Testimony Time!
Stacy Bentley
Our Community Testimony for this edition is from Stacy Bentley who has lost 74+ pounds on the Trim Healthy Mama plan. Stacy is better known as “Journey2Trim” by her friends on the Main Street chat forum inside the Trim Healthy Membership site.
I did not want to take pictures of my self … I am self-conscious about my body because of my weight and have had self-esteem problems my whole life. I have looked back at the collection of pictures on my computer from the last few years and found that it’s obvious that I didn’t want to take any pictures. I found thousands of my beautiful children, many with my husband included, and a just a small handful of myself … usually just a selfie with one of my kids. That is about to change.
I received the Trim Healthy Mama books from a friend who had learned about the plan on Facebook. I remember texting her one afternoon in November (2015) talking about how we needed to lose weight and I said I didn’t care if I lost weight; I just wanted to feel BETTER. Every day I was tired and my body hurt. I sat while my baby napped and would eat cookie dough and M&Ms the whole time he was asleep. I was just really starting to enjoy cooking and trying new recipes, and didn’t want to give up any good food to lose weight and just eat apples and hard-boiled eggs all day. I had tried other things before to lose weight. I was Paleo for a whopping two days! Everything sounded HARD … can’t eat this, must buy that, attend meetings AND weigh in front of people?! NO thank you! I said, “I would rather be fat and happy,” but the truth is, I wasn’t happy. I was miserable.
I turned 29 in December and made the decision to take charge. I was staring 30 in the face and saying, “If you don’t do this now, it will only get harder and you never will.” I didn’t expect the weight to come off overnight, so I thought if I can lose just 30 pounds by my birthday (the following December), that would be a good start. I had no idea what was about to happen.
I started THM in January 2016 because it DIDN’T sound hard. Use stevia instead of sugar? Okay. Pick if I want to eat fats or carbs? Easy peasy! Butter on my broccoli and ranch on my salad? YES, please! I tried to start slowly, as many suggested, just having a THM breakfast. When it was time for lunch, all I could think was, “Tsk, tsk, you know that is bad for you.” Fine. I had to jump in 100% and it truly was the best thing for me. After just a few weeks on Trim Healthy Mama I was feeling better, I was thinking more clearly, I had more energy and I have not regretted taking this step. It was not hard at all.
My family and I love the food, and I love the humor of the recipes. Who wouldn’t want to make something called Lazy Lasagna and Cow(girl)boy Grub (it’s my daughter’s favorite so she renamed it)! I wake up looking forward to my Trimmaccino Light! I have not felt deprived or “on a diet” once. I love that this is made for real life … you have parties to attend where there is food, we eat out and I stay on-plan. I love taking food to family events and everyone being shocked about how good my “diet” food is. I love how I can have delicious food no matter my grocery budget for the month. I love a simple breakfast of oatmeal or eggs, discovering a sweet potato is actually sweet without marshmallows and I have a new found appreciation for cottage cheese!
What happened to my body was incredible. My cheeks thinned out so much I asked my husband if my nose got bigger! My pant size has gone from a tight 26/28 to a loose (I need to go shopping!) 18/20. After just a few months, my jeans literally fell off while I was carrying in groceries and my daughter couldn’t stop laughing! I am now buying a size XL shirt instead of a 3X.
I have lost so much on my body, but what I gained was even more incredible. For the first time in my 11-year marriage I had my ring sized DOWN (size 10 to 7), I was able to sit in a plastic chair with arms, I cross my legs, I zipped up my over-the-calf boots without having to squeeze the sides together, I am not winded trying to pull on my cowgirl boots! I jumped on the trampoline with my kids and swung at the park. I’m more outgoing with my husband and am proud to go out with him and not ashamed of how I look.
My mom saw the plan through me as not just weight loss, but for health and now her and my stepdad are thriving on plan. It has brought us closer than we ever have been in my adult life. We gab for hours about recipes and new ingredients (she even shares with me!)! With each sip from our Trimmaccino made creamy with MCT oil every morning, we hope to break the cycle of dementia that has become part of our family history. The future is looking full of fun family memories! The past year has been something I could never have dreamed of. My family has been super supportive. My husband has been my rock, always uplifting and encouraging, and told me I am beautiful (even at 303 pounds).
The Trim Healthy Membership site has been a huge blessing to me. I love the Main Street chat forum and all the information found there! I have friends around the world! I love the plan, I love the food, I LOVE the SPIRIT behind Serene and Pearl and the company. You can feel their hearts in each answer to a question, and in each video or podcast they record. That kind of compassion is hard to find in any company.
If you’re just starting your Trim Healthy Mama journey, take that picture! Record your measurements! Write out a list of non-scale victories (NSVs) you’d like to achieve. You don’t have to share them with anyone! I am sharing mine hoping if I can inspire just one mama, then putting myself out there will be worth it. Please don’t give up! Don’t get frustrated. Just keep going. Hit that reset button if you eat off-plan, don’t give up the whole day! Each meal and snack is a choice.
The time in the kitchen will get easier. I used to say I cooked from scratch … umm, NO, I didn’t! But I love it now. I am a Drive Thru Sue with my cooking, but a purist mindset as far as sticking to plan and eating what is right. My body is NOT a trash can. I’ve lost 74 pounds so far and I don’t know what my goal weight is quite yet. I think I’m about half way there, but am going to trust and listen to my body to let me know when I’ve arrived. I just had my 30th birthday, and I’ve welcomed my 30’s with excitement and open arms! I have a feeling they will be better (and more delicious) than my 20’s!
Cheers to getting older, wiser, and being a Trim Healthy Mama for life!