Headaches at Day 25

[nanette09]

Hi, I'm on Day 25. I've been experiencing headaches lately and wonder what could be causing them at this late date?

- I have been W30 food/drink compliant throughout

- I get 7-8 hrs sleep

- I drink plenty of water. Sometimes with lemon. Sometimes seltzer water with lemon.

- Rooibos tea in the evening.

- I DO drink 2 - 3 cups of coffee every morning - black. 

Can the caffeine be the cause? I never drink coffee at night, but one night I did and woke up with a headache at 4 am (I give myself points because I met my sister for COFFEE instead of our usual glass of wine!) And now I'm noticing them in the morning.

Does anyone know of any other foods that can cause headaches - the ones that we are eating on the W30?

Thanks!

 

 

[SugarcubeOD]

Headache is not a normal symptom of the Whole30 at this stage. One reason it could be happening is under eating, otherwise, you may consider barometer change, scent sensitivity, sinus congestion, stress to be factors that are causing your headache.

If you want to confirm that you're not undereating, please feel free to list two or three days of your food intake along with portion sizes, specific protein, veggies and fats.

One other question, what is 'plenty of water'?  Is it 1/2oz per pound of body weight?  That being, if you weigh 120 pounds, you'd be drinking at least 60 oz of water.

[nanette09]

Thanks for responding @SugarcubeOD

This has been my schedule for the last three days (boy, am I glad I kept a food journal!) Everything I eat is compliant to W30.

I drink one mug of coffee at home + one travel mug size (16 oz?) on commute to work (on an empty stomach - but I am always ready/hungry to eat by the time I get to work - which has been my habit for the last 18 years - eating at work that is).

I switch to water after that. I'm not tracking the ounces, but usually 2 - 2 1/2 cups at work (16 oz cup)

Maybe two 8 oz glasses more at home.

Before I started the W30, the scale said 130lb. I am 5'6" tall. I know that I have lost weight (my jeans are loose, and I can see it in the mirror). So even at the 130lbs, I'm probably not drinking enough. : (

Tuesday:

B - Breakfast bake made with cage-free eggs, and diced broccoli, spinach, tomato & onion, and Aidell's Chicken Apple sausage (a 1/8 piece cut from a 9 x 11 vinaigrette casserole) + a clementine

L - Leftover pot roast with carrots, potato & onion (garlic, salt & pepper spices) - portion fits into a 4" x 5" glass storage container + pear sprinkled with cinnamon

D - Pork chop (1) (grass fed, organic) cabbage, onion & carrots - filled most of plate + grapes (6-7)

Rooibos tea

Wednesday:

B - Same breakfast bake as previous  + a banana

L - Zucchini fritter (salt, almond flour, egg, chives, salt & pepper) with ranch dressing (egg, olive oil, red wine vinegar, chives, parsley, dill, onion & garlic powder, cilantro, salt & pepper) + 3/4 Aidell's sausage + clementine

After work (4:30 pm) - regular size coffee + Lara Bar (lemon) I usually don't have coffee/snack - this was a special meeting with my sis - instead of wine.

D - Baked Salmon with spices + sweet potato (with salt & cinnamon) + steamed broccoli (with salt)

Rooibos tea

Thursday:

B  - Same breakfast bake as previous + clementine

L - Leftover salmon dinner from night before

D - Scallops in ginger and blueberry sauce (from W30 book) + baby kale salad with italian vinaigrette

Rooibos tea

 

I have to report that today's headache lasted all day, but gradually lessened after I ate lunch, and started on my third cup of water. It's now 3:30 PM, and the headache is gone.

 

Thanks for your help!

Nanette

 

 

[SugarcubeOD]

Hi @nanette09

Thanks for listing your meals in good detail! My suspicion that your headaches are caused from being under nourished are pretty well confirmed. 

I notice there's no fat with any of them except the one with ranch dressing and the one with the vinagarette.  If you're banking on the cooking fat, it's negligible when it gets left in the pan or split between portion sizes, so we recommend to add fat as per the template to each meal.  Olives, avocado, mayo would all have worked well with your meals.

How many eggs does 1/8 of a fritatta give you? Unless you used 16 eggs (which I doubt), that serving size of protein, even with the sausage in there is probably light.  I"d also recommend that you go ahead and add veggies to your breakfast... I know there's some diced veggies in the bake, but I suspect it wouldn't even come to a 1/2 cup if you were to pick them out... 

Your lunch was listed as 3/4 of a sausage for the protien?  Does that equal the length, width and thickness of your palm if you smoothed it out?

Definitely work on increasing that water intake... you're only about halfway to the recommendation by my calculation so that will help a lot!

I think if you can go back and look at the template (linked below) and make your meals match, you'll probably solve the headaches.  My suggestion would be to look at eating toward the middle/high end of the template (instead of one palm of protein, go for 1.5-2).  Nutrition is cumulative and if you've been eating this light for 25 days, you've got some catching up to do.

Well done getting this far, it's all a learning curve and you're doing great!

[nanette09]

Thanks @SugarcubeOD

I realize now that I am eating too light - old habits and all. I will take note and increase accordingly, esp. the fats, which I know where lacking.

And increase my water as well.

It never occurred to me that not eating enough would lead to a headache!

Thanks so much for your help!!

 

Nanette

[erinchristen]

This is so helpful. I was wondering why I kept waking up with headaches!

Just ate 1/2 an avocado...

5 more days!