The journey of losing weight is not easy. With work from home becoming our new normal, the sedentary lifestyle has once again found its way into our lives and has made us all bit lazy. Our physical movements have been restricted because of staring at laptops or mobile screens all day in the comfort of our beds. As a result, instead of deciding to shed some extra kilos, we end up gaining a couple more. Those who have a busy schedule and cannot rely on gyms to lose weight, often take the alternative route of modifying their diet or following the keto diet.
All of us must have heard the term “keto diet”, but not many of us are aware of what it means and what does it do. A keto diet is a low carbohydrate, medium protein and high-fat diet. The keto diet focuses on bringing down the carb intake of the body and increasing the amount of protein in the diet. With the carb intake coming down, the body uses already stored fat to produce energy to carry out the day-to-day functions. Once all the stored fat is utilised in producing energy, the body then starts to burn that fat, thereby helping in a quick weight loss process. This process of burning fat instead of carbs is called ketosis.
Even though the keto diet does wonders, it comes with its share of pros and cons. While it helps in losing weight quickly for people who have little to no time for gym and intense workouts, it also brings a lot of symptoms for the keto dieters. Some of these symptoms include brain fog, stomach pain, nausea, fatigue, sore throat, body aches, and headache. Headache is a common symptom observed by those consuming keto diets. Also known as keto headache, it becomes a constant cause of worry for the first few weeks with the dieters. Once the body gets used to the transition in the diet, the chances of getting a headache come down.
Here are some of the common reasons for headaches during a keto diet:
1. Low blood sugar level
2. Dehydration
3. Electrolyte imbalance
With the intake of carbs, the brain functions on glucose, but when the shift is made from carbs to fats, the brain uses the already stored fat and therefore a drop in the blood sugar level is witnessed, which leads to a headache. With the stored fat being consumed to produce energy, the body starts to feel dehydrated and the urination frequency also goes up, thus leading to headaches.
The keto dieters can try these methods to avoid the risks of a headache:
1. Drinking plenty of water
2. Avoiding intense workout sessions
3. Avoiding processed and refined food items
4. Consuming foods with high potassium and magnesium content.
Follow these tips to keep your chances of getting a headache at bay.
