carbs/headache

[amylou87]

i never suffer from headaches but since cutting out bread/pasta/rice ive been suffering really bad headaches?is this related/anyone else had this issue?or am i just being dramatic?

 

[chocolatecat]

you aren't being dramatic. If your body was used to eating a lot of refined carbs (white bread, white pasta etc) then it is in the withdrawal stage of your new lifestyle but the shouldnt be that bad.

Can I ask what you are eating to eat enough carbs now? Remember, you still need the carbs but just healthier ones like brown/wholegrain rice/past/bread, cous cous, quinoa etc.

If you aren't eating enough carbs in general then you will be likely to have headaches.

HTH x

 

[amylou87]

i eat cous cous, cereals, and potatoes in small amounts throughout the day.is this enough?
i darent have brown bread as i get addicted to bread so thought this would be best cut out

 

[rugbykirsty87]

i had the same problem, but now i think i may have gone the oppersite way and not get enough of them. When I do have carbs I tend to ballon up though x

 

[chocolatecat]

you will eventually find a balance that suits you - I find that I can happily eat a moderate amount of carbs in 3 meals and snacks are now made up of fruit/veg crudités/yogurt etc. But at first, the withdrawal was quite bad for me, it took at least 2 weeks for my body to get used to the smaller amount of food and carbs in particular!

Don't worry too much but if your headaches persist much longer I would go and see your Dr. x

 

[novabright]

It is a symptom of a number of different conditions of the head. Headache is caused by a disturbance of the pain-sensitive structures in the head, you always keep away yourself from stress like enviornment.

 

[chunkyoldthing]

I've also had mysterious headaches, and I think it was due to not getting enough sugar and carbohydrates. I was also feeling shaky and wobbly, which was very worrying while driving. If I had a couple of toffees the symptoms would go away.

As I got used to eating less, I found I needed less sugar and carbohydrates to keep the headaches etc at bay.

 

[Sarahelizabeth]

Carbohydrate withrawl does give you headaches but also once you have reduced the refined carbs once you eat them again you can also get headaches. Just shows its better to stick to wholegrains when possible.

 

[KD]

People often get headaches when they reduce carbs as their glycogen levels drop. Each gram of glycogen holds 3 to 4 times it's weight in water so it's easy to become dehydrated.

Most lower carb diets suggest you drink more water to keep hydration levels up, and reduce the side carb withdrawal side effects such as headache, lightheadedness etc.

Don't forget it's not the carbs that cause the weight gain, just eating too much food...too many calories

 

[breadbin]

just my opinion but i'd never cut out carbs. i'd maybe change the carbs that i was eating but for a healthy lifestyle the food pyramid is the goal. i find diets like the atkins are so dangerous for people they should and will be banned soon. speak to any nutritionalist and they will tell you that carbs are so important in your diet, so so important. like kd says its not the carbs that are putting on the weight its too much food. you do know that your body goes into starvation mode too if its not getting enough food? slowing metabolism down so its even harder to lose the weight i went this road for a long time before i realised.

 

[KD]

i find diets like the atkins are so dangerous for people they should and will be banned soon.

I don't think Atkins will ever be banned. Nor other lowcarb diets

You don't actually 'need' any carbs, as your body can make the glucose it needs in other ways and I don't know of any carbless diets as the choices would be extremely limited

Followed correctly, lowcarb keto diets are perfectly safe. In fact, epileptic children are often put on keto diets to control their epilepsy.

Personally, I function better on more moderate carb levels so have that to maintain, but am thankful of the lower carb diet that got me to goal :clap:...though it wasn't the reduced carbs that made me lose weight, but it did make eating fewer calories easier

 

[breadbin]

yeah but the body has to expend energy getting the glucose from other means which means it could put itself under pressure. where it is important though is the brain, the brain can't store energy so needs constant supply of glucose.

The Human Brain - Carbohydrates

i once saw a tv programme where this fella was on the atkins diet, he was a big lad and eating an insane amount of cheese every day, i mean like a pound of cheese a day? maybe thats not how the atkins diet works cos i don't know it really but i'm all for the food pyramid

sorry i know there are people doing the low carbs diets and having good effects but its just not for me i suppose. i get weak and dizzy and headachey if i miss a meal!!

 

[KD]

yeah but the body has to expend energy getting the glucose from other means which means it could put itself under pressure. where it is important though is the brain, the brain can't store energy so needs constant supply of glucose.

Yes, it makes ketones, or can convert protein into glucose. Ketones is a very efficient way of getting brain power though.

i once saw a tv programme where this fella was on the atkins diet, he was a big lad and eating an insane amount of cheese every day, i mean like a pound of cheese a day? maybe thats not how the atkins diet works

No, that's not atkins. In fact, I doubt it's in any low carb plan. Carbs on most low carb plans tend to be from vegetables etc.

sorry i know there are people doing the low carbs diets and having good effects but its just not for me i suppose. i get weak and dizzy and headachey if i miss a meal!!

Yeah. Great thing about diets is there is such a variety that you can find one to suit

I do think it's a shame when people become fearful of carbs...especially if they aren't planning a keto diet.

BTW, did you see that article on the BBC news site about people being gene tested to see if they would do better on a low fat diet, or a low carb diet? I'll see if I can find it again.

There's no doubt that for some people low carb diets aren't so suitable and lowish fat is better (and vice versa)

 

[KD]

BBC News - DNA test 'could predict most effective diet'

 

[breadbin]

interesting - 2-3 times more weight loss!! i'm guessing i must be the low fat diet i absolutely love dairy the thought of giving up cheese on toast would make life unbearable

on a side note though the bbc has loads of stuff on the adverse effects of low carb. not trying to put any one off so wont post the lnks. but yeah each to their own

 

[Desperate For Chocolate]

I had pretty much stopped losing weight but since upping my calorie intake a little it has restarted.

I seems you really can go too low.

I think carbs affect people differently, I have a dieting buddy who goes all jittery if she cuts her carb intake too severely whereas I seem to be able to get by on very few.

 

[breadbin]

i agree, what suits some etc. i was starving myself for ages before and didn't realise it. feel so bad for my body now. won't do it again. its the only one i have

 

[breadbin]

carb headache's are a symptom of withdrawing from all those bad carbs that we like to sneak in and then, when we start gaining weight we stop eating and suffer through the withdrawal headache!

i'm sorry there's nothing 'bad' about carbs - they're just fuel for the body.

 

[shelz]

It must be a carb thing. The Cambridge Diet cuts them out completely and after 2 - 3 days of that you get one mega headache. I was bed ridden with mine for a good 2 days - one of the worst I have ever experienced.

Now I cant eat too many carbs at a time. I tend to find I balloon and feel bloated if I do. I eat bread probably once a week - a very small amount, potatoes are the same. I rarely eat pasta.

 

[KD]

It must be a carb thing. The Cambridge Diet cuts them out completely and after 2 - 3 days of that you get one mega headache.

They don't you know Shelz. The level of carbs is lowish, but not as low as most low carb diets. Just enough to get into ketosis so it's easier to do very low calories. Of course, it introduces carbs gradually to come off the diet. Cambridge aren't anti carb or anything. In fact, many lose loads of weight on Cambridge without even going into ketosis as they chose the higher plans.

As for the headache, not everyone gets one..many drift into ketosis without the slightest problem. Some get mild headaches and a very few will get a less than mild one at the beginning, but it's usually because they aren't drinking enough so have become dehydrated.