Ive been on the diet for one week lost 3lbs and I have been sticking to the plan. I have type 2 diabetes and my blood sugars have dropped through the floor, which I’m very pleased about! The only problem is that I have been getting terrible headaches and flashing zig zag lights. I have been drinking water until it is coming out of my ears any suggestions?

I can’t comment on the migraines because I’ve never had them.

But how much water are you drinking?

Hi Lessness

Not sure what this could be, but one thing you could try if you are drinking so much is adding a bit more salt to the diet as you will be weeing it out with a vengeance and leaving yourself very short. You could add more salt to food, or possibly have some miso soup, or just dissolve a stock cube in a mug of boiling water as a drink to see how you get on.

Hope this helps 🙂

Hello Lessness,

Sorry to hear you’ve been having awful headaches. I’m also a migraine suffer so can sympathise entirely. I’d definitely try Igor’s suggestion to add a little more salt if you can. Otherwise, have you started eating anything you wouldn’t normally consumer if you hadn’t started this diet? For some people food can definitely be a migraine trigger. If you don’t do so already, it might be worth keeping a combined food/headache diary for a while to see if you can identify any patterns. I have done this in the past and have been surprised by things that can set me off (bananas, for instance!). Hopefully they will wear off soon as you adjust to the new way of eating 🙂

Hello Lessness, I don’t know what it would be but if you’re only one week in, it sounds familiar, I had very bad headaches for the first few weeks, mostly carb withdrawal symptoms. Not very positive, but it will pass, stick at it

Also, another tip I was given years ago which generally seems to work is when a headache/migraine starts, eat something that is naturally green. Apparently the chlorophyll in whatever it is you’re eating works to combat the headache. Can be a bit hit and miss so you might want to have some actual medication as back up, but worth a try!

I had a migraine on my first day and ended up throwing up my dinner, which I considered a total waste of calories!! I was very photo sensitive and had acute pain until 5am the next morning. It was also suggested to me that I up my salt intake and, fingers crossed, I’ve been OK since. The combination of carb withdrawal, calorie withdrawal and probably a bit of dehydration is definitely enough to trigger them so all the above tips are great but don’t be afraid to medicate if you have too.

Hope it passes soon and good luck with your journey
TC 🙂

Thank you for all your tips and encouragement. I have tried adding a bit more salt and keeping up with the drinking and it has really helped. I’m sure it’s me just getting used to the different eating patterns. 😃