What is THM in a nutshell? At its core, THM is a whole foods way of eating. We choose to eat life giving foods from the earth that nourish our health rather than overly processed or refined foods. No more fads – this means we don’t give up any food groups. Going completely low-carb or low-fat or shunning all animal foods or counting calories and macros all day just isn’t sustainable life-long (believe us! we’ve been there and done that and don’t want to go back!).Of course, most of you reading this are wanting to know how to lose weight on THM. To do this we simply focus on one fuel of food at a time (either carbs or fat) rather than shoving them together in one meal. This enables our bodies to burn that fuel then get down to the task of burning its own body fat for fuel. Remember, this is just the nutshell version – you’ll want to do further reading to understand how this works. The Trim Healthy Starter Book will give you a quick understanding of all the ins and outs of the plan and also include lots of THM tips, tricks and encouragement. There are 2 main meal types on THM and 2 support meal types. All meals are anchored with protein and include non-starchy veggies to fill you, slim you, and healthify you! The E (Energizing) meal: This main meal type celebrates healthy whole-foods carbs (such as sweet potatoes, fruit, oats, legumes, sprouted or soured grains, quinoa, and whole grain rice) and is low in fat. The S (Satisfying) meal: This main meal type celebrates healthy whole-foods fats and is low in carbs.The FP (Fuel Pull) meal: This support meal type is low in both fat and carbs.The XO (Crossover) meal: This support meal type includes both healthy carbs and healthy fats.To lose weight on THM, we suggest mixing up the S, E, and FP meals and reserving the XO meals for occasional use or for weight maintenance (or during seasons of pregnancy and breastfeeding).
Q. Do I need Special Ingredients to do the Trim Healthy Mama Plan?
A: Not at all! You can just use basic whole food ingredients from your grocery store with our support and blessing! Most grocery stores these days carry many blood sugar friendly ingredients that used to be termed “special” but are now commonplace. However, sometimes we need chocolate cake and cinnamon rolls, creamy smoothies and other treats and our special THM brand of quality ingredients can help us enjoy those on plan and also support our health in the process. Our products are totally optional though, you can use your own favorite brands if you prefer and we often list substitutions in our recipes.
Q. Is Trim Healthy Mama Family Friendly?
A. Yes, absolutely! We (Serene & Pearl, your Trim Healthy Mama founders and authors) have 19 kids between us – we developed this way of eating with the whole family in mind and include ideas for side dishes and add-ons for family members who do not need to lose weight. If you are doing this as just you, as a long lasting way to find your trim as well as keep your trim and your family is not joining you, that is perfectly fine too.
Q. Is Trim Healthy Mama the same as Keto?
A. No! keto is a high-fat, low-carb, moderate protein diet. Remember, THM doesn’t leave out any food group! We embrace the carbs and encourage you to eat MORE of them as they nourish your thyroid, give you energy and raise serotonin (your happy neurotransmitter). Carbs are crucial for pregnant and nursing Mamas and growing children too and since this plan is designed to include the whole family, carbs are paramount to long term success. We are similar to Keto though in that we both encourage a no-sugar lifestyle, and we appreciate and enjoy the healthy fats, but we don’t go overboard with them, there’s a beautiful balance our bodies thrive on. So, our major difference is that we’re not ashamed of our carb-loving ways! There’s nothing quite as special as biting into a fresh ripe piece of fruit and we don’t want you to deny yourself these God-given gifts!
Q. I am Gluten Free and Dairy Free, can I still do the Trim Healthy Mama plan?
A. THM doesn’t intentionally leave out any food groups or whole foods, however, we recognize that many may not be able to have gluten or dairy for various reasons, or perhaps they just prefer to avoid these foods in their unique journey. We often give dairy free substitutions in our recipes. Check out our THM Allergen Free Facebook group for lots of ideas for doing the plan dairy or gluten free. https://www.facebook.com/groups/THMAllergenFree THM is naturally low in gluten as we do not use white flour in our baking, however, there is a place for soured or sprouted wheat on plan. Those can be avoided, if necessary, or you can use different gluten free grains. For a quick guide to using grains on THM, please check out our ezine article: https://trimhealthymama.com/ezine-march-2020-home/ezine-march-2020-trim-topic/
Q. Can I still eat at restaurants while following the Trim Healthy Mama Plan?
A. Absolutely, in fact, it would be hard to find a restaurant where you CAN’T find something on-plan on the menu. Here’s a great guide to eating out: https://trimhealthymama.com/ezine-home-8-18/ezine-aug-2018-trim-tip/
Q. What is Food Freedom?
A. Food freedom means that we take off the chains of restrictions and the diet mentality. We celebrate food; we don’t punish ourselves by denying our love of good, delicious, wholesome meals. We don’t despise or vilify foods such as carbs or animal products but we involve them in a way that is healthy rather than abusive. Using the fundamental principles, we are free to create our own unique approach to this plan which may look very different from someone else’s THM journey. We indulge in our favorite foods – guilt free, all the while nourishing and nurturing our bodies like we never have before.