Hey there! And Happy New Year! Have you made any resolutions? Eating healthy and exercising more often always seem to be things many of us try to incorporate in our lives especially at the beginning of a new year. Both Anne & I follow the Trim Healthy Mama (THM) way of eating. Yesterday, we shared tips for getting started with the Trim Healthy Mama lifestyle.
Anne loves to cook and create her own recipes…she’s passionate about food. I cook because I have to eat and I live with these people who want to eat too. Part of my job is feeding my family…although sometimes I can get my husband to cook. I don’t like to cook but I do like to clean my kitchen…call me crazy but I’m the type who rearranges my dishwasher if someone else loads it. Tell me I’m not the only one?
Where It All Started
I’ve struggled with my weight and more importantly body image my whole life. I grew up thinking I was fat because I was taller and had a different shape than my closest friends. While I was in high school my teenage heart was broken by a boyfriend and I turned to food for comfort. I continued to gain weight through my freshman year in college as well. And then something amazing happened…my husband and I met during my sophomore year even at my highest weight. I always say if he fell in love with me when I was fat then he’ll love me no matter what I look like.
No longer using food as a source of comfort…the weight came off! But it was easier back then when I was young. We got married 6 years later and I was at my lowest adult weight.
I gained a good bit with each of my three pregnancies but was always able to, eventually, take it back off. While pregnant with my second child I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and put on Synthroid. My thyroid disease has continued and I’ve never been able to stop the medication. But when my children were younger I maintained my weight, although I always thought I was “bigger” than I probably was. There’s that dreaded body image creeping back in! You know the saying “I wish I look like I did when I thought I was fat”… yup, that’s me!
Fast forward to Christmas 2015 and I was back up to that college weight. It didn’t happen overnight. I had been ever so slowly gaining weight for 5 years…with every vacation, I’d gain 5 lbs, but I wasn’t taking it back off.
December 2015 – My Highest Weight since I was 9 mos. Pregnant
My sisters and I gave our parents a photo session as their Christmas gift since it’s rare that all of us are together at the same time as we all live in different parts of the country. When I got those pictures from the photographer I was shocked…then I may have cried a bit. I couldn’t believe how big I looked. My sweet husband tried to tell me it was my puffy vest…remember, he fell in love with me at my heaviest weight…but I knew better. Seeing myself in those shots finally gave me the motivation to do something about it!
Realized I Needed to Make Some Changes
I started really watching what I ate and exercising regularly while using Plexus products. It helped and I lost 10 lbs. But then was stuck. I didn’t want to spend hundreds of dollars a month on products. I thought there had to be a way to get what I needed by changing what I was eating. Couldn’t I get my gut healthy by eliminating foods and eating more healthy options?
June 2016 – After Losing 10 lbs with Diet, Exercise & Plexus
I was watching Anne continue to lose weight without counting calories or exercising. Read about her THM story here. I was intrigued but made excuses because I don’t love to cook or meal plan. Trim Healthy Mama seemed like SO.MUCH.WORK. All that prepping and cooking! I think I was making it way harder than it is in my head. I was still curious so I started to follow the THM group on Facebook and was so inspired by other stories on the page.
After a few months of stalking (lol) I decided to give Trim Healthy Mama a try in September 2016. I figured what could I lose? And guess what? I LOVED IT! I immediately felt better. My stomach wasn’t upset at night anymore. I felt good about the foods I was eating. I decided even if I didn’t lose weight I’d continue to follow this plan just because I felt so much better & healthier. And as a bonus, I slowly…very slowly started to lose some more weight. I lost another 15 lbs following this plan. It took a while…about 9 months…I’m definitely a THM turtle.
June 2017 – After Losing a Total of 25 lbs
Despite how long it took to lose those additional 15 lbs. I’ve learned so much about my body and continue to try to figure out what works and what doesn’t work for me. I am always on plan although sometimes that means too much fat or too many crossovers at times, especially on vacations. But I now know if I gain a few pounds, I just have to adjust my eating and I will lose the weight again in a couple of weeks. I don’t throw in the towel any more and continue to eat too much.
At the beginning of my THM journey I would get so stressed weighing myself once a week. I’ve learned that I fluctuate 4-5 lbs consistently so if I happened to weigh in on a high day I’d feel so disappointed. Despite popular opinion, I now weigh daily…that way if I’m up 2 lbs today I can see the drop again tomorrow. It’s really crazy how much I fluctuate but I try not to stress anymore.
October 2017 – Maintaining my Weight Loss
When I actually do meal plan I feel so much more organized & accomplished. I love the satisfaction of taking care of my home…keeping it organized and decorated…I just need to carry that loving feeling over into my meal planning. My family has really enjoyed the meals we make. And I like that many of the recipes sneak in veggies so they don’t even realize they are in there. Egg Roll in a Bowl, Double Chicken Fried Rice, and Pearl’s Chili from the THM cookbooks are family favorites around here.
May 2018 – Recent
I still struggle with that internal voice telling me I’m not thin enough. Looking at those flaws in pictures rather than seeing how far I’ve come. When I look in the mirror I don’t see the same thing as I see in these pictures. I like how I look in these photos, but then I think…well “these are just flattering shots and I don’t actually look like that”. I’m a work in progress…aren’t we all in some way?
Before & After Comparisons
