Making Progress

Its been awhile since I checked in on my weight loss.

You might have caught some of my recent posts about things that I have been eating in order to have a healthy body and a healthy life. I want to take a minute to share the book that I have been reading.

Trim Healthy Mama was written by Serene Allison and Pearl Barrett. They are sisters who have been on a long journey to good health. Over the years the ladies have tried a variety of different techniques to achieve good health. None of the popular methods had worked for them.

There was a point when they discovered that each method had benefits but that they neglected the good of other methods. This cause their bodies to be healthy in some ways while being deficient in others.

The same can be said by most Americans. We live in a culture that prides itself on its speed. And with that speed comes a deterioration of nutrients. Even many people who are healthy eaters struggle to create a balance of nutrients that are needed in our bodies.

Serene and Pearl have looked at popular diets, studies, and what the Bible has to say about diet and have come up with a plan that is not only feasible but makes complete sense.

The basic premise of the plan is to eat meals that are centered around protein and use only use one fuel source. Either fat without carbs (similar to Atkins) or carbs (within moderation) without much fat. The carbs that are chosen are carbs that are filled with valuable nutrients and won’t spike blood sugars.

For my family this is perfect. Blood sugars are an issue, as you can imagine, with diabetes and hypoglycemia. And the plan only requires a few tweaks here and there from the way we were already eating.

But you don’t have to be a mama to glean valuable information from this book.

There are pages and pages explaining how our body works. And it all is in line with everything I have read on my own over the years or been told by my brilliant friend, Deanna (Hi Deanna! Love ya!). There are various recipes, some of which my family has loved and some of which we have used as a basis for different ideas that are just as healthy. I’ll admit that I tend to tweak just about every recipe to make them my own.

I am finally starting to make some real progress. I am eating healthier than ever before because I understand it a little better. Somehow it all has just clicked. And I am starting to see a change not only in the scale but also in the way clothes are fitting.

I was 222 at the beginning of May. Two days ago, on the last day of May, I was 216 (as of today, June 9th, when I am revisiting this unpublished post I am at 213, yay!). That’s 6 pounds in 4 ish weeks. I have lost at least 2 inches around my waist and another 2 around each of my thighs. And I have not been totally faithful to being “on plan” as I learn how to eat and search out new, healthier foods, that are available in the stores that we shop.

I admit that even when things were suggested to me as being healthy, I was hesitant because it was hard for me to get healthy food. I’ve been learning though that I don’t have to go anywhere special to get many healthy items that are very similar to what I already buy.

For example, flax seed is available at Walmart (and sometimes Sam’s). I’ve used it for awhile but I had never really experienced its potential. Coconut and almond flours seemed expensive, and they are, but not if used in smaller portions. The largest amount of almond flour I have used at one time is 3 cups and that was to make a large coffee cake for S’s birthday. Generally I use about 2 tablespoons at a time and that makes the flour last quite awhile.

Searching out and trying new foods has been part of the fun of this journey. I had no idea how much I actually liked sweeten iced tea, for example, until I started sweetening it with stevia extract. It has helped tremendously with my soda drinking (I still do indulge in diet sodas occasionally but it is becoming less and less frequent).

If you are interested in having a healthier life, in a way that is easy for anyone to do, I highly recommend checking out this book. Even if you aren’t a “mama” there are some great gems to be found in these 600 plus pages. Hope that it will bring new life to your diet and lifestyle like it has for me!

Blessings,