Weight Loss and Migraines

[dinosaurrisotto]

I need to lose a lot of weight. I also suffer from migraines, triggered in part by monthly hormonal changes but also by feeling hungry, not eating regularly etc. The two just don't seem to work together. I feel i'm in a continual loop of:

1. Start diet
2. Trigger a massive migraine on day 2 or so (my migraines are debilitating, often last a few days and i have young children that require me to be 'on it' all the time).
3. Stuff my face as part of my migraine recovery process.
4. Spend a few days/weeks feeling fat and horrible so repeat steps 1-4.

I have migraine tablets that definitely help, but they don't stop the migraine from coming or get rid of it for several hours at least. Then sometimes i still get another migraine the next day.

Has anyone experienced this? Any tips? It seems impossible to push myself through the migraine stage to see if things improve after a week or two.

Could you keep a diary of your migraines and any triggers? It may be that they are not triggered by dieting, but by a certain ingredient you have more of when dieting? Eg. Coffee, sweeteners, certain spices, vinegar/fermented foods, certain fruits, etc.

Also if you are eating less you need to be drinking more. Dehydration is a big trigger for me!

Getting your migraines under control would be a good start, but equally the weight loss may have a positive hormonal effect which could help anyway, either way I think being under a specialist for migraine would be helpful (if you're not already)

Hypoglycaemia is one of my classic migraine triggers. It's difficult, I also have the 'diet - hunger - low blood sugar - migraine' merry-go-round.

You say you stuff your face as part of your migraine recovery process. But does that need to last for weeks after or could you rein it in quicker?

Making dramatic changes can be a problem for migraine sufferers, so making smaller changes may work better. It's usually the best method long term anyway. Eg. Drink one extra glass of water each day, or have a 10 minute walk, or eat an extra vegetable each day. Start small and build up.

Meditation, yoga, anything that relaxes mind and/or body is great too. Hopefully less migraines, more hormonal regulation and a happier you too. Again start small.

Try sleeping more. Tiredness can be a big migraine trigger (as can caffeine which is often a reaction to not sleeping well). Not sleeping enough can effect weight too. It screws with insulin levels, creates sugar cravings, and raised stress hormones which can lead to binge eating/ emotional eating.

There are some supplements that can help with migraine, stress and the brain. Seeing a nutritionist or reading up on nutrition specific to migraine and related hormones might be a good move too. I don't just mean female hormones (although they can play a massive part!) but things like cortisol, dopamine, serotonin, etc.

I find eating more fat and less sugar helps. Nowhere even close to Keto, but just reaching for a slice of cheese or a handful of nuts instead of a cereal bar makes a big difference, even when the protein content is the same

Hi OP. I can definitely relate. I used to have crippling migraines and I also used to eat sugary food to try to recover from that sick shaky feeling you get after it wears off. Mine also lasted 3 days on average and like you, I’d take medication only for it to come back the next day.
I knew I need to lose weight though and I started a healthy eating plan on 29 March this year. My migraines seemed to be hormonal as they would come around the time of my period. I started my diet straight after my period so that I wouldn’t have to deal with PMT crap at the beginning.
Since getting my eating under control and losing weight (I am down nearly 39 lb since and almost in the healthy BMI range), my migraines have more or less disappeared! I’d suffered for years with them and thought I’d have them forever or at least until menopause. But I haven’t had one now for 6 months. I’ve had a few headaches but ones I can zap with paracetamol rather than having to lie in the dark feeling sick and dizzy or take sumatriptan.

If you avoid dropping your cals too low that might help ward off an initial attack. If you try just eating healthy at the beginning (but keeping cals to about 1800 or so and exercising to raise your calorie-burn) it is less likely to drop your blood sugar and trigger a migraine. You can then drop down gradually if you feel you need to.

I so relate to this! But once I’ve got over the initial shock to the system it settles down. Weightwatchers is quite good because I can have the nice WW chocolate bars when I have a migraine which aren’t many points but still feel like a treat. It is really shitty though. I’m the same with exercise. Can’t start any new exercise regime without triggering awful migraines and then the last thing I want to do is sodding exercise!

When you start your diet phase, can you be a little less strict with it so that it's not such a shock on your body? Don't suddenly dive into low carbing or halving your calorie intake for example.
I realise that this will mean it will take you longer but at least you've got a fighting chance of getting there eventually.
Also look into a good quality magnesium supplement which is often recommended for migraineurs.

I was listening to a podcast on migraines this week and the Dr felt strongly that regular meals were very important. You can still diet but you need to eat regularly with a good mix of fat/protein/carbs.

I get this and when I started a new eating programme 3 months ago I got a cracker of a migraine on the second week due to the huge immediate calorie deficit. So for me, maybe similar to you, low blood sugar is a trigger as is not eating something immediately after exercising even if it’s a banana or crackers with skinny laughing cow etc and on days when I run I will eat an extra snack. Also yep to drinking buckets of water.

I spread my food through the day, breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack it’s low calorie but covers all the food groups and I eat approx every 2-3hrs so my blood sugar stays steady and my metabolism is perkier.

Thanks everyone. I will take on board all of your advice. I do need to sleep more/better and also drink more water so will endeavour to do that. Will also look at magnesium supplements. I guess i have so much weight to lose that a slow start is demotivating. Yes, i agree that it must be something to do with my blood sugar levels dropping and therefore triggering a migraine. Although i'm on the verge of diabetes so i want my levels to drop, i just can't cope with the resulting migraines! I'll try again but this time accept that i need to gradually decrease my calories and sugar intake over time, rather than all at once. I am also a diet coke addict, so i'm sure the caffeine doesn't help (although i crave it when i have a migraine).

@dinosaurrisotto I could have written this post. If I don’t eat regularly get migraines. If I exercise too intensely I get migraines. I have put on 2 stone in 4 years - even though I don’t drink, walk 10K steps per day etc.

I also have pcos and endometriosis and am sure I’m an insulin resistance. I went to a private endocrinologist in despair. He prescribed me Saxenda - game changer. Massively reduced my appetite, but I also don’t get migraines if I miss breakfast/only have a salad for lunch. I’ve lost 10.8 lbs in 4 weeks.

I'd highly recommend the Doctor's kitchen podcast on migraines, it covers lots of this stuff.