I Jumped on the Trim Healthy Mama Bandwagon

If you're not already familiar with the Trim Healthy Mama lifestyle, you have likely heard about it somewhere. If you haven't heard about it, then where have you been? No, no, I'm kidding! It's a fairly new program, errr lifestyle. Really, it's just a different way of thinking about what you eat and when you eat. I'm not going to go into details about how it works. If you are curious about that, you can go over to Gwen's Nest and read to your heart's content. When I first started reading about it, I was not convinced, BUT I didn't have all the information. The more I started reading though, the more convinced I became that I needed to try this "new" way of eating. However, it wasn't the concept of losing weight while eating well that actually got me hooked. It was the fact that sugar is not consumed and you keep to a lower glycemic index even when you are eating carbs.

Every time I go through a bad round of headaches/migraines, I start researching again. I don't want to always be medicating. Many of the preventative drugs are so strong and can have so many side effects that I won't even consider going on them. I am also not a migraineur to the extent that I suffer weekly. The most frequently I get them is three weeks about. The only problem is they leave repercussions in their wake that last up to a week -- and sometimes even longer. They also leave me completely debilitated for at least 24 hours every time. Not fun when you have seven children, a husband who travels frequently, and many things that need attending to that don't quit just because I can't get out of bed. The super strong drugs are more for people who suffer with multiple migraines every week. That is not me. Thankfully!

In my most recent researching, I have been reading up on the sugar connection. Ugh!! I have taken to calling sugar The White Devil. It is in everything! And I mean everything! I judiciously read food labels, (really that's nothing new for me. I've always liked to know exactly what we are eating) and it sneaks in in so many ways that even I occasionally miss it. Almost everything I eat is from scratch. It can be time consuming, but I am learning to carve out one or two days a week to focus just on cooking and baking for my family and myself. Trim Healthy Mama has helped me learn how to exclude or substitute the sugar with non-glycemic sweeteners. Whether or not they are healthier for you is for you to decide. There is more than enough information out there to make an educated decision.

I'm sure if you've managed to read this far, you're thinking by now, "well, is it working?" I can't say anything for sure yet, but I can say that on the whole, most days I am feeling more energetic, and the general mild headaches that can plague me seem to have mostly disappeared.

I have been on the program for about only about four weeks now. I started just as I was coming off of a round of migraines which means I will know better in another two to four weeks if this lifestyle is helpful at all. My migraines are most often on a six to eight week rotation (no relation to my cycle), so I can't say for sure.

I can say though that even with the traveling, the later nights, still early mornings, and not being at home, I have not yet had a headache. Typically if I haven't been plagued with a headache already in the first 2-3 days of travel, I will have one sometime within our time of being away. It hasn't happened! Does that mean I will dodge the bullet entirely? I can't say, but I have certainly been enjoying a pain free vacation.

I have been trying to stick to the THM plan as closely as possible while in New Orleans. Sugar has been the easiest to avoid, but breads still tempt me. I'm doing well though. I had one small piece of bread the second day here and haven't touched any since. I did bring a number of my own snacks so I don't get hungry and chow down on the first edible thing I see. It's been good. I am happy. I thought I would miss the sugar, but I don't. I am surprised by my own will power when I am tempted.

The jury is still out on whether I might have finally found what works for me in keeping the migraines at bay -- or at least under control, but this has been the most positive step so far. Here's hoping and praying that it actually works -- and hey, if I manage to lose a few pounds in the process, even better!

 

This would be an 'S' meal. Shrimp on a bed of cauliflower mash, with sauteed red peppers and fennel. Yum! Minimal carbs, higher fat.

Here's to THM!