Each time I go low on carbs, (< 50 per day) and train hard, (cardio or weights) I sometimes get this sharp pain in my head towards the end of my workout. The pain doesnt feel like a typical headache, and it felt like it was at the front of my head in the middle of my forehead. It seems to go away when I go to shower, but it still seems odd, and sometimes a little worrying.

Does anyone get anything like this? Is it likely to be my body screaming for carbs or something? I drink plenty of water during my workouts, and am eating a fairly decent amount of calories.

Yohimbine does the same thing too, I tried it once.

If you cut out all carbs, in 2 weeks to a month, symptoms of fatigue, nausea and headaches will go away, but if you keep carb cycling these symptoms will always appear when you go lower.

Not always....as a matter of fact, for most people I've chatted with who carb cycle, it seems the body adapts well to switching back and forth and there's usually no adverse signs other than water retention.

Carl h, google "Exercise Induced Headache" and see if that's maybe what your problem is.

If you're doing a TKD (as listed in your stats), then you should be doing a low carb diet all the time anyway, with carbs just around your workout. It can take up to 3 weeks for your body to make all the adaptations to low carb, so if you haven't been at this for at least 3 weeks, that could be it, too.

Hope you figure it out--headaches suck.

I am doing a TKD, which i have been doing for a few months now, so I dont think it is to do with "adapting". I have between 30-100 carbs per day, sometimes in the morning and around workouts - so my diet is always low carb.

As I said its only when I work out at a real high intensity. im guessing there isnt too many people doing that here due to the lack of replies. :P

In that case, definitely look into the EIH I mentioned.

Probably the reason you didn't get many replies is that this isn't really a low carb problem (I mean, sometimes it can be, but not common). There are quite a few reasons you can get the headaches, and the EIH is the most common. Improper breath holding can be another, high blood pressure another, etc.

Lisa, remember my son had that problem too, I think we talked about it at TOP. And he's never lowcarbed a day in his life, intentionally.

I'll get a headache during or after a really hard run. I think in my case it could be electrolyte problems, meaning I drink enough water but don't take enough sodium/potassium tabs.

Sometimes it helps to have some caffeine. At those times I think I'm developing low blood sugar and caffeine raises it a bit.

It is a low carb problem, as it only happens when I am eating a low carb diet.

Interesting you mention the caffeine, i have recently started an EC stack cycle and I havent really noticed the issue since.

The people I know, including me(a few years back) who carb cycled, hated their lower carb days and usually kept them for "off" days.

I have yet to meet a carb cycler who on his low carb days when the norm is a higher carb, can finish a workout with me, running, swimming, calisthenics, weight lifting, some form of Martial arts and stretching without losing their wind and preforming poorly after 30 mins.

Are you saying you do all this in one workout? Hahahaha!

And yes, by the way, the whole point of carb cycling is to be able to have carbs around the workout. I don't know why your carb cycling friends would try to keep up with you on their low carb day...that should be reserved as a rest day, or steady state cardio only.

Your fitness level must be very low.

If you cannot run 3-6 miles, swim 1-2 miles, Do pushups, pullups, situps and dips 200-400/50-100/400+/50-100, 30 mins of weight lifting and 30 mins of Martial arts with 10 mins of stretching, that's you.

Some people push beyond discomfort to accomplish that, this workout above is nothing compared to people I've seen train for Triathalons here in Florida and pre-training for special programs in the Military(also in Florida).

And pulling a car isn't as hard as it seems.

But, stick to little Tony's gazelle and the ab roller.



Keeping carbs very close to zero +5max after a month or so, eliminates all the fatigue associated with low carb diets, the point of carb cycling is that it's stupid. I've tried it for 3 months and a couple of years later I "discovered" that going zero carb all the time is way more effecient, sacrificing preformance for eating a few carbs is stupid to me, but to each his own.

Yeah, that is me, lol. And even if I were überfit, I wouldn't have a workout like that, UNLESS I was training for something specific. My point was you were saying that your friends couldn't keep up with you--duh! That's not carb-related---they're just not trained for it.

As for your opinion on carb cycling, that's cool. Everyone is entitled to an opinion.

um...wow...im not so sure thats a beneficial workout for most people dude....do you do all that cardio BEFORE you lift?

Especially if your goal is muscle mass, since that's way to much SS cardio.