Featured Blogger: Sarah Criddle
of Mrs. Criddle’s Kitchen (MrsCriddlesKitchen.com)
Sarah and her husband of 17years, Jarod
Hey, Guys! I’m Sarah Criddle! I’m wife to Jarod, my husband-best friend-handsome love for 17 years. And I am also a mama to seven kiddos on earth and one baby in heaven. I homeschool my kids (aged 15yrs to 18 months), help my husband run our plumbing company down here in south Texas, and blog THM recipes at MrsCriddlesKitchen.com (when I can).
I found THM about a year after I had my fifth baby in 2013. It was a GOD SEND! No joke! And not just for weight loss but for ENERGY! I literally felt like I could not keep up with my then five kids, homeschool and run our business. I would pray to God to help me because I did not know how I could manage it all. I had seen Facebook posts on Trim Healthy Mama off and on but rolled my eyes… I had tried every diet out there. But I kept praying and kept seeing the posts. Finally I gave in and ordered the book (the very first big THM book the sisters wrote). As soon as it came I dove into it. I devoured the book. It just made so much sense to me. I literally cried over it. I totally could see why I had no energy and my weight wouldn’t budge.
I started it right away. I made mistakes that every newbie makes but I started losing. And about two weeks in I had so much energy! I noticed one day that I had stopped telling my kids “mommy is so tired”! I could keep up with my kids and homeschool and keep up with our business too! I found a diet a lifestyle, I could do!!
I lost about 45 pounds before getting pregnant with baby number six, my first THM baby. It literally was THE BEST PREGNANCY! I totally think all pregnant or planning-to-be-pregnant women should do THM! I had the best labor & a perfect baby.
I ended up getting pregnant again when my baby was about a year old. I let old habits slip in (this part hurts to admit). I had a lot of anxiety with that pregnancy. I was super hard on myself for that pregnancy not going like the one before, for gaining my weight back. I allowed myself to eat emotionally half the time. But I had a beautiful perfect baby girl Feb. 2016, my seventh. My baby is 18 months old now and I feel like I am just now getting back on track. Gosh is this a hard thing to admit but I just want you to know you aren’t alone! I realize I am not perfect, things don’t always go exactly the way I want them too. I mess up and eat bad and feel bad. But it’s when I pick myself up and get back to treating my body right that I realize I didn’t FAIL! This REALLY is about lifestyle and not a diet! This is how I want to eat. It makes me feel good!
Always in the past when I dieted, it was only to lose weight. Now eating well is my goal, not getting to my goal weight so I can eat bad again. This is how I want to teach my kids to eat.
It’s taking me longer this time around to lose the weight. I think my body is in healing mode. BUT my energy is back!! And boy is this mama of seven happy to have my energy back. That is one thing that has been extremely consistent… my energy levels allow me to keep up with my family. I could not do that without Trim Healthy Mama. I remember how I felt with just five… I could barely get off the couch. Don’t give up if you aren’t seeing results right away… there are results that we don’t always see physically at first (increased energy, no more brain fog, happier, etc).
I recently did a Fuel Cycle. Wow, did I learn a LOT from my Fuel Cycle. I had gotten so lax in how I did THM. No wonder I could not lose. I ate WAY way too many Heavy S meals. Rarely ate the E & FP meals. I noticed on my E & FP days during my Fuel Cycle, I felt AMAZING! I actually found that really fascinating. I love S meals (who doesn’t?) but I understand now, even after 4 years of doing THM, how important and how much my body NEEDS the E & FP meals!
My biggest tip if you find yourself stalling or not losing… go back to the basics. READ THE BOOK AGAIN! FOLLOW THEIR MENUS! Seriously! Give yourself grace but don’t allow yourself to stay in the mud. Get up and get yourself back on plan. Take one meal at a time, you can do it! Your body will thank you! You are worth it!
If you are wondering how to jump in… just do it! Don’t think too long & hard about it. It will be a learning curve but you can learn as you go! It can be done with a big family like mine or a small family or even a single person. Just take what you already do and tweak it to fit the THM Plan. Find a sweetener you like… I LOVE the THM Gentle Sweet. That’s my family’s sweetener of choice and for life! It goes a long way and tastes so much like sugar to me. Fix meals that are simple and easy to make. Once you become more comfortable you can branch out and try new recipes (I have several on my blog). But at first… follow the book. The book tells you exactly how to do it.
If you are just finding THM or a THM oldtimer… you can do this! Don’t give up on yourself! We are all in this together! You are worth taking care of yourself. And there are hundreds of thousands of other THM’ers that are cheering you on!!