Sugar withdrawal headache? Possible?

Zaefira
Zaefira Posts: 13
in Health and Weight Loss
Not sure if its the sugar or not but its been two days that I haven't had a sugary snack. I normally have at least one BIG BAR of chocolate a day (that is bought for me by my loving uncle ><). Since I stopped and haven't binged in the last few days been having headaches?

Anyone else had something similar?

Replies

  • jelise_2004
    jelise_2004 Posts: 2
    I am going through the same thing with just one day without sugar :(
  • JeanDescole
    JeanDescole Posts: 152
    Very possible. Before I started losing weight, even before MFP, I had at least one slice of cake, hot chocolate and several muffins/brownies a day. Skipping out on these snacks, which are packed to the brim with sugar, gave me terrible headaches until I ate them again. On the bright side I found after two days the headaches would dramatically improve, eventually ceasing on the third day without all that sugar. Also my moods balanced out a lot after the third day. Congrats on stopping with that chocolate habit!
  • twistygirl
    twistygirl Posts: 517 Member
    I get headaches and the shakes, I swear sugar is about as bad as crack for some people and I am one of those people. Stay strong and hang in there.
  • nicola1141
    nicola1141 Posts: 613 Member
    Could also be the caffeine in the chocolate. Caffeine withdrawal can cause headaches.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    When I quit sugar a few months ago I had withdrawal for about 5 days. That's the longest it should last. I was a monster. My friends didn't want to talk to me. =( I was crabby, cried randomly and had headaches.
  • MarisaDLS2
    MarisaDLS2 Posts: 108 Member
    Yes, its quite possible.

    If too much time passes between meals (greater than 5 hours), I start getting a mild headache.

    The brain uses a lot of glucose to function, that being said, glucose comes from a variety of whole food sources, not just candy.

    I eat 3 nutrient dense meals a day and 3 snacks in between, so I am never ravenously hungry.

    My last snack is at bedtime, so that glycogen stores in the liver are not depleted as I sleep.

    If I wait too long to eat breakfast in the morning, I get a headache.

    Your diary is not open, so cannot see what you are taking in, how often, what times, etc.

    Feel free to look at my food diary and add me as a friend. :)
  • JJMorrocco
    JJMorrocco Posts: 43 Member
    Yes this is possible. I did have a similar issue but I beleive mine was more due to removing the 'super' sweeteners that are in all the 'diet' drinks. I have eliminated all crytal light, and severly cut my pop (diet and regular) consumption -down to 1 can/drink per week. Massive difference in food cravings now. Sleep is also much much better.
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
    Remember sugar lights up the same areas of the brain as Cocaine. If you are cutting severely you are having withdrawals.
  • TinaS88
    TinaS88 Posts: 817 Member
    It is very possible. I went through it with caffeine. I tried going from drinking a 12-pack of pepsi every two days to quitting it cold turkey. It was two weeks of hell... my headaches were terrible. I ended up having to increase my coffee intake and drink a diet here and there and lot my body slowly get used to the much less caffeine. It will go away though.
  • christina0089
    christina0089 Posts: 709 Member
    It could very well be caffeine/sugar withdraw. Chocolate tends to have both. Do you drink coffee?? If so is that one of the things that you gave up? When I first started this journey I stopped drinking coffee because of all the sugar and because I had so much energy from the exercising and diet alone that I could not sleep! Coffee would have been over kill! So I gave it up and the headaches where TERRIBLE! I started drinking coffee with Truvia and powdered coffee creamer and that helped sooo much! The headaches made everything harder so having that little bit of relief was wonderful! Perhaps rather than go cold turkey on your sweets you can find a way to keep something small in your diet and fit it into your calorie allotment? Like M&M's and reduce the number everyday until you have gotten your body to a place that you no longer need it? Start with say 15-20 and go down from there? (try the dark chocolate ones) It was hard on my body to give up the coffee so I had to modify.. Sometimes it's finding a way to make things work for us and our lifestyles that makes a bigger difference than totaly removing it from our diet all together.... Moderation! Best of luck to you! :flowerforyou:
  • ideama
    ideama Posts: 1
    I am currently possibly going through Sugar Withdrawal for two days. I normally eat 2 to 4 bananas, 1 to 2 apples per day minimum. I do drink coffee but very randomly (sometimes 1 to 3 times a week, sometimes none per week). I also thought maybe it could be a lack of water consumption too... Not sure but it is my second day and headache seems to get better than yesterday.. I will continue not to take any sugar for a week. Staying strong!

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