Why I am a Trim Healthy Mama

Why I am a Trim Healthy Mama

I like to eat. I really enjoy food. I look at recipes for fun. I don’t think I am the only one, but who knows I’m crazy like that. 

I used to think that to be thin you had to starve yourself and work out all the time. This thought process didn’t last long, thankfully, and I was able to heal my body with eating a whole food diet. However, I’m pretty sure I messed up my body’s ability to process sugar with going long periods without food or over exercising. 

I continued to be thin while eating whole foods, but I was exercising 5 times a week for an hour at the gym. I thought that eating more vegetables and less meat would help me stay thin. I ate a lot of carb heavy meals like beans and rice, sweet potatoes and salads. During my first pregnancy, this diet was not sustainable. My body needed more protein than I was used to eating. I also learned that I had developed Gestational Diabetes.

I had to completely change my diet. I had to add in lots more protein and meat (even with my meat aversion, I did what I could). I also had to reduce the whole food carbs I was enjoying because they were spiking my blood sugar.

I was able to control the gestational diabetes through these diet changes of eating more protein and reducing carbs. I lost weight quickly after my first pregnancy while breastfeeding, too. But after pregnancy, I realized that I wasn’t able to stay as thin without the time to work out. I was able to eventually lose all the weight and get down to my pre-pregnancy size. 

After my second pregnancy, it was even harder to lose that last 5-10 pounds. That was when I was introduced to Trim Healthy Mama. 

I wasn’t holding onto a lot of weight, but maybe 5 pounds. Everyone tells you that this is normal and it is a part of life… but does it really have to be? I don’t have time to work out all the time and I also am not going to ruin my metabolism and skip meals. There has to be an answer. My answer was Trim Healthy Mama.

This wasn’t a new concept to separate fats and carbs – there have been other books that talk about this very same idea. I like the total package of Trim Healthy Mama though. It is filled with practical tips for normal, busy women who all get it. We want to be healthy, but we also want to have our slim figures too.

After reading Trim Healthy Mama, I now understand what was happening. The problem with my personal old whole foods diet was that I was eating too many carbs (in the form of starchy vegetables and  whole grains) and loading my plate with healthy fats (coconut oil and butter) at the same meal. My body would release insulin to store any extra carbs in my cells then start storing the fat next… This was not keeping me trim as I would like.

Along with eating more meals that Satisfy you through quality fats. Trim Healthy Mama also includes meals where you can include moderate carbs to fuel your body for quick energy. 

Adapted From: http://www.flickr.com/photos/santos/464889897/

Why I am a Trim Healthy Mama

1) My Blood Sugar is Stable 

The plan is perfect for people like me who need a carb conscious plan to keep blood sugar stable. Trim Healthy Mama also gives some great tips about eating every 3 hours, eating protein at each meal and snack, and eating good quality foods. These were tips that I learned when I was dealing with gestational diabetes. 

2) I Finally Understand How my Body Responds and Processes Sugar and Fat

Insulin is the energy storing hormone and glucagon is the energy burning one.  The two can’t work at the same time, so you are either burning or storing energy. When you eat carbs and fat together, the carbs are stored first by insulin, then the fats starts to be stored because insulin is already working.  When you keep fat separate from carbs, insulin is never released and you don’t store it as fat.  Coconut oil can help speed up your metabolism and continue to burn even more. 

Carbs are also good to include in your diet because your body needs some carbs to stay energized. By eating low glycemic carbs like sour dough breads, your body is never over loaded with insulin and nothing is needed to be stored.  

3) I’m Not Scared to Eat

I mentioned how I used to think that limiting foods was the key to weight loss. Low calorie diets are not the answer! Trim Healthy Mama encourages you to eat every 3 hours to fuel your body. That way your body never goes into starvation mode. When your body is fueled, your metabolism can be rocking and rolling. Over the holidays, I went off plan in a major way. After getting back on Trim Healthy Mama, I was down 4 pounds in 5 days. It was a great detox! 

Original photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/snapr/544416759/

4)  I REALLY Love the food! 

I am seriously having more fun cooking and eating that I ever have had! Trim Healthy Mama has given me so much freedom in enjoying a meal loaded with cheese and sour cream and guacamole… and know that it isn’t adding to my waistline! I know not to pair it with carbs and it will be burned and not stored. I also know that I can enjoy breads and grains and they will also not be stored as fat as long as I keep the carbs low to moderate so that insulin isn’t activated. 

Are You a Trim Healthy Mama? Why Do you love it? If You aren’t a Trim Healthy Mama yet, what do you think about it?

 This is linked up to Gwen’s Nest at Trim Healthy Tuesdays