Headaches all week
 

I have had headaches all week. And I am not one prone to headaches or migraines or anything. When I do get a headache, I usually just ignore it until it goes away... but all this week, my head has been KILLING me.

I have been eating:
Calories: 1,380 - 1,730
Fat: 36 - 63
Carbs: 183 - 265 (Usually the lower end)
Fiber: 25 - 35 (this is my goal, but I have been exceeding it)
Protein: 60 - 143

These are the ranges Sparkpeople gave me for my weight loss goals. They seem reasonable... but are they? I ate like a pig over the holdiays, so maybe the drastic change is what is giving me the headaches? I am trying to drink enough water.

Any tips/advice would be awesome! TIA

Did you cut back on your coffee intake?

Not really... I usually pour myself a cup in the mornings and only drink about half and I usually don't bother with coffee on the weekends. I didn't have any on Monday, so by the afternoon when my head was pounding, I went and got a cup - but it didn't help.

What about sugar? You can get a headache very similar to a caffeine withdrawal headache if you drastically cut back your sugar intake.

Excedrin Migraine is always a good last resort. It is loaded up with caffeine, acetaminophen, and aspirin.

I like to call those headaches - withdrawal. I had them the first few days after changing my eating habits. I drastically cut my caloric intake. I went from 2500++ to about 1500. My body has adjusted and I haven't had an headache in two whole days.

Originally Posted by MonteCristo:
What about sugar?

:o :o :o

That could be! I spent a week and a half visiting with my parents between Chrismas and New Year's and I ate nothing but sweets and carbs. Now, looking at my Food Journal, I see that I have been pretty low on carbs most days. I just took some tylenol. I think I will look for some healthy carbs to munch on...

If it's a sugar withdrawal headache, just wait it out. They'll get better and eventually go away. Sugar addiction is one of the worst. If I get a bite of something sweet, I'm sent into a tailspin of cravings.

Also, too much protein can have a negative affect on your body. I'm not sure if you're at that point.

Have you started eating any new foods, specifically anything with artificial sweeteners? Those can cause pretty severe and long-lasting headaches [in some].

Have you replaced some of your sugar with artificial sweeteners? These trigger cluster headaches for me.

Sparkpeople gave me the calorie range of 1200-1550 calories and I started getting really bad headaches to where I could not take a step without my head throbbing, and also I felt dizzy. After I went to the nutritionist she told me not to eat below 1800 and told me to eat about 2000 cals a day and I haven't had a headache since, and I still lose weight. So maybe you need to up your calories. All I did was edit the calories that sparkpeople gave me. Good Luck

Oh and if I don't eat enough carbs I feel really weird and lethargic, I need my carbs