Help, I keep getting headaches!

Slimmingblonde

Hi, I joined MFP this week and am surprised at the amount of sodium it says I should have. I'm no where near that amount. i get headaches, at least one a week and a migraine about once a month. There doesn't seem to be a pattern to when I get them that I can see and I've had blood tests that all came back clear, I'm thinking it might be related to my food. Could it be that I'm not getting enough sodium? I'm trying to reduce my carbs and up my protein, as well. Any thoughts really appreciated.

jzammetti

I would not worry too much about specific macros (except getting 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass). let the rest fall where it may...but I would say you are not eating enough food and that may explain the headaches. have you calculated your BMR and TDEE?

Mokey41

There's not amount of sodium you need to have. The macros on here are just a basic preset. If you aren't hitting them, good for you! Most people eat way too much sodium.

beckslite

The thing when someone suspects its there diet is that to find out you can only do one thing at a time. Maybe by removing one thing at a time, or making one change at a time. You could do a headache diary and make a note of when you have one and what time of day. And also look at what you had to eat that day. It might help, or you might find out its not food related. At least it would be a starting point.

Good luck

Becks :glasses:

Ed98043

The sodium that MFP shows is a maximum, not a goal. If you're eating far below that number, it's a good thing.

johnknappcc

I started getting pretty rough headaches as well, by a process of elimination (or technically addition), I found that I needed to drink a lot more water.

Went from the typical 8-10 glasses/day to around 18-22. My weight shot up considerably in the first day, and then started going down again over the course of the next few days.

Feel tons better, no headaches, even my muscles feel better. I'm guessing I was perpetually dehydrated for the first three months of the weight loss. It's even easier to lose now that I'm drinking a lot more water.

Slimmingblonde

Thanks. Hopefully the food diary will help. Am I not eating enough? I thought I was supposed to eat to the daily calorie goal? Have I got something wrong?

thecakelocker

There are TONS of potential migraine triggers in foods, but I've never heard of sodium being one of them. Caffeine, bananas, red dye, wheat, gluten, MSG, textured vegetable protein (TVP) and dairy are some of the common ones I know of but there are dozens more. Could be one, could be many, could be none.

Ed98043

Thanks. Hopefully the food diary will help. Am I not eating enough? I thought I was supposed to eat to the daily calorie goal? Have I got something wrong?

I try to meet my calories and protein, but everything else I try to stay under. I don't measure sugar anymore because fruit always puts me over the top and I hate to see those red numbers. I replaced it with iron, which I'm woefully lacking and never knew it until now.

johnknappcc

It's a guideline . . .

If you workout, and burn say 500 calories, you'd be way under your goal, and you wouldn't want to eat back all the calories since it would negate the workout.

So some days, you may be a little under, a lot under (on workout days I can be under by 500-1000), or a little over. The deficit is what counts to lose weight.

whimsy38

I found that diet sodas gave me headaches. After a while there was some level,of pain constantly and severe migraine levels several times a month. After I dried out, if I had one, the pain would begin several hours later.

LissaK1981

I have been a headache and migraine sufferer for over 15yrs now and I found that you really have to pay attention to what kind of headache they are and find your triggers. I get headaches from my neck so I have to get chiropractic adjustments every now and then. I also get tension ones from tightness in my back between my shoulder blades so I have to conscience of my posture. I also get sinus headaches so I use the Neil Med sinus irrigator. Large amounts of cow milk trigger a migraine the next day for me. Also if I drink a huge amount of fluid quickly. It has taken a long time for me to figure these out because there are so many and some happen the next day. I suggest keeping a daily log until you can figure out what your triggers are. I am sorry you are going through them.

Unknown

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HollisGrant

A few times a year I get terrible migraines. Mine are triggered by not enough water, skipping a meal, stress, or -- the biggest one of all -- taking too much over the counter headache medicine.

If I take ibuprofen or aspirin a few days in a row, I will get a headache. If you take over the counter headache remedies on a regular basis, they can cause headaches when they wear off. Google "rebound headache." A couple of years ago I went through expensive medical tests (including an MRI) that all said I was fine. My headaches disappeared when I stopped taking OTC meds. Good luck!

Slimmingblonde

Thanks for all the advice. I'm going to up my water intake to start with and see if that helps, and then try something else if and when it strikes again. I don't take over the counter meds as they make absolutely no difference and they can flare up my ibs, which hasn't flared up for a year now thankfully.

boroko

I see you are eating gluten free products. I used to suffer with dreadful headaches which cleared up once I changed to a completely gluten free diet. If I get ANY gluten contamination, even a crumb from the toaster, I get the headaches. Don't know if this is relevant for you but might be worth considering.

Also got to agree with the drinking enough water - headaches are a classic sign of dehydration.