Day 10 - Muscle Cramps/Migraine

[jb1212]

Day 10 and my energy is up, my mood is lifted...but I am having leg cramps in the middle of the night and my neck has been cramped all week, giving me horrible migraines (a chronic problem for me that I am hoping to help with Whole30, but they are getting worse instead of better). I was reading the forums for advice on leg cramps and I saw magnesium recommended, which I already take, and possibly potassium (I eat an avocado every day, and I am also adding in a banana), and also sodium, which I already salt my food very heavily. Thinking of starting to take a multivitamin and also maybe getting some electrolyte water (not sure if it's compliant, need to research).

 

Here's what I ate yesterday:

 

Breakfast: half banana, three egg "muffins" with mushrooms and onions

Lunch: ground beef and compliant spaghetti sauce, spaghetti squash, roasted sweet potatoes, broccoli

Snack (I need to eat in the afternoon or I get a terrible headache): sunflower seeds, half banana

Dinner: Crockpot carnitas, compliant salsa, guacamole

 

Looking at this I can see that I was very short on veggies. It's hard for me to get them in in the morning but I do usually have them with dinner. 

 

Any thoughts? I'm so discouraged by my headache right now.

[Tom Denham]

You are not eating enough food in general. Three egg muffins probably did not include at least 3 whole eggs, so that would put you short on protein. If breakfast is a guide to your other serving sizes, you are not eating enough. Needing to eat seeds and half a banana to avoid a headache in the afternoon is the big signal that you are not eating enough. And at dinner, there was virtually no veggies. Eat more of everything. 

 

I used to have leg cramps in series that lasted for weeks and then they would disappear for a while but come back. I never found a formula of food or supplements that "fixed" them for me. However, it just dawned on me that I probably have not had leg cramps in at least a year and maybe two years. The only thing I can think of is that I do a better job of drinking lots of water. I thought I drank enough before, but my doctor keeps nagging me to drink because she says my blood work shows her I am not drinking enough. 

 

How much to eat

http://whole30.com/downloads/whole30-meal-planning.pdf

[jb1212]

Thanks Tom! Eat more, drink more water, got it. I try to drink a lot of water but I am a big person (trying to change that too!) and so I'm not sure I ever really hit what I really need. I need to figure out how to eat more at breakfast, nothing sounds good ever at that time of day and I feel like I'm choking it down. Maybe if I could split it up over a couple hours it would work better. I used to snack on veggies and dip at work around 9, maybe I need to bring that back.

[Tom Denham]

Our bodies can take some time to adjust to eating a substantial breakfast. One good approach is to prepare a good breakfast and eat as much as you can within one hour of waking. Then wrap it up and eat the rest later when you are able (before lunch). Be sure to eat protein, fat, and veggies when you eat. Don't eat just the protein or just the veggies at any one time. 

 

When your hormones are in a good rhythm, you will experience some hunger in the morning to help you eat. If you drink coffee, hold off until after you eat. Coffee is an appetite suppressant. 

[jb1212]

Thanks Tom! Good tip about always eating protein plus veggies together, I didn't know that.