Headache (Day 2)

[Timalim]

Hey everyone,

 

So my wife and I just started the Whole30 yesterday. We essentially followed the Whole30 1st week to a T as far as groceries go. Here we are, day 2, and both my wife and I have headaches. I've had it pretty much all day. It seems like it's common, but I wasn't sure what the official word was. Or why they occur? We did everything the program asked, besides a half an avocado with our frittata yesterday morning.

Meals: Mon. Breakfast - Spinach, Tomato, & Egg Frittata with fruit

 

Lunch - Protein Salad (Chicken, grapes, nuts, celery) on bed of Spinach, ranch dressing

 

Dinner - Spaghetti Squash, Tomato Sauce & Ground Turkey, had a bit more fruit

 

Advice? Or commiseration?

Tim

[Timalim]

P.S. I didn't include any serving sizes for the meals, but for Monday morning, I had over half of the frittata.

Lunch - I had over half of the protein salad (made from 1 lb. chicken, 1 cup grapes, 1 cup celery, 1/2 c onion, 1/2 c nuts)

 

Dinner - I had a TON - made from a 4 or 5 lb spaghetti squash, 20 oz. of ground turkey. Probably had 1 c of fruit.

 

Today, I had:

Breakfast: Some of leftovers from dinner + a fried egg

 

Lunch: Rest of leftovers from dinner + rest of protein salad (+/- 1 c) + hollowed pepper

Snacks: Apple, cherries, almonds

 

Still pretty headachy. And my wife has zonked out on the couch.

[Karen_Suep]

Things that I see. You need fat in addition to what you cook with. Maybe cut back on fruit and nuts. If you *need* carbs, try opting for starchy veggies instead of fruit. Many find a fist sized serving a day is adequate. Some need more. This will also help with eliminating the need for snacking throughout the day.

[jmcbn]

Headaches in the first few days are very common as your body adapts to the new food regime. Be sure you are drinking a half an ounce of water per pound of body weight, daily, and remember to salt your food - your sodium intake will have dropped by up to 75% if you switched to whole foods form a typical SAD diet.

Starchy veg in the early days will help with the transition, but as you move forward you'll need to tweak it a little to see what works for you, and definitely don't rely heavily on nuts as they can really encourage snacking, which you want to avoid. Keep your fruit for eating with meals, or as part of them (ie. like the grapes in your salad...).

That half an avocado with breakfast on day one was not an issue. Fat will in fact help with the headaches, energy levels & mood you need it for brain health - fat is your friend here.

You're only on day 2 - this too shall pass.

[TryingOver]

What were you eating pre-Whole30? As jmcbn said, your sodium intake likely dropped. In addition, if you were eating a lot of processed foods you were likely consuming a lot of sugar (even if you weren't eating "sweets"). I had awful headaches that I believe were likely due to sugar withdrawal and they lasted for the first 2 weeks of Whole30 (I'm on day 18 now and feeling much better and have more energy than the first two weeks). Also, if you drank a lot of soda or coffee and have cut that out or reduced your intake you might be having caffeine withdrawal. 

[kamplustwo]

This is also day two for me and I feel sore? Like from a hard workout. I’m solo in my whole30 as my husband has negative interest and my children are small. 

Im already wondering if this will be worth I️t and if I can even stick to I️t. Sorry my keyboard keeps glitching. 

[racheleats]

1 hour ago, kamplustwo said:

This is also day two for me and I feel sore? Like from a hard workout. I’m solo in my whole30 as my husband has negative interest and my children are small. 

Im already wondering if this will be worth I️t and if I can even stick to I️t. Sorry my keyboard keeps glitching. 

It gets better!! Take a look at the whole30 timeline, headaches and general feelings of exhaustion are common in the first few days as your body adjusts to this new way of eating. If you stick it out, you'll gain a ton more energy to keep up with your small children. For now, ask your husband to pitch in a little more than he usually does, as you'll be feeling tired. Try to go to bed early and make sure you're drinking plenty of water!! You can do this!

[RandiW]

On 12/13/2017 at 3:14 PM, kamplustwo said:

This is also day two for me and I feel sore? Like from a hard workout. I’m solo in my whole30 as my husband has negative interest and my children are small. 

Im already wondering if this will be worth I️t and if I can even stick to I️t. Sorry my keyboard keeps glitching. 

That's pretty normal! You're detoxing, it takes a little bit to get the tiger blood you're hoping for. Make yourself a list of why you're doing W30 and stick with it. Read (and post) on the forums, every day, if you need to. One day at a time and you'll get there. It gets easier and is the best decision I've ever made.