Headaches and Weight Gain are connected.
If you are overweight, then you need take a long term view of your health.
A healthy body mass is a key part of the Headache Friendly Lifestyle.
You must aim to get your body mass index into the healthy range.
For most people is between 18 and 25. This will not just reduce your risk of severe headache – it will also help you feel fitter and better for the future.
It is known that a Body Mass Index of 30 or over increases your risk of getting Chronic Daily Headache.
There is a rare cause of Chronic Daily Headache called Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension which is very strongly linked to obesity – and if you had this diagnosis losing weight greatly reduces the chance of headache.
Obesity is also bad for long term health in general, as it can lead to high blood pressure type-2-diabetes and increase risk of some types of cancer.
People with an underactive Thyroid Gland will occasionally get a headache when they develop their illness.
Losing weight is not something that is done on the spur-of-the-moment.
It requires a total commitment to completely change for ever how you eat, exercise and think.
The most successful weight loss programmes will encourage exercise, educate you about proper nutrition and encourage healthy thinking.
They also take a long term view.
Don’t look for a quick weight loss – you are more likely to bounce back to a high weight after the quick programme is over.
Please note that very low weight (a Body Mass Index of 17 or less) may be an indicator of other health problems, emotional problems or an eating disorder.
Realise that if you are overweight that you need to take serious steps to reduce your body mass index to a healthy range.
Joining a weight management group is the most effective way of achieving weight loss.
Most of my own patients who lose weight successfully follow programmes like Slimming World, or they take simple steps like avoiding processed food and preparing food from fresh ingredients only.
References
IA Scher et al. Factors associated with the onset and remission of chronic daily headache in a population-based study. Pain 2003; 106:81–89.
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