Over the years of following Trim Healthy Mama, I’ve had multiple women approach me about this way of eating.
As I start explaining it, many become overwhelmed by all of the “rules” and they just aren’t willing to try it anymore because it seems too complicated. So, I thought I would write this post just for you ladies!
I want to share with you three steps to take when you want to give Trim Healthy Mama (THM) a chance but you aren’t quite sure where to start.
1. Focus more on the fuel source then the recipes
The basics of THM is to eat E, S, and FP meals while avoiding E and S together.
If you study the eating plan more in depth, you will discover Crossovers and S helpers.
But if you are just starting out on THM and you want to lose weight, I encourage you to stick to the basics.
- E (energizing) meals: High Carb, Low Fat- no more than 5 grams of fat and no more than 45 grams of carbs
- S (satisfying) meals: Low Carb, High Fat- greater than 5 grams of fat and less than 10 grams of carbs
- FP (fuel pull) meals: Low Carb, Low Fat- less than 5 grams of fat and less than 10 grams of carbs
So, in order to see results, you don’t want to mix S and E meals within 3 hours of eating.
For example, here is a simple day of eating the THM way:
Breakfast: Oatmeal with plain greek yogurt (or Triple Zero yogurt) (E)
Snack: (Fuel pull) pudding
Lunch: Eggs, sauteed non-starchy vegetables, 2 slices of bacon (S)
Snack: (Fuel pull) hot chocolate
Dinner: Homemade pizza made on a low carb wrap with a side salad (S)
As you can see, I like to use fuel pull food sources as snack options because they usually don’t fill me up when used as a meal.
Also, I like to start my day with an energizing meal to keep me going all morning as I clean the house and homeschool. For dinner, I usually choose satisfying meals to keep me full all night and avoid late night snacking.
2. Simplify your ingredients
When you first glance at Trim Healthy Mama, it’s kind of ridiculous how many specialty ingredients they recommend. The price tag on all of these products can be a huge turn off from this way of eating.
First off, we live on one, unpredictable income and are not able to buy every product recommended in the THM books. But I actually enjoy keeping it simple because that what’s encourages me to stick with it.
So, I recommend that you do the same. Here are a few products to have on hand when starting the diet: (all of these products can be found at most grocery stores)
-Almond flour
-Coconut flour
-Unsweetened almond milk
-Stevia, Truvia, or Pyure
-Coconut oil
-Plain Greek Yogurt or Triple Zero Yogurt
-Cocoa powder
Another useful product that you will probably have to order online is Glucomannan. This powder is used as a thickening agent for various recipes.
If you are willing to buy a few products from the THM website, then I recommend starting with baking blend (a mixture of on plan flours) and gentle sweet (a powdered sweetener that mixes well).
Trim Healthy Mama doesn’t have to be expensive when you are sticking to basic, simple ingredients and meal plans.
3. Make one-pot meals
Does anyone else love one pot meals as much as a do?
I think my husband probably does because he is my dishwasher. Last year my husband and I put our Christmas money together and bought an Instant Pot. Since then, we have used this handy kitchen tool almost daily.
It’s so satisfying to throw everything into one pot, set a timer, and have a delicious, easy meal for my family.
Here are a few of my favorite one pot meals:
- Pot Roast
- Soups
- Mac and Cheese (use dreamfields noodles)
- Salsa Chicken
- Steel Cut Oatmeal
- Beef Stew
- Carnitas
One of the misconceptions of THM is that it takes a lot of prep/planning and many dishes. It CAN be that way but when you focus on one-pot recipes it makes this way of eating so much more manageable with your lifestyle.
Try to choose meals that have minimal ingredients and that everyone in your family will love. This way, you won’t have to cook your family one meal and fix yourself a “diet” meal.
My advice is to fight the urge to make every recipe you find on Pinterest but to strive to keep it simple with minimal ingredients. You can do it!
