How to alleviate carb withdrawal headache

[SarahJaynee]

I'm running around in circle here and could use some advise.
I want to lose a few pounds (around 10-12) and a few months ago I tried Atkins. Yes it worked very very quickly BUT I felt like ♥♥♥♥, low energy so I couldnt do my usual workouts and I felt low.
I lost 5kg in 2 weeks and that was the only part I was happy with. What I did learn was that I am addicted to sugar/simple carbs.
A few months on and back to my usual diet (tut tut) I once again felt the need to take action and cut down on carbs. However at the end of day 1 I get a monster of a headache, it starts off as a dull toothache behind my left eye and then manifests into a pain like a rat gnawing through the inside of my head! Totally debilitating. I tried self medication with Tylenol, cafergot, anti-inflammatories but nothing touches it. I cannot sleep through the headache so by day 2 I can cope with the pain even less as I'm exhausted through lack of sleep.
The only thing that takes the headache away is by eating carbs! (of course!).
I keep myself hydrated and not hungry.
How should I cope? Ive tried removing all carbs and Ive tried just cutting down (only 1 wholegrain carb meal a day) but the headache feels the same.
I'm contemplating a drug induced coma for 3 days to get me over the worst! LOL
Any healthier advice?

[ssandra]

Go back to your normal diet and slowly build down the carbs instead of all at once.

[SarahJaynee]

Hi Ssandra - I have tried that by first cutting out carb snacks and then moving slowly to cutting out carbs at just one meal - but I still get the monster headache whether its slowly or cut out ALL carbs in a day.
Ive only had this "addiction" for about a year as before that I was what I consider very healthy -vegan, raw and fasting once a week.
Now I have this addiction that has taken a hold.
I'm wondering whether to go off to a beach hut or retreat for a few days armed with some valium or vicadin and just see it out once and for all.....?

[ssandra]

Maybe fast completely for 24 or 48 hours? And then eat whatever you normally eat?

I'll bow out of this conversation now, since I have no experience with this.

Good luck!

[votoshka]

I think all you can do is drink lots of water to keep hydrated, and ride it out! Given another day or so, the headache will be gone. But yeah... it's a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ getting withdrawal!

[Andrew Brunelle]

I'm not a big fan of radical diet changes. I'd be more in favor of a transitional diet, like the one offered at Mercola.com. It has three steps to optimal health. Three different steps to get to where you need to be to be in optimal health. Cutting out most carbs in a short period of time will shock your system, and to avoid withdrawal, wean yourself off the carbs, rather than just stopping them cold turkey. Same goes with sugar.

Food addiction is something we all deal with on one level or another. For example, I know that I am addicted to sugar, but I've also lived for months without eating hardly any sugar. So, instead of eating processed sugars, I now drink a fruit/veggie smoothie every morning to curb my sugar cravings. It's far better than scarfing down a whole bag of Chex Mix or M&M's. As I go on, I make my smoothies more veggie and less fruit...until they are about 50/50 in volume and now refined sugar is less and less of a problem.

[votoshka]

The thing is, you can remove a carb addiction in just three days, as long as you get past the initial withdrawal! So I'm all for doing it quickly rather than drawing it out.

[Wehey]

Maybe you should try more of a "Primal" approach to your eating as Atkins is a bit hardcore.
Try limiting carbs to 75-100grams a day. You should get the weight loss but without the carb flu

[Andrew Gubb]

Hey, this is only what I think, and individual beliefs may differ, but I think you're getting headaches and low energy because the Atkin's diet is insanely bad for your body...

[nzmegs]

Andrew you are so right - but for many people carbs are insanely addictive and bad for them. I am a vegetarian and still manage to eat a low carb diet. I beleive in the Atkins type diet as for me i know it is the only way I keep my body weight at a reasonable level. As soon as i eat too many carbs I get poor skin, weight gain, tiredness and actually, I get headaches.

My advice is this: Cut back the carbs to your atkins levels and when the headaches kick in try eating some carbs with protein. For example greek yoghurt with some nuts, some berries with cream, a slice of wheat toast with peanut butter.

This should help you through the headache phase without throwig you completely off the plan.

Good luck. Just remember - never eat carbs without protein.

[CoolBee]

Try doing it in stages - initially just cut the wheat-based carbs, then other grain based carbs. You can still be getting carbs from veg, fruit, dairy.

Or, just stock up on your painkiller of choice and go with it for 3-4 days!