Giving the Trim Healthy Mama Plan a Shot (Before Pictures Too!)

I'm not sure where I first heard about Trim Healthy Mama, but I got the plan book and the cookbook months ago and actually packed them away. We are thinking about moving and are clearing shelves and boxing up things to make it easier when we have to hopefully move to our dream house on land in a rush, and those books made it into a box. Come to think of it, I probably saw the book in the little newsletter called Above Rubies that I get ... the THM sisters are in this big, lovely family and their parents publish the newsletter.

Anyway, my friend with 10 kids in her 40s who just had a baby recently was posting some of the Trim Healthy Mama plan foods she had around and she was down to a size 4. No joke. I mean, she is a small woman anyway, but still. Size 4.

Don't get me wrong. I am not aiming to be a size 4. The last time I was a size 4 was the day I was born. Just kidding. Even back when I was on Weight Watchers before they changed the plan on me and got rid of my activity tracking software I always said I just wanted to FEEL GOOD. To mean this means:

No joint pain in my 40s and beyond (I'm 45 and having knee and hip issues).

No crazy menopause journey.

No mood swings; more even and consistent temperament despite being a Gemini with potential ADD (wink).

ENERGY like I had when I was younger. I'm a writer and proofreader for my "side career" and happy to sit on my butt doing those things, but I have myself FIVE kids (who I homeschool) and a husband, and I need to be up and around with a lot of energy to keep my marriage fun and to keep my kids enriched and having a blast with life.

So I'm giving this a shot. It is a HUMONGOUS book but the cookbook looks amazing and fun. I just have to find the time to learn about new ingredients and make some new foods. This will be a challenge since I'm a pretty fast cook ... I don't love cooking/baking and prefer to be doing other things.

Also, I'm incorporating this plan into the lives of my entire family. I'm not going to make them have Stevia or anything unless I bake it into my own goodies, but why not some extra protein and less junk? I won't be a Food Nazi; don't worry. And most of the stuff is not frankenfood processed crap at all, so that rocks.

Here's some stuff I got at the store and then some stuff from the THM website.

Keep in mind I have not read the book yet but I am in some Facebook groups and also a friend said something about frozen cauliflower (make it into rice or bake it into crusts?) so I got some.

This has maltodextrin in it so I should not have gotten it. I'll bake with it then not buy anymore. I want to try the baking blend they have on the Trim Healthy Mama site. Their stuff is not expensive, but not cheap.

Got this at Price Chopper. It was like $10 for a small bag but you only need a teaspoon to thicken things up. Great for smoothies and things like gravy when you don't want to use flour. No, I don't think gluten is evil. Just trying out something new. It thickens the shakes in a great way so they stick to your ribs.

This goes in my shakes, but the kids also like it and it has 50% more calcium than milk and isn't much more expensive.

Lean meats, cottage cheese for my orange shake and some lettuce.

Carb Balance tortillas are on plan but expensive.

Orange shake but I put in a few strawberries!

Pressed peanut flour ... I put some in a mocha drink I made to make it taste better and it has a lot of protein.

20g protein per scoop and only 90 calories; goes in my shakes mostly

Not Naughty Noodles ... 0 net carbs but full of fiber

Just for fun, here are a couple of "before" shots at close to 154 pounds on a 5' 2" frame. Forgive the non-professional photography!

I didn't put my arm there to cover my top belly, but instead to illustrate back fat ;-)

Keeping Fit with a #Ketogenic Diet

Guest Post: Keeping Fit with a Ketogenic Diet

Please check out today's guest post! Aron and Joel are still in South Dakota at high adventure Medicine Mountain Boy Scout camp, and I am busy around here keeping up with playdates and swimming pool dates, working on the house, walking every morning while listening to Dave Ramsey, proofreading and doing some fall homeschool planning. Hope you're enjoying your summer!

Millions of people the world over spend most of their time trying to keep fit. Fitness experts have come up with various ways to do so including exercising, maintaining a balanced diet and of course gaining the willpower and motivation to keep fit. When it comes to diet, you are told to get rid of junk food which is food that is high in sugar, fat, and cholesterol. Instead, you should be generous with fresh fruits and vegetables, foods high in protein and fiber as well as eat organic meats and grains. Drinking lots of water and knowing when to eat is also a factor to consider in your diet plan. So, what is it about carbohydrates and a ketogenic diet?

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A ketogenic diet is a diet that is high in protein, fats and low carbohydrates. What does it do? It simply changes the way energy is being used in the body which aid in weight loss and keeping fit. 

Understanding ketosis

Normally, when you eat foods rich in carbohydrates, they will be broken down into glucose which is the easiest molecule that the body uses to produce energy. Insulin is produced in response to high levels of blood glucose which in turn pumps it into the cells and converts it into fat. This means that with a constant supply of carbohydrates other energy sources like fat will not be used hence stored. Hence the weight gaining features of carbohydrates.

In a ketogenic diet, the intake of carbs is kept as low as 15g per day. This leads to depletion of glucose and glycogen leads to mobilization of free fatty acids from stored fat as a result of increased beta-oxidation. It is during this process that ketone bodies are released from the liver to be used as fuel in place of glucose, a state known as ketosis.

 Why being in ketosis is good

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Being in ketosis means that your body can utilize fats for fuel in place of carbohydrates. This ensures that there is no more stored fat in cells hence a lean body which is fit. Another benefit of ketosis is the increased rates of lipolysis and release of beneficial hormones that are usually blocked by insulin. When combined with a high protein diet, ketosis suppresses appetite unlike when you are on a high-carbohydrate diet. This helps in reducing food volumes that you eat. Ketosis also spares proteins because if favors ketones over glucose hence no gluconeogenesis. 

Reasons against ketosis

One of the main problems of ketosis is experienced during its early stages as the body shifts metabolically from burning glucose and glycogen to ketones for fuel. During this process, the body experiences high water loss, fatigue, brain fog, headaches, and aggravation. Another problem is the increase in fat-lipid profile which might increase cholesterol levels. Complex carbohydrates usually contain fiber, vitamins and minerals hence ketosis might lead to micronutrient deficiencies as a result of a low carbohydrate diet. Otherwise, you will need to take fiber and multivitamin supplements. Ketosis leads to ketoacidosis which is high levels of ketones in the blood and a high health risk for diabetics plus it can lead to loss of muscle because any low-calorie diet is catabolic in nature. 

So, is a ketogenic diet good for you?

The answer comes about after understanding it and carefully weighing the benefits against the odds. Keeping fit is vital, and if ketogenic diet cannot work for you, you can try other methods like laser liposuction to get rid of that excess fat to keep fit.