Journey to Health

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Once upon a time there was a woman who struggled with healthy eating and exercise habits. A woman who would sooner drown her sorrows in a vat of Moose Tracks ice cream than deal with the emotions. A woman who would try every diet, fail every diet and drown that shame in more Moose Tracks ice cream.

Who is this woman? Well, me of course.

After many years and many diets where not only did I fall off the wagon, but it backed up to run me over. I had found a way to eat and think that broke through all that I thought I knew about nutrition.

I found a plan that teaches how to use food to heal the body. How to separate or combine foods that are optimal for balancing hormones, healing adrenal fatigue, and turns back the hands of time.

This way of eating is called Trim Healthy Mama. <– Click the link to check it out.

Or to purchase the Plan book…

I am entirely a foodie at heart and getting to eat “diet” food like chocolate cake, chocolate, real whipped cream, eggs and bacon, ice cream, coffee with cream, and butter. Hello, Sign me up!

The main keys of this eating plan are to give up…

Give up on beating yourself up

Give up on being a slave to the scale

Give up on counting calories

Give up on feeling bad about your body.

I learned about Trim Healthy Mama from a friend of mine 6 years ago. I slowly climbed into the wagon while I was pregnant. Yes this way of eating is absolutely doable while pregnant, it is even encouraged.

Throughout my pregnancy I gained a total of 23 pounds and had energy to the very end. My typical pregnancy would have me gaining twice that and exhausted. I was able to fit back into my pre-pregnancy jeans within three days of leaving the hospital after delivery! That took weeks or months with my previous pregnancies!!

My poor body had a lot to heal and I lost the pounds slowly, achingly slow, but I was losing the inches. Soon I dropped a size, then another. In a about eighteen months I had went from a tight size 14 to a comfortable size 8. I had reached the goal of losing 100 pounds from my highest weight, 70 of them I lost on Trim Healthy Mama. That was the most I had ever lost on one plan!!

Never had I been on a “diet” so long as to see these kind of results. Never had I felt so good while following a plan that I wanted to stay on it! Never had I ever had so much energy while following an eating plan that I had to exercise to work it off.

To me this Plan has been a game changer.

Being dragged behind the wagon:

Having fell on rough and then rougher times over the last four years, I have had to go off plan for months. This turned into more off than on plan meals over the last two years. I’m sure that were times of emotional comfort food to cope with the stress. These times were where I’m sure I slowed my metabolism skipping meals and eating only what I could afford for a family of 5 with $50 for the month.

During my two years of undoing all the progress I had made healing my poor abused body, I gained back 60 pounds and I really feel it. I’m tired most of the time. There is not enough coffee in the state of Tennessee to help me get half my to do list done. I’ve developed acne, it’s hard to waddle my walking route, I feel weak and puny, and I get winded pretty easily nowadays.

Those were really hard times, but also extreme faith building times. I call those many months my Jesus months. There is no other explanation as to how we all stayed fed and kept the lights on. Jesus even found a way to put gas in my car.

I had Enough!

I have decided to restart April 1, 2019, and it has been slow with some low discipline moments. I have a tight budget still but I am learning to work this plan better with it. I am already starting to feel more energetic and waking up without my alarm at 4 am to get a jump start on my day. I have lost 3 pounds and my clothes are feeling more comfortable.

I know this isn’t a landmark milestone but to me I know how I felt before when following this plan, and I aim to enjoy the journey to and beyond that place again. I look forward to having the stamina to keep up with my 5 year old again. I remember a time when I was able to outlast him as a very energetic toddler, now that is a landmark milestone!

I have learned that I have not ruined my day because I went off plan for one meal. I just get back to it the next meal. I can leave the shame at the door and say “That was a nice treat, now let’s get back to it.” I know that this way of eating is really more a way of life. I hope to be living this way until the end of my days.

I have found the key things that help me on this plan…

Get into the Facebook Trim Healthy Mama Groups. There are lots of them, even a Trim Healthy Man group. There are so many encouraging women in there that give advice, post yummy recipes, post jokes, show their amazing progress and there are the ladies who have the flair for making fun videos to share. Support and encouragement is free flowing, bring your bucket to the well.
Plenty of Good Girl Moonshine, I make it in a 2.5 gallon jug with a spigot on it, believe me, if you have the refrigerator space that’s handy. Having this healing drink on hand really helps to cut down on grazing and satisfies the sweet tooth. I’ll include my recipe to make 2.5 gallons of Good Girl Moonshine below.
Skinny Chocolate is life. I love making (but more so eating) my own chocolate, and there are so many recipes on Pinterest for it. This cures many ailments, PMS, constipation, foul moods, and keeps you from raiding the kids’ candy bowl. That brings us to the next thing.
Stop buying candy and unhealthy snacks. If it isn’t there, you won’t eat it. I have found that it is easier for me if there are no temptations in sight. You will find other tasty things to snack on. Our house favorite are Cheese Crisps. They get gobbled up at lightening speed by all in my house.
Plan ahead! You know the saying “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” For me this is true when it comes to eating this way. There are people who can wing it and have an amazing on plan meal for every meal. I have to plan. I make my menus for a week or month, site my cookbooks and pages, make my shopping lists, and so on.
Prep! I try to use my weekends to make large batches of food for the week. Pancakes, coffee cake, candies, snacks and at times multiple casseroles to freeze for easy dinners on hectic days. I have even been known to make a bunch of crockpot kits to tame some of those crazy days.

I think with any plan, finding what works for you and your family is vital to your success. With this plan I find myself looking forward to the next delicious meal. I seem to always to hydrated and not really on the prowl for a naughty snack.

As I take this journey to health, I invite you to tag along. I plan to post updates monthly including recommendations of products I have enjoyed using, recipes that the kids approve of that I have tried, and a few pictures. To receive these updates, please follow on social media (links are below) and subscribe to the blog (on the right) to receive email updates when new posts are published.

Good Girl Moonshine for 2.5 gallon drink dispensers (I use this one)
Water
1 boxes Celestial Seasonings tea of whatever fruity flavor you like (I like this one)
(not for pregnant women as hibiscus can cause preterm labor separate recipe below)
1 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar with the Mother (I use this one)
2 Tablespoons Liquid Stevia (I use this one)
1 Tablespoon Ginger Juice (I use this one)

Place the 40 tea bags in a large measuring cup or batter bowl. Pour in just enough just off the boil water to cover the tea bags. Let steep for 10 minutes. In your 2.5 gallon jug fill with cold water to the 2 gallon or 8 quart line. Add the ACV, Stevia and Ginger juice. After the tea bags have steeped, place a hand mesh strainer over the opening of the jug. Pour the tea through the strainer into the jug so the strainer can catch the tea bags. After the tea is poured in you can use a slotted spoon to squeeze out the teabags. Add more water to fill the jug. Loosely screw on the lid and store in the refrigerator. I have noticed I need to turn the spigot handle to the side so that the milk jugs on the door of the fridge don’t hit it and pour all the moonshine all over the inside of my fridge.

** For the pregnant mamas**

Skip the tea and use an entire box of True Lemon Raspberry Lemonade or another flavor and half the liquid stevia. The directions would be the same; Fill the jug with water to the 2 gallon or 8 quart line, add the ACV, ginger juice and half the stevia. Add the entire box True Lemon drink mix. Mix well. Fill the jug the rest of the way with water. Loosely screw on the lid and store in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!!

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