Trim Healthy Mama: A Summary (My New Healthy Eating Plan)

**** Update 12/27/2015: I am no longer following Trim Healthy Mama due to the way I felt while following the plan. My stomach began to feel “off” and I just didn’t have that “healthy” feeling and I went with my intuition and quit the program. I also want to note that it was during the time that I followed Trim Healthy Mama that my Postpartum depression symptoms became the worst. I do not know if the two are correlated or not, but I do question if it could have something to do with the large amounts of stevia and erythritol that I was consuming. However, I did learn that consuming some fat is helpful for satiety. A lot has happened since that time and I am now happily following a new nutritional plan which has yielded amazing results for me and I feel better than ever. If you’re interested in hearing about what I’m doing, contact me via social media or emailing AJourney2Thin@gmail.com *** 

I began Trim Healthy Mama back in October and lost 7 lbs. from October to the end of November—which is amazing progress for me (a turtle when it comes to weight loss). After falling off the wagon during the holidays, I’ve started back up and have lost 3.4 lbs. in my first week back on plan.

I’ve been on the plan long enough to know that it’s not a “lose weight quick” scheme or the newest fad that promises weight loss but either doesn’t yield results or can’t be done long term.

Trim Healthy Mama involves real food and has turned the “dieting” world upside down for me. I have learned so much. And this is why I am finally sharing my new plan with you—I know there will be readers out there who could benefit from the Trim Healthy Mama lifestyle.

Let me give you a few basics about the plan:

What is Trim Healthy Mama? The healthy eating plan was designed by two sisters, Serene and Pearl, who became fed up with the various fads out there. The sisters researched and, through trial and error, came up with a plan that is healthy and also effective for weight loss. The book has a Christian approach.

How do I learn about the plan? Serene and Pearl wrote a ginormous book (642 pages) called Trim Healthy Mama with their research findings and recipes. But don’t get scared away by the length of the book—as I mentioned, there are a lot of recipes, so it’s almost like getting a book about the plan and an additional cookbook for the price of one. I read a few chapters about the basics before getting started and then finished the book while I was following the plan—it took me about a month to read the book! The printed book costs just shy of $35 on Amazon (and is available on Prime) and is well worth the price for what you get.

You can also visit the Trim Healthy Mama website to learn about the plan and watch videos.

How does Trim Healthy Mama plan work? In a nutshell, there are two basic types of meals (there are more once you get the handle on the basics)—Energizing (E meals) and Satisfying (S meals). These meals always have protein and veggies in addition to the carbs or fats.

Energizing meals are carbohydrate based—and that means from healthy sources like fruit, sprouted bread, oatmeal, quinoa, beans, sweet potatoes and so on.

Satisfying meals are fat based—and this includes butter, coconut oil and other healthy oils, red meats, eggs, nuts and even cheese.

You never combine large amounts of carbohydrates with fats for a single meal.  The important thing is that you are eating BOTH, but not together and at the same time. In this plan, E meals and S meals are never eaten with less than 3 hours in between. You can have days when you only eat E meals or days when you only eat S meal—you can even mix it up. In the event where you are eating the same meal types consecutively, you do not have to wait 3 hours.

Oh, there’s no sugar. But stevia is a substitute. (and if you know me, I love me some sweets and I do just fine on this plan—the cravings are minimal, it’s kind of amazing)

This is a very general summary of the basic premise of the plan. But when it is followed, you turn into a fat burning machine.

Pros:

• You can eat chocolate on the plan—not all kinds, but there’s chocolate on the plan!
• The only cost to begin is the cost of the book.
• It’s real food and minimal processed food.
• THERE IS NO COUNTING CALORIES OR POINTS—it’s liberating. I am one of those unlucky people who typically cannot practice “intuitive eating”; However, on Trim Healthy Mama I don’t count a thing and I continue to lose weight. And, aside from the occasional stress eating episode, I don’t go on eating binges.
• It’s a plan you can stick to because there are so many delicious eats.
• The biggest lesson I have learned on this plan is that I never came close to eating enough fat on previous diets. I cannot believe how much less I want to eat when I am eating healthy fats—I feel so much more satisfied.
• There’s also a great Facebook group for immediate support.

Cons:

• It can get costly if you choose to buy special ingredients regularly. You really have to budget and pick and choose what you are going to buy each week or it does it get expensive—but it can be done on a budget.
• It’s easy to fall into the “low carb philosophy” trap where you think eating cheese, foods cooked in butter and unlimited cream in your coffee is all you need to do to lose weight. The entire premise of the plan is that you need to include BOTH carbs and fats—not only one or the other. I fell into this trap the first time around and I started feeling really crummy and miserable—but adding in a healthy E meal made all the difference. Make sure to follow the plan the way it’s designed and you won’t have a problem!
• The format and organization of the book is a little chaotic, but you can find an alternative index in the Facebook support group.

That’s a little basic information for you on the new healthy eating plan that I’m following. As I mentioned previously, my first goal is to lose 10 lbs. and as a reward I will get a pedicure—I cannot wait to meet that goal!

I’m curious, are there any other Trim Healthy Mamas out there? Hit up the comments!