Carb withdrawal?

sengalissa
sengalissa Posts: 253 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi
I am cutting after maintaining/recomping for a few months and I am noticing something new and unpleasant. I tried low carb days (low being under 110g, so not extrem at all) and I got a headache and felt nauseous that day. Wrote it off thinking it was conincidence. Today, I am having a carb heavy dinner (dinner invitation) so I tried to eat high protein low carb all day till then. By lunchtime I got a headache again. Coincidence again?!
Also, how can I eat a high protein diet (110g or so) to not lose too much muscle while cutting and still eat at a good deficit without going too low on carbs?
Or is that just withdrawal and it would get better? Or is it easier to eat the carbs earlier in the day?

Any thoughts?

Replies

  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Up your salt intake to compensate for loss of sodium to urine at reduced carb intake - might help.
  • Sharonmdenham
    Sharonmdenham Posts: 163 Member
    sengalissa wrote: »
    Hi
    I am cutting after maintaining/recomping for a few months and I am noticing something new and unpleasant. I tried low carb days (low being under 110g, so not extrem at all) and I got a headache and felt nauseous that day. Wrote it off thinking it was conincidence. Today, I am having a carb heavy dinner (dinner invitation) so I tried to eat high protein low carb all day till then. By lunchtime I got a headache again. Coincidence again?!
    Also, how can I eat a high protein diet (110g or so) to not lose too much muscle while cutting and still eat at a good deficit without going too low on carbs?
    Or is that just withdrawal and it would get better? Or is it easier to eat the carbs earlier in the day?

    Any thoughts?

    How about just plain clean eating? If you have a balanced diet of foods that are not processed it might help. The headache could be due to weather, lack of enough water, or your body telling you it does not like the yoyo you are on.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    sengalissa wrote: »
    Hi
    I am cutting after maintaining/recomping for a few months and I am noticing something new and unpleasant. I tried low carb days (low being under 110g, so not extrem at all) and I got a headache and felt nauseous that day. Wrote it off thinking it was conincidence. Today, I am having a carb heavy dinner (dinner invitation) so I tried to eat high protein low carb all day till then. By lunchtime I got a headache again. Coincidence again?!
    Also, how can I eat a high protein diet (110g or so) to not lose too much muscle while cutting and still eat at a good deficit without going too low on carbs?
    Or is that just withdrawal and it would get better? Or is it easier to eat the carbs earlier in the day?

    Any thoughts?

    110 grams doesn't seem that low to me--I didn't experience any negative effects from being that low when I was doing it, but I think I was somewhat fat adapted already. Basically, it's not withdrawal, but it's getting used to using fat rather than the more easily available glucose to provide energy, and sometimes takes a bit of time to adjust. (It also could be simply being on a boom and bust cycle with sugar if you are sensitive to that and have been eating lots of sugar or processed carbs--that too will go away with just a bit of time. The sodium idea is certainly possible too.)

    That said, 110 grams of protein might not be necessary (although I aim for 120 g, so am certainly not opposed) and shouldn't require you to cut your carbs so much--I currently do about 40% carbs.
  • volfan22
    volfan22 Posts: 149 Member
    Drink some bone broth or a sugar free power-ade. You can even add some salt to your water. Your salt/electrolytes are low. It's no coincidence, your body is craving something it thinks it needs. I had "flu" like symptoms the first 4 weeks of cutting carbs (but that was down to less than 20g per day - I'm way low carb). Once you get past the "detox" phase (if that's what you're attempting to do - cut/lower carbs from your meals) then you will feel bad for a bit - but it gets better.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    sengalissa wrote: »
    Hi
    I am cutting after maintaining/recomping for a few months and I am noticing something new and unpleasant. I tried low carb days (low being under 110g, so not extrem at all) and I got a headache and felt nauseous that day. Wrote it off thinking it was conincidence. Today, I am having a carb heavy dinner (dinner invitation) so I tried to eat high protein low carb all day till then. By lunchtime I got a headache again. Coincidence again?!
    Also, how can I eat a high protein diet (110g or so) to not lose too much muscle while cutting and still eat at a good deficit without going too low on carbs?
    Or is that just withdrawal and it would get better? Or is it easier to eat the carbs earlier in the day?

    Any thoughts?

    sengalissa it could be other things as well like leaving off soft drinks but my carb withdrawal only lasted about two weeks but was more as in intense cravings.

    Any major change in diet may cause issues that vary from person to person. When I went <50 carbs I replaced them with fat.
  • VagablondViking
    VagablondViking Posts: 22 Member
    Are you eating any kind of fake sugar? I find that when I try to give up carbs, I fill the void with sugar-free crap when I have a craving. The fake sugars give me migraines. So the headaches are (indirectly) related to giving up carbs, but not withdrawal. At least that's what I've found in my own experience.
  • Andrea4456
    Andrea4456 Posts: 39 Member
    Reducing carb intake is a natural diuretic, so the headache and stuff is normal; it's from loss of potassium and sodium.
    Drink 1-2 cups of chicken broth and you'll feel better. :) Good luck!

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