It’s possible by now that you’ve heard all the buzz surrounding the amazing Trim Healthy Mama (THM for short) healthy eating lifestyle. But you’d like to know more. Just what is THM, what is it all about, and how do you get involved? Well, let’s just dive into it, shall we?
What is Trim Healthy Mama (THM)?
Trim Healthy Mama (THM) is a LIFESTYLE (not simply a diet) whereby you revolutionize not necessarily WHAT you eat (though some things aren’t good on plan), but HOW you eat it. It is a lifestyle because it isn’t something that you start and then quit once you’ve achieved your health goals–it is something that you start and stick with for an overall improved and healthy life.
THM is embraced by both men and women of all shapes, sizes, and health levels. People who are overweight put it to action to help them healthfully lose excess weight. Thin people put it to action to boost energy levels and make their health thrive. Unhealthy people put it to use to improve problems they have.
The Trim Healthy Mama lifestyle was introduced in 2012 when New Zealand born and Australian raised sisters Pearl Barrett and Serene Allison self-published the book of the same name {Trim Healthy Mama}.
The book, complete with the sisters’ quirky humor laced throughout, features accurate, extensively researched information that presents a Biblically-sound way for men and women of every shape and size to live a healthy, food-friendly lifestyle.
How does THM work?
Since weight loss is the main reason most people come to the THM lifestyle, I’ll focus on that first. The key idea behind THM for weight loss (a key idea which many have never heard of before) is to only consume one fuel source (source of energy) per meal. This means NO obsessive calorie counting!
There are two macronutrients in food that produce energy: carbohydrates (carbs) and fat. By only consuming a majority of one of these two macronutrients per meal, you are able to keep your blood sugar down, which in turn prevents your body from storing fat in the body’s cells. On the THM eating plan, you are also supposed to eat some source of protein with every meal as this helps to repair the body’s cells.
Pearl and Serene call carb-based meals E (which stands for Energizing) and fat-based meals S (which stands for Satisfying). Dishes that can be eaten with either an E or an S meal (because they are low enough in both carbs and fat) are called FP (which stands for Fuel Pull). Those dishes which contain a higher amount of carbs and fat are dubbed XO (which stands for Crossover) and won’t help in weight loss necessarily, but do help in weight maintenance or weight gain. Then there are also S Helpers, Deep S, Heavy S…which I won’t detail here because the book already does so very well.
One of the biggest things I really appreciate about THM is that, unlike fad diets, there is a plan to maintain your weight once you’ve reached goal. That way, you’re not yo-yo’ing after you’ve lost all your weight. Rather, you can remain steady, keeping the weight off without gaining any more and without losing too much either.
Beyond weight loss, THM can also be used to gain weight and help healthy-weight people achieve thriving health.
What about the “weird” ingredients?
Maybe you’ve heard about the “weird” ingredients that the THM recipes call for. Yes, there are some ingredients that are less mainstream such as glucomannan (gluc or gluccie for short), nutritional yeast, and so on. Fortunately, these ingredients are readily available online (such as Amazon or the Trim Healthy Mama website) as well as in many local health food stores. But, here’s the thing. You don’t HAVE to use any of the unusual ingredients…if you don’t want to. Glucomannan, for example, which is widely popular in many THM friendly recipes because of its thickening power, I never use. Now, my reason for not using it is because I don’t like the texture it produces, but if you don’t want to use it because it’s odd or yucky or costs too much, then don’t use it! There is a VAST amount recipes that you can make that don’t use any special ingredients at all.
What if I don’t like to cook?
This is a biggie. Many Trim Healthy Mamas (and Men) are big time from-scratch makers. For many, this has happened over time because they never used to cook or bake much. But many other THM’ers still aren’t big into cooking or baking AT ALL. And that’s perfectly fine! Since THM is broadly based on HOW you eat food rather than WHAT you eat, those of you who aren’t into cooking don’t have to get into cooking if you don’t want to (though I must put a plug in here–many of the THM recipes are AMAZING and a great majority of them are super EASY too).
How do I get started?
If you’re ready to get your paws wet, the best way is to get the Trim Healthy Table book. This book has a succinct explanation of the plan, a quick start bit, and a bunch of delicious, easy, on-plan recipes.
If you’re ready to dive in, then I’d recommend getting the more in-depth Trim Healthy Mama Plan book.
And when you’re ready for more recipes, get the Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook and the Trim Healthy Future cookbook.
My THM Journey
I’m actually one of the very first THM’ers. I began in 2012 and lost 75 pounds in about 8 months. I tend to totally THRIVE when I’m strictly on THM. I have a higher energy level, I stay authentically trim, I eat more than I normally would, and I have fun planning meals and cooking! My ultimate goals with THM are to of course remain trim, have the energy to keep up with my kids, have a lot of fun (parachuting for example…yes, that’s on my bucket list!), and to avoid the diabetes that runs in my family and which should (but hopefully won’t) strike when I reach my 40’s in 10+ years.
But I have not only been able to BE blessed by THM, but I’ve helped to bless others as well. My father-in-law for example. He was able to lose weight and was even taken off of his diabetes medications all because he applied the THM principles which my sister-in-law and I introduced to him!
Other Resources
There are MANY helpful resources for THM’ers! Here are a few of my favorites:
- TJ’s Taste–Yeah, that’s me! I LOVE tweaking my family’s favorite dishes so that they can be enjoyed on plan. So be sure to regularly check my Recipe Index for ah-mazing recipes. You can also check out my handy dandy THM friendly Healthy Body binder printables or read my review of the original THM book on my website Measuring Flower.
- TJ’s Taste Store–I have some premium printables and I am constantly working on products to enrich your healthy food journey via my store.
- Trim with TJ Facebook Group–You’re invited to join my free Facebook group! This is NOT one of my premium groups so it’s not as busy, but if you have questions, suggestions, etc., post there and I, another admin, or another member will get back to you ASAP.
- Pinterest–Of course! What’s NOT on Pinterest? Check out my Pinterest boards here. My most noteworthy boards are the recipes one and the one where I share all kinds of THM friendly products.
- Trim Healthy Mama–The master website! THM of course sells many on-plan products, some beauty products, a few kitchen tools, the books, and they have a premium membership! So definitely visit their website.
- THM Official Facebook Group–Got questions? Need suggestions? Ask away and receive a million nearly instant answers!
- Amazon–Everything you can buy pretty much is on Amazon.
- Food for Life—Food for Life is an excellent compilation of recipes gathered by Trim Healthy Mama Margaret Raber.
- Around the Family Table—Around the Family Table is a THM friendly cookbook that focuses on all things sourdough.
- Necessary Food—Necessary Food is a good THM friendly cookbook written by fellow blogger Briana Thomas.
- Convenient Food—Convenient Food is a second cookbook written by fellow blogger Briana Thomas.
