Low carb diet = MASSIVE HEADACHE?!?! Need advice please!

boxerkate_04

So I started watching my carb, sugar and fat intake last Monday (5/7). Thursday through today I've had the worst headaches I've EVER HAD. I am still taking in about 50-60g of carbs a day so I'm not sure what the deal is. Anyone else experience this? If so, what is the solution? How should I alter my diet?

Here is what a typical day looks like:
Breakfast: Egg beaters, sometimes also an Adkins shake
Snack: Green peppers or raw broccoli
Lunch: Spinach salad, broccoli, egg white, green peppers with Walden Farms dressing and a protein (fish or chicken grillers)
Snack (if needed): Adkins bar
2PM: Crystal Lite Wild Strawberry
Dinner: Chicken breast with frozen veggies
Throughout the day: 6-8 glasses of water

*Also, I did go to the Dr. and get blood work done, all came back normal.

Am I not having enough carbs? Calories? Most days I only take in about 900 calories but assumed this is okay because I'm consuming so many veggies and to be honest I'm not sure how to eat those calories back in a healthy way. Thanks in advance MFP's!

yarwell

Salt. Add at least 2g per day.

Low carbing is diuretic - makes you lose water by peeing, which loses sodium. Light headedness etc can also result.

Obviously if you have a high blood pressure or similar medical disorder this may not be appropriate, but the "Atkins Flu" is easily avoided by salt intake.



Atkins is spelled with a t not a d by the way ;-)

boxerkate_04

Thanks yarwell. I do have normal blood pressure as well.

ak_in_ak

have you though about getting rid of the crystal light and Atkins bars? The chemicals in both of these items could be giving you headaches. Maybe try a protein shake with almond/coconut milk and some fresh brewed iced tea with lemon as substitutes. You could also add some cheese or bacon to your eggs in the morning to give you some more calories. A good, filling breakfast well help you through the rest of your day.

wookiemouse

No wonder you're having massive headaches. 900 calories isn't even enough for your body to function on. If you don't want to exercise, then reduce your calorie deficit (up it to at least your BMR) and lose weight slowly.

lh1626

I would have a horrific headache if I ate that every day....you need more calorie intake. 900 is not much at all even though you are eating veggies. I tried the 50 grams carbs or below as well and it is difficult. Do that two days a week...I have read that just going low carb two days a week can benefit you as much as doing low carb every day.

Remember....this is a lifestyle, not a diet. Can you sustain this every day?


Good Luck!

boxerkate_04

Good thought. Which chemicals should I avoid? I was kind of thinking the same thing. Any suggestions for an alternative bar or shake? Specifically, brand names?

wildboar1

Did you recently give up caffeine?

wookiemouse

Grab a cup of grapes or a few clementines with a handful of almonds. Real food is MUCH better for you than a processed bar or shake and it's just as convenient!

RLDeShazo

At the time of the change in your diet, did you also give up caffine? I know if I go without it, after a few days I develop a massive headache.

Vercell

I did the Low carb diet last year lost all my weight, which was water weight and muscle which really mess my metabolism up, now my weight is back up am starting all over with heathy eating and exercise. I felt horrible the whole time I was on that diet. The point am trying to make is low carb is a quick fix over all you have to learn to eat right chose right carbs and exercise. I also got kidney stones for being on such high protein diet. If you do this just do it short term to jump start your weight lost.

yarwell

900 calories isn't even enough for your body to function on

What about her fat reserves, that's how diets work !

You don't have to eat what your body uses, if you did we could never lose weight.

Caffeine is fine, promotes fat burning in some studies. It's the sodium balance, it really is that simple.

jsp2374

Crystal Light has Aspartame in it and that can cause migraines.

gidgeclev

Low carb diets give you some side effects for the first week. Stick with it and they will go away. Don't take any notice of people saying you are eating too little and trying to make you eat fruit which is high in sugar. Low carb works and it works fast which is very mitivating. My advice is to drop the weight fast with low carb and then look at maintaining with a sensible diet regime still using this site. Some people are very sensitive to carbs and cannot lose weight without restricting them. I am one of those, many people on here do not understand low carb diets and metabolism and spout a load of nonsense.

yarwell

Crystal Light has Aspartame in it and that can cause migraines.

She would have figured that out long before starting the diet last week surely ?

coxy46

Your body's whole purpose is survival - to keep functioning - and if you cut your calories too low your body will re-act by making you tired to slow you down and to conserve calories or by making muscles and joints sore - to slow you down and to conserve calories etc etc . The headache is because you are on too low a calorie intake and your body is re-acting. Whatever type of diet you are on isn't the issue but you need to be realistic about how many calories your body needs to function properly.

WaterBunnie

I think any diet that makes you feel unwell just isn't the right diet for you. You should feel better - not worse!

Ahluvly

Hi there, what's your stats? What has made you watch these macros?

900 calories a day is really not enough as I highly doubt your BMR is that low and, if you are doing regular exercise, or a job where you're on your feet for a good part of the day, you'd need to eat more anyway. Unless you're obese and under medical supervision, by depriving your body of essential fuel, you're going to do yourself damage and, you'll start to lose muscle mass, not just fat. You do not want this to happen.

Regarding headaches - Have you cut out stimulants such as caffeine and alcohol? If so, that will be causing the headaches, along with the major change in diet! With low carbing you can put yourself into a state of Ketosis, meaning you may notice a change in your toilet habits. http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/faq/f/whatisketosis.htm

I think as a minimum, you should be drinking 2lts of water a day to keep you hydrated, and more so for when/if you work out.

If you're wanting to lose weight, you need to adopt healthier cleaner eating habits. Literally, cut the processed food/drinks out of your diary! Lean meats, the rainbow effect when it comes to fruit and veg, plently of fluids, good quality food.....opting for stir fried, grilled and baked foods opposed to deep fried. I'd also cut out the pop/soda and limit things such as caffeine and fruits high in sugar.

Good luck with your journey

LReneeWalker

drink broth, dont give up your caffeine, and this does work... I have lost 5.8 lbs this week on Atkins.

kathyms13

Atkins is spelled with a t not a d by the way ;-)

does it really matter how we spell something , i cant spell and if people kept pulling me up on it it would stop me using this site.

ged630

My experience is the exact opposite. I used to have horrible headaches 6-7 days a week. Since going low Carb I haven't had a headache in months.

KayLgee

I started around 2weeks ago, keeping my carbs under 40g my cals between 900-1200 but the odd day i have gone high on purpose. I have lost 9lbs.

I had a headache, its normal for low carber's, please keep the water up and drink slowly all day long.

It works so don't listen to people who are pushing the diet that works for 'them', we are all different and putting weight back on all depends on how we go about our habits in maintenance.

I lost 4stone in 3months 2 years ago doing a 800cal per day diet (shakes low carb), let me tell you i have maintained give or take 5lb and i have never felt better. I didn't mess up my metabolism, i didn't put all the weight back on. Im here to finally lose my last 30lb, im doing low carb because its quick enough to keep my motivation up and i feel great on it. We as humans began to eat too much unrefined carbs with every meal, we don't need it.

sarahrbraun

if your calories are low, you will feel like junk. I got to feeling really sick at the gym last week on my first day of doing atkins and had to leave without doing my strength training. When I looked at my food diary, I realized that my breakfast was only about 200 calories, and I had just burned 400 on the treadmill! I also felt really shaky.

What I have been doing for breakfast the last week has definitely been working for me--2 scrambled eggs, 4 pieces of morningstar farms soy "bacon", a piece of cheese, and a high fiber tortilla. total is about 400 calories, 20 carbs, 9 fiber. Since on atkins you don't count fiber, I only have to count that as 11 carbs!

for lunch I have been doing a big salad with lettuce, cukes, cheese, and lunchmeat. ( another 300 calories or so)

for dinner I have been generally having a smaller portion of whatever the rest of the family is having.

jsp2374

Crystal Light has Aspartame in it and that can cause migraines.

She would have figured that out long before starting the diet last week surely ?

I did not know untill recently that aspartame could trigger migraines. Only found out cause I had to research it. Why? Because since going on my Heath kick I started drinking Coke Zero, started getting more than double my usual migraines and wanted to figure out why.

twinmom01

Here is the thing - did you cut out a lot of junk? If so your headaches could be caused by your body going through withdrawls as it purges all the chemicals and crap from your body...A few months ago I did a clean eating challange with a group of people - I was already fairly eating clean so I didn't have any issues but I know a few people that switched from lots of packaged food to whole food had headaches and a run down feeling for a few days after they started...

it isn't just "low carb" it is from changing your eating habits from eating a majority of food filled with perseratives and chemicals to cleaner whole foods that are lower in sugars and chemicals. Also if you gave up caffine that can also cause headaches as well...I love my coffee too much to ever give it up - my vice but I gave up soda 2 years ago...

As far as eating more calories- it looks like you could actually use more good fats in your diet - things like a serving of almond or pecans (or mixed) - avocado (my go to snack as of late is a pack of 100 calorie guacamole (Wholly Guacamole or Walmart has some as thier store branded) and I used baby carrots or sliced red pepper instead of chips) - sautee in olive or coconut oil...

Doing the above will give your body the good fats it needs, as well as, the calorie boost you are looking for...

shar123on

we are here to lose weight not take a spelling class. i was on south beach diet for 2 yrs. lost a ton of weight, very easy to do but can not bring myself to go through the first 2 weeks of program. gained weight back when i quit work to take care of my mother but it was a pleasure to do and am so happy i did it.. i suffered from headaches at first on the diet but just added some more caffine and would eat some cheese sticks

boxerkate_04

Update... the headaches were coming from the Atkins bars and shakes. Possibly an allergy? Not sure but as soon as I stopped them the headaches were gone. I gave the bars to a co-worker and he experienced the same headache the first day he ate one.

Coldjensens

The headaches are a normal side effect of the transition to Ketosis. It is called the Adkins Flu. It will happen every time you go off the diet and back on. Sometimes taking decongestants helps. Otherwise you suffer through it. You can increase your carb intake a bit and it will be less severe, but it will last longer. Yours went away because you got through it. If you have a carb/sugar binge and then go back to low carbs it will be extremely severe. It can be debilitating. It lasts two or three days. Then you are golden and the weight comes off like there is no tomorrow. I lost 40 pounds in two months on Adkins. Dr. check up weekly during that time and he said I was healthier than ever, but he did not like the fast weight loss. You cna control the wieght loss. Virtually no carbs = lose fast, some carbs = trickle it off. If you do not maintain at least a semi low carb diet, you will gain weight back. The nice thing is you can always suffer through the headace again and lose it again. I have been on and off adkins for years.

You have to take a ton of vitamins and drink TONS of water. your body requries more water to process protein than to process carbs.

Although you could have an alergy to adkins product, it was probably jsut timing. Your headache ended becuase you went throught eh process. You might want to give the adkins bars a try again. THere are not many snacks available to adkins dieters. I like most of the adkins product, but I go light on the bars. They are not chemical bars, they are mostly food products like whey protein. I drink a lot of shakes and those pop tart sort of things. I also like the little carmel nut chews as a snack. The choclate bars and the crunchy things (sort of like granola) will upset your stomach and give you extreme gas. If you have Kroger or a kroger related grocery store, they sell low carb yougurt. That makes a decent snack and a good breakfast. I usually eat two of them and an adkins shake for breakfast.

In general on adkins my digestion is better, I sleep better and I have more energy. The headache part is hell (have it right now).

My problem staying on the diet is my family eats almost all carbs. Anyhting adkins requires preparation. Other than the bars and snacks (and yogurt) there is really nothing that you cna open and eat (except raw veggies which are not my favorite) Thus, I come home from work and they is a giant pot of spagetti with sugary sauce. I am very hungry and it will take 15 minutes to half an hour to prepare something adkinsish. Often there is nothing left inthe house that i cna make. I have to go to the store, buy some meat or veggies, coem home, prepare it. . . . It is very easy to just say what the heck and eat the spagetti. The adkins snacks help a lot with that. Grab a shake and not too hungry anymore.

2013sk

Doesn't seem like your eating enough

Work out how many calories you need a day, I think I need about 1450 just to be alive breathing lol

Im 135 lbs... 5ft 9, and I am having over 1800 cals a day

chymerra

why are you eating so little?
these crazy "diets" aren't good for you. if your headaches are insanely painful, that's your body's way of telling you to stop.

all you need to do is eat clean, eat within your caloric range for weight loss, track you cals and exercise. i eat 5x/day, i am never hungry or feel "deprived" and i have lost pant sizes and gained incredible muscle tone.

1223345

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