducing her carb intake to where she is now is better for her not worse. 50-100 grams a day is plenty for anyone.

One of the ways to combat the carb withdrawal headaches is to up your fat content. This will also help calm carb cravings too.

Her body is addicted to using CHO as the primary fuel source? increased CHO intake leads to increase CHO oxidation, how is that being addicted?

50-100g of CHO a day is plenty for anyone? care to back up that statement?

CHO=carbohydrates?

Acg67

CHO=carbohydrates?

correct

mushalek

your body and BRAIN NEED at least 130g of cho a day to function properly. going from 200+ g a day to 50g a day = headache and body hating you

Acg67

your body and BRAIN NEED at least 130g of cho a day to function properly. going from 200+ g a day to 50g a day = headache and body hating you

CHO is non essential...

angelapolite

your body and BRAIN NEED at least 130g of cho a day to function properly. going from 200+ g a day to 50g a day = headache and body hating you

Where do you get 130 grams from? My body is shifting from using carbs to using body fat as fuel. I feel this is more efficient.

mushalek

strictly speaking yes thats true, i know your body can eventually start making its own form once it enters ketosis, i'm just saying if she's used to eating 200 +g and now is only consuming 50g then obviously her body isn't used to this, mainly her brain, causing the headaches, a slower approach to low carb would be more logical to give her body more time to adjust

mushalek

your body and BRAIN NEED at least 130g of cho a day to function properly. going from 200+ g a day to 50g a day = headache and body hating you

Where do you get 130 grams from? My body is shifting from using carbs to using body fat as fuel. I feel this is more efficient.

normal dietary guidelines

angelapolite

strictly speaking yes thats true, i know your body can eventually start making its own form once it enters ketosis, i'm just saying if she's used to eating 200 +g and now is only consuming 50g then obviously her body isn't used to this, mainly her brain, causing the headaches, a slower approach to low carb would be more logical to give her body more time to adjust

I agree, my body is adjusting.

suelegal

"your body and BRAIN NEED at least 130g of cho a day to function properly. going from 200+ g a day to 50g a day = headache and body hating you "


Sorry, that's just not true. If you make healthy low carb choices, you can stay well under that amount and still supply all the vitamins and minerals your body and brain need.

dls06

I limit my carbs to 30 per meal and no more then 150 a day. (3 meals,2 snacks.)
It's more about healthy carbs then low carb for me.
Lost all the weight I wanted and don't feel deprived.

angelapolite

I agree, I feel that choosing the RIGHT carbs is key. My carbs mainly come from vegetables, so I know I am getting the vitamins that I need.
Soon, once I've lost more weight, I will re-introduce whole grains again. I started dieting using the MFP guidelines, and lost 12 lbs. But now I'm feeling that I am eating way too many carbs, especially sugars. And since Saturday, limiting my carbs and sugars, I already have much more energy, but the downside is the headaches, which I noticed started today.

PinkSouljah

This has helped me BIG time: omege 3-6-9, vitamin B12 and B6 and potassium. I also take a good multi vitamin, try taking these

Jeff92se

I agree, I feel that choosing the RIGHT carbs is key. My carbs mainly come from vegetables, so I know I am getting the vitamins that I need.
Soon, once I've lost more weight, I will re-introduce whole grains again. I started dieting using the MFP guidelines, and lost 12 lbs. But now I'm feeling that I am eating way too many carbs, especially sugars. And since Saturday, limiting my carbs and sugars, I already have much more energy, but the downside is the headaches, which I noticed started today.

So you keep the calorie / exercise portions same as before but just reducing the carb portions to better carbs(and less carbs overall)?

angelapolite

This has helped me BIG time: omege 3-6-9, vitamin B12 and B6 and potassium. I also take a good multi vitamin, try taking these

Yeah, I already have my fish oil, I do need to start taking vitamins again. I really prefer liquid vitamins verses pills.

angelapolite

I agree, I feel that choosing the RIGHT carbs is key. My carbs mainly come from vegetables, so I know I am getting the vitamins that I need.
Soon, once I've lost more weight, I will re-introduce whole grains again. I started dieting using the MFP guidelines, and lost 12 lbs. But now I'm feeling that I am eating way too many carbs, especially sugars. And since Saturday, limiting my carbs and sugars, I already have much more energy, but the downside is the headaches, which I noticed started today.

So you keep the calorie / exercise portions same as before but just reducing the carb portions to better carbs(and less carbs overall)?

I uped my calories from 1300 to 1400. Changed my carbs to 10%, fat 55% and protein to 35%. I also put my sugars to 10 grams and fiber to 30 grams.

ilikejam33

The headaches are most likely withdrawl. When i lowered my carbs (50-80 a day) i had the worst headaches of my life, for days on end, if this is what my body does when i get rid of sugar, then why the heck would i keep eating it!

After about a week or so they will go away, it helps to try varying the carbs you are eating, i found good luck with spinach and broccoli, i dont know why but they helped get rid of the headaches.

Also what the sugar alcohols, they are actually very hard for your body to get use to and even now if i have too many i get heaaches and a crampy tummy.

Low carb is fine, everone has ther opinion but the fact is that osme people do better low carb, and some low cal, and some low fat. For me i have now found a perfect balance and you will too

Good Luck

angelapolite

The headaches are most likely withdrawl. When i lowered my carbs (50-80 a day) i had the worst headaches of my life, for days on end, if this is what my body does when i get rid of sugar, then why the heck would i keep eating it!

After about a week or so they will go away, it helps to try varying the carbs you are eating, i found good luck with spinach and broccoli, i dont know why but they helped get rid of the headaches.

Also what the sugar alcohols, they are actually very hard for your body to get use to and even now if i have too many i get heaaches and a crampy tummy.

Low carb is fine, everone has ther opinion but the fact is that osme people do better low carb, and some low cal, and some low fat. For me i have now found a perfect balance and you will too

Good Luck

I agree, I see the headaches as your body cleaning itself out. I'm usually ok after about a week as well. I try to limit the sugar alcohol as well. I get a rumbling tummy with too much sugar alcohol.:ohwell:

tolkienlady

Oh my goodness...to the person who wanted medical proof that the body only needs 50-100 grams of carbs a day...here goes: I have a graduate degree in specialty biochemistry, and I will tell you that the human body doesn't need ANY carbohydrates per day and YES I will give you 1000+ Medical studies to prove that. The body makes it's OWN carbohydrate (glucose) from ingested amino acids via a process called "gluconeogenesis" when carb intake is too low. When protein AND carbs are both low, amino acids are used for structure, gluconeogenesis is halted, and fat is now broken down for its ketones which are then used as the primary fuel. The heart uses ketones EXCLUSIVELY and the peripheral tissues prefer it. In fact, that is what happens when we sleep at night. During sleep the body breaks down fat into ketones to rejuvenate the heart and peripheral tissues. Ketones are the bodies nightly rejuvenation fuel. All organs and tissues can and do use ketones as fuel...and ketoSIS (the state a person is in when eating low carb) is NOT THE SAME as (ketoACIDOSIS) that a type1 diabetic gets. They are NOT the same.

The body NEEDS protein to build and maintain muscle . The body NEEDS fat to build and maintain cellular integrity. The body DOES NOT need any ingested carbohydrate. Again...the body makes it's own carbohydrate from ingested amino acids, and will also use ketones as fuel from fat breakdown. Biochemistry is a vast and complex field, and even most physicians know little about biochemistry. The physicians I studied with (we all take the same biochemistry class) got C's or D's in biochemistry. (which was an eye opener to those of us who chose it as our field that they did so poorly.) My point is this: people should not be quick to quote biochemistry to others or "make it up as they go" from fitness gurus who understand basic nutrition only. (and basic nutrition is a highly watered down version of the glycolytic pathway)

When quoting biochemistry to others, please only do so if you really understand it. Once again...the body does NOT need carbohydrates. The body has 3 basic fuel pathways: 1. the glycolytic pathway (the pathway that uses glucose), 2. beta-oxydation (fat burning pathway) or 3. the pentose 5 pathway (a pathway that would be too difficult to explain here). The fatigue during low carb induction is b/c the body only "codes" (activates it's DNA fragments) for the enzymes it uses, and the enzymes needed for beta oxydation are different than those needed for the glycolysis. The body has to "turn on" the DNA to make the new enzymes for beta oxydation and "shut off or slow down" the enzymes for glycolysis. This actually requires energy input and you feel weak. Well...signing off...and...for those high carb fanatics...troll me if you must...I won't really care...b/c I'm right. Have a great day everyone.