Trim Healthy Mama
This post is for those of you who have heard about THM and are curious as to what it's all about. It's not meant to convert anyone from their current stances on health and nutrition. I find that to be a losing battle that I'm admittedly not willing nor knowledgeable enough to pursue. I am also not claiming to be an expert, nor am I claiming to follow the plan perfectly. I admit to eating a Chick Fil A nugget meal complete with waffle fries and a coke from time to time. I confess that I cave if Blue Bell ice cream is waved in front of my face (or just mentioned in passing). Although, I have relinquished my obsession with Dove Dark Chocolate believe it or not!! I now crave 85% dark chocolate, which is 100% on plan. (Progress!!) One day I hope to be rid of the sugar monster. I guess you could say this is my attempt at explaining what parts of the THM plan I have applied and what they've done for me. The rest is up to you. You can stop reading now because you're already bored or you can keep reading and maybe learn something.
I'll begin with a brief explanation and gross oversimplification of "the plan" in a way that my little brain understood. Basically, we get our fuel (energy, sustenance) from either carbs or fats. When we eat a lot of them together in a meal (i.e steak and mashed potatoes) our bodies burn what they need and store the rest as fat. Not only that, but the carbs in the mashed potatoes send our blood sugar through the roof, which we all know is not good. We may not know why it isn't good, but we can agree that we've understood that to be a bad thing. So, bottom line is that we need to separate our fuels with each meal and replace our carbs with something more healthy like brown rice or sweet potatoes (and not the loaded kind either). That also means no more Cracker Barrel biscuits or Texas Roadhouse rolls. Womp womp. I just lost some of you, didn't I? Well, it was nice of you to stop by. I hope you have a great day!
For those of you still reading, let me explain what this looks like in real life. This will probably sound confusing but hang in there. I'm giving you a crash course then I'm going to give you practical tips. So, let's dive in. Every meal is centered around protein, but there are two main types of meals. Those with more fats are called S (for satisfying) meals. That would be like a steak with broccoli. You could even add a little butter or cheese if you want to. The meals with more carbs are called E (for energizing) meals. One of my favorite E meals is called Dirt E Rice. It has ground turkey for protein and brown rice for healthy carbs. When you have a meal that has about the same amount of fat and (healthy) carbs it's called a Crossover, or XO, meal. Those meals aren't conducive to weight loss but they are still considered healthy in moderation. I follow these parameters loosely because I don't necessarily want to lose weight. There are Deep S meals and S helper meals that I have never delved into, but there's a whole science to weight loss for those who are interested in it for that reason. Another meal I don't think I eat very often is what they call Fuel Pulls. Those have very low carbs and fats. Lastly, sugar is not allowed on this plan. Stevia is usually the sweetener of choice.
THIS IS WHAT I DO
Now let's take a deep breath and count to 10. Now exhale. It's not as difficult as it seems. Well, maybe it is if you follow it strictly, but I'm about to tell you what I took away from reading the Trim Healthy Mama Plan book. I cut out white flour, white rice, and white potatoes in my kitchen. I also replace sugar with stevia whenever possible. Be careful buying stevia though. Not all brands are created equal. I bought their cookbook and another one that follows their plan. I use them, blogs like this one and this one, and Pinterest for meal ideas. Gwen's Nest even has a THM Quick Start Guide. I bought the THM baking blend and often blend oats to use as a binding agent in meatloaf or salmon patties instead of crackers or bread crumbs. There are simple ways to take meals you already love and make them healthy by switching out a few ingredients like that. Eating out can be tricky but it is doable. At a Mexican restaurant I usually get a taco salad without the shell or refried beans. It can be loaded with steak fajita meat, cheese, sour cream, and even guacamole if you like. I honestly don't even miss the shell. The chips and salsa are a whole different story. Fast food restaurants usually don't even bat an eye when I order a burger without the bun. I have had to eat one with my fingers before because I forgot to make sure there was a fork in the bag though. That's pretty much it. Ideally, you should eat every three hours on this plan but I never pay attention to that either. Just making these changes and still eating sugar from time to time I lost those last 15 pounds of nagging baby weight in about 2 months and it hasn't come back.
FOOD & DRINK
My beverage of choice is water or unsweet tea. I like my coffee black or with a little half and half. I also enjoy a drink called Good Girl Moonshine out of the THM cookbook. It has apple cider vinegar (with the mother), ground ginger, Truvia, water, and ice in it. ACV and ginger are so good for you, and this drink is so refreshing when mixed correctly. I also love their drink called The Shrinker. It's claim to fame is cayenne pepper! I love it. The plan book goes into great detail about special ingredients. The plan can definitely be done without them, but I have found a couple that I will
never part with. One is their Integral Collagen. I drink a scoop in my coffee almost every morning. It is good for your hair, skin, nails, digestive system, and nervous system. It's fabulous! Another superfood that has become my favorite is nutritional yeast. It's so good on popcorn. It contains eighteen amino acids and is a complete protein. AND it can help lower cravings for carbs and sugar!
If you're still reading now then you must really be serious about your health. If so, I would highly recommend you look more into this plan. I feel so blessed to have found it when I did. I have been "on plan" for over a year and although I have my so-called cheat days when I crave something I have eaten all my life, I can see myself only getting better at this plan as I get older. It's not a fad. It truly is a lifestyle.
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