Headaches and zero energy

[ExAstrisScientia]

I debated posting this after posting a similar complaint a few days ago and not really receiving much of a response, but as things are not really getting better I'm trying again.

 

I'm day 16.

 

I have had a headache for the past 24 hours, and prior to that I would get them intermittently over the past week.  I am not normally prone to headaches.  As far as I can tell, I am hydrating plenty (I drank a fair amount of water before Whole 30 but am paying extra attention to it these days), eating plenty.  I am a runner training for a marathon, and my mileage is increasing.

 

Yesterday I ran 4.5 miles and did about 20 minutes of yoga, both of which were over by 7am.  By early afternoon, I was feeling particularly awful.  My energy level tanked and my head started hurting.  By evening I felt like I couldn't think straight and it was borderline alarming.  I spent a lot of time yesterday reading the forums and going through the archives on the "for athletes" sub forum.  I came to the conclusion that I was not consuming enough starchy carbs (I was typically only eating them once per day, usually in meal 3), which made me feel frustrated and foolish.  When I eat paleo and Whole 30, I have a tendency to do that if I am not careful.  So, I had some butternut squash with my dinner last night and went to bed early.  (I have also been having sleep issues for the past several nights, where I previously did not have any)

 

This morning I woke up with the headache - the throbbing kind that worsens with any kind of straining (such as bending over to pick something up, lifting, etc).  I had a small plantain with breakfast (about 1/2 cup sliced).  I plan to have apple with lunch and a sweet potato at dinner.  I have a 12 mile run tomorrow and I'm feeling really disheartened.

 

Has anyone else experienced headaches like this?  Would low carbs be the problem, and if so, why has it not gotten better after upping my consumption?  I am drinking about two quarts of water per day in addition to my morning coffee and my evening herbal tea (I am 5'4 and 135 pounds).  I add plenty of salt to my foods.

 

I appreciate any insight, I'm feeling extremely defeated.

[ladyshanny]

Morning, sorry you didn't get a response to your earlier post, the moderators are volunteers and while we try to get to everything, some get missed.

 

Please post a few days of typical consumption including portions, timing, exercise and sleep or post a link to a food log if you have been keeping one here. It's near impossible for us to trouble shoot and give you tips on what you could change/tweak without some detail on what you're doing now.

 

If the problem has been 16 days of too low carb, it is unlikely to be resolved in one meal of butternut squash and half a cup of plaintan for breakfast. Too low carb would also cause brain fog, sleep disturbance, emotional instability. We recommend that very active people start with one serving a day of starchy veggie and up that as needed until they are feeling their best.

 

If I recall correctly you'd been craving fat previously and we also suggested that you up the content of your meals, specifically protein and fat. Did you do that? Did it help? Marathon training is pretty taxing, especially if you have full weeks of training, you probably need more food than the average person. 

[ExAstrisScientia]

Sorry, I meant to add the food log before I hit "post" but hurried off to the shower - I'm off to the store to look for baby food pouches to try on my run tomorrow.  I have been trying to up the protein in my meals although finding it challenging because sometimes I am not hungry enough when I need to eat (due to schedule/timing).  I don't log it, but every morning I start off by drinking 16 ounces of lemon water first thing, before eating or having coffee.

 

Here is a record of the past three full days, plus this morning:

 

 

DAY THIRTEEN - July 18, 2016

 

Breakfast: Saute of cabbage and leftover roasted broccoli (2 cups total after cooking), 2 eggs scrambled with about ¾ cup leftover sausage and red pepper mixture, topped with 2 tbsp chipotle sauce.  Coffee with coconut milk and gelatin.

 

Post-WO: Few bites of plain chicken breast

 

Lunch: Two salmon cakes and 2 tbsp homemade ranch over 2 cups of steamed green beans tossed in 1 tsp ghee.  Cup of blueberries with 1.5 tbsp coconut butter

 

Dinner: Small sweet potato roasted and smashed, topped with 1 cup sauteed zucchini and 2 cups oven fajitas (chicken, onions, peppers), and 2 tbsp chipotle sauce.  Water to drink.

Activity: 3 mile run, 20 minute core strength yoga routine, 2 mile walk after dinner

 

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DAY FOURTEEN - July 19, 2016

Pre-WO: Small coffee with coconut milk and gelatin, hard boiled egg

Post-WO: Half palm of roasted chicken breast, a few bites of sweet potato.  Glass of water.

Breakfast: Two cups of green beans sauteed in a hefty teaspoon of ghee, 1 cup chicken breast, ¼ cup pineapple pico, topped with 2 tbsp chipotle sauce.  Leftover coffee.

Lunch: Large salad of 3 cups greens (butter lettuce/raddichio blend), 1 cup shredded carrots, 1 medium tomato, ½ avocado, and last chunk of sweet potato leftover from post-WO.  Topped with 3 salmon cakes and 3-4 tbsp homemade ranch.  Can of coconut la croix.

Dinner: Bowl of chicken coconut curry (chicken, bell peppers, eggplant, green beans, zucchini) over 1 heaping cup cauliflower rice and butternut squash mixed together.  Water to drink.

Activity: 20 minutes yoga, 5.25 mile run

 

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DAY FIFTEEN - July 20, 2016

Pre-WO: Boiled egg, small cup of coffee with gelatin

Post-WO: Half palm of chicken breast, three bites of roasted sweet potato

Breakfast: 4 mini frittatas (muffin tin size) dipped in chipotle sauce, 2 cups sauteed cauliflower and pineapple pico, ½ avocado sprinkled with gomashio.  Remainder of the coffee with an extra splash of coconut milk.

Lunch: Heaping cup of arugula and 2 cups cabbage-carrot slaw topped with 2 salmon patties and ranch dressing.  Cup of berries (blue and black) and 1.5 tbsp coconut butter.  Can of passionfruit la croix.

Dinner: 1 cup cubed butternut squash, ½ cup cauliflower rice, topped with 1.5 cups thai beef stew (beef, broccoli, carrots).  Water to drink.

Activity: 20 minutes yoga, 4.5 mile run

 

---

 

DAY SIXTEEN - July 21, 2016

Breakfast: 2 cups roasted broccoli, 4 mini frittatas with chipotle sauce for dipping, small plantain (about ½ cup sliced) fried in ghee/avocado oil.  Coffee with coconut milk and gelatin.

 

[ExAstrisScientia]

Forgot to add: I typically wake between 5 and 5:30, but the timing of my workouts varies a little bit due to my kids' and partner's varying schedules.  I eat breakfast anywhere from 8-9am (after working out, pre and post-WO foods, shower), although on rest days I eat earlier.  I always eat something within an hour of waking.  Lunch is typically around 12:30 or 1pm, and dinner is generally around 5:30 or 6.  I go to bed by 9pm.

[ladyshanny]

Having read your outline, I stand by my statements above. I really don't see anything particularly outstanding though besides the lack of starchy veggie in appreciable quantities.

 

If the problem has been 16 days of too low carb, it is unlikely to be resolved in one meal of butternut squash and half a cup of plaintan for breakfast. Too low carb would also cause brain fog, sleep disturbance, emotional instability. We recommend that very active people start with one serving a day of starchy veggie and up that as needed until they are feeling their best.

 

If I recall correctly you'd been craving fat previously and we also suggested that you up the content of your meals, specifically protein and fat. Did you do that? Did it help? Marathon training is pretty taxing, especially if you have full weeks of training, you probably need more food than the average person. 

[ExAstrisScientia]

Thank you ladyshanny.  I'm going to eat starchy carbs with all of my meals today (and eat more of them in general going forward), and be gentle on myself during the run tomorrow.  I'll pack it in early if I have to (I'm relatively early enough in my training that a shortened long run isn't going to hurt my progress, just my pride).

 

Frustrating to feel like I thought I was doing everything "right" but glossed over something that should be pretty obvious, especially as an athlete, especially as someone who ran into this exact issue a few months ago in early spring when I went paleo during a marathon training cycle.