I'm sitting in my office, it is nearly 1 pm, and I want to eat something chocolate. It has been six days since I started an elimination diet, and I have failed to adhere to it each of those six days. Many times, I lose control because my migraines make me want to eat.It doesn't even have to be a full-fledged migraine; the prodrome initiates the cravings. Right now, the symptoms are barely there, lingering below the surface, wanting to be fed - even though I know that the relief I get from food is short-lived, and my belly is already full of healthy lunch. I really want to go up to the receptionist's counter and dig out a miniature Snickers bar. This bottle of cold water isn't cutting it.
Now it feels like I am wearing a tight hat. There is a throbbing in my right temple. My neck is tense.
I think I can get through this.
The elimination diet I chose can both help detoxify my system as well as identify potential migraine food triggers. The goal is to avoid wheat, milk/dairy, chocolate, caffeine, vinegar, sugar, artificial sweetener, alcohol, peanuts, red meat, beans, eggs and soy products, plus anything processed. I'm eating lots of vegetables, lettuce, quinoa, brown rice, potatoes, chicken, pistachios, almonds, olive oil and fruit. It has been fun to come up with new things to eat, especially for breakfast. My favorite breakfast has been my take on a breakfast burrito: cooked quinoa, sauteed onions, roasted red peppers, diced avocado, paprika and chili powder. It is wonderful. A delightful discovery.
But then midday rolls around and I start getting tired, possibly headachy, and the cravings kick in. Luckily, the office environment has been purged of holiday sweets: Moose Munch, chocolate almonds, etc. One of our vendors sent us a huge "Edible Arrangement" of fruit yesterday: canteloupe, honeydew, strawberries, grapes, pineapple. It is beautiful. But there were these incredible chocolate-covered apples mixed in, and I broke my diet yesterday by eating one of those beauties.
Today I've followed the diet 100 percent. But my head is hurting. It may be hurting enough to need to take meds. And sometimes when it gets this bad, and I take meds, my will power isn't very effective.
But I want to do well. I want to detoxify and feel better and lose some weight (about 25 pounds). But eliminating the pain is job one. I'm tired of having these headaches so often.
Thanks for listening.
MJ 
. I lost 20 pounds and looked great, but after doing this for 18 months, decided that my migraines weren't all that much better. ( I kept a record of how many a month) Now I gained back the weight 
and I don't avoid my favorites. One thing I have cut out is anything with Aspartame, cuz for awhile I was addicted to Coke Zero. I drank one a day and my migraines got worse. So now I drink only diet drinks with contain Splenda and I think it helps. Coke comes with Splenda as well as some of the powders you mix with water. My period will always be a trigger. I have tried all kinds of meds around that time and nothing helps. I am on Lyrica and Verapamil and seem to be doing better than most of the meds I have tried. I find that Zomig only lasts 24 hours and I have better luck with DHE to abort a migraine. (It lasts several days).
But as I sat there and ate, I didn't feel any pain. And that was a good thing. 
Chocolate is one of my few food triggers, and I fell off the wagon over Christmas and had small amounts of chocolate several times. Silly and stupid, huh? Luckily, I got away with it.
Are you taking a preventive with a weight gain side effect? I'm very sensitive to that side effect. I went up to 245 pounds on a 5'3" frame on Depakote, Nardil, and Zyprexa.
The good news is that with Diet Center, I've lost 30 pounds this year. I'd lost 40 since I went off the Nardil and Zyprexa mid-2001. I've still got a ways to go, but I'm pleased with my progress.
It sounds like your elimination diet is healthy. Have you tried snacking? Diet Center recommends a mid-morning, mid-afternoon, and 8pm snack. I'm more satisfied if I have a little protein and fat included in my snack. Sliced apple with almond butter? I've found almond butter at the whole foods co-op.
Can you have eggs? I sometimes make homemade mayonnaise, and I can add herbs and spices to make a ranch dressing dip. I don't worry about the raw eggs, but I could use egg substitute. Commercial mayo is safer than homemade as far as spoiling goes, but the homemade is SO much better tasting. I can't keep it around. I'd eat nothing but mayonnaise sandwiches!
An herb vinegar and oil, with a little garlic and Dijon mustard, makes a great dip for raw veggies. I dress all my salads with it.
It may take 2 or 3 weeks before you see any improvement on your elimination diet. Stinks, huh? It's kind of the same as starting a preventive.
And it may be that you don't have any recognizable food triggers. Chocolate only became one for me a couple of years ago. Beer, even O'Doul's is a trigger. I was bummed out when I realized I couldn't even have a non-alcoholic beer with my homemade chili. Red wine is a trigger, and I have to be careful about sauces when I go out. Several types of hard spirits are triggers, but I had to give up alcohol completely when I started Lyrica last month.
Check out a low tyramine diet. Things like "broad beans" can be migraine triggers. It looks like you're avoiding a lot of tyramines, but you might find a few that you can eliminate.
Hang in there on the weight loss. And on just maintaining your weight. It's hard to resist a snack attack when you're hurting. Walking helps me a lot. It gets me outside, in the natural light and fresh air. That's good for my Major Depression. And if I start out with head pain (which is more often than not), it usually goes away while I walk.
Gretchen in Mississippi