Category: Update (Page 2 of 3)

Well, it’s been almost 3 months since I began the strict low-carb/high-fat diet called Keto. I tried such a drastic measure (drastic to me, a self-professed potato chip addict and proud of it!) in the hopes that it would reduce my migraines. Keto has worked for some migraine warriors and has been touted by some headache specialists, so I tried it having done research and having given it a lot of thought – months of thought, actually.

Bottom line: Keto didn’t work for me.

For the past year, my pattern has been to have about 4 migraine days per month for 3 months and then 10-12 in the 4th month.  That means that last April, August, and December were hell. This new pattern is after years of acupuncture got me down from an average of 11 migraine days per month, every month. The new pattern was an improvement, but those bad months were really bad.

I had 4 migraines in January, 5 migraines in February (I started Keto on February 1st), 4 migraines in March, and 7 migraines so far in April. When you consider that in April I should’ve had 12 migraines, sure, Keto made a difference. (Then again, April isn’t over yet.) And you can argue that having my normal amount in February and March was because I was still adjusting to Keto and wasn’t fat-adapted yet.

However, I’m okay with 4 a month. I’m not okay with 12 a month. So, still having more migraines in April than 4 (or even 5 or 6), isn’t worth how restrictive (and expensive) the diet is. Maybe I would’ve had a better result over time. That’s something I’ll have to live with.

My plan now is to try to stay low carb, just not as low carb as Keto. I’ve been easing my way back into carbs, increasing the number of carbs slowly and introducing one new food every few days. I like the idea of reducing my sugar intake and staying away from the starchy side dishes. I didn’t miss them, which was a surprise.

But I have to say, low carb is harder than Keto to maintain. On Keto, I knew all the things I couldn’t eat so I just didn’t eat them. Now, I can have some, but I’m supposed to watch the amount, and sometimes a whole serving of something is too much. And how do you eat just 9 potato chips?! I also don’t feel as good as I did during Keto, but it’s subtle and totally anecdotal and requires me to rely on my not-so-sharp memory. Did I really have fewer gas pains on Keto? *shrug* Did I really have better motivation on Keto or is quarantine just getting to me more this week? *shrug*

So, I’m definitely questioning whether I made the right decision to stop Keto. But it can be expensive to buy special ingredients to make Keto-friendly foods. Almond flour and coconut flour are much more expensive than wheat flour. Shirataki noodles are much more expensive than pasta and rice. And cost is more of a consideration right now than it was when I started Keto in February. Our world hadn’t yet turned upside down back then.

When we’re allowed to go about our lives outside the home again, I plan to go to a neurologist. In the meantime, I’ll do the best I can, as I always have. If Keto worked for you, I’m so happy for you and would love to hear from you. If something else has worked for you, I’d love to hear about it. Otherwise, let’s just fill the comments with love and support. We all need more of that right now.

<3 <3 <3