The FastDay Forum

I've always been a person that is prone to headaches, but for a good while now (over a year) I haven't been having them as often as I used to.

I've only just completed my first fast week, but I had cracking headaches both fast days. I even tried my super-duper migraine tablets that always work a treat, and they didn't even touch it!

I drink absolutely loads of fluids so I know it's not dehydration. Is this something that will go as my body gets used to it? If you guys suffer with headaches, how do you deal with them?

Drinking excessively will exaggerate the salt loss that occurs in fasting and may lead to headaches. Perhaps a better balance of salt to water intake will help.

Suffered with them for about 2 weeks but after that they seemed to pass. (In my case it might have been latte withdrawal )

Seriously though nikkijayne they do pass if you can cope with them. Good luck

[janeg]

Yep, what Phil says. Too much water flushes out the electrolytes and makes us feel very bad. Folk on here recommend bullion or stock cubes, I use rehydration salts in with a berocca, or a pinch of salt and sugar in the water. Each to their own, but do try one of them.
Oh, and I would keep an eye on caffeine levels too. Suggest keeping them the same until you're in the swing of it. Hopefully that'll help and you won't suffer again.

I agree with janeg on caffeine - don't go cold turkey. If you were normally drinking a couple of lattes a day, of course you know that on a fast day you will use up your calorie allowance quickly so you forego them. But your body is still craving the caffeine, and your head will pound if it doesn't get it. Switch to a black coffee with just a dash of skim milk to take the bitterness out (what's that, about 20 calories? Subtract it from your 500 for the day) and a Splenda if you would usually have sugar.

One of the hidden problems with 5:2 (which doesn't have to be a problem if you're aware of it) is that you switch back and forth between "fast" mode and "normal" mode. So if you decide to forego your normal coffee consumption on a fast day because you can't have it as you would like it, then revert back to it when you next feed, your body is in a constant state of caffeine expectation and never gets used to the reduction. So you either need to adapt your consumption to the same level as normal but something you can work into a fast, or decrease it gradually over time. I drink exactly the same amount of coffee on a fast day as a feed day (lots!) but I always have it filtered with some milk - skim on fast days, semi-skim on feed days. On fast days I have no sugar, on feed days I have just a little.

Good luck!

Hi Nikkijayne

I did my first fast yesterday and by 7pm had a cracker of a headache too . It got a wee bit better after dinner but I too am hoping they will get less frequent as I progress. Good tips once again from everyone

Alf

I never have a headache on a fast day, but always wake up the next morning with a headache and a horrible light headed feeling. I am now trying eating some fruit and yoghurt for breakfast on my next feed day incase my blood sugar level is low? We will see if this works.