I'm no expert but it sounds like you've had a big dip in your blood sugar levels. I find that when I go without food for more than 3hours, I get the same thing. Or....it could be that you're due for a caffeine fix? How much if any do you drink cola drinks and or coffee? Maybe its a withdrawl effect?
Thanks. I don't ever drink diet soda or regular soda but I eat sugary things once in a while, seems like I'm addicted to them. So I guess I'm gonna try to limit my sugar intake cause I will more and more addicted to it.
Have you noticed any patterns with your headaches?
I've had problems with headaches in the past, especially when I was dieting or trying to eat healthier ... I don't know if I can help (I'm not scientifically qualified by no means) but I can try.
7h30 breakfast: oatmeal (1 cup) at breakfast with flax seeds (a tablespoon).
8h00-10h00: headache, hungry ( feel like eating sugar or fat) Eat an apple (but still hungry) or eat nuts (pistachios).
11h30 dinner: two egg whites with broccoli and cauliflower ( sometimes dessert cause I'm a big sugar addict which sabotage all my healthy eating, never full without dessert or sugary juice)
2h00-4h00: big headache (fatigue), come back from school, collation( often feel like eating sugary things: a glass of juice with stop my headache right away or a granola bar) but sometimes eat a fruit which doesn't even stop my hunger but eventually stop my headache ( 5-10 minutes later)
4h30: supper : headaches come back (fatigue), seem hungry a lot but try to eat healthy things: salmon with brown rice. After like 5 minutes after supper, hungry again for desserts. If I don't eat it, I'm really tired and feel like sleeping, if I eat it, it boosts my energy and at my best, not hungry anymore.
6h00-8h00: eat an apple or orange before bedtime or I won't be able to sleep well and will be like dizzy.
I'm eating like between morning to supper 1200 calories but when comes supper, I often sabotage this because I need to eat sugar or snack. I've been trying to stick to 1200-1500 calories a day for almost a month but most of the time I can't because my headaches come and I must eat or I will feel tired and not well. I even get headaches after meals when I don't eat sugar. As for meat, I don't eat red meat at all or sea food. I just eat egg whites, chicken ( like once in two-three weeks) and salmon. I tried to eat more meat but I feel full after a few bites but like 5 minutes later I have this urge to eat sugar or fatty things. Same things with vegetable. I'm like always hungry. Only fatty things or sugar keep me full. I don't eat fast-food at all ( or once a month). My fats comes from becel margarine which I try not to use to much and from nuts and salmon).
I forgot to tell that I'm also always yawning and tired all day long even if a get 9 to 10 hours of sleep a day. I tought maybe this could have something to do with my headaches.
A.) If it's none of my business, then don't worry about it. But how much do you weigh?
B.) How much are you exercising every day? And what would you consider your fitness level? (I heard you mention above that you can crank out 50 pushups in one try ...)
C.) Is it possible you could be anemic?
Here's my take. And if I'm talking out of my ***, then someone please let me know.
I think you've got two issues to contend with. The first being that it sounds like your metabolism is gaining some speed .. I mean, it's handling the food you're giving it with a good amount of efficiency.
Unfortunately, this means you may have no choice but to 'feed' it. You can do this without adding any additional calories if you split up your two big meals (dinner-supper) into four meals and eat them accordingly. (mid-morning, lunch, mid-afternoon, dinner)
And the second part of this is I think your protein and your fat intake are too low.
Just from looking at the sample menu you posted, your caloric intake roughly follows 20% protein, 20% fat and 60% carbs. (I did not take into account the margarine you mentioned.) The main source of fat you have in that menu is the salmon.
Is there some way you could try and up both your fat and protein by 10% each? That way you'd be looking at 30% protein, 30% fat and 40% carbs? If not by 10%, maybe experiment with the ratio to see if that will help alleviate the constant hunger and headaches. (And really, I think your protein should be higher anyway, regardless of helping the headaches.)
Overall, I think that between trying to eat more meals during the day, and playing with the p-f-c ratio, I think you should be able to find a way to keep the headaches at bay.
PS -- Upping your protein doesn't necessarily mean eating more meat. Experiment with different vegetarian options ... Tofu, legumes, dairy products, even more egg whites or protein shakes. (If you want arms like Jillian, you've gotta be able to give your body a decent amount of protein to rebuild muscles you've damaged while working out.)
hmmm, I was just going to mention her protein amounts!! I use a protein whey powder and blend myself a nice whipped frothy shake with milk. It adds approx. 22gr of protein. There is no way I could eat chicken breasts all day to "up" my protein. I also thought about yogurt, cottage cheese and cheddar cheeses.....do you eat any of these? Just a thought..... Fruit is good but often too sugary, but you could mix it with some protein. A sliced apple with a 1 T of peanut butter is great, or apple with a mozz. cheese string.
I now weight 160 pounds and I'm only 1,68 m approx. (5 foot 5 I think) which is a lot. I walk at a fast pace 20 minutes four times a day. I also do some sits-up and push-ups usually while watching t.v. I sometimes do like two or three sets of 30 push-ups and 50 sits-up. I'm able to do 50 push-ups(on knee) in a shot, 6 on arms and about 100 sits-up, it's my max. I used to go to the gym to do an hour of stationnary bike but I don't anymore but I play sports like basketball once in a while for fun. Overall, I am in good health : heart beat of 60-65 approx. and blood pressure of 112/68. Except I have exercise-induced ashtma that starts right after I exercise. As for being anemic, I don't know. My doctor ask me about that too (if I have once been anemic) the answer is I don't know. How can you tell if your anemic or not ? And I also tought my headaches could have something to do with hypoglycemia but when I checked it the other times few hours after waking up without eating breakfast it was normal ( 5,3 mmol/l) and I think if I was hypoglycemic it would have been way below this number.
Hope it helps!
Thanks for helping me, I really appreciate it.
(I'm gonna run through these a bit, as I'm almost out the door running madly into my weekend ... And I won't be back until Tuesday, so apologies)
• Usually a simple blood test can tell if you're anemic or not. I know that vegetarians do have a tendency to be slightly more anemic than carnivores such as myself. The next time you're at the doctor's, maybe asking them for a simple test at your next check-up would be advised. (Even if it's not causing your headaches ... Veggies tend to deprive themselves of protein and iron without realizing it.) The tired and weak thing may be a good indication of possible anemia.
• My maintenance caloric intake is something like 1600 calories. That's not trying to lose weight, just what I would typically burn in one day. The lowest Jillian says to go (and common sense would dictate) is 1200 calories a day, for dieting purposes. This is based on my weight/height and overall level of activity. I'm 5'5, weigh around 146lbs right now and when I did the test, I did nothing even remotely active. Not even at work.
Also, maybe you should up your caloric intake by 100-200 calories. I'd say b/c of your fitness, height, weight and activity level, a maintenance calorie value of 2,000 (average) is right for you. That being said, instead of dropping to 1,200, I'd drop down to 1,400 calories a day.
You're still eliminating 600 calories a day ... Which is 4,200 a week and should equal out to just over a pound a week, not including exercise. If you feel weird about actually increasing your calories, then try my other two suggestions first, then try the calories thing.
So, after all this posting, my suggestions are:
1.) More frequent meals. If this doesn't work then
2.) Mix up your ratio of protein-fat-carbs and still then
3.) Up your calories. I know you probably hate the idea, but with your level of activity and the headaches and being tired all the time, it may be a good idea. Better to up the calories than continually 'fall off the wagon' and then beat yourself up over it.
You're making good (great) food choices, so don't feel guilty if you have to eat a little extra to feel full.
Okay, I'm done. I hope all of this helps somehow (Didn't mean to be so wordy.)
Just a small interjection...vegetarians *do not* have a tendency to be more anemic than carnivores as many people believe without researching it further.
"Although vegetarian diets do tend to be lower in iron than meat-based diets, vegetarians do not have a higher rate of iron deficiency anemia than meat eaters. This may be explained by the fact that the iron found in vegetarian diets (in vegetables and unrefined grains) is often accompanied, in the food or in the meal, by large amounts of vitamin C, which increases the absorption of the mineral. "
I don't eat meat but I do eat fish, I know Jillian is not a fan of vegetarian diets but I eat better than most meat eaters I know and focus on getting all of my nutrients.
If you are a vegetarian and also happen to be anemic than focus on replacing meat with vegetarian meat alternatives...there are many and I would be happy to share my personal favourites if anyone has any more questions. Another possibility is that you may be hypoglocemic with the mood swings/fatigue that seem to be connected to your consumption or lack of consumption of sugar. You may want to aim for more fruit and less refined sugar? Just a thought, for more info you may want to get a referral from your doctor to a dietician. Just some thoughts.
What are your vegetarian meat alternatives ? I eat fish, eggs, milk and chicken for protein and flax seeds as for non-vegetarian things. And I eat pistachios, broccoli, I don't like tofu or soy products like soy milk ( plus it makes it more difficult to build muscles because of the oestrogens it realeases). Green vegetables are a great source of iron I think, nuts also. If you have other alternatives, please tell me. There is a lot of iron in pistachios but it's more difficult for your body to absorb it, it's easier when it's taken from animal products.
First of all, as I said...I do eat fish so I am not strictly a vegetarian, I am what is sometimes referred to as a "pescatarian" If you think that eggs, cheese etc. are "non-vegetarian" you obviously are not that familiar with vegetarianism. Dairy products and eggs are not considered "non-vegetarian" They are "non-vegan". Vegans are people who choose not to eat any animal products. Although I do not myself advocate being a vegan, it is possible, with some work, to be a healthy vegan. There are many soy products that are not anything like tofu. I eat veggie burgers, veggie dogs, veggie sandwich meat etc. They are all very low in fat/calories and often higher in protein than their comparable meat product.
Try going to a vegetarian restaurant sometime and ordering a dish, you might be pleasantly surprised with a new healthy food you like, preperation is often everything.
such as myself. The next time you're at the doctor's, maybe asking them for a simple test at your next check-up would be advised. (Even if it's not causing your headaches ... Veggies tend to deprive themselves of protein and iron without realizing it.) The tired and weak thing may be a good indication of possible anemia.
