Headaches and how to proceed

[minimizer]

I attempted to start No S-ing on Monday and ended up with a terrible
headache by evening, which had been building all day really.
Ibuprofen was not even any help.

Could have been withdrawal from sugar, which I had quite a bit of
the week and weekend previously.
I have been in the habit of eating OFTEN for years though, and it
is probably also a low-blood-sugar thing.
The rest of this week I've been reading some here and pondering how
I can make this work for me because if sounds great and I'd really
love to do it. I love the idea of the self-discipline involved, too.

I've ordered the No S Diet book but haven't received it yet.
In the meantime, I'm wondering if perhaps eating every 3-4 hours,
and working on increasing the time between meals will be the way
to go for me.

Or, maybe drinking milk or a purple cow (milk & grape juice) between
meals would be enough to get me through to the next meal (meals
spaced about five hours apart).
I believe that milk & juice & coffee & tea are allowed between meals
from what I gather.

I don't have a lot of weight to lose. I would expect to lose at least
a few pounds by eating better, and better stability of my blood sugar.
I'm healthy and take no regular meds. I exercise regularly.

I will have the book within two weeks (free shipping option takes awhile
longer) and in the meantime, I'll keep hanging out here and learning.

[la_loser]

Welcome to No S--you're right it IS a great system. . . please give yourself plenty of time to adapt to it. . .

Here is a link to a strategy I use and others have adopted to help you get through those rough spots. . . all legit. Your idea about drinking milk and/or a purple cow (hadn't heard of that!) made me think the H2Orange might work for you. You can also make it with grape flavored "crystal light" and even add real grape juice instead of orange juice if you like. . . and sip on it all day long to stay hydrated.

http://everydaysystems.com/bb/viewtopic ... ght=#43079

You'll love the book--and I'll bet it gets there soon. My experience with "free shipping" is that it usually doesn't take near as long as they predict it will!

[Mistress Manners]

Are you getting enough protein in your meals, to avoid sugar swings? Drinking enough fluids? (In the summer it's easy to get dehydrated).

If so, why not try allowing yourself a sanctioned 4th small "meal" and see if that works?

[oliviamanda]

I agree with a small 4th meal if needed, but make sure you are eating your fill at your other meals.

Purple milk sounds weird! I googled it just to get an idea! I don't think purple milk is what you want to be drinking between meals for S's sake.

Don't give up. Don't worry about not having the book. Everything you need and every question you have can be answered here. Also, listen to the Podcasts, they are very informative. Don't give up!

[tarantinofan]

It's funny, I suffered quite a bit of headaches in my first week on the No S Diet. They have already gone, and I am just in the second week. I really urge you to just stick with the program a bit longer, and I think the headaches will go away. Your body is readjusting to this new way of eating! I really don't think the headaches will persist.

However, I will recommend that you try to eat more at each meal and see if that helps. Oh, and caffeine helps a lot!

Besides eating more at each meal, I also would say that spacing your meal times is really important. I try to eat breakfast at 9, lunch around 1-2, and dinner at 5-6. If you eat lunch too early and dinner really late, then you may be waiting around 7 hours to eat. That will definitely cause headaches, especially if you're used to grazing! I also try to eat the most at lunch because then I feel less weak throughout the day.

I hope this helps!!

[minimizer]

Thanks all for the replies.

That is a good point about drinking plenty of water and flavoring it with
a little fruit juice. I would go with grape juice--not a fan of OJ flavor.
Actually I don't even care for straight juice and have always watered
my juice down some anyway. I think that using sparkling water would be
extra filling and the natural sugar in the juice just might be enough to
help prevent a headache. I will try this.

Getting enough protein is always a problem for me. As a former
vegetarian, I still don't eat much animal protein. Sometimes chicken
or fish. I will work harder on protein--I know that when I get enough
that I do feel better.

My version of a purple cow is about 1/4 cup of grape juice with the
rest of the cup filled with 1% milk. Simple, but I like it. It's filling and
satisfying but I wonder if that is even too heavy for between meals.

On Monday, my meals were spaced at 9am, 2pm, and 7pm. I ate
plenty of food on my plate at all meals. I can't drink too much caffeine
during the day, just in the morning or else I don't sleep well at night.
I drink green tea or black tea.

[~reneew]

That happens to me at times... and I'm pretty sure that for me at least it's lack of fluids in general. I get dehydrated pretty quick and when I am restricting food, I tend to drink less too, then get headaches. So, I say drink a lot of water and see. Your body adjusts to waiting for the meal. Your mind adjusts a bit slower, but it does. Also, I am very prone to migranes and cannot handle any caffeine or I get sick, so I of course must ask if you are having cafeine?... withdrawl causes headaches too.

[minimizer]

Yes, caffeine withdrawal can cause me to have headaches, too.
When I wean myself from it from time to time (and I have to do
that very slowly) I always end up starting drinking tea again.
I believe that I use it as a natural antidepressant.
As long as I keep the 'dose' of caffeine consistent day-to-day,
I don't think that it causes headaches though.

[clarinetgal]

I'm about 2 weeks into NoSing, and I had headaches my first week of doing NoS. For me, I'm pretty sure if was from sugar withdrawal, because I drink plenty ot water during the day (8-10 glasses). I was also getting almost faint with hunger between 4-6 PM, but that seems to be getting better, also. I think my body is starting to adjust to this new way of eating.

[wosnes]

Purple milk sounds weird! I googled it just to get an idea! I don't think purple milk is what you want to be drinking between meals for S's sake.

Why not? According to what Minimizer says, it's a combo of grape juice and milk -- both entirely "legal" for No-S.

[oliviamanda]

If the purple cow helps, then she should have the purple cow. It's whatever keeps you on the basic path of what No S can do. Personally I try to stay away from sweet drinks during N days. Both milk and grape juice have a good amount of natural sugar. The H2Orange idea is great, as would be H2Grape because you are still hydrating with water and a small amount of juice.