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Making Trim Healthy Mama a Lifestyle and Not Just the Next “New Thing” (My struggles and what I am doing about it!)


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Making Trim Healthy Mama a Lifestyle

Since starting Trim Healthy mama in 2012, I lost 30 pounds Yeah! But since that time I have gained 20 pounds back. Yikes! Now my problem is not with the THM plan itself. It works! The problem is me.

My Struggles in Making Trim Healthy Mama a Lifestyle

As I have searched my heart I realize there are some areas that I need to address:

1. I lack discipline and good habits (as far as eating)

I am really good at starting things, but not so good at finishing or maintaining. So my hope is that by challenging myself to focus on one or two habits at a time, that I can develop more discipline and get some good habits in place.

2. I am always striving for the next “New Thing” instead of being content with what works right now.

My problem when I start new things is that I tend to plunge right in and go all out — making so many new recipes and eating just right to stay on plan — but I go about it in a way that is not sustainable. I have fun with the “newness” of THM, but when I start to wear out and get weary with keeping up, then I default back into bad habits and begin searching for the “next” thing. This is silly, because I know that THM works. So I am sticking with it and making some changes in ME instead!

Sugar-Free with Sheri

My Plan to Change That

So here is what I am going to be doing. Since I really need to work on instilling some good habits in regards to my diet and making this a lifestyle instead of just “something new to try”, I will be choosing one or two habits to work on each month. I will only move on to the next habit when I have mastered the one(s) I am working on and it has become a part of my lifestyle.

Please understand that this is my own plan of action, and not one recommended by Pearl or Serene of Trim Healthy Mama. I know my own weaknesses and therefore am choosing a plan to address those areas that I need to develop habits in the most.

Habits I Will Be Working On

  • Drinking a quart of GGMS every day
  • Drink 6-8 glasses of water daily (this amount includes my GGMS)
  • Make all my snacks Fuel Pull (until I get snacks under control)
  • Take my vitamins daily
  • Make all my breakfasts “on plan” with THM
  • Make all my lunches “on plan” with THM
  • Make almost all my dinners “on plan” with THM
  • Exercise 15 minutes a day
  • Go to bed by 10 pm every night (this one is for later, after the Olympics is over!)

Habits I’m Working on in August

These are the habits I am focusing on this month, and how I am going to go about it:

Drinking a quart of GGMS every day

  1. Make sure I have some Wild Berry Zinger Celestial Seasonings tea on hand for my GGMS.
  2. Make a quart of my version of GGMS after breakfast each morning so that I can sip on it all morning.
  3. I set up habits in my Habits App on my phone. I set up an item to remind me to fix and drink a quart of GGMS every day

Drink 6-8 glasses of water daily

  1. I set up a habit in my Habits App on my phone. I set up 3 daily items, for different times throughout the day, to remind me to drink a large glass (16 ozs.) of water.

Make all my snacks Fuel Pull 

I do want to note here that I will not keep my snacks as FP forever. This is just while I am trying to get things under control. I know that I can enjoy some yummy S and E snacks as well, but for now I am sticking to FP to keep it simple.

  1. Make a list of FP snacks so I can quickly glance at it for ideas when I am hungry.
  2. Make up some snacks ahead of time so I have something ready to grab!
  3. I set up a habit in my Habits App on my phone. I simply added one that says, “Had FP Snacks” or something like that. Then at the end of the day I can check it if I kept all my snacks that day to FP!

What about you?

Are you struggling right now too? If so, let’s do this together! Choose a habit or two that you want to focus on this month and share them in the comments! Remember…the focus is on changing me, not the plan! The plan works…it’s me that is the problem!

I will try to blog about my progress each month, so that I can keep myself accountable and encourage you all on this THM journey as well!

As always, you can view all my Trim Healthy Mama stuff over on my Trim Healthy Mama page!

Did you miss a post or update of my “Habits” challenge?

No problem! Just click here to read them all!


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34 Comments

  1. Hey Mrs.Graham! I know this has nothing to do with the recipe, but I have a question. We have these Organic Tortilla Chips that I THINK are on plan, but I want to double check with you. The ingredients are: Organic Whole Corn, Organic Sunflower oil, Sea Salt, and Lime/Calcium Hydroxide (For processing aid). There is 18 carbs and 7 grams of fat in eleven chips…so it would be a crossover if it is on plan. Your thoughts?
    Reply
    1. Well, even though it would be a crossover, I believe the corn will raise your blood sugar. I would think you would be ok if you had these only on limited occasions. I don't believe they would be considered "on plan" though. Hope that helps!
      Reply
  2. I am so there with you Sherri. While reading your post, I thought you were talking about me. ? I did so well with THM the first time, lost 42 pounds and gained it all back...ugh! Life happened and I haven't been able to recover. I Love the idea of adding changes slowly. It doesn't seem so hard to start slow. The results won't be as good but my mental health will be better about the changes. Thank you for opening up yourself for all of us to see...will be following...
    Reply
    1. Dear Cyndi, I can so relate and agree that taking it slow is best. I usually jump into things and then can't sustain it for the long haul. Not this time! Be sure to click the link at the bottom of the post to see the new post I put up yesterday -- my habits I'm working on for September. Hang in there and take those baby steps. Make them habits and then add another one. We can do it!
      Reply
  3. Dear Sheri, I am new to THM. I am still in the process of reading the original book that I checked out of our local public library. I was looking for some online answers regarding people's success with maintenance and how to make this work while cooking for the other members of your family and so forth when I came across your blog. I am excited to see how you do with keeping up with your goals and to try making and keeping some of my own. Thank you for the timely post!
    Reply
    1. Welcome Crystal! Be sure to sign up for my newsletter and then in the welcome email you will see a link to sign up to receive my THM emails. These will be a help and encouragement to you as you begin the THM journey! What goal/habit have you picked to start with?
      Reply
      1. Still trying to learn the THM plan. Reading, rereading, and doing little things here and there. Yesterday I did all meals except one snack on plan as best as I could. I have a lot of weight to lose (100lb range) and still feel a bit overwhelmed! Goal and habit-wise: Over the past two years I have been working on incorporating some healthier lifestyle practices. In 2015, I started taking the stairs at work ( I am a homeschooling mom of 5 and also a nurse that works part time at our local hospital). Now almost 2 years later, I walk up all flights and down all flights. I started with one floor at a time, a month at a time (I'm on the 10th floor!). Then this year, I started increasing my walking steps at home and my water intake (same premise, increasing a bit more each month). I feel thankful that the Lord has given me the strength to do even these small things and look forward to His help in the THM endeavor. I have started and stopped many a diet in my day. These past 2 years are the first long term success I have ever seen in sticking with my goals. I have never been able to continue more than a year with a "diet" or lifestyle change foodwise. It seems like that is tough for a lot of us. Why is that? Why do we always go back to our old ways? I pray for all of us that this time will be different! Thanks, Sheri, for this site and your support, and for sharing your wisdom and knowledge with all of us.
        Reply
        1. Dear Crystal, I know there are probably many who can relate to where we are at -- needing to make lifelong lifestyle changes. I agree that taking it slow will probably produce the most lifelong changes. That is why I am taking it slow this time too. Hang in there and take those baby steps! Congrats on the exercising you are doing too! That is great! Keep it up!
          Reply
  4. Thank you so much for your post. .You have addressed a lot of my issues. I will be following so I can hopefully get somethings under control.
    Reply
    1. So glad you were encouraged and welcome to our little challenge! I have been doing pretty good with my two things this month, but not as consistent as I would like. The habits app is really helping me remember to drink though! Now to just to be more consistent with my FP snacks! :). Have a great day!
      Reply
  5. I so relate to this! I bought a bunch of the items needed for THM recipes and they are just sitting in the pantry. Definetly need to get back on track! What is the app you use?
    Reply
    1. Yes do join us Denise! Pick one or two habits you want to start with and work on them this month. Don't worry about trying to do all your meals just right, just pick a couple things. I picked two -- drinking enough water and having FP snacks. The app I use is linked up in the post. Just click on the link and it will take you to the app.
      Reply
  6. Sheri, thank you so much for this post! It addresses a lot of what I am struggling with, and I believe I also need to address a couple of new habits at a time. When I first read about the THM plan, it said to start with a little at a time; but I wanted to do it all, so I could see fast results - but that does backfire if it's too hard to maintain all at once. Thank you to everyone for the FP snack ideas! I'm still looking at how to do my snacks, because of certain food items I'm trying to include in my diet (due to other health challenges). : ) Anita
    Reply
    1. Hi Anita! Welcome to our little challenge! I can totally relate to going all in and getting burned out. I am taking things slow and changing myself in the process. One baby step at a time!
      Reply
  7. Very timely post. I was looking at my drivers license yesterday and saw that I'm up 13 lbs from almost 2 years ago. My little girl is almost 3 years old. After her birth, with breastfeeding and eating THM, I lost all my baby weight and much more. At 20 months we were done breastfeeding and I started slipping in my eating habits. I know THM works, and I enjoy the meals; even my family will eat whatever I cook on plan, I just need to discipline myself to stick with it. Count me in on the habit challenge. I believe the snacks and water intake will be mine for this month, also. I'm going to look into the Habits app you mentioned.
    Reply
    1. Yeah Nichole! Let's do this together! So glad you are joining us on this challenge. You can check out the app (there are actually lots of different ones, but that is the one I decided to use) and see if it works for you. Right now it is helping me see how many days in a row I have been consistent and that keeps me motivated!
      Reply
  9. Oh my I was just kicking myself this am once again about getting back on this working lifestyle after losing 25 lbs but now I'm back up with 5 extra... Looking forward to this habit of getting back on plan/new lifestyle with you :)
    Reply
  10. We must be sustwrs from another mustwr Sheri. You article speaks exactly to me. Lets do this together!
    Reply
    1. Funny Mandy! I assume you mean "sisters from another mother"? Yes, we need each other for accountability and support, don't we? Let's do this and make these good changes a permanent part of our life!
      Reply
    2. It should say we are sisters from another mister Sheri. This article sounds just like me. Lets do this together!
      Reply
  11. You are a woman after my own heart in many areas throughout this post, but none more so than saving the habit of 10PM bedtime for after the Olympics are over. <3 it!!
    Reply
  12. I have the same goals as you do, as I get myself started (1.5 months in and 20lbs off). I am compiling a list of super quick and easy meals because I know when school starts again (I'm a teacher) I'll come home dead tired with sore feet. I see Big boy milkshakes in my dinner future.........and Trimtastic Cake!!
    Reply
    1. Congrats on the weight loss so far Donna! It sounds like you are making a plan, and sometimes that is half the battle. Keep up the great work!
      Reply
  13. Hi Sheri! I just hit my 6 month anniversary with THM and I've lost 53 pounds, 8in off my waist and about 4 in around my thighs! I'm terrified of stalling now, so Ill join you on the snacks challenge! I eat on plan but I know my snacks are too heavy for a snack. Lately it's been a bowl of granola, or treeces l..or a lc tortilla with melted cheese :-/ what are you putting on your list?? I do not exercise....like at all...so that's one of my goals too, but that one is harder!! LOL are you using that app you talked about where you post pics of your food? I'd like to try that out as accountability hehe good luck!
    Reply
    1. It sounds like you are doing great Stacy! Yeah!!!! Here are a few things I have on my FP snacks list: Any of my FP cakes THM hot chocolate THM chocolate milk Celery sticks with peanut butter made with the peanut flour Triple Zero yogurt FF lunch meat wrapped up in lettuce (with some mustard) My chocolate peanut butter chia pudding Any FP shake or smoothie Those are some for starters. I need to get more ideas added! Hope that helps!
      Reply
        2. I love cottage berry whip too, but I have a large food processor and it is LOUD haha I dread getting it out for the small amount. Maybe at Christmas I can get a smaller one :) I found my magic bullet so that is helping fill some gaps with desserts...going for a chocolate milk or baby frap...never thought to put pb flour in my yogurt! .....maybe with some handy chocolate syrup too???? Reeces in a bowl?? LOL :)
          Reply
          1. I sometimes just thaw some mixed berries and mix in some cottage cheese, vanilla, and stevia to make a quick FP snack. That works too! I love the idea of adding some chocolate syrup to the yogurt and peanut flour. Yum!

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