Hello all. I have a problem. I want to lose weight and I can’t because of hunger migraines when I’m fasting.
One time I tried to continue fasting with the migraine and I almost passed out. That was a 3day fast. I want to do way longer fast but I can’t function with migraines. So my question is, do you guys think I can take glucose tablets to reduce the hunger migraines? I know I need electrolytes. I already have packets for that for my water, but drinking water or taking electrolytes don’t seem to help the migraines. Any suggestions. Pls I’m really trying to lose weight.
I have a suggestion for you. Don’t do way longer fasts. If you’re just trying to lose weight, you don’t need to go that long, shorter periods will do fine for you. If you want to accelerate it you can do rolling fasts. Have a two day fast, short eating period, two day fast, short eating period, on and on. That’s plenty for weight loss.
If you want to push your luck try going to just short of migraine territory, then eat, then roll into another fast.
Glucose tabs will break your fast, and they’re only meant to keep you going until the food you’ve eaten gets into your system, so the bgl increase is only good for 15 minutes or so. Not your solution.
from one migraineur to another, long fasts for weight loss aren’t worth the pain of migraines, especially if you get chronic ones that last for days. you’d be much better off doing smaller, more regular fasts, than extended periods of time! cico would help more than anything else
I have a similar issue with headaches, and I just … yes, eat a little bit something with carbs. I still effectively am eating almost nothing during the day. Either that or you’d have to ween yourself off of carbs for a time (keto diet basically), before you start fasting.
At any rate, contrary to popular belief, there is no need to be so hardline with fasting. “Breaking a fast” is not a meaningful concept, science is not at all clear on where the possible benefits of a fast start or end. As long as you are significantly reducing calories for a time (particularly protein and carbs) you will likely get most of the benefits, and there is science that indicates that it’s not an all or nothing thing (Valter Longo fasting mimicking diet, for instance).
You need to do more research on fasting and weight loss. I can see from your post that you do not understand the connection between glucose and it’s function in weightloss.
Youtube or read Dr Jason fung ‘Diabetes Code’
What you want and what your body says about it are two different things. I agree with those who have suggested shorter fasts.
FWIW, I too would like to try longer fasts, but I’m on a medicine that *must* be taken with a full meal. I can skip the medicine occasionally, for a 36 hour fast, but I do experience some nerve pain without. (Spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease, bulging disks, 2 pinched nerves in my left leg, piriformis syndrome in my right.)
Longer without the med, and I’d likely get into a flare-up, which could take days or even weeks to resolve. So while I’d love to try a longer fast, it isn’t currently the right thing for me.
My hope is that as I lose weight, the pinched nerve pain will lessen somewhat and I can then contemplate a 48 hour fast. But for now, this is what I can do. You may, eventually, be able to work your way to longer, but for now, do what you can do and remain functional.