Headaches have me worried

erinmtracy2
erinmtracy2 Posts: 6 Member
edited November 27 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello all. On July 27th I started low carb and low calorie diet. I am eating between 1200-1500 a day and my carb intake is 50-75. I have cut out my mid day soda and replaced with unsweetened Tea. I’ve been getting intermittent headaches. I have some health anxiety and I always kinda freak out and think worse case. I’m sure this is probably from dieting but I’ve been dieting well over 5 days and it’s not going away. I also, have lost 6 pounds but since I was on my cycle when I started I think it could have been some bloating lost. Any ideas?

Replies

  • erinmtracy2
    erinmtracy2 Posts: 6 Member
    How do I get more salt? Sounds silly, I know.... but just add more salt to my dinner tonight? Choose foods higher in sodium?
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    Caffeine headache. Get some Excedrine Migraine. It'll kill them right off.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    erinmtracy2 wrote: »
    How do I get more salt? Sounds silly, I know.... but just add more salt to my dinner tonight? Choose foods higher in sodium?

    Both of those would work. How low are your carbs and what do your sodium levels look like? I know a lot of people in keto-style diets aim for something like 5,000 mg of sodium a day. That's about 2 tsp total of salt.
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,871 Member
    If it's sodium you need, just mix half a teaspoon into some water and drink. Pretend you're swimming in the ocean :tongue: They also make actual flavored things to add to water for electrolytes, like Nuun tablets.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,745 Member
    It's very common when starting low carb. I'm not sure why, but it may have to do with the fact that your body unloads a lot of water the first week or two. Make sure you drink a lot during the day. Being dehydrated always gives me a headache.
  • erinmtracy2
    erinmtracy2 Posts: 6 Member
    I didn’t think it would be caffeine if I replaced the coke with ice tea
  • MichelleSilverleaf
    MichelleSilverleaf Posts: 2,027 Member
    erinmtracy2 wrote: »
    I didn’t think it would be caffeine if I replaced the coke with ice tea

    Ice tea may not have caffeine, or it may have very little compared to coke. Caffeine headaches are very common when you eliminate/reduce a caffeine source.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    erinmtracy2 wrote: »
    I didn’t think it would be caffeine if I replaced the coke with ice tea

    It's easy to test. The next time you get a headache take something with caffeine (pill, coffee, etc.). It'll disappear fast if it's a caffeine headache.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    DoubleUbea wrote: »
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    Caffeine headache. Get some Excedrine Migraine. It'll kill them right off.

    That is because Excedrin contains.... CAFFEINE!

    People who stop drinking coffee get caffeine withdrawals as well, it is a legal highly addictive drug.

    Yes. I know. Wonderful, isn't it???
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,871 Member
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    DoubleUbea wrote: »
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    Caffeine headache. Get some Excedrine Migraine. It'll kill them right off.

    That is because Excedrin contains.... CAFFEINE!

    People who stop drinking coffee get caffeine withdrawals as well, it is a legal highly addictive drug.

    Yes. I know. Wonderful, isn't it???

    I LITERALLY don't leave home without it. It's in my purse.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    pinuplove wrote: »
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    DoubleUbea wrote: »
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    Caffeine headache. Get some Excedrine Migraine. It'll kill them right off.

    That is because Excedrin contains.... CAFFEINE!

    People who stop drinking coffee get caffeine withdrawals as well, it is a legal highly addictive drug.

    Yes. I know. Wonderful, isn't it???

    I LITERALLY don't leave home without it. It's in my purse.

    Yep. And in my desk drawer at work, too.
  • urloved33
    urloved33 Posts: 3,323 Member
    caffeine withdrawal. drink water water water.
  • Zusca
    Zusca Posts: 3 Member
    I agree with posts above. With a bit more salt intake, the headaches usually get better (I tried keto last year and drank a cup of broth each day). I gave up sugar a month ago and experienced some terrible headaches - which I usually don't have. I read that removing sugar from one's diet can cause symptoms very similar to a drug withdrawal (headaches being one of the symptoms), and that once the organism adjusts itself, the symptoms diminish - in my case it was about 2 weeks.
  • erinmtracy2
    erinmtracy2 Posts: 6 Member
    So I’m averaging about 2,000mg sodium a day give or take.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    erinmtracy2 wrote: »
    So I’m averaging about 2,000mg sodium a day give or take.

    People starting low carb (especially keto, which it sounds like you're doing from your carb count) need a good bit more than that. I think about 3,400 mg or so at least, IIRC. Try drinking some salty broth or just some salt in water.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    erinmtracy2 wrote: »
    So I’m averaging about 2,000mg sodium a day give or take.

    I bet it is a need for sodium. That's about half of what a low Carber needs, often at least 3000-5000 mg sodium. There's 2300 mg sodium in a teaspoon of salt so most need over 2 teaspoons of salt.

    Try drinking salty broth or boullion. I tend to take half a teaspoon of salt with a cup of water once or twice a day if I get headachy and it clears up pretty quick. Try it next time you get a headache, or before.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    edited August 2018
    elsie6hickman wrote: »
    I'm not sure it is salt or caffeine is your problem. What kind of carbs are you eating? Women should have between 30-45 good carbs per meal to keep your blood sugar stable. If your blood sugar is taking a dip or gets too high, that can cause a host of other symptoms, like a headache. Do you also feel fatigued? It's great to go low carb, but you need to be careful to spread your carbs on things that are good for you (like leafy greens, green beans, salads, and fruit) and if you are doing KETO, make sure you don't do it too long. (my advice to everyone is to keep a food diary (MFP makes it easy) and then make an appointment with a registered dietician, and let them advise you.

    Falling BG from reactive hypoglycaemia used to result in headaches for me too, but cutting carbs to about 20 g a day cured me of that. Without a lot of carbs at every meal, my BG was no longer going up and down, plus my brain started relying on ketones for fuel so the symptoms were no longer created.

    After 3+ years keto, it still works. :)
  • leftsox
    leftsox Posts: 25 Member
    Low carb = more salt, drink a powerade zero or the new gateraid zero, if the headache is gone in 20 minutes you needed salt and potassium...works for me. I'm doing Keto and drink half a bottle at night..since then no more headaches..
  • flatcoatedR
    flatcoatedR Posts: 173 Member
    I also try to stay under 50 g carbs when dieting. Every time I am just starting out, I am usually coming off a lot of sugar and always have headaches and have a drop in energy for about 5 days. If you can hold out, they will go away. Drink lots of water and be kind to yourself until they do. Sugar withdrawals can be just as bad as caffeine. You will start feeling so much better after you get all that sugar out of your system. Good Luck.
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