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Monday, December 16, 2013

Becoming a Trim Heathly Mama

Last June or July I came across a book called Trim Healthy Mama Pearl Barrett and Serene Allison.  It's a BIG book (over 600 pages!) and it took me awhile to read through it, but it really is an amazing book.  It's not a diet book, but a book that encourages a lifestyle change.  The authors spent 5 years writing the book and researching different eating styles.  The book not only explains the what, how, and when to eat but also the WHY.  They talk about how different foods affect your body.  It truly was an enlightening book!

So I slowly started eating the THM way.  And probably within the first month I lost 6 pounds quite easily!  And at that point I think I was only eating on-plan for breakfast and lunch!  Things got busy in the fall and I will admit that I was doing pretty good with staying on-plan for breakfast, but the rest of the day sort of fell off-plan.  So my weight stayed the same, but I finally saw a number on the scale that I hadn't seen since before I was pregnant with my 9 yr old!  165!!  Which meant I was only 15 lbs away from my goal weight of 150!  I felt great and my clothes were fitting better than ever!  Even my hubby said, "I can really notice a difference in your body since you've been eating the THM way!"  I was stoked!

Enter:  The Holidays.  And my son's 13th birthday.  And all the yummy snacks and goodies that come with both of them.  I was eating less and less on-plan.  And was feeling more and more terrible.  When I eat the THM way, my stomach is no longer bloated and I feel great.  So when I go back to eating the old way I feeling bloated and yucky.  So why do I keep reverting to my old ways??!! 

Today I am making it a goal to stay on plan as much as I possible can (because things WILL come up) and have been thinking of ways I can be successful.  My ultimate goal is to reach my goal weight by our beach vacation in June.  So here is my plan:

1.  Plan ahead.  This is soooo important, yet something I lack at doing.  I need to plan out each day's meals.  When I plan my meals ahead of time, the hard work is already done...I simply look at my plan and eat what it says.  I would love to make a meal plan for a week at a time and shop accordingly so I have all the ingredients I need on hand.

2.  Find some favorite on-plan dinners.  I tend to fall off the plan at dinnertime.  Usually what I make for dinner does not follow the THM guidelines and instead of making myself a separate meal, I just eat what my family is eating.  I know it is possible to have THM dinners my whole family can eat and enjoy...I need to make a list of what they are instead of reverting to my old tried and true favorites.

3.  Exercise. Since the weather turned frigid here in Ohio, I am exercising less and less.  I just can't talk myself into going out into the cold to walk or run!  What makes me the saddest is that I can really tell a difference in my muscle tone...aka I am starting to feel flabby.  YUCK!  So I am going to need to find ways to exercise indoors.  I tried a belly dancing workout last week which was super hilarious...and NOT my gift at all.  My treadmill is buried in our bedroom by all the tools and construction stuff we used for our master bathroom construction so I need to move some of that stuff around so I can actually unfold and use my treadmill!  That is my goal for today.  Even if I would get on it for 15 mins a day...that's more that what I have been doing!  I am thinking I need to change my workout routine a bit and do it in the evenings instead of the morning.  My hubby is working 2nd shift right now which means he is sleeping at the time I would normally work out. And since it's just me and the kids at night I could use that time to do a quick workout.  I am working 4 days this week and just saw that 2 of those days it's supposed to be about 20 degrees warmer than it has been so I may use my lunch break those days to sneak in a quick 20 min walk!

4.  Remind myself how good I feel when I stay on-plan and how great it will feel to reach my goal weight!  When you're in the trenches, it is so easy to lose sight of the goal.  Each time I go back to my old way of eating, I feel terrible physically and literally cannot weight to get back on plan!  I need to keep my eyes on the prize of a thinner, healthier me and keep trudging on!

I am going to TRY to post on here when I workout and my weekly weigh-in results...but consistency has never been my friend so I apologize in advance if I don't follow through with that promise!

Current Weight:  170.2 (but I suspect this includes some extra pounds due to water gain.)
Today's Workout:  20 mins of cardio/weights

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