migraines

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Erinshealthdiscovery
Erinshealthdiscovery Posts: 20 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I've been eating super clean this month. I'm down eleven pounds. I drink at least a gallon of water a day, and I am still getting terrible migraines. Doctor said "stress", but I've had several extremely stressful days without one and happy days with excruciating ones. It's affecting me badly. I don't want to move much less exercise. Doctor couldn't give medicine since I have a nursing baby. What can I do? Will exercise help? Should I just push through it? Any particular exercise that helps?

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  • hill8570
    hill8570 Posts: 1,466 Member
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    Are you prone to migrates? If so, what are your historical triggers?

    BTW, unless you're really obese, nearly 3 pounds a week would seem to be a bit on the extreme side. That kind of deficit certainly can't be helping the situation.
  • Erinshealthdiscovery
    Erinshealthdiscovery Posts: 20 Member
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    I do have them often. I can't find a trigger. I eat healthy. I think most of my weight loss so far was water weight (I used to never drink water). They don't seem to have a pattern. Random times of day, and random lengths of time. I'm trying to stay around 1500 calories.
  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
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    Other than as mentioned above, the extreme loss per week. You might look at the list of food that tend to trigger migraines. I can't have nuts, chocolate, nitrates, and sulfites.
  • Erinshealthdiscovery
    Erinshealthdiscovery Posts: 20 Member
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    I have been eating almonds in several things. I'm going to try to log the migraines as well and maybe I'll see a pattern.
  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
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    JEJMA0223 wrote: »
    I have been eating almonds in several things. I'm going to try to log the migraines as well and maybe I'll see a pattern.

    Good luck!
  • hill8570
    hill8570 Posts: 1,466 Member
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    Agreed, logging your food, exercise (and while your at it, your general day in the notes) might help you track down a pattern. Triggers for migraines are all over the map, so keeping a diary (food and otherwise) can help track them down.

    If you have support group for migraine suffers in your area, might want to check in with them for doctor recommendations -- a doc that blows off migraines as "stress" without trying to narrow down the cause is a waste of space.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    edited April 2016
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    The flip side of trigger foods is sudden changes in diet as you have moved to "super clean" eating. Maybe something you eliminated has set off a reaction. Eliminated caffeine or salt possibly? (Guessing obviously.)

    Drinking a gallon of water - maybe too much which could upset your electrolyte levels. I would get very clear salt cravings during or after a migraine. Monitor your hydration levels and don't force yourself to chug it down, remember an excess of water doesn't make you lose weight.

    Dieting is a stress and stress is a very common trigger. Try some de-stress activities like a neck/back massage perhaps? Meditation or just some quiet "me time".

    In my 40's I did indeed have to push through migraines to exercise as I had so many I hit my medication limit early in the week - beware the point where you break through is excruciatingly painful, I would force it through intense cardio but please don't take that as a suggestion!

    An exercise that leaves you relaxed rather than tense may help (Swimming? Walk in the countryside?)
  • gmzbluhm
    gmzbluhm Posts: 43 Member
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    I started Diluting a bottle of Gatorade and drinking the second I even feel a pinch of a headache coming on... Does the trick every time. Your body may need more electrolytes from sweating and working out...

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