My Trim Healthy Mama Journey. Along with some helpful tips and tricks to getting started.

Are you living to eat or eating to live? This is a question that has been stuck in my mind since I was a sophomore in high school. My ski team coach in high school was a tiny, little lady who my mom referred to as one of THOSE people who ate to LIVE. She ate because she had to; she didn’t LIVE to eat.  You could tell too because she had the tiny little energetic body to prove it too!

Live to eat? Wow! That completely describes my last 22…or wait is it 32…oh no it’s 34 years of life. I did not know any other way.  My whole life has been based around the questions: When is the next meal? And do I get a brownie with it?  Those of you that know me personally know that I have a brownie addiction problem. I’m not shy about it at all. Honestly though, more than that, it was a serious SUGAR and food addiction.  I was feeling lost and out of control, and I wanted better for myself and for my family too.

Ready for a change?

Sick of feeling bloated? Tired of being…well, tired? Ready for a change not only for you but for your family? Trim Healthy Mama (THM) has been a blessing in my life over the past three years.  It is an eating plan that focuses on protein at each meal and teaches you how to add in healthy fats (yes, the wonderful ones like CHEESE and REAL BUTTER) and carbs so that your body can actually process them correctly.  The plan takes you out of your sugar addiction but does not just say ‘no.’ It offers options to make treats that are good for your body. This plan is definitely a food freedom lifestyle change. Are you ready for that?

Trim Healthy Mama (THM)

If you are ready, I recommend you start by reading the Trim Healthy Mama Plan book by sisters Pearl Barrett and Serene Allison.  You can find it on Amazon by using the links below.

This book is the newest version of the plan and gives you all the details you need to get started.  What I love about it is that it does not just tell you to do it because it is good for you.  Instead, they dive in to give great explanations of what it does for your body. I’m not going to lie when I was first introduced to this it was VERY overwhelming, SO much to learn and not mess up on. The best part is that you can start over at each meal.  Even if you do not get it perfect you are still on the right track.

There are two other books (Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook and Necessary Foods) I also recommend getting if you are going to jump in.  They are both great cookbooks.  One is written by the THM ladies, and the other is written by a great THM mentor Briana Thomas.  Both have great recipes, and I reference them in a lot of my posts.  The THM sisters are also working on another cookbook which I’m sure I will also recommend once it’s available. You can also find links to those on Amazon above next to the THM Plan book.

TIPS to Help get started

Getting started on this plan, as I already said, can be overwhelming and not easy. Committing to no sugar and only good carbs, like brown rice, oatmeal and quinoa is not easy. But I promise, you will feel so much better about yourself, and you will also lose weight. The plan is a low glycemic plan which means you are eating to keep your blood sugar at the same level. This is the best way to help you feel good and lose weight.

My Tips and tricks for THM Beginners

1. You want to start by basing your meals on a protein source.  This can be meat like chicken, beef, pork, or some kind of fish.  The protein also can be natural peanut butter,  eggs, greek yogurt, or other high protein foods.
2. With your protein, you then want to add EITHER fat OR healthy carbs to your meals NOT BOTH! (Example…if you add cheese you cannot have it over rice)

3. Eat every 2.5 to 3 hours.

4. I’ve heard many people say to start with one meal each day.  Maybe it is a protein shake for breakfast…do that for a week and once you have conquered breakfast, move to lunch, then to dinner.  I have also tried to make this family friendly so that I’m not eating something different than my family.
5. My next biggest trick is prepping.  You probably can tell this about me from my blog, but I do not do well when things are not planned out.  If I do not have a schedule for it I WILL FAIL!  There are many different ways that you can prep and I try to share new ideas each week.
6. One thing I like to remind people of is that you can totally do this plan (and sometimes I wish I could ONLY do it this way) with regular items from the grocery store.  It is when you get into treats and tweaking your favorite items to be on the plan that you run into higher costs and special ingredients. This is also a good time to say that when I started I did not start with treats.  I started focusing on the first 4 things listed here and then built on them as I grew more knowledgeable about the plan.

THM Weekly Prepping

1. Freezer meal cooking.

My favorite way to prep for THM is by using my freezer meal theory. This helps me stock my freezer AND only cook one night a week.  Is also means that at least ONE meal a day is SURE to be on plan.

2. Jar Salads for lunch or snacks

Another way I prep for the week is by making a different jar salad each week.  These can be used as a meal or a snack. It is a great way to get extra vegetables in, and they are LARGE salads which keep me full and not searching for something more.

3. Freezer treat stock

Freezer treats also help so much.  I try to make at least one freezer treat a week to help when those sugar cravings hit.  Keeping stocked up on things like the pay off day candies, praline bars, cheesecake, peanut butter cups can be a lifesaver.  Each week I spend time on Thursday to stock this up. I do try to keep these to a minimum and usually, try to keep them both low in carbs AND low in fat (for those THM vets this would mean they are fuel pull treats.)

4. Build a community of support

Thursday I host a THM meeting at my home (all are welcome and I feed you lunch and make you treats to take home… bribery to be my friend!) At this meeting, I try to plan not only treats to make but also a neutral (meaning it does not have significant fat or carbs “Fuel Pull”) snack options.  I like to make things for this like egg roll in a bowl and the Trim Train Taco Soup.  These can easily be made into individual portions and used for snacks.  I absolutely love to have filling snacks readily available. Otherwise, I grab handfuls of peanuts (which, although on the plan, are NOT good for weight loss). I realize that not everyone can come to my house each week, and also some of you may be all alone, but I recommend that you get some sort of support around you!

5. Prep up an easy grab and go Vegetable drawer

The last prepping thing that I try to do weekly is to stocking a vegetable drawer with ready to grab bags of vegetables.  I use these not only for myself but for my husband’s and kids’ lunches too.  It’s also a great option after school when the snack I offer just is not enough and my kids keep asking for more. They can choose something out of the bottom refrigerator drawer where they will find celery, cucumbers, peppers, and other veggies ready to go.

6. Do not give up!

If you mess up, do not let the whole day go to waste.  Wait 2.5-3 hours and make your next choice better. On every other eating plan or diet I have tried, if I messed up, I would just throw the towel in for the whole day.  You do not need to do that with THM.

You can do it! I promise you will feel so much better when you do!

Some of my Favorite Store bought THM options

Sometimes, having home made goodies ready and prepped just does not happen.  Do not let that hold you back.  There are plenty of options you can purchase to grab quickly or take along to eat when you’re not at home!

1. Bai Drinks

One item I always have in the house is Bai antioxidant drinks. I buy the regular Bai and Bai bubbles every week.  They are a filling solution when I have a craving and they’re great to take on the road.  Regular Bai can also be used to make into Good Girl Moonshine (GGMS) a ginger and apple cider drink recommended on the plan.

2. Mission Low Carb Tortilla’s

Another item I like to keep in the house is Mission brand’s low carb tortilla shells. They are great for days when I’m on the run, they also allow you to eat Mexican food right along with your family.

3. Oikos Triple Zero Greek Yogurt

These are a little taste of wonderful, and there are so many flavors now too!  My favorite is the mixed berry with real berries mixed in. I also LOVE the salted caramel as an apple dip. Having these in the fridge and ready to go is an awesome option. They also taste great frozen!

4. Cottage Cheese and Cream Cheese

Cottage cheese and cream cheese are just awesome go to options. Stock the fridge with them.

5. Lilly’s chocolate or 85% Dark chocolate

I have to admit, I am a chocolate girl!  (No doubt, as I can eat plain 85% chocolate with no problem!)  It’s great to keep it in the pantry and eat it with nuts.  Another GREAT, awesome option is Lilly’s chocolate bars.  They are SO fabulous, but they are pricey – I stock up when I see them on sale!

The Trim Healthy Mama Store

Trim Healthy Mama has a great online store, and I place orders regularly. The shipping can be expensive, so I like to order with a group. But their products are just the best! When I started the THM plan, I never bought from the store.  It seemed expensive, and it was easier to buy on Amazon or at the grocery store.  But the longer I have done THM, the more I’ve realized that their items are not more expensive (especially when I can share shipping with other people.) And THM items are the best options to use on the THM plan. Keep in mind that a lot of THM ingredients come in handy when you want to make treats and other menu items that are not cornerstones of the THM plan.  There are a few things you may want from the start (bolded in the list below), but many of these are not NEEDED.

These are the things I always keep in stock:

• protein powder
• defatted peanut flour
• super sweet
• pure stevia
• collagen
• Baking blend
• gentle sweet

Another thing I love to order (that doesn’t have anything to do with the THM Plan) is their natural deodorant.  I love the Baking Soda Free Hippie Stick and believe me, I have tried a LOT of natural deodorants.

A Great way of life

I think I have an addictive personality. Someone told me once that when I do things I don’t just do them, I give it my EVERYTHING.  I think that is how God created us to be. Why do something half-hearted when we can give it our all? THM is one of those things. It’s not going to be easy. After all, I’m talking about giving up brownies – I mean c’mon! But seriously, when talking about addiction, sugar is compared to cocaine.

This is serious stuff, but it’s worth it.  It’s worth it for your family. It is worth it for your health. It’s amazing to feel freedom from food like you’ve never felt it before. I’m here to help. I’m not perfect. I make many mistakes, but if I can do it, so can you!