Random Review- Installment 6, Going Healthy

Ever since the beginning of May, my way of eating, better known as my diet, has been undergoing a drastic and much-needed change.

In other words, I have gone the way of Trim Healthy Mama.

I have been hesitant to talk about my new "diet" on this site for several reasons. Number one, I don't want to make other people feel self-conscious about their eating habits/weight when they're around me. Just because I am excited about it does not mean I think you should jump on board! Secondly, I don't necessarily want people eying my plate at fellowship dinner or supper invitations to see if I am staying true to my plan (that would take the fun out of my logic to eat what is set before me with thanksgiving!!!) And lastly, I am still quite new at this and the learning curve is relatively steep, so I don't feel that I am yet qualified to speak about the diet with any type of authority!

That said, this diet has become enough a part of my life that I would like to share it, so the time has come to break the silence...

So, what is Trim Healthy Mama? For those who aren't already quite familiar with this book, I will borrow the words of Briana Thomas, whose very interesting blog I just discovered today, to explain it in a small nutshell:

"The Trim Healthy Mama (THM) approach is centered around low-glycemic eating: eating food that doesn't spike your blood sugar.  Healthy fats and slow-burning carbs are welcome, but not at the same time!  In order to rev your metabolism up, THM advocates eating either fats or carbs in a meal (centered around protein, of course), but not both together (unless you are in maintenance or weight-gain mode)."

You can't talk about or read THM very long before you realize that there are two basic meals which are used. One is S for satisfying and the other is E for energizing.

S makes a higher fat meal, so it uses fat, rather than glucose as your primary fuel source. It is also lower in carbs.

E meals consist of moderate amounts of starch. They contain enough lean protein to ward off any sugar spikes and to help produce the hormone glucagon. They are also higher in carbs than S, but never a license to overdo carbs.

Both types of meals focus on protein as the core, with S having higher fats and lower carbs and E having higher carbs and lower fats, since it is the collision of fats and carbs that we're trying to avoid.

There again, that explanation is in a nutshell and I am learning as I go! I won't go into the "relatives" of S and E as I have barely met them myself!!!

I like to think of this diet as carb-conscious and sugar-free.

Does that mean I eliminate all carbs? No, but it does mean that there is no more homemade bread (even if it is whole wheat!) and that my carbs are carefully chosen and kept at a minimum.

Does it mean that there is no more sugar? Well, yes, if we're talking that white sugar that sits in my canister and that gets dumped by the cupful into just about everything in our day and age!!! But if we're talking about sweeteners, now that's another story, for there is Stevia and Truvia and other "alternative" sweeteners that I am finding out can make some pretty tasty treats. I just have to move beyond thinking of cinnamon buns and ice cream and cherry pie as the only good desserts and find some new favorites to satisfy these sweet-tooth cravings of mine.

It helps a lot that THM allows chocolate! And the fact that it's suppose to be DARK is ok with me, too, since that's exactly what I like!

I've been aware of THM for some time now, and have several friends who have used it to varying degrees, but it wasn't until this past winter that I got more interested in seeing what the diet was really all about.

I don't know if it was hitting the thirties or what, but suddenly I was having weight issues that I just never had before, and the whole thing of needing to make an effort to lose weight felt huge and foreign to me. I knew what it was like to gain plenty while pregnant, but usually a combination of time & nursing took that off. Now the extra I was carrying around came without good excuse and it began to bother me quite a bit.

Over the winter we had no working scales, so while I was in a state of blissful oblivion regarding my exact weight, I was not totally fooled into thinking that all was well.

One day I was at a thrift store and saw an analogue scales for sale. I figured that I would test it to see if it worked, so I set it on the floor and stepped on! The number that it gave was so horrifying that I immediately stepped back off, declared it must not be working, and put the scales right back where it came from.

Needless to say, the scales were probably close to the truth than I cared to admit.

The other reason that I wanted to try THM was that I had some symptoms of sugar issues, and that worried me enough to make me get serious about taking measures to get on a diet that would help with that.

Over the course of the winter, I ordered my own copy of Trim Healthy Mama, let it lay for awhile because it really is quite big and a bit fearsome, and finally began taking small and tentative bites of what this new way of eating was all about.

As time and information allowed me to begin sorting out the ideas behind THM, and how they would work on a practical level, I became more and more inspired.

I guess you could say that in the end, THM and Springtime both mutually came to the rescue! Coming out of a long, cold winter, I was finally ready, physically and emotionally, to make the necessary changes and sacrifices that would get me on the road to better eating habits, and the warm weather and sunshine spurred me on.

I can't go further without giving credit to two of my sisters who have made all the difference in this journey for me! One of them has joined me in setting goals and having a weekly weigh-in, plus has been an occasional walking partner, and the other comes to my house several mornings a week at seven so we can walk together. Without their help, encouragement and company, I am not sure where I would be (probably still in bed at seven most mornings!!!) and I am deeply grateful.

Now, since the beginning of May, I have turned my eating habits upside down, shaken them out a bit and began to settle into new normals and routines.

I still bake large batches of bread and granola for my family, I just don't eat any of it myself. And while they are eating cereal and sandwiches for breakfast and lunch, I make myself something else- and THM has a lot of options, many of which are actually quite good and very satisfying.

Then for supper I usually make something that we all can eat, and this has worked really well!

Wesley has even gotten into the spirit if the thing and jokes about being Trim Healthy Papa (although he hasn't given up his coffee creamer yet!) On Sunday he found a "carb-conscious" marinade for grilled chicken, which was quite a success, so his help, support and humor have been a great help.

And believe me, humor comes in handy! Especially on the day when you discover you only lost two ounces one week!!!

If you really want to know what THM looks like for me at this moment in time, I'll take you on a tour of a few foods that have become staples...

 Dreamfields Pasta has become a lifesaver to me. While they still must be eaten in moderation, these noodles taste really good and mean that I can still eat pasta with my family. Plus, they can be found at Wal-mart and Giant, two of the places where I shop the most.

I love peanut butter! One of my favorite breakfasts these days- especially when I am hot after a walk- is to mix plain yogurt, frozen raspberries, a bit of vanilla, peanut butter and perhaps a bit of sweetener together in a bowl and enjoy!!! It may sound weird, but it is good for an S breakfast.

I have been going through a fearsome amount of plain greek yogurt, and while it may not be appealing by itself, there are a lot of wonderful ways to use it! I frequently use it as part of my breakfast on hot days.

Truvia is the sweetener I have used the most so far, and while I would like to epand my reportoir, this one is a good option since it is cheaper and more readily available (Wal-mart again!) than some others.

I've been going through a lot of lettuce these days and the whole family is eating more salads than ever before! The containers of organic spring mix and spinach are from Aldi, who have a good price on such things.

Cucumbers are a tasty and easy addition to a lot of things, from omelettes to salads, and they are one of my favorite veggies to add to a lunch of tuna, crackers and cottage cheese.

This is a picture of the back of the back of my fridge, top shelf. While I don't always have all of these things at the same time, they all lend variety to different meals in different ways, And where would I be without sour cream?

I don't know if I ever tasted coconut milk or almond milk before last month, but they are both really good in THM smoothies and other concoctions.

Another life-saver in my new world has been Carb Balance Tortillas!!! While they may not satisfy the real purist, they are wonderful for quesadillas and wraps.

I am learning to ignore the flavored coffee creamer to the left in favor of this carton of half and half...

 Just in case you think I am deprived, you should know that I am enjoying my fair share of cream cheese, Laughing Cow cheese wedges, cheddar cheese and eggs. And still losing weight.

When I first started this diet, I couldn't find Joseph's Pita's anywhere, and I really wanted them since I knew they would be a good replacement for bread and crackers. Finally I found them when I wasn't even looking...right beside the deli at my very own Wal-Mart!!! And they are even better than I hoped!!! I use the pitas for making my own little pizzas, and for tuna or chicken salad sandwiches, and I use  the lavish bread to make really delicious baked crackers!!!

It's good I like salmon and tuna...because they are staples in this diet and it's recommended that you use them a lot. I don't use salmon as often as they say to, but we're working on that!

I realize that I use more "packaged products" than some people (called purists) would, but for me just starting out, it really has been helpful to not need to make every single morsel from scratch, and to have some good, quality things in the "bread" department. As I take little bitty steps forward and learn new techniques, I would like to try new things like making my own kefir and sourdough bread, but all in good time...

They say the proof is in the pudding, and while I entered this diet with a certain amount of trepidation and doubt, now that I am all of one-and-a-half months into this diet, I can say that it is working for me. I am losing weight- although not in any momentously fast way- and I feel healthier, and both of these reasons spur me on.

I may not be eating doughnuts these days (and I really, really like Bavarian Cream Doughnuts!!!)...

But if it is any consolation, there is Breyer's Carb Smart... 

And if you would like to know just how good it is, you're officially invited over to share a bowl with me!!!