A Farm Wife's Life: June 2015

Monday, June 15, 2015

Six Months with Trim Healthy Mama

I started Trim Healthy Mama on December 15, 2014.

This was taken on Cece's baptism, December 7th.

Today marks 6 months and I have lost 50 pounds, starting at 235 and now down to 185.

I am AMAZED at the transformation of my body! I have been this weight before, but never this shape. Skirts and pants, as well as shirts, are longer now because my arms, backside and hips are much smaller.

I am so glad I didn’t give up on all the clothes I had stored away for “ONE day…” because now I “shop” in my own closet and storage bins!

I have lost weight with THM but have gained much: I can wear my wedding ring again after 7 years of not being able to. I can play with my kids at a playground or run after my toddlers. I can mow our yard with a push mower and feel good doing it. I can walk for exercise again (though I didn’t start exercising until after 40 pounds were off—my joints finally felt so much better).

I didn’t set a goal when I began because

1) I was afraid to fail

2) I didn’t know—and still don’t—how to decide on a number and

3) IT’S NOT ABOUT A SPECIFIC NUMBER!

I have brought eleven children into this world.

If I ever made a comment about my weight, people would say something like “Well, after x-number of pregnancies, it’s understandable…” But I knew that having several babies was no “excuse”—and I knew it wasn’t truth. I know now that I was pairing the wrong foods. I was a mix of Whole Grain Jane and Farm Fresh Tess (get the book and you'll know what I mean!). I might choose 2 slices of whole wheat toast with peanut butter and jelly and a glass of orange juice for breakfast. A lunch meat sandwich, a few chips or pretzels and an apple for lunch (which you know I call dinner), and beef roast with cooked carrots, roasted potatoes, fresh bread and a glass of milk for supper. I wasn’t eating “bad” food—it’s that the food was not fueling my body the way my body requires.

Meals are categorized according to (S) for Satisfying, (E) for Energizing, or (FP) for Fuel Pull which is all explained in the book.

I keep my menu VERY simple. With 11 children, it has to be! I typically have a fried egg with cheese (S) or oatmeal (E) for breakfast and coffee with half-and half. For my noon meal, I often choose to fry a salmon filet and have a (S) salad with sunflower seeds, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper with a side of cottage cheese and a strawberry smoothie to drink. I am the only one on THM in my family because I am the only one with a weight problem. Though we are pretty much a meat & vegetables family, I also have several days in a month where pancakes or mac & cheese with chicken nuggets or peanut butter sandwiches is going to have to suffice for the crew. I will choose egg salad or maybe tuna salad for myself on a Joseph’s pita.

I don’t always have enough money for protein powder and I’ve enjoyed several (even too many!) cheat meals, sometimes out of necessity (we live very rurally so grocery shopping is a TRIP) and sometimes out of indulgence/lack of will power. I’m sure I would have lost more by now had I stayed 100% on plan but I love that in 3 hours, I can make the next right choice!

My high blood pressure is a thing of the past & I lost fifty pounds by eating good food!! Though it can be tempting to search the web for lots of THM recipes, I have found the recipes and suggestions in the book to be quite sufficient. I appreciate so much the work that Pearl and Serene put into the book!

I had to really search for a “before” picture of me because I always made SURE to be either behind someone or out of the picture entirely.

I’ll call this other picture my “during” (instead of “after”) because I don’t know where THM is going to bring me on this journey!

A blog I have found to be particularly helpful is

Gwen's Nest and her fabulous Quick Start Guide

If I can do this, I KNOW you can, too!