My 3 Year Nightmare + What I Did About It

Image that you're surrounded by fresh water.

Not salt water, fresh water, that is safe for drinking and that tastes great.

You're surrounded by this water and you have a cup in your hand.

You're thirsty, so you take a glass of this water and drink it.

But you're still thirsty, so you drink another glass.

Then another.

And then another.

You're drinking, and drinking, and the water tastes amazing, but no matter how much water you drink, you're still thirsty.

That has been my nightmare for the last 3 years.

I know what you're thinking: “She probably has diabetes. Why doesn't she get checked for diabetes?” And if you're thinking that, that's a very good thought, and I'll get to it in a minute, because I don't have diabetes (yes I've been tested many times) but I'll get to that in a minute.

For the last 3 years, give or take a few month, I have been unbearably thirsty.

And while nightmare may be a bit of an exaggeration – because lets face it, people it third-world countries have it much worse – it has not been pleasant.

For the last 3 years I have been drinking 2+ gallons of water every day.

I haven't drank soda with any regularity at all, because it made the thirst worse.

I drank unsweetened tea and coffee, but only for the caffeine.

Being thirsty became my nightmare, one that I was living every single day and could not ever get away from.

I didn't dare leave the house without a 32 + oz water bottle in hand.

Normal 16 oz water glass didn't cut it for me, because I would drain that in less than 5 minutes.

I was so thirsty, all the time, and no matter how much water I drank, I couldn't quench my thirst.

DIY Remedies

When I first noticed this thirst, I assumed that it was dehydration, so I embarked on a month-long journey to drink 2 or more gallons of water every single day for a month to see if that would cure it.

I tracked every ounce of water I drank in MyFitnessPal for a month, but at the end of the month I was still unbelievably thirsty. I couldn't believe that quenching my thirst would take more than 2 gallons of water every day. Was that even normal.

Next, I looked to sugar as the culprit.

I freely admit that I love sugar, and for a time was eating far too much of it. So logically, I thought that sugar might be the cause.

I went completely sugar free for 2 weeks, no artificial sweeteners, not even fruit, and was still thirsty.

So then, I blamed the chemicals in my diet

I had been trying to eat clean up until that point, but admittedly hadn't been putting my full effort (or my full wallet) behind it, so for a month I committed to only eat organic, low sugar foods and exercise every day, even if it was gentle exercise.

Still no change.

I was as thirsty as every, and still miserable.

Medicine as the Solution

After exhausting all of the diet factors I thought might be causing my insane, insatiable thirst, I turned to medicine.

I booked an appointment with my internist, told about how thirsty I was and asked him to run “all the tests.” (I believe those were my exact words, even)

So, he ran tests on my thyroid, on my sodium levels, he checked my A1C and hemaglobin, and a couple of other things that he didn't think were the problem and that I can't remember.

And they all came back just fine.

I wasn't showing symptoms of diabetes, or even pre diabetes, my thyroid was working just fine, and my sodium levels were normal.

Frustrated, I stopped searching for a solution for a time

The Solution I Finally Found

For a time, I stopped searching for solutions, halfway resigning myself to thinking that I would have this crazy thirst forever.

I focused instead on my health and fitness. I started doing a variety of exercises, including pilates, aerobics, swimming, weight training, and a little bit of cardio. I cut calories and ate clean, and just waited.

But the pounds weren't coming off, so I started exploring ways to lose weight, weight without sacrificing even more foods that I loved.

My Grandma Introduced Me To Trim Healthy Mama

Seriously!

I was telling her about my struggles and she showed me this “new book” she had gotten and was considering trying, called Trim Healthy Mama.

Any book titled “Trim Healthy Mama” surely wasn't for me, was it???

She sat me down and had me read just the second on the Fuel Cycle – it's a great crash course on the THM plan – and I was hooked!

This was a plan that didn't require me to make any sacrifices as far as the foods I loved, that allowed me to eat plenty of healthy fats, and I could still have dessert!

I was skeptical, but willing to give it a try.

The First 7 Days

In order to jump start my baptism into THM, I decided to jump right in a few days later, after purchasing both the Trim Healthy Mama Plan book, and the cookbook, with the 7-Day Fuel Cycle.

After all, I can do anything for 7 days, right? {See more in my 7-day Fuel Cycle Blog series)

Those first 7 days were the easiest diet I'd every been on.

There was no counting calories.

I could eat the foods that I would normally make for my family.

And the recipes were insanely easy.

Those first 7 days of Trim Healthy Mama reduced my thirst by about 60%, in my estimation (it's a hard thing to estimate). Sure, I was still thirsty, but it was drastically less.

What's more, those first 7 days shed 4 whole inches from my stomach, and the headaches I was having went almost completely away!

The Second 7 Days

THM suggests that if you are really a stubborn loser, that you can repeat the Fuel Cycle up to twice in a row, so after one day off the Fuel Cycle, but still adhering to THM principles, I decided to do a second cycle, which was even easier and better than the first!

I noticed that I was eating less because I was starting to listen to my body, and also because I was less thirsty, which I wasn't mistaking for hunger.

My craving for sweets went away almost entirely.

And my insatiable thirst went away entirely.

Sure, I got thirsty when I needed to take a drink, but 84 oz of water per day was enough for me. Trust me, I measured!

My Journey is Just Beginning

Trim Healthy Mama changed my life. I'm losing weight, my thirst is gone, I haven't consumed sugar in months, and I honestly don't miss it!

You may have doubts, but if you're struggling to lose weight and love food like I do, I encourage you to at least read some other posts about the principles behind THM, read some of the sample meal plans, and then decide for yourself.

For me, I'll be sticking with Trim Healthy Mama for a while!

If you're interested in Trim Healthy Mama, please see My Trim Healthy Mama Page, or visit Trim Healthy Mama's website.

xoxo, Gretchen