Detox Cleanse - Headache Migrane Help
thestoryofangelina
Posts: 34 Member
Hi all. My PT has upped my fitness routine to include a detox cleanse, where I am eating natural, lean foods, no sugar, no caffeine, no alcohol, no processed anything. Basically the diet is fruit, veggies, protein with a carb in the evening at supper (sweet potato, wholegrain rice only). Minus veg I am averaging around 1100-1200 calories a day. This diet is quite similar to the Paleo diet.
Anyhow, where I need help... First 5 days were bad, no energy, etc but I have gotten used to the foods and am not as hungry anymore. However, I am on day 10 with a headache, and it is only getting worse. Two days ago it crossed into migraine territory. Drinking more water is not helping. I was sick to my stomach this morning because of the pain and even with having a high pain tolerance, I am not sure how much more of this I can take.
My trainer says after our 10 day cleanse, we will add in some things but no caffeine. I imagine this is what is causing the migraine, but my question is - is it worth it and have any of you experienced this before? I had 2 coffees a day with skim milk and no sugar - for reference. Between last week's no energy falling asleep at my desk fog and this week's migraine from hell, it is effecting my performance at work, which is really not good. And I should also add I haven't gone to the gym as usual either because of the effects of all of this. Especially the migraine.
Any insight, help, tips, etc would be appreciated.
Anyhow, where I need help... First 5 days were bad, no energy, etc but I have gotten used to the foods and am not as hungry anymore. However, I am on day 10 with a headache, and it is only getting worse. Two days ago it crossed into migraine territory. Drinking more water is not helping. I was sick to my stomach this morning because of the pain and even with having a high pain tolerance, I am not sure how much more of this I can take.
My trainer says after our 10 day cleanse, we will add in some things but no caffeine. I imagine this is what is causing the migraine, but my question is - is it worth it and have any of you experienced this before? I had 2 coffees a day with skim milk and no sugar - for reference. Between last week's no energy falling asleep at my desk fog and this week's migraine from hell, it is effecting my performance at work, which is really not good. And I should also add I haven't gone to the gym as usual either because of the effects of all of this. Especially the migraine.
Any insight, help, tips, etc would be appreciated.
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Replies
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what are you trying to 'cleanse'? don't you have a liver or kidneys?
seems like a ridiculously strict crash diet, not sure what you'r trying to achieve?13 -
Overall goal for me - lose 150 lbs.
According to my trainer, his goal here is to get rid of the crap I was eating out of my body, in his words, the toxins. He attributes the headaches to the no caffeine and no sugar (basically going through withdrawal). It is a very strict diet but I can eat lots of fruit, veg, protein, just not carbs or grains (pasta, bread, etc). Again really sounds like Paleo to me.0 -
thestoryofangelina wrote: »Overall goal for me - lose 150 lbs.
According to my trainer, his goal here is to get rid of the crap I was eating out of my body, in his words, the toxins. He attributes the headaches to the no caffeine and no sugar (basically going through withdrawal). It is a very strict diet but I can eat lots of fruit, veg, protein, just not carbs or grains (pasta, bread, etc). Again really sounds like Paleo to me.
sounds completely unnecessary to me.
good luck!10 -
I would find another trainer. There is no need to cleanse anything.22
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I am also not a fan of detox cleanses but I do have some experiences with caffeine withdrawal causing migraines and headaches. But in my case it only lasted a couple of days. If you feel so bad with this diet consider stopping it and eating normal again minus the caffeine maybe.1
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Fire trainer, stop stupid diet. No, of course it isn't worth it. Suffering for nothing is never worth it, in my opinion.
You are getting headaches because you are eating poorly - too little of everything.
You need to eat more food, and you need to eat fat. The minimum calorie intake for women is 1200, and that's for short, old, thin and sedentary women. What did MFP tell you to eat? Why aren't you following that recommendation instead? There's nothing about "processed" foods that makes it toxic or anything, so nothing to "cleanse". There's even sugar in those "natural" foods, so you're not avoiding sugar.19 -
Your health is important. I am not a fan of detoxes of any kind. If you cannot go to the gym because of the migraine then you need to stop. A lot of people here have lost weight without detoxes. Its time to re-evaluate your plan .
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Your trainer is full of rubbish.
What you need is a calorie deficit. Eat whatever foods you want but stick to your calorie goal and you're good to go!7 -
@burlchen15 - I am good with the diet, but I not so much with whatever is causing the headache and migraine. All signs are pointing to the caffeine withdrawal but this is the first time I did anything like this. I am not sure why he wants me to cut out caffeine but says it is addictive and that is about it.
But you guys are right, the suffering is not worth it. I have a lofty goal to lose, and with vegetables included in the caloric intake per day I hit 1500 - 1600 calories... It's so overwhelming which is why I reached out to a trainer for help, have gone through 3 because the first 2 quit the gym I am at, and now onto the 3rd who is the GM of the gym. I do agree though that not being able to go to the gym trumps everything. I have to be able to work out.0 -
Sounds like your trainer has 0 nutrition knowledge which is pretty common with CPTs. I'd ignore any nutrition info he gives.16
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MFP Goals are for loss of 2 pounds a week:
Calories: 1,930
Carbs: 50%
Proteins: 20%
Fats: 30%3 -
thestoryofangelina wrote: »MFP Goals are for loss of 2 pounds a week:
Calories: 1,930
Carbs: 50%
Proteins: 20%
Fats: 30%
sounds much better than what your trainer suggested!11 -
It sounds like a combination of caffeine withdrawal and a significantly lower carb intake causing the headaches. Your diary doesn't look to be super low carb, but you do seem to be under 150g per day, and that can cause some of the symptoms you are experiencing. You also are not getting a lot of fat. How is your sodium intake? I know low carb people report similar symptoms and have mentioned electrolyte imbalance.0
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Sodium is good since I am not eating anything processed and not using salt.
One thing that has always confused me is that people say higher protein, lower carbs to lose weight. I am a big person, I am at 310 and have a long way to go. And my goal for the gym is 4 days a week (2 upper, 2 lower weight sessions) and walking for cardio (30 minutes fast as I can) to start 4-5 days a week as well. Any advice on that would be helpful.0 -
thestoryofangelina wrote: »Sodium is good since I am not eating anything processed and not using salt.
One thing that has always confused me is that people say higher protein, lower carbs to lose weight. I am a big person, I am at 310 and have a long way to go. And my goal for the gym is 4 days a week (2 upper, 2 lower weight sessions) and walking for cardio (30 minutes fast as I can) to start 4-5 days a week as well. Any advice on that would be helpful.
if low carb works for you, then go for it, but its your calorie deficit that will make you lose weight, not the number of carbs you eat.
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thestoryofangelina wrote: »Sodium is good since I am not eating anything processed and not using salt.
One thing that has always confused me is that people say higher protein, lower carbs to lose weight. I am a big person, I am at 310 and have a long way to go. And my goal for the gym is 4 days a week (2 upper, 2 lower weight sessions) and walking for cardio (30 minutes fast as I can) to start 4-5 days a week as well. Any advice on that would be helpful.
You don't need to go low carb to lose weight. It's being promoted as the current thing. I would suspect between going lower carb and the cleanse, you probably have depleted some of your electrolytes. To fix that, you need to increase sodium. Sodium is one of the electrolytes, along with potassium, magnesium, calcium and chloride. Looking at your diary, you probably need to increase sodium since you have entered low carb territory a bit.
Increase to protein is recommended during weight loss as its satiation rating is extremely high, and it supports muscle retention which helps maintain metabolic functions. Often, women should aim for around 100-130g per day. More if you aren't satiated. Also, increase to fiber also support satiety.5 -
I really, really don't understand why anyone would suggest that you have to stop drinking coffee on a weight loss diet. I'm not being sarcastic, I cannot phantom what the reasoning behind it is. Are you drinking enough water? Dehydration is a very common cause of headaches.2
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eugenia94102 wrote: »I really, really don't understand why anyone would suggest that you have to stop drinking coffee on a weight loss diet. I'm not being sarcastic, I cannot phantom what the reasoning behind it is. Are you drinking enough water? Dehydration is a very common cause of headaches.
It is fascinating, especially considering caffeine is one of the few proven things that improve gym performance.6 -
eugenia94102 wrote: »I really, really don't understand why anyone would suggest that you have to stop drinking coffee on a weight loss diet. I'm not being sarcastic, I cannot phantom what the reasoning behind it is. Are you drinking enough water? Dehydration is a very common cause of headaches.
I suspect the reasoning behind the suggestion to cut out coffee for weight loss is that the caffeine is addictive, which can lead/has led to increased coffee intake. For some people, coffee means coffee plus cream plus sugar, or a large "coffee drink," and those calories add up. Cutting out or reducing intake can be a way to reduce calories if you are someone who adds a lot of extras to your drink.2 -
thestoryofangelina wrote: »Sodium is good since I am not eating anything processed and not using salt.
One thing that has always confused me is that people say higher protein, lower carbs to lose weight. I am a big person, I am at 310 and have a long way to go. And my goal for the gym is 4 days a week (2 upper, 2 lower weight sessions) and walking for cardio (30 minutes fast as I can) to start 4-5 days a week as well. Any advice on that would be helpful.
I will join the echo chamber and say that you don't have to go low carb to lose weight, and your trainer is full of crap. Trainers are generally not very educated on nutrition - they may be able to show you good squat form, but when they start talking about cleansing the "toxins" in your body, that's when you should stop listening. Cleansing/detoxing is not a real thing. It's a marketing/buzz word that was created to sell expensive complicated diet plans to people trying to lose weight and get healthy.
All you need to worry about is eating a calorie deficit. Hit your MFP calorie goals. It's great to eat lots of veggies and good sources of protein and healthy fats, but you don't have to restrict yourself so much. Enjoy your coffee (if you add milk or creamer, just log it), you can still have sweets as long as you're hitting your goals.
You have a liver and kidneys for a reason. There is no need to make weight loss more complicated. The trainer has a vested interest in making it harder with more "rules", since if you believe it's that hard, you'll pay more money to keep coming back to him. Get out of that trap now!
Good luck!
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eugenia94102 wrote: »I really, really don't understand why anyone would suggest that you have to stop drinking coffee on a weight loss diet. I'm not being sarcastic, I cannot phantom what the reasoning behind it is. Are you drinking enough water? Dehydration is a very common cause of headaches.
I suspect the reasoning behind the suggestion to cut out coffee for weight loss is that the caffeine is addictive, which can lead/has led to increased coffee intake. For some people, coffee means coffee plus cream plus sugar, or a large "coffee drink," and those calories add up. Cutting out or reducing intake can be a way to reduce calories if you are someone who adds a lot of extras to your drink.
Luckily, if you're tracking your food and understand CICO, this is nothing to be concerned about.3 -
Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »thestoryofangelina wrote: »Sodium is good since I am not eating anything processed and not using salt.
One thing that has always confused me is that people say higher protein, lower carbs to lose weight. I am a big person, I am at 310 and have a long way to go. And my goal for the gym is 4 days a week (2 upper, 2 lower weight sessions) and walking for cardio (30 minutes fast as I can) to start 4-5 days a week as well. Any advice on that would be helpful.
I will join the echo chamber and say that you don't have to go low carb to lose weight, and your trainer is full of crap. Trainers are generally not very educated on nutrition - they may be able to show you good squat form, but when they start talking about cleansing the "toxins" in your body, that's when you should stop listening. Cleansing/detoxing is not a real thing. It's a marketing/buzz word that was created to sell expensive complicated diet plans to people trying to lose weight and get healthy.
All you need to worry about is eating a calorie deficit. Hit your MFP calorie goals. It's great to eat lots of veggies and good sources of protein and healthy fats, but you don't have to restrict yourself so much. Enjoy your coffee (if you add milk or creamer, just log it), you can still have sweets as long as you're hitting your goals.
You have a liver and kidneys for a reason. There is no need to make weight loss more complicated. The trainer has a vested interest in making it harder with more "rules", since if you believe it's that hard, you'll pay more money to keep coming back to him. Get out of that trap now!
Good luck!
To point out, the OP is in EN, and their trainer requirements are significantly more stringent than the US and they have a ton more education than the US.2 -
I "accidentally" (grabbed the wrong bag of coffee at the store! that's what I get for rushing!) went cold turkey on caffeine for a week and had absolutely horrendous headaches. I'm not a hypochondriac by any means but I genuinely started wondering if I had a brain bleed. It wasn't until I was leaning on the kitchen counter with my head in my hands that I glanced over and saw the damn "decaf" label on the bag... So I'm very, very sympathetic to your headache pain!
I think there's a world of difference between coffee addiction and enjoying your cup (or two) each day. Honestly, with how much work you're doing (amazing job, by the way! That's a solid work out plan) I think you can give yourself the small gift of a cup of coffee.
I also think you should up your calories, personally. I'm much smaller/shorter and did 1200 for a month when I first started here and it was just awful.
Good luck!3 -
Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »thestoryofangelina wrote: »Sodium is good since I am not eating anything processed and not using salt.
One thing that has always confused me is that people say higher protein, lower carbs to lose weight. I am a big person, I am at 310 and have a long way to go. And my goal for the gym is 4 days a week (2 upper, 2 lower weight sessions) and walking for cardio (30 minutes fast as I can) to start 4-5 days a week as well. Any advice on that would be helpful.
I will join the echo chamber and say that you don't have to go low carb to lose weight, and your trainer is full of crap. Trainers are generally not very educated on nutrition - they may be able to show you good squat form, but when they start talking about cleansing the "toxins" in your body, that's when you should stop listening. Cleansing/detoxing is not a real thing. It's a marketing/buzz word that was created to sell expensive complicated diet plans to people trying to lose weight and get healthy.
All you need to worry about is eating a calorie deficit. Hit your MFP calorie goals. It's great to eat lots of veggies and good sources of protein and healthy fats, but you don't have to restrict yourself so much. Enjoy your coffee (if you add milk or creamer, just log it), you can still have sweets as long as you're hitting your goals.
You have a liver and kidneys for a reason. There is no need to make weight loss more complicated. The trainer has a vested interest in making it harder with more "rules", since if you believe it's that hard, you'll pay more money to keep coming back to him. Get out of that trap now!
Good luck!
To point out, the OP is in EN, and their trainer requirements are significantly more stringent than the US and they have a ton more education than the US.
Intwresting. I know in the US trainers genreally are not allowed to give anything but very genreal nutrition information and can't specify a diet for a client. Is that not the case in EN?0 -
@casiobarnes - seriously feel your pain! I only have 2 cups a day in the morning, one maybe on the weekend, and a diet coke in the afternoon. I know the arguments about diet soda... but it is what it is for me.
Thank you everyone for your input. My goal is to lose 150 lbs and this is the start of the journey and it has not gone well at all. I also don't want to hinder weight loss by not eating enough.
In terms of the fitness, it is my goal to get there, but the headaches are preventing even getting started as it feels as though my brain has outgrown my skull and just wants out - all day every day for 10 days, and sleeping isn't ideal right now either.
Taking your advice. Taking back my cup of coffee.
And @psuLemon - thanks for that info, didn't know that about trainers in the UK vs USA (I am Canadian and I know ours don't get much on nutrition at all).
Thank you all.4 -
Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »thestoryofangelina wrote: »Sodium is good since I am not eating anything processed and not using salt.
One thing that has always confused me is that people say higher protein, lower carbs to lose weight. I am a big person, I am at 310 and have a long way to go. And my goal for the gym is 4 days a week (2 upper, 2 lower weight sessions) and walking for cardio (30 minutes fast as I can) to start 4-5 days a week as well. Any advice on that would be helpful.
I will join the echo chamber and say that you don't have to go low carb to lose weight, and your trainer is full of crap. Trainers are generally not very educated on nutrition - they may be able to show you good squat form, but when they start talking about cleansing the "toxins" in your body, that's when you should stop listening. Cleansing/detoxing is not a real thing. It's a marketing/buzz word that was created to sell expensive complicated diet plans to people trying to lose weight and get healthy.
All you need to worry about is eating a calorie deficit. Hit your MFP calorie goals. It's great to eat lots of veggies and good sources of protein and healthy fats, but you don't have to restrict yourself so much. Enjoy your coffee (if you add milk or creamer, just log it), you can still have sweets as long as you're hitting your goals.
You have a liver and kidneys for a reason. There is no need to make weight loss more complicated. The trainer has a vested interest in making it harder with more "rules", since if you believe it's that hard, you'll pay more money to keep coming back to him. Get out of that trap now!
Good luck!
To point out, the OP is in EN, and their trainer requirements are significantly more stringent than the US and they have a ton more education than the US.
Thanks, I didn't catch that.
Still, doesn't change the fact that she should be tuning out anything a trainer is saying about detoxing, unless he's telling her "Don't do it".4 -
thestoryofangelina wrote: »Sodium is good since I am not eating anything processed and not using salt.
One thing that has always confused me is that people say higher protein, lower carbs to lose weight. I am a big person, I am at 310 and have a long way to go. And my goal for the gym is 4 days a week (2 upper, 2 lower weight sessions) and walking for cardio (30 minutes fast as I can) to start 4-5 days a week as well. Any advice on that would be helpful.
A mate of mine is an evangelistic low-carber. In one conversation, he noted something called "Atkins Flu", coming from an electrolyte imbalance, often hitting around week 2 or 3.0 -
This happens to me every single time I get off of sugar. Sometimes the headaches last for 30 days, but they eventually go away. I think the shock of coming off of that and eating so few calories is kicking your butt. I really think you need to be eating more. Even on the days I don't workout I eat 1400 calories, and I work a desk job- all while loosing weight.
Some things that can ease the pain- peppermint tea, cold compress to the neck and forehead, epsom salt baths, and if you have essential oils, peppermint and frankincense are my migraine busters.
Good luck! The first weeks are the worst, but you will get through it.
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Great workout goals and plan! As for the calories, definitely up that! I am 5'1" and 166lbs currently and MFP is set to 1400/day plus half my exercise calories and I am having no issues with my weight loss and measurements.
Im Canadian too, and there are the odd gyms here that have a nutritionist employed that can be part of a training package, but you are right, the trainers themselves usually don't have any training, unless they have specifically taken that extra training on top of the other stuff.0 -
Packerjohn wrote: »Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »thestoryofangelina wrote: »Sodium is good since I am not eating anything processed and not using salt.
One thing that has always confused me is that people say higher protein, lower carbs to lose weight. I am a big person, I am at 310 and have a long way to go. And my goal for the gym is 4 days a week (2 upper, 2 lower weight sessions) and walking for cardio (30 minutes fast as I can) to start 4-5 days a week as well. Any advice on that would be helpful.
I will join the echo chamber and say that you don't have to go low carb to lose weight, and your trainer is full of crap. Trainers are generally not very educated on nutrition - they may be able to show you good squat form, but when they start talking about cleansing the "toxins" in your body, that's when you should stop listening. Cleansing/detoxing is not a real thing. It's a marketing/buzz word that was created to sell expensive complicated diet plans to people trying to lose weight and get healthy.
All you need to worry about is eating a calorie deficit. Hit your MFP calorie goals. It's great to eat lots of veggies and good sources of protein and healthy fats, but you don't have to restrict yourself so much. Enjoy your coffee (if you add milk or creamer, just log it), you can still have sweets as long as you're hitting your goals.
You have a liver and kidneys for a reason. There is no need to make weight loss more complicated. The trainer has a vested interest in making it harder with more "rules", since if you believe it's that hard, you'll pay more money to keep coming back to him. Get out of that trap now!
Good luck!
To point out, the OP is in EN, and their trainer requirements are significantly more stringent than the US and they have a ton more education than the US.
Intwresting. I know in the US trainers genreally are not allowed to give anything but very genreal nutrition information and can't specify a diet for a client. Is that not the case in EN?
I generally don't do this, but tagging @AdamAthletic for his expertise on educational requirements in EN on training/nutrition.1
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