THM and Me (sorry - I couldn't come up with a better title)*

(You can read my intro to Trim Healthy Mama here.)
*submit your better titles in the comments!  

While it's true that back in March of this year, I was still carrying around plenty of baby weight from from 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - and 5 babies, and I was probably carrying around pounds that weren't related to babies at all, I wasn't actually looking for a diet program.  I wasn't actively looking to lose weight or eat better or "get healthier" (soooo generic, I know...)  But I stumbled upon the mention of Trim Healthy Mama in Erica's blog and it went it a little something like this...  

Hmmm... a weight loss program that's working for someone I "know."  Oh look!  She's provided a link!  *Click*  Huh, would you look at that.  Hmmm... there are so many amazing testimonials here AND there are recipes for cakes and things that look like ice cream???  Oh, woah.  The book is $30??  Maybe they have it at the library.  *Click click*  They do!  

My husband was out of town for a long weekend in the middle of March and I spent my alone time in the evenings sitting in front of the fire alternately crocheting and devouring the book.  I was immediately intrigued by a few things (1) the book is written by sisters Serene Allison and Pearl Barrett, Christian woman who developed the plan and wrote this enormous book while caring for and homeschooling their large families, and that sounded fun and familiar and appealing, and (2) the book starts out talking about the affects of insulin on our bodies, and that really caught my attention since I'm already familiar with the ins and outs of insulin (or lack thereof) from taking care of my son Aaron who has type 1 diabetes. 

After finishing the book and feeling very convinced that this was something that was worth a try, I jumped in.  And I didn't ease into it, I just jumped in and haven't looked back.  I eventually had to (reluctantly) return the book to the library, but ended up buying my own, and then recently bought the new plan book and cookbook (which are better laid out than the old book.  But the old book is sufficient if that's all you can get your hands on.)

 I've been living the THM life for almost half a year and here's why this plan works for me: 

• There's no calorie counting.  When my third child was about 6-9 months old I lost about 20 lbs calorie counting and exercising.  I liked the results, but most of the time I was miserable.  Calorie counting, for me, was wretched.  I was always hungry and angry about what I could and couldn't eat.  I felt like I was on a diet plan like this:  

      Breakfast - eat two egg whites and 1 almond.  
      Morning Snack - water.  
      Lunch - lick a cucumber.  
      Afternoon Snack - water.
    Dinner - look at a stalk of celery and then put it back in the fridge for tomorrow's breakfast.
      Evening Snack - Seriously?  You're asking for another snack??  You've already had two today!  

       I've tried calorie counting a few times since that one successful time and I usually eat a great and low-cal breakfast and then by 10 o'clock I'm starving, eat whatever I want, and decide that I'll actually start the real calorie counting thing the next day ;)  

       With THM, while you obviously have to be careful not to completely and totally overdo it on calories every single meal, you do not have to calorie count.  Your body will burn the fuel you give it, fats or carbohydrates, depending on the type of meal you've chosen.  You don't have to worry about how many calories are going in and you don't have to keep track of how many you burn exercising.  It's so freeing!!  And I am NEVER starving!!  

egg white omelet with zucchini and mushrooms and a fuel pull waffle with
greek yogurt and raspberries (fuel pull is a meal  that is low carb AND low fat)
THIS is the kind of breakfast that will hold me over till lunch!

I haven't even eaten one piece of celery since starting THM, let alone look at one...
but I do eat plenty of veggies!  Here's what a THM dinner can look like -
cauliflower chicken casserole (heavy on the cauliflower) and roasted
asparagus spears with shredded parmasan.

• I eat healthily while still enjoying things like ice cream, chocolate, cake, and peanut butter.  Have you ever heard of a weight loss plan that included all that??  Since THM is meant to be a long term lifestyle, it only works for me because there are treat involved!  I'm not the type of gal who would swear off dessert in the name of health for the rest of my life.  Oh no no!  But with THM, desserts and snacks fit right into the plan.  

• I am rarely tempted by "regular" food because with THM there are so many "respectable alternatives," as I call them.  This is huge for me!  Imagine my family sitting down to a pizza dinner and me sitting nearby licking my celery stalk.    Not cool.  Or having half a piece of pizza because I'm calorie counting or points counting??  Still sad.  With THM, I make myself a pizza crust out of cauliflower or I pile all the tasty awesome pizza toppings I want into a zucchini boat or half a bell pepper.  And believe me, it tastes good enough, that I'm not tempted to eat the "real" pizza. 

"Respectable alternatives" make this plan doable for normal people who like pizza and chocolate and hamburgers.  Don't get me wrong, do THM approved chocolate peanut butter cups taste just like or as good as Reese's Peanut Butter Cups?  No way.  BUT, the replacement is tasty enough to satisfy me.  I'll say it again -- respectable alternatives. 

• You don't have to go off plan for special occasions.  I've allowed myself to have a few "off plan" meals recently, like for a birthday celebration, but for the most part, I've stuck to it even during family festivities.  I've made THM coffee cakes and frittats for Sunday brunch, donuts and cake for a recent girls' tea party, and chocolate cake for a just-because-it's-Saturday dessert.  Just because you're celebrating doesn't mean you can't do it the THM way :)

• I do not have to make separate dinners for myself.  That would have been a deal breaker for me.  I'm used to making my own breakfasts and lunches, but under no circumstances will anyone in my home ever get a custom-made dinner, including me ;)  I don't have that kind of time.  So my family eats THM dinners or I make slight modifications, like the pizza crust alternatives I mentioned.   My family has liked every THM dinner I've made.  In fact, they like my breakfasts and lunches too, so I usually make myself a big meal (especially breakfast.  I typically eat lunch alone during the kids' rest time) and expect to share with some or all kiddos :)  

See?  Here's my breakfast (spinach mushroom egg bake, low-carb everything bagel - in the shape of a pretzel ;) - and strawberries.  And then there's my breakfast companion :)  I love him!

This is Cheeseburger Pie (THM pg. )  My family eats it like a sloppy joe, on a
whole wheat hamburger bun.  I ate it on a bed of greens with mustard and dill relish.
Everyone has a veggie side.  This is an example of the type of slight modification
I'd make to a dinner.  But I'd never make a different dinner for myself.

Another modified dinner.  The rest of the family is having hot dogs and veggies?
So am I.  I just put that bagel dough around a Hebrew National all beef hot dog for myself.
I think the kids has corn that night too, but I skipped it.

So what has it done for me??

• Since starting THM I do things that I would have previously scoffed at - like consuming a daily dose of unrefined coconut oil (which I do by way of a piece of tasty chocolate!), taking a daily 2 Tbsp of apple cider vinegar for its probiotic benefits, drinking protein shakes and eating ancient grains.  These were seriously things that I would have brushed aside as being altogether too "crunchy" and weird for me in the past, but now they're a normal part of what I do.  Who knows if it's all coincidence, but, uh... I feel great! 

• Yep.  I feel great.  My weight loss has been stalled for a couple of months, but I keep doing this because I feel so good.  My digestive system is healthier, I'm less bloated, I'm not sore when I wake up in the mornings as I used to be, my monthly period is now entirely pain free (that's as far as I will ever go down the TMI trail...) , my frequent headaches have subsided.  

• I appreciate flavor over sweetness more.  For instance, I used to think that natural peanut butter, the kind made with just peanuts and no sugar and salt, was vile.  But now I love it.  A dash of vanilla in whipped cream goes a long way, I love my coffee without sweetener now, and when I make shakes I go heavy on the flavors (chocolate mint, anyone?) and lighter on the sweetener.  

• I used to think I could never live without pop or crystal lite type drinks.  It never occurred to me before to brew herbal tea to make cold, refreshing flavored drinks.  They're delicious!  

• Finally, during my first three months on THM I lost about 15 lbs.  It was a wonderful accomplishment for me.  I feel amazing and I like the way I look.  I can hardly believe that I wear clothes that haven't fit me since I just had two kids (can you hardly believe that I saved them?)  I haven't lost any weight over the summer, (well, I stopped exercising over the summer too...) but I'm not discouraged.  (I'd like to lose about 8 more.)  I continue to eat according to the plan, I feel great, I haven't gained anything back, and now that the new "school year" is underway, I'm hoping that I'll make a little extra time to start working out again (and by "working out" I mean spending about 40 casual minutes on the elliptical while I watch Netflix and crochet.) 

So, what about progress photos, you say??  I didn't take "before" pictures of myself (or take my measurements) before I started.  It just felt weird.  I don't regret it.  For me, the real results have been how good I feel and how many more choices I have for what I wear each day :)  I do not feel very comfortable posting progress pictures of myself, but I admit that I love seeing other peoples' and have found them encouraging, so for the first and probably only time, I will share a few with you.  

The first is from Easter, 2015.  I had been doing THM for 2 weeks and had already lost a few pounds and felt great.  The second is from early summer and the last is from a few weeks ago.

This is a THM intensive week here at the blog.  So stop back tomorrow when I share what a typical day's worth of food looks like for me, as well as some additional ideas for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.  And Thursday and Friday I'll share a couple recipes and tips I use for staying on plan as a busy mom.   Come on back and hang out the next few days!

As always, I'm happy to chat and answer questions!  Have a beautiful Tuesday!

You might also like...

"Have you Heard the Good News?!" (How talking about Trim Healthy Mama feels like street corner evangelization)

Why My Big Kids Still Have Afternoon Rest Time

Low Carb Pizza Stuffed Peppers

Healthy "Candy Bar" Smoothie

It's the Club Pack Life for Me (Adventures in Grocery Shopping)

"Have you Heard the Good News?!" (How talking about Trim Healthy Mama feels like street corner evangelization)

Have You Heard the Good News??*

Since April, I've been eating according to a "plan" called Trim Healthy Mama.  I actually wish it were called something else because then it might be a little easier to talk about it... especially with strangers.  It sounds a whole lot cooler to say words like "Atkins" or "Paleo" or "Whole 30" or "Clean Eating."   It's not my favorite thing to have to say "Trim Healthy Mama" when someone asks about what I've been up to...  But because it's what I have been up to, I will at least give the plan credit and call it THM :)

I like THM a lot, but I haven't written much about it yet because I don't want to be like that street corner evangelizer that has a good message but usually manages to make everyone else feel awkward or irritated about it. Some people just don't want the tracts.  Some people are already doin' their own thing and don't need something new.  Some people know what kind of crazy you're talkin' because they've heard it before.  Some people hear the message and roll their eyes.  Most people just walk on by because they're aware of a pretty solid bet in life - people that hang out on street corners generally aren't dispensing information, goods, or services that you want to get tangled up in.  

I've been to enough talks on evangelization to know that the most effective evangelizing is the kind you do with your life - your attitude, your actions, your decisions, and your relationships.  (Who was that one guy who said, "preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words"?  Oh, right.  A saint.**) It's most effective when you have a relationship with a person and they witness your faith, and then eventually they're open to hearing about what it's done for you.  Maybe... then... just maybe... they might start asking questions about what this "thing" could do for them.   Usually how it works, right?  Have you heard many a witness talk about how a person was converted after a ten minute chat with the greasy guy on the boulevard who spends 8 hours a day shouting about the approaching apocalypse???

Well, I'm definitely not the doom and gloom type.  There are no winged horsemen hot on my heals.  But I've had enough people now (social media friends and in real life friends) witness my weight loss and ask me what this is all about, so it seemed like the time to share about THM.  I've managed to avoid the temptation to wear a "THM Rocks!" sandwich board sign on any street corners  (to everyone's relief...).   I'm simply in a position to have a friendly chat with you about what it is and what it's done for me :)

Trim Healthy Mama
(a plan and book by Serene Allison and Pearl Barrett)

(an overview by a *relative* newbie)

Here are some highlights:

• THM is not a diet.  It does have a weight loss component (which I have used) but it's not a quick one-time weight loss diet.  You don't do THM for a set amount of days or until you lose a certain amount of weight.  It's a low glycemic lifestyle, meaning that it's a method of eating which prevents unhealthy spikes in blood sugar, and is a sustainable and healthy method of eating for the rest of your life, even after you've reached your goal weight.  Once you've reached your goal weight, you don't stop THM.

• The plan is not just for moms and not just for women :)  Don't let the name fool you.  It's for all people of every age - kids, grandpas, pregnant or nursing women, their husbands, etc...  It's a plan that can be adapted for many different needs and health issues.  Again, it's not just about weight loss.

• The plan encourages eating both slow-acting carbs and healthy fats (yay!!!) but not in the same meal.  Meals and snacks include a protein and then your fuel source - either fats (called S (Satisfying) meals) or carbohydrates (called E (Energizing) meals).

• What's the reason behind this??  Both fats and carbohydrates fuel our bodies.  However, carbohydrates raise our blood sugar.  High blood sugar (glucose) is such a dangerous situation for our bodies that when we eat, our bodies process the glucose first.  In a meal with both high fat and high carbohydrates, our bodies deliver the glucose from the carbs to feed our cells first, and by the time it can start processing the fat we ate, our fuel cells are "full" and the fat is stored instead of burned as fuel.  By separating fats and carbs, the body is only required to deal with one fuel at a time and there is nothing left that will be stored (on my waistline or elsewhere ;) ) 

• You can change your fuel type every three hours.  So you can have Trim Healthy Pancakes and fruit for breakfast (an E meal) and three hours after you finished you could have a pizza with lots of pepperoni, sausage, and cheese and other veggies on a cauliflower crust (an S meal).  There are so many tasty things to that you can eat on this plan, sometimes it's hard to choose!  

• As with every healthy lifestyle change, there are some things you just don't eat when you commit to the THM lifestyle.  Some foods that aren't on plan are milk, wheat flour, white potatoes, white rice, all types of pasta, sugar, honey, and even real maple syrup.  While sugar, honey, and maple syrup are all natural sweeteners, they are not gentle on your blood sugar levels.  The THM preferred sweetener is stevia.  It's natural, low calorie, and low carb.   

•  If you're interested in learning more, here are a few resources:
•  trimhealthymama.com (information about the plan, FAQ's, testimonials)
• The new book: Trim Healthy Mama Plan: The Easy-Does-It Approach to Vibrant Health and a Slim Waistline
• The new cook book: Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook: Eat Up and Slim Down
• THM Quick Start Guide (from Gwen's Nest)

                                            

Hmm, I think that's a decent brief overview.  I plan to follow this up with a little about my own story (THM and Me...hehe) and what a typical day's worth of food looks like for me.  (After that, I'll go back to my regularly clacked out posts about crocheting, books, coffee, and kids.  Or I'll shut down the blog.  Homeschooling is just keeping me too too busy these days ;) )  

How about you?  Have you heard of THM before?  Ever try it??    

  

* "Diets" and food plans tend to be pretty personal decisions and what works for some isn't the right fit for others.  But this post and the combox is not a place to pit one method against another.  I'm happy to answer your questions about THM and to hear about what works for you, but comments that are negative or critical will be deleted.  

**  St. Francis of Assisi :)  

DIY Coconut Oil and Sugar Body Scrubs

Last Christmas, my sister gave homemade vanilla sugar body scrub as gifts.  Although I love handmade gifts (and her scrub in particular), the gift had one major flaw - it was gone altogether too soon.

I was out shopping with my mom a few weekends ago when she mentioned she was going to buy some sugar scrub because she'd run out of her Christmas stash a while ago.  It was an inspired moment when I said don't buy scrub, let's make our own!!!

This morning after Mass and Second Breakfast, my mom, sister, and I got to work making bulk amounts of uh-mazing sugar scrubs.  This brilliant stockpiling of scrub could become a regular thing.  It was so very fun and efficient with the three of us working together.  (Actually, I think my mom and sister did most of the work...I drank coffee and supervised.)  

We had intended to make a simple sugar scrub with coconut oil and a vanilla essential oil.  However, the creative juices were surging and we ended up concocting four scrumptious boutique aromas.  

If you're in the market for some body scrub,  I highly recommend my sister's basic recipe and the variations we created.  Gather some friends (or sisters.  or your mom.) and turn it into an event like we did!  It was much more efficient to make a lot at one time.  And let's be honest - it's was just fun girl time, plain and simple.  At one point, my sisters said, "Too bad it's not the evening, we could be having wine."  Too bad, indeed.  If you have your scrub making party at night, it's a perfect wine-sipping event :)  

BASIC SCRUB RECIPE...

* The base recipe for each scrub is 1/2 c. coconut oil and 2 c. white granulated sugar.  

Whisk together until the oil is incorporated and the sugar is somewhat fluffy.  Adjust amounts if necessary.

We used organic unrefined virgin coconut oil.  It retains its coconut-y scent and it's wonnnnnderful.)  Just so you know, it doesn't matter one bit whether the oil you use is in liquid form or is solid.  Ours was mostly solid, but slightly softened from the warm weather.

This base makes enough scrub to fill three half-pint-size mason jars.  (So make this amount of each scrub if you're working with two friends ;) )  

These were the fancy schmancy scrubs we made...

#1 Orange Ginger... 
Add in the zest from one large orange and approx. 1 T. ground ginger (or an amount to your taste) (photo shows 1 tsp, but it really is 1 T :) ) 

#2 Lavender and Lime...
I had a jar of culinary lavender, so I ground some of it in my coffee grinder.  We added 2 T. of ground lavender and the zest from two lemons into the scrub.

#3 Vanilla Rum Espresso...
We knew we wanted to make a coffee scrub, and had decided we were probably going to add vanilla, but because we were really trying to be fancy I thought "why stop at vanilla when I have rum extract in the cupboard."  We did a sniff test of the three scents together and basically it was heaven.  
Add in 4 T. of ground espresso beans, 1/4 tsp. of rum extract, and 1 tsp. of vanilla essential oil.

#4 Rose and Basil...
Add 1 tsp. rose fragrance oil and 6 - 8 finely chopped fresh basil leaves.  Such a beautiful combination!

Don't these sound amazing?!  I wish blogger had a scratch n' sniff option.  They smell divine.  I can't wait to get in the shower in the morning!  (Wait, can you say that on the internet??)