3 Month Keto Diet Update

It’s been 3.5 months since I started my Keto diet experiment! My main goals were a reduction in headaches/migraines, and weight loss. How am I doing so far?

The initial two months of the Keto diet were rough, you can read more about what I experienced in this blog post. When I began the keto diet, I thought I would be feeling better within 1-2 months (as far as getting rid of my headaches goes), so I was surprised that I didn’t feel much better after 2 months. It was actually pretty hard to adjust to the diet.

The good news is that by 2.5 months, I did start feeling better. My headaches symptoms today, at 3.5 months, are significantly reduced. I am now having stretches of days with no headache symptoms whatsoever. And when I do feel migraine symptoms, the symptoms are much more mild, more headache pain and less neurological (less likely to include dizziness and light sensitivity).

Feeling Better on Keto

Unfortunately, it just takes time to adjust to being on the keto diet, and if you are coming from a place of perhaps bad insulin resistance, it’s going to take even longer. I have always felt dizzy, hungry and headachey when I didn’t eat within 4 hours after a meal, so I already knew I was probably going to have trouble adjusting to a low carb diet. I also think I was having more issues with electrolyte balance in the beginning. After I began drinking bone broth a few times a week, I started feeling much better.

A major breakthrough for me was adopting a more ambitious intermittent fasting regimen. In the beginning, I could barely fast for 11 hours. Once I became more fat adapted, fasting for 16-18 hours became pretty easy. Just a few days ago, I fasted for 24 hours, and I was able to work, exercise and go on with life during the fast without feeling tired or dizzy. Incredible! I think fasting in conjunction with keto has really transformed things for me. It also has led to some weight loss.

Dairy and Migraines

Now that I am having less chronic migraine symptoms, it’s easier to pick up on food triggers for my headaches. For instance, I have finally figured out that eating a lot of dairy seems to trigger migraine symptoms lasting for a few days after eating dairy.

Carb Ups and Keto Boredom

I have tried experimenting with “carb up” days where I eat more carbs a few times during my period. The only clear benefit was that I didn’t experience ravenous hunger before my period. Otherwise, eating carb meals led me to want to cheat more, and for me, that is not a good thing!

I do miss being able to eat out more, and am still struggling to find restaurants with meals that are keto friendly. After 3.5 months, I am pretty bored of eating macadamia nuts, avocado and grass fed beef – some days, I just really want to eat out and get a bowl of ramen (okay, so I did recently eat a bowl of ramen and just asked for no noodles and it was all good).

Long Term Viability of Keto

It’s great being headache free, so I know I want to stick to keto for a while longer. I am starting to realize I need to explore new recipes, and new keto friendly foods to help lesson some of the boredom I am feeling on the diet. In a few more months, I will give another update on how long term keto goes! I do see myself eventually phasing out keto once my headaches are under control for a low carb paleo diet.

Should You Try Going Keto for Migraines?

I can only speak to my personal experience, and can’t determine if someone should try the keto diet for a chronic pain condition. That being said, here is why I think the keto diet was a good fit for me in reducing my migraines:

• Throughout my life, I have experienced low blood sugar symptoms inbetween meals (stretching back to childhood). This includes getting a headache if I don’t eat within a certain number of hours. The reality is, I feel better eating less carbs.
• I have struggled to maintain my weight, and have often been 20-30 pounds overweight. These symptoms have gotten worse as I have gotten older.
• Low carb diets + exercise have worked in reducing my headaches and migraines in the past. I just never went with the keto formula previously.

So if you feel like your headache symptoms are related to diet or blood sugar issues, then the keto diet might work for you! However, you may not see results for 3-6 months. The reduction in headaches for me was a gradual process over many weeks. If you think your headaches are insulin resistance related, then fasting and keto is a great way to improve insulin resistance.