Does cutting out the bad carbs cause headaches?

hitmygoalin10weeks
hitmygoalin10weeks Posts: 22
edited October 2 in Motivation and Support
I have noticed in the past when cutting out the bad carbs, I get severe headaches by early afternoon... For example today I ate an orange, 2 eggs and cherry tomatoes. Then for lunch had a protein shake, oatmeal and 2 cups veggies. My water intake is high too. So by 1:00 I have a horrible headache I have to lie down. I got up about an hour later and it hadn't eased up. I was in so much pain I couldn't cook dinner. My fiancé cooked pancakes and I ate a couple w/syrup. My headache was gone almost instantly. This has happened most days for 2 weeks. Any advice?

Replies

  • dez_yaoichan
    dez_yaoichan Posts: 454
    i got headaches when i cut out soda. it's your body adjusting. it eased up after about 2 weeks and i noticed how much better i felt.
  • Edestiny7
    Edestiny7 Posts: 730 Member
    Have you had your glucose tested?
  • daves1grl
    daves1grl Posts: 26
    You are having withdrawals. Refined, processed foods are highly addictive. It's very normal when cutting out the "bad" stuff. Stick with it though, you'll be a healthier, lighter person for it! You can do it, the symptoms will subside soon.
  • IMYarnCraz33
    IMYarnCraz33 Posts: 1,016 Member
    how's your sodium?
    if you've been quite over on your sodium, that can cause headaches.
  • poustotah
    poustotah Posts: 1,121 Member
    Suck it up and fight through it. This is your body's way of saying, 'I'm used to eating crap, why are you giving me good food now? I don't understand!!!' It will take a week or so and you're going to be miserable but once you get through it, you're going to feel awesome. So stay away from the pancakes and the sugar and stick to a better, healthier, you.
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    what exactly are "bad carbs" and why are they considered "bad"?
  • girard5
    girard5 Posts: 109 Member
    Changing up your diet can definitely cause headaches and other side effects. You might want to try to slowly start reducing them from your diet rather than just going cold turkey and completely eliminating them if the side effects are that unbearable. If that still doesn't eliminate them then you might want to check with a doctor because thee might be something else going on. Good luck!
  • Artemis_Acorn
    Artemis_Acorn Posts: 836 Member
    It wouldn't hurt to be evaluated by a physician for hypoglycemia or similar disorders. You may have been 'self-medicating" low blood sugar and not realizing it. You could also try eating a better choice like an apple when the headaches come and see if that helps.

    As has been previously stated, it could literally be withdrawals. If you've eaten a lot of sugary foods historically, you may have a lot of the 'bad' bacteria in your gut. They send out chemical signals if they are in a state of die-off that are designed to promote their survival - e.g. get you to eat the sugars. When you eat the sugars, the chemical signals temporarily cease, but the problem still exists. You literally need to starve those suckers out. One thing that helps is to get a high quality probiotic supplement. Cheap ones don't make it past your stomach acids, so go to a good health-food store and talk to someone knowledgeable. Eating live-culture foods like yogurt helps, but it takes a long time that way. You would probably benefit from severely restricting all sugars for a period (including fruit sugars) if this is your situation.
  • hitmygoalin10weeks
    hitmygoalin10weeks Posts: 22
    I guess I should have said "Simple carbs"... I have completely cut out the simple carbs and was wondering if that was causing my headaches... I am not sure if u are being a smart *kitten* or not! LOL... But here is the difference...

    Simple carbohydrates or simple sugars ? These carbs are broken down and digested very quickly, but most simple carbs contain refined sugars and very few essential vitamins and minerals. Examples include table sugar, fruit juice, milk, yogurt, honey, molasses, maple syrup and brown sugar.

    Complex carbohydrates ? The complex carbs take longer to digest and are packed with fiber, vitamins and minerals. Examples include vegetables, whole grain breads, oatmeal, legumes, brown rice and whole wheat pasta.

    So I guess my point is that the Complex carbs are good for u and the simple carbs are not...
  • brittpribb
    brittpribb Posts: 1
    I have had TERRIBLE headaches that start between 5 and 6 hours after I wake up. I stopped eating carbs a couple days ago, could this be why my head is hurting?
  • vidald
    vidald Posts: 75 Member
    I did the Atkins diet about 10 years ago. Literally you could not eat carbs for the first month. I was miserable, cranky, headaches and the shakes. Carbs turn into sugar and when you remove sugar from your diet your body goes through withdrawal. It is like when smoker stops smoking. They go through full body withdrawals.

    Good news, the symptoms go away! You may want to try something is low in carbs and sugar to make the pain pass!
  • madeofcake
    madeofcake Posts: 14
    If you cut your carbs low enough, you might be getting the dreaded "keto flu". Pick up some Morton's Lite salt (or whatever salt has a potassium/sodium mix) and put that on everything :P A cup of broth often helps, too.

    Drink water, get in the lite salt, and you should be fine. I had the shakes for a few days when I started until I remembered the lite salt trick, and then I was better almost instantly. You need the extra electrolytes!
  • ahviendha
    ahviendha Posts: 1,291 Member
    damn it this is sort of explaining why i've had headaches the past few days after going back to healthy eating. ate a couple chocolates a day back near halloween and i could feel my body bullying me for more sugar this past week but i kept saying no.

    headaches as payback for not giving into the sugar monster?
  • professorRAT
    professorRAT Posts: 690 Member
    what exactly are "bad carbs" and why are they considered "bad"?

    They are those naughty ones that are always up to no good. These are naughty carbs:

    6a00e554e81be38834015434362cba970c-800wi.jpg
  • climbamnt
    climbamnt Posts: 190 Member
    Instead of just cutting out the bad carbs, try replacing more with the good carbs. Making small steps to replace items instead of cutting stuff out completely could help. I am surprised the oatmeal didn’t help? It might just be from the refined sugar…
  • Car0lynnM
    Car0lynnM Posts: 332 Member
    Give your body a couple more weeks to adjust to the changes. If you're still having headaches, you might want to make an appointment with your doctor, or see a nutritionist.
  • oneakaqt
    oneakaqt Posts: 14 Member
    It seems to be a consistent reaction for me. I did the south beach diet about three years ago and I experienced terrible headaches almost everyday. I started to see the correlation early on and decided to try and circumvent it by drinking straight black coffee. Try drinking black coffee or having a diet mountain dew each morning. The caffeine can help.
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