See ya later love handles

After two kids, too much fast food, too much indulgence, and an aging metabolism I found myself overweight.  For years I would look in the mirror and be disappointed with the spare tire around my wasit line.  Going shopping was discouraging, trying on swimsuits was downright depressing.  I can't tell you the amount of times I decided I was going to lose some weight, only to try for two days before slipping right back into old habits.

Thankfully, my weight has never defined me or hampered my self confidence.  In my mind I'm still a smokin' hot 20-ish year old.  It's only when I'd look in a mirror that I'd be reminded that people didn't see the me on the outside the they way that I felt on the inside.  In December I decided that enough was enough.  I was going to get serious about losing some weight.  Five years post baby, I could no longer blame the chub on baby-weight.  It was time.  I was ready.  I just needed to find the right program for me.  And there were plenty.

Apparently when you are in your mid-thirties everyone starts worrying about their health as well, as evidenced by the plethora of FB friends I have who are now consultants or health coaches (or whatever you want to call them) all ready and willing to help me get healthy/lose weight/have more energy/improve my skin/ etc...  with their program/shakes/chews/patches.  I know these programs have been amazingly beneficial to many people; I've heard the testimonials. (Many, many, times.) But I wasn't sure if I wanted to pay to be on a shake/patch/chew for the rest of my life, no matter how natural it was.  And I wasn't convinced I needed to pay anyone to get healthy.   (NOTE- I'm not knocking these at all.  I know they've been GREAT for some people, I just chose a different path.  What works for each of us will be different.)

In early January my cousin introduced to a way of eating which helped me lose 10 pounds in 10 weeks.  I can hardly believe it.  When I started in January my goal was to lose 5 pounds by spring break.  I really didn't have high hopes or expectations.  I thought I'd slip back into eating crap in a matter of days.

When I started to see that this might actually stick, I picked out the most unflattering shirt I own and made my husband take my picture.  (It wasn't truly a before pic as I had started a week and a half earlier).  And put the same shirt on again last week.  I plan on dropping another 5, so I'm not calling this an after picture yet.

Looking at these pictures is hard.  Posting them is harder.  Like I said, I never felt like that chubby girl on the left.  So putting her on the internet is not fun.  And why do I even OWN this shirt?!?  Please, please, please let horizontal stripes not be a thing next season.  (The temptation was strong to pick out a much better shirt for the right picture.  But I refrained b/c it drives me crazy when the before pics are always no-makeup, ugly as can be and the after pics show people in their best clothes with their makeup and hair done.  I wanted to compare me apples to apples.  No matter how unflattering the shirt.)

So what is it?  In this age of network marketing and home-based businesses it's a simple book you've probably never heard of called Trim Healthy Mama.  At it's most basic, THM is a low-glycemic eating plan where you ALWAYS separate your fats from your carbs.  Their two main types of meals are S (Satisfying = fat ) or E (Energizing = (low) carbs).  There are a lot of resources online including Gwen's Nest and FB groups.  But there is no substitute for the book itself.

What convinced me to try the plan and what has helped me stay on it?  I can have chocolate.  I can have cheese.  I can have fat.  A regular breakfast of mine is chocolate volcano mudslide in a mug.  I can eat this and still lose weight?  Yep, sign me up for this "diet."  (For the record- the chocolate is sweetened with Stevia instead of sugar, so I don't want you to think I ate a bunch of Reese's peanut butter cups and still lost weight.  Stevia does taste a little different from sugar.)

If you look into this, don't get overwhelmed with re-stocking your pantry.  You don't need all of that to be successful. I bought a few new things, but found it easiest to just modify what my family already eats.  So if I make tacos, instead of using shells, I will have it on lettuce.  Same with a burger; it goes on lettuce.  When I make chicken breast I have it with brown rice instead of potatoes. Simple changes that compounded have made a big difference.

I won't lie- the first 3-4 days were hard as I retrained my body.  I craved carbs and sugar.  But the book gave me options to replace my normal choices with, and I got through.  And after those first few days my carb cravings subsided substantially.  I also set myself on a eating schedule.  No more random snacking.  I ate at roughly 3 hour intervals.  This became easier too after a few days.  I no longer walk by my kitchen and want to eat.

The first few weeks I really had to think about what my next meal would be.  What could I even eat? Is that too many carbs?  What time did I eat last?  I thought about food a lot because I wanted to know what I was going to make when it was time to eat so I didn't get overly hungry and grab whatever was convenient.  But now it is second nature.

I cheated some along the way.  If we were out with friends I'd allow myself some freedom.  I don't want to live a life where I can't have a couple of beers.  I don't want a life where I can't have a cupcake on my daughter's birthday.  I don't want a life where I feel so restricted by food that I can't partake with everyone else.  But I did choose wisely when I could and made sure those were exceptions and not the rule and I was still able to see success.

I'm not a purist on the plan.  I did this more for the "trim" part than the "healthy".  I still drink diet pop (I know, it will kill me).  And I think Apple Cider Vinegar is disgusting.  I get irritated every time I read something by the one author who doesn't have a microwave (Who lives like that?!?)  But I took the fundamentals of the book and applied them into something that would work for my life long term.

I don't post this fishing for compliments.  I post it because I am so glad my cousin told me.  I post it because if this chocolate loving girl can do it, then so can you.  I post it because I want you to know you don't have to spend big bugs to get thin.  I post it because if you're ready it might work for you too.