Headaches and irritability on program

[ef78]

I am wondering if anyone has had this problem... I've been on the max wt loss program for 1 week now with my family, and we are all extrememley irritable and have headaches. Could this be normal? I want to quit, and don't. Also, we are craving sugar. I still need to lose between 56-76 lbs. Please help.

[SactoBob]

My transition symptoms were like a mild flu, and included headaches. Have you seen anything by Douglas Lisle? He explains transition problems. They do not last that long, but every person is different. Keep hanging in there. Once you are past the transition, things are great.

Be sure to eat enough. You don't want to combine starting MWL with portion control as well. Eat until you are satisfied.

[talkingmountain]

I recall seeing others complain of similar symptoms.

If you followed Dr. McD's recommendation to also give up caffeinated foods (cocoa, chocolate, coffee, sodas, most tea, etc), then you will almost certainly have headaches & irritability for a few days. Seems to take 3-7 days for it to clear for most people. If the symptoms are too unbearable, you can go off the caffeine gradually to avoid them.

Like Bob said, make sure you are eating plenty. I'm still learning how to do this, but I am convinced he's right. It can be really hard to let yourself eat at the first sign of hunger (for me, that's often feeling irritable, tired, or foggy-brained) when you've spent years being told by the "experts" that you need to "eat less, move more" to lose weight. You will eat MORE, lots more, on this program. Especially the first few weeks - you will likely be incredibly hungry and feel like it's impossible to safely eat as much as you want. But it is. And you will still lose weight!

[bunsofaluminum]

could it be a system cleanse? I got mildly achey and "slow" or foggy, as my system cleared out the toxins that had been building when I started feeding it clean food.

Give it another week...you won't regret it!

[ef78]

Thanks so much for the info. I am sure that's what it is.. transition. I was eating vegan for 2 weeks prior to finding the MD program tho. I am still drinking coffee. I drink a lot of it, but my other fam members do not.

Maybe I am not eating the right things at the right time...?

I eat hashbrowns for breakfast, a low cal salad or a dip with veggies for lunch, a low-cal salad and main dish for dinner. I really want to get healthy and trim. I am so excited, and need to feel good doing it.

[Faith in DC]

You really need to eat more. That isn't much at all. Add a starch at lunch, add some fruit at breakfast, and add some veggies at dinner and possible more starch.

I'd have a headache and be irritable too, heck I'd be down right ticked. I decided years ago, that I'd never go hungry in order to lose weight. I refuse. Don't be afraid to eat.

[ef78]

Thank you. Are you eating a lot of the reciepes from the book?

[Steve]

EF78

I was just thinking, are you on any type of medicines? If you are on BP or cholesterol these may need to be adjusted. The BP goes down really quickly. It is important how you adjust these, so you will need to see or at least call the doctor. For sure read all of the warnings on the medicines and call the doctor if you are experiencing any of them. Tell the doctor what you are doing, unfortunately you may be the only newly low fat vegan client they ever had.

Steve

PS

I have most of the books. The MWL has some great recipes. I used to make the Fried rice all the time. To make it easy I use powder ginger and garlic and Success Brand Brown rice. Just boil water. Add bags of rice and is ready in 10 minutes.

But my all time favorite from the book is the Vegetable Chilli. To make it easy I make a double batch and use canned beans, rinsed and drained. I also add chopped celery and 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper. The chilli goes great over rice or potatoes. Remember in MWL you are supposed to have no more than 1/2 veggies and the other 1/2 to 3/4 starch.

Say goodbye to the headache, until you come off of coffee.

[chrisv]

I have been eating this way for a few years, but sometimes I get a headache and if I eat it goes away, which makes me think it is low blood sugar. Usually I feel hungry and then eat, but if I have a headache I know I need to eat, even if I don't feel hungry.

Anyway something you could try. Chrisv

[ef78]

Thats exactly how I have ALWAYS been. I don't ever get "hungry", I get headaches, dizzy and nauseaus. I am not on any medicines that control BP or Cholesterol, but I am on an antidepressant...? I am doing Mary's mini 10 day with potatoes, and feeling GREAT!!!! The irritability is still lingering with all of us, but I am guessing that it's partially due to the cleansing. This is the best program I have ever been on. Sometimes, the food is so good it doesn't seem like I can eat as much as I want. I'm not seeing the weight come off as fast as I think it should, considering what I USED to eat. lol.

I've been mcdougaling for maybe 4 weeks, and eating vegan for 6 weeks and I'm down 13 lbs. That includes 2 lbs in 3 days of the mini.

Thanks for all the suggestions and support!
Have a great week all!

[ivy]

Thats exactly how I have ALWAYS been. I don't ever get "hungry", I get headaches, dizzy and nauseaus.

You may be one of those people who does not possess a natural sense of hunger. I don't and neither does my SO. Neither of us have a clue what folks are talking about when they say that they're "hungry". No one has been able to explain to either one of us how they know that they are hungry. What are the cues? What do they feel like? I know that if I go long enough without eating, I'll develop a headache and feel weak,...but that takes a long time....like 2 days and I know enough to eat before then. If you don't have a sense of hunger you have probably learned to gauge your eating based on reminding yourself (when did I last eat?) and portion size (is this the amount I usually eat). I actually write it down because otherwise I often can't remember if and when I've ate. Depending on what you were eating previous to the McDougall diet, you may need to significantly increase the amount you are eating. When I cut out high fat foods, I was amazed by how much I need to eat each day to maintain my weight and energy level.

I also don't think that there is any connection between a sense of hunger (or lack of) and weight. I'm skinny, my SO is obese. Neither of us get hungry....ever.

[Tazi752000]

If the sugar cravings are to bad try eating a piece of fruit. Apples seem to be really great right now and they are very low in calorie.

I know I still get sugar cravings and I just eat an apple or a pear and they easily go away.

As for the crankiness, others have mentioned hunger already and I agree there. You may also want to try chamomile tea. It is a very relaxing drink and can help calm irritability.

Good Luck!

[althearose]

I just started on March 15th and I've had headaches pretty constantly, then last Wednesday I got the "flu" out of nowhere. Headaches, flu like symptoms, body aches. Wondering if I could have been detoxing.

I am also a coffee drinker, and while I have cut back I have not eliminated altogether as I don't need more headaches on top of headaches. I think I am eating well.

All I can think is detox.