Does anyone else get headaches while dieting?
Replies
-
Need to be sub 50 carbs to hit keto flu. Most people can’t do that without really planning a day out. It’s worth mentioning and considering tho. I’d still guess to steep a deficit unless OP says she’s following keto2
-
FlyingMolly wrote: »You mentioned carbs and sugar; are you restricting those above and beyond your other calories? If you’re quite low-carb it could be keto flu, which feels like a hangover. You can counteract that replenishing your electrolytes and getting more salt in your diet.
ive never heard of the keto flu feeling like an hangover its more associated to feeling like you have the regular flu
0 -
Need to be sub 50 carbs to hit keto flu. Most people can’t do that without really planning a day out. It’s worth mentioning and considering tho. I’d still guess to steep a deficit unless OP says she’s following keto
actually no you dont. you get keto flu because your body depletes water which can effect electrolyte balance and with lower carbs your body also depletes glycogen. many have hit keto flu at higher amounts. I had it at 50g net or a little higher. I stopped mine due to it exacerbating health issues due to another health issue I didnt know I had at the time.the headaches can be caused just from low carb,I know for me that causes mine if its too low I have headaches and other issues But that doesnt mean its going to be like that for everyone6 -
CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »FlyingMolly wrote: »You mentioned carbs and sugar; are you restricting those above and beyond your other calories? If you’re quite low-carb it could be keto flu, which feels like a hangover. You can counteract that replenishing your electrolytes and getting more salt in your diet.
ive never heard of the keto flu feeling like an hangover its more associated to feeling like you have the regular flu
It's unfortunately named, but as you pointed out in your next comment keto flu due to water loss flushing out too many electrolytes. Which doesn't HAVE to be caused by keto, since it's basically exactly what happens when you drink way too much water for any reason and pass it, or when you cause yourself to sweat excessively, and of course if you consume more than a moderate amount of a diuretic, such as alcohol, thereby causing a hangover.
Aches, headaches, fatigue, and nausea can all be symptoms of the regular flu, but without congestion or a fever they're likely to be more recognizable when compared to a hangover.
If that's the case, OP, a banana and some dark chocolate with sea salt should get you back on your feet.1 -
if you are going low carb or keto, you likely haveketo flu. your body needs to adapt to ketosis and it takes about 2-3 weeks. then you will feel fantastic.4
-
Ill only add this because it’s my experience and no one else said it. Are you tracking macros & protein? Also meal timing - has this changed at all?
I needed to pay a lot more attention to when I ate to avoid headaches. I ended up needing to carry protein bars and nuts and fruit because I can run low without much warning and get headaches from not eating enough- especially when I was eating too low calorie (without realizing).
My experience was that I need to get about 20g of protein at breakfast, give or take, with some carbs and fat, to avoid getting a headache in the morning/feeling ravenous and lethargic - a feeling that, for me, would last all day if triggered.
Cutting out any of the macros at a meal would leave me prone to headaches as well. I also learned I need to eat a solid small meal/large snack at 3pm ish, or I get tired and headachey.
My body is apparently very picky with meal composition and timing, but generally for me what worked was more food earlier in the day and making sure to track protein intake.
Everyone is different and my SO doesn’t eat breakfast or lunch and feels no effects, so I’m not telling you this because I think it’s the way to go. But just to support the idea of watching and listening to what helps you feel better in terms of macros & meal timing.
Also as a generally headache prone gal I’ve also noticed - neck stretches, chest openers, and being mindful of your posture are also great. Change can be stressful, and you can become physically tense without realizing.
5 -
FlyingMolly wrote: »CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »FlyingMolly wrote: »You mentioned carbs and sugar; are you restricting those above and beyond your other calories? If you’re quite low-carb it could be keto flu, which feels like a hangover. You can counteract that replenishing your electrolytes and getting more salt in your diet.
ive never heard of the keto flu feeling like an hangover its more associated to feeling like you have the regular flu
It's unfortunately named, but as you pointed out in your next comment keto flu due to water loss flushing out too many electrolytes. Which doesn't HAVE to be caused by keto, since it's basically exactly what happens when you drink way too much water for any reason and pass it, or when you cause yourself to sweat excessively, and of course if you consume more than a moderate amount of a diuretic, such as alcohol, thereby causing a hangover.
Aches, headaches, fatigue, and nausea can all be symptoms of the regular flu, but without congestion or a fever they're likely to be more recognizable when compared to a hangover.
If that's the case, OP, a banana and some dark chocolate with sea salt should get you back on your feet.
yes but you are also flushing out glycogen as well. and drinking too much water to where you flush out too many electrolytes usually causes more than a hangover feeling it can cause convulsions,confusion,coma in extreme cases and so on. thats why when doing keto they tell you to up your potassium,magnesium and sodium. keto flushes out elecrolytes yes but it shouldnt be to the effect drinking too much water (hyponatremia) which can also kill you in some cases.
I havent heard of anyone dying from keto though. but never heard of ketoers having those issues like hyponatremia can cause. as for alcohol thats an entirely different story and not everyone gets hangovers. but thats a whole different thread lol
keto or low carb for some is just not sustainable and some people wont be able to do it. now if she has headaches and other issues and isnt doing keto then I would suggest seeing a dr to see why the headaches are coming on. could be weather,allergies,sinus issues,etc
3 -
-
You'd be surprised how much cutting out one cup of tea can affect you! I have a black coffee in the morning and a cup of tea mid afternoon. If I ever miss that cup of tea I get the worst headache going.2
-
There are a lot of good ideas here to look at. Another thing I want to toss into the pot is that artificial sweeteners are a known migraine trigger in some people. idk if the OP is consuming them or not, but it's common for "diet" foods to include them. It's worth looking into.3
-
I suffer from chronic headaches and have found over the past year or so that a high protein diet actually helps control them really well. If none of the usual suspects (caffeine, sugar, keto flu) seem like the culprit and the headaches persist, talk to your doctor or a nutritionist about trying a high protein diet. I worked with my doctor to track my headaches, protein and overall calories over several months to find my personal sweet spot. Protein was not the first thing (or 10th) thing my doc and I have tried to control my headaches so your doc may want to try other things first. My headaches are much better controlled and I'm able to continue losing weight in a healthy way. Good luck!5
-
make sure you have enough water, and if you cut out sugary drinks like soda, you could be having caffeine withdrawals which do go away. Make sure you're replacing those missed liquids with water.0
-
Thank you for all the helpful advice. Yesterday I upped my calorie intake to 1700 and didn't get a headache until right at the end of the day but even that was nowhere near as bad as the previous day.4
-
raekrist7022 wrote: »Thank you for all the helpful advice. Yesterday I upped my calorie intake to 1700 and didn't get a headache until right at the end of the day but even that was nowhere near as bad as the previous day.
Were some of these extra calories carbs? It's possible that you just don't do well with lower carbs. How is your sodium intake? Have you drastically lowered it (by cutting out processed foods, for example)?0 -
Yes they were mostly carbs. I added 1 extra wheatabix to breakfast in the morning. A pear along with my usual snacks and a piece of bread with my soup for tea. I have also cut a lot of processed foods.
So far today I feel okay, not headachey.4 -
raekrist7022 wrote: »Yes they were mostly carbs. I added 1 extra wheatabix to breakfast in the morning. A pear along with my usual snacks and a piece of bread with my soup for tea. I have also cut a lot of processed foods.
So far today I feel okay, not headachey.
Try experimenting with more carbs at your original 1500 calories, if that doesn't work, trying adding more salt to your diet, if that doesn't work, then you just need extra calories.1 -
One thing that might be worth trying, just to experiment - maybe keep your carbs and calories up, but keep the wheat really low like you were doing during the diet?
There is a thing called gluten withdrawal that people who are celiacs get when they first go gluten free (or gluten lite). This is just the layman's term for it, though - it's not like it's actually been studied as true withdrawal.
But anyone can have it happen, far as I've seen; it's pretty much just something that happens to some folks when your wheat/rye/barley intake drops significantly. Docs haven't really studied it enough to know why it happens (because it does not seem to be carb related), but a huge part of the celiac community talk about their experiences with it, and headaches can be part of it. So seeing if it's carbs, or wheat specifically, might be helpful.
If it IS wheat, getting a celiac test might be worth while, or a wheat allergy test.
Also for experimenting - mess around with the other variables while keeping calories up. Like, lower the sugar like you usually do when you diet, while keeping calories up. Lower carbs like might happen when dieting, but leaving calories up.
If nothing else, it might help you figure out more precisely what is causing the headaches, so maybe help for a more successful attempt at losing weight through lowering calories (if you wish to try it later on). :-)0 -
Coming to the party late but I get a three day headache when I go off caffeine, and I am not a coffee drinker. I get my caffeine from tea and chocolate only.
Debilitating is a whole other kettle of fish and you do need to watch that more carefully.1 -
Besides diet related headaches (massive change in caffeine, salt, etc). Headaches can also be caused by stress and anxiety. If the thought of going on a diet is causing you stress, this could also be the reason for getting headaches. If this is the case then you need to rethink what a diet is so that's it's less stressful.1
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.3K Introduce Yourself
- 43.4K Getting Started
- 259.7K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 387 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.4K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.2K MyFitnessPal Information
- 22 News and Announcements
- 901 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.2K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions