migraines

Erinshealthdiscovery
Erinshealthdiscovery Posts: 20 Member
edited December 1 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?

Replies

  • hill8570
    hill8570 Posts: 1,466 Member
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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: 19,809 Member
    edited April 2016
    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
    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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