New on Keto with headaches

(Uche) #1

Hi everyone, I am about 5 weeks on the Keto diet and the headache is killing me. Nothing seems to be helping, I add Himalayan pink salt to my water, I drink Dr. Berg’s electrolyte powder, drink Apple cider vinegar, and take a magnesium tablet as a supplement, still I have a headache all day long. What am I doing wrong please?

#2

unfortunately some people have genetic issues that don’t allow them to utilize ketones effectively. this could be the case. you might do better with whole food carbohydrates in your diet (sweet potatoes etc)

you can quit the acv, its pointless. keep it if you enjoy it but no one ever suffered from an ACV deficiency. :slight_smile:

there is a chance you are eating just enough carbs to keep your brain "confused’ and in a perpetual state of switching between mostly ketones and mostly sugar.

try eliminating all sources of carbs for at least 3 days, keep up with the salt (at least 5 grams a day) and water and see how it goes.

(MelissaH) #3

Can you give us a full day of eating? All day headaches sound miserable…

(Uche) #4

I start my day with ACV and a cup of coffee. I drink a bulletproof coffee at about 11am (I add 2 spoons of coconut oil, mct, butter and a spoon of ghee, with a dash of heavy cream) I eat another meal at about 2 pm which could be a chicken thigh and about a cup of broccoli (I’m not sure that’s enough vegetable) but I’m not able to eat more as I get full so quickly. Then at about 5pm I eat a salad (I don’t usually measure this but I feel like it’s not really too much compared to what I see as the recommended amount), one or two avocados and that’s it for the day. Sometimes I have a tea or decaf coffee before bed at about 9pm.
I’m sure I’m making a lot of mistakes and I’m not good at measuring and counting but I’m ready to try whatever it takes. Thank you.

(Uche) #5

I’ll try your recommendations. Thanks.

(MelissaH) #6

The first thing that stands out is your not eating enough, and protein seems to be lacking. Maybe try eggs, and a protein for breakfast and a fatty protein with a veggie for dinner. Salads are fine too.

(MelissaH) #7

I should also add that there is such a thing as too much fat. Especially if your goal is weight loss. Adjusting your macros, listening to your body, and making changes to find what works for you is always a good thing.

(Amy Ramadan) #8

Are you drinking enough water? A lot of headaches come On as a way of telling your body you aren’t getting enough fluids!! Good luck, hope you can find a solutuon!!

#9

There is no such thing as too much fat if you’re only 5 weeks into keto! 100% fat adaptation doesn’t happen till at least week 6, and for many folks, it takes up to six months, and some up to a year! (@Monurse) It’s only after solid fat-adaptation and appetite reduction due to hormone balancing related to ghrelin/leptin (via low carb/keto or fasting) that dietary fat reduction per se is advisable. For more on that Phinney MD PhD & Volek PhD RD’s book The Art & Science of Low Carbohydrate Living is excellent. Dr. Jason Fung’s intermittent & extended fasting approach outlined his book The Obesity Code is excellent - by shortening the eating window - gorging on fat is acceptable within that window within a well formulated, reasonable low carb context (not even keto a lot of the time).

Electrolytes are critically important ( salt and a li’l lemon juice make a tasty electrolytic assist in drinking water - and there are more fancy recipes for Keto Aid beverage here and online).

Also, don’t underestimate the detoxification processes going on. The liver, and the kidneys, are changing a lot on a cellular level! If you use the search bar there are past threads on detox. Salt plays a huge role in detox, because of how it facilitates cellular hydration which in turn facilitates toxin release.

During these early months especially - be vigilant about consuming salt. Snack on it, seriously! Dr. Phinney recommends using two bouillon cubes a day to make mugs of salty broth.

If you’re supplementing with enough salt, your headaches should cease. But if you’re also deficient in other minerals like magnesium and/or potassium (for example, if you sweat on the job or in workouts - or you’re noticing muscle cramping) you should look at angstrom magnesium high-absorption supplementation and something like one avocado a day for potassium. :avocado::herb::bacon:

(Wendy) #10

You know I remember I had a headache in the beginning. I took some Tylenol and slept a bit more for a week or so. Now I can’t remember if I’ve had another headache since then.

(Uche) #11

I am drinking enough water, 5+ bottles of water daily. I was also told that too water will wash out more electrolytes thereby causing more headaches. (So confusing)!
Thanks for taking the time to respond to my post.

(Empress of the Unexpected) #12

Thanks for being realistic. I think fat adaption happens later if you are older. No six to eight weeks. I am 60. I’m at six months and still hungry, Slowly progressing. But pounds are melting and I feel good. Everyone’s body is different.

#13

And, water should always be in relationship w/ salt - it is their synergy that makes true hydration possible, otherwise, the wash-out of minerals can happen.

There is a valid point made by some that there are more people having problems because of too much water without enough salt.

Thus Dr. Phinney’s bouillon suggestion = or mixed with a little concentrated salt water (sole) or a sea salt (I like Himalayan, and Utah Real Salt for their minerals.) I start everyday with a tsp of concentrated salt water in my morning mug of (nano-filtered) water, salt my meals abundantly, and, if feeling “off” after a water weight drop, I just nibble on salt straight. Sets me right within minutes.

#14

@Uche

‘Enough water’ depends how big the bottles of water are…? If you are drinking 5 bottles 330ml then that is a third of the size of 5 litre bottles.

Actually I hate this blanket idea that we should ‘drink more’.

The reality is that we should drink enough water for our body.

The best guides I know are to start with approx a litre per 70 pounds of body weight (a litre per stone in UK Language). Then add or reduce according to colour of urine.

For heavens sake don’t listen to people who say xamount is too much or too little, they don’t have your height, weight, muscle:fat ratio, climate, activity level, salt/electrolyte intake or kidneys.

And yes, keep your electrolytes in balance.

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-the-color-of-your-urine-says-about-you-infographic/

(Running from stupidity) #15

+1

(MelissaH) #16

I stand corrected @SlowBurnMary
At 5 weeks your right. @Uche full day of eating was around 1200 calories. 42g protein, 11g carbs, 108g fat. Making adjusts and finding what works for your body is important. If what your doing isn’t working it’s time to change some things up.
KCKO

(Christy Moreno) #17

I am having similar issues. Daily migraines for weeks now. I’m trying to stick with it. I’ve been Keto and low carb off and on for years. Exhausted because of the headaches.
I drink plenty of water but def wasn’t getting enough magnesium and potassium. Got a supplement and started that yesterday. Don’t think I can have any sweeteners. Got some allulose and hope it could be good for occasional treats.
I’ve been scanning these forums for any assistance.
Blood sugar is around 90 and ketones are averaging around 2.5 the last week. Been eating roughly one meal a day. I know I’m doing something wrong and hope the addition of magnesium and potassium will help.
Pretty desperate for help. Taking sumatriptan daily is not sustainable. Used Keto diet in past with success. Not sure what has changed :confused:

(MelissaH) #18

Try adding more sodium as others have suggested in this thread and see if that helps!

(Uche) #19

Thanks to everyone for their input. I am so glad I found this forum. Haven’t had a headache since yesterday, I’m not sure what I did right, or maybe it was time for it to stop. I know that I had bacon and eggs yesterday for breakfast, then chicken thigh (my fav :woman_shrugging:t4:) and some coffee and butter for lunch. For some reason I am still unable to measure anything, I want to think it’s because I’m from a place (Nigeria) where we basically used eye measurements for every food ingredient, I didn’t eat any vegetables as I wasn’t sure if I was having too much carbs from broccoli.
Thanks again everyone, and if anyone has a way that make it easier to understand food measuring, please let me know, I need more education on that. I was amazed at how @Monurse calculated my intake and came to 1200 calories, It still feels like magic (that’s how much I can’t calculate) to me.
Well, enough rambling. :wave:t5:

(MelissaH) #20

@Uche it’s the nurse coming out in me I guess🤣 you can download cronometer and input all your food there. It’s very easy to follow. That’s how I figured out your calories. Looks like the extra protein did your body some good. I have eggs almost everyday!