Migraines and headaches while staying food sober in weight maintenance, careful what you tell yourself

I woke up today with near migraine headache. I did this to myself, all in the name of self-experimentation. However,  I know better and I can do better. I didn't drink enough coffee yesterday. Easy problem to have, and a good reminder, since I've done this experiment before and I know my outcome.

The I'm Sick Mindset: It's just like the cycle of food addiction. All those years of saying "Oh, look, Oprah's on the cover of People Magazine and she says it's all about eating what you want, but just not all the time, so I might as well eat XYZ(binge food)".













The irony is that I used my airline miles for 1 magazine subscription and that exact People Magazine- they lost half their weight issue is sitting on my coffee table with a smiling Oprah on the front. LOL. I'm curious to see if those in early weight maintenance stay or fall out in years 1-2?! Psssst- a calories in calories out, eat all the foods in moderation will only take some of us so far.

EATING bread will not work for me and I know it:  I've finally made peace with not following lemmings off a cliff!!!! LOL



I'm smarter than that. To be in recovery, and to keep my weight maintainer status, I have to fuel with only non-triggering foods. Not what is popular in magazines or on the top of those "Best Diets" lists, but what is going to be the correct fit for my biochemistry body and physical mind.

I need to be really, really careful of what I'm telling myself 

So my PRIORITY when I'm sick or nearly sick is to fuel with LCHF or Keto foods that will help me get well again. This includes some caffeine.

Yeah! I stayed just ahead of the headache, so I was able to drink my first cup of coffee and some water (some of my  near migraines are dehydration)

I fell prey to wishful/hopeful/let's see if I've changed mindset. The same mindset that opens the door to food addicts in long term recovery that decide to start eating cookies, cupcakes, frosting, and processed sugars and grains.

I need to be really, really careful of what I'm telling myself 

 Now that I'm in long term food addiction and I've learned what foods trigger migraines, but behaviors can trigger it, also.

Yesterday, I got my blood drawn and then went to breakfast and had a cup of coffee. Which was fine. I walked by probably 10 coffee shops and didn't stop, "Oh, I can get a cup at home, or I'll wait until I get to this next coffee shop before I stop". I know better! I really do. I don't need any other coffee experiments, I've done those.

 I need to be really, really careful of what I'm telling myself 

Ugh, I started feeling weird last night, then the massive headache this morning. I know as long as I can keep water or coffee down, that 99.9 % of the time, the headache will be gone without meds in 10-15 minutes.

I've determined that coffee is an okay beverage for me to consume before 11:30am based on my genetics and my ability to sleep at night. ALL of my most clear thinking, non Alzheimer, non dementia relatives drank coffee. ALL of my non-coffee drinking relatives did not fare well later in life. At least that's what I tell myself. It could be my own BS. Time will tell.

What is working now:
1. Staying in my food addiction & weight maintenance template. Low Carb, Ketogenic, no sugars, no grains, no nuts, no dairy.

2. Being mindful and careful about what I'm telling myself and what foods I do need to stay well at what times, like coffee in the morning and not eating past 1-2pm most days.

3. Not falling prey to eating all foods in moderation and counting calories crowd. Does total intake matter, YES, but being tough not moderate is KEY in weight maintenance




What didn't work in the past:
1. Using being sick to eat all kinds of sugars and grains. Comfort foods, because I'm sick. I swear I was sick more often so I could keep getting food high in the cycle of food addiction. Not a great cycle. I'm sick, bring me the cinnamon toast, the candy coated cough drops, the honey in my tea! The Skinny Cow Ice Cream for my sore throat, the Coke for my upset stomach. The meds for my headache. All the meds.

2. Copy other people's weight loss without owning the fact that I was yo-yo dieting by moderating all the food in #1. And eating the food knowing that weight maintenance would be about 3 weeks long. Ugh!

3.  Not being TOUGH with what I was telling myself, not mean, just needing tough, honest, real, and adult thinking in what was working and what did not work. I needed a good case of grown up adulting.

I had a wave of grief wash over me for all the wasted time in my life where I did it to myself. Where I had headaches and illness that could have been reversed. I forgive myself for my past.

All I can do is live today and plan better things for my future. With a 2-3 cups of coffee each morning.

I'll bet I'm not alone in needing to be careful what I'm telling myself. Onward and I look forward to my lab results.