Although I’m taking a bit of a blog tour sabbatical at the moment, I’m very pleased I agreed to take part in this book birthday blitz for The Migraine Relief Plan by Stephanie Weaver, thanks to fellow blogger and friend Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources.

I’ll never forget the first migraine I ever had. I genuinely thought I was going to die from a brain tumour. I was walking through campus at university when I was suddenly and completely blinded by a cascading zigzag zebra crossing of lights flashing across both eyes and a nauseating headache that rendered me immobile for several days. I remember being led back to my room by a friend as I literally couldn’t see anything but the zigzags. It was terrifying. As a result, I’m delighted to be staying in with Stephanie today to find out a bit more about The Migraine Relief Plan as, although I rarely have a migraine with aura these days, I think I might need her advice!

Published by Agate, The Migraine Relief Plan is available for purchase here.

The Migraine Relief Plan

The Migraine Relief Plan: An 8-Week Transition to Better Eating, Fewer Headaches, and Optimal Health

In The Migraine Relief Plan, certified health and wellness coach Stephanie Weaver outlines a new, step-by-step lifestyle approach to reducing migraine frequency and severity.

Using the latest research, her own migraine diagnosis, and extensive testing, Weaver has designed an accessible plan to help those living with migraine, headaches, or Meniere’s disease. Over the course of eight weeks, the plan gradually transitions readers into a healthier lifestyle, including key behaviors such as regular sleep, trigger-free eating, gentle exercise, and relaxation techniques. The book also collects resources—shopping lists, meal plans, symptom tracking charts, and kitchen-tested recipes for breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner—to provide readers with the tools they need to be successful.

The Migraine Relief Plan encourages readers to eat within the guidelines while still helping them follow personal dietary choices, like vegan or Paleo, and navigate challenges, such as parties, work, and travel. A must-have resource for anyone who lives with head pain, this book will inspire you to rethink your attitude toward health and wellness.

Staying in with Stephanie Weaver

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Stephanie. Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

Thank you so much for inviting me! I love staying in with a good book, so I love the concept of this series.

Tell me, (although I have a pretty good idea), which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it? 

I’m featuring my last book The Migraine Relief Plan, which celebrates its 2^nd Book Birthday on Valentine’s Day 2019! I’m excited to share it with your readers because 1 in 7 people experience migraine, and 1 in 5 women do.

My book helps people who get migraines and bad headaches by sharing a framework I developed to gradually shift my lifestyle. You make one small change each week over 8 weeks, and then stay on the strict version of the dietary Plan for 3-4 months before testing foods to add them back. The Plan helps each person determine their unique migraine pattern and triggers, so you can craft your life to avoid those triggers as much as possible. It’s also anti-inflammatory, so it helps reduce inflammation in the brain that supports migraines occurring.

(That sounds a simple and effective method Stephanie.)

I was diagnosed with migraines and vertigo four years ago at age 53. That’s really late in life to get diagnosed. Doctors missed it because my symptoms were atypical. I thought I got bad weather headaches, not migraines. I didn’t have aura or have to spend three days in a dark room.

When I started having vertigo attacks, I finally saw a specialist and got a diagnosis. He gave me a diet sheet, and when I got home I found that three-quarters of what was in my refrigerator was in the “do not eat” column. That was shocking, because I was eating a super-healthy diet at the time, I had a food blog, and I had a degree in nutrition education.

(Oh! I’m about the same age as you, eat healthily and have the same symptoms. It never occurred to me these could also be migraine. I think The Migraine Relief Plan could be just what I need.)

I bought every book that was available, and found them to be somewhat helpful, but most confusing and contradictory. I learned a lot of piecemeal things that might help me, but the contradictory information was frustrating. Eventually I did my own research at the medical library at our university so I could develop this Plan to help others.

Included are 75 recipes that are free of known migraine triggers, are anti-inflammatory, and made from whole foods. All the recipes are provided in metric as well as U.S. measurements. And they’ve all been tested by people with migraines: singles, couples, and families.

(I’m going to get started on these recipes immediately Stephanie.)

So, tell me more about what we can expect from an evening in with The Migraine Relief Plan.

The tone of the book is very personal. I share my trials with wellness and staying on the Plan. There’s an entire chapter about failure! Most diet books act like you wave a magic wand and all the food in your house (and in your life) is magically perfect, you never have cravings, and you never go to parties or eat out. My book addresses all that quite honestly.

I had a reader named Jason who’s been very active in our Facebook group on behalf of his wife. She’s gone from 3-4 migraine days a week to 1 per week, and he’s been cooking up a storm and sharing his recipes that follow the Plan. It even allowed them to go out for a celebration dinner, which they had come to avoid.

I hear from readers that they appreciate how much of my own experience I shared, they really believe that I get it, and that they love how gradual the lifestyle changes are. For example, you don’t actually change anything you eat until Week 4, and that’s just your snacks. As a health and wellness coach, I wanted to set people up for success, so I show readers how to arrange their kitchen and their home environment to shift to a migraine-friendly lifestyle.

I’ve also had a number of people read the book who deal with chronic pain, inflammation, or who want to lose weight and are looking for a realistic approach to that. And people who follow gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, or low-sodium diets also love the recipes.

(This sounds brilliant.)

What else have you brought along and why?

 

Well, I know you are a cat household, but I had to bring along my dog Daisy. She walks with me every single morning. It’s how we start the day.

(She’s delightful and even though I am a cat person, I’m really happy to meet Daisy!)

We usually do a 30-40 minute walk, then I do 10 minutes of very light seated yoga, and 10 minutes of meditation. I’ve worked up to this morning routine gradually over time, as I have a chronic pain condition called fibromyalgia that flares up if I overdo it. Daisy is always there with me, and I add small walks in throughout my day, especially if I have been writing.

It’s been a huge pleasure to stay in with you Stephanie and to find out more about The Migraine Relief Plan on its birthday. As soon as we’ve finished chatting I’m going to investigate it further as I think it has so much to offer someone like me. Thank you for staying in with me to tell me all about it.

Thanks again for having me, Linda. I appreciate you sharing my book with your readers, and I hope you enjoyed your time with my book in your bag!

I really did!

About Stephanie Weaver

Stephanie Weaver, MPH, CWHC, is an author, blogger, and certified wellness and health coach. Her recipes have been featured in Cosmopolitan, Bon Appetit, Cooking Light, Parade, and more. She lives in San Diego, CA.

You can find Stephanie on Instagram and Facebook and you can follow her on Twitter @SWeaverMPH.