Getting started with Trim Healthy Mama can be intimidating. After all, these THM's throw around works like S meal, E meal, Fuel Pull, and even weirder terms like Good Girl Moonshine (GGMS for short!)
And it sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? True food freedom? You can't possibly lose weight while enjoying all your favorite foods….
Well, I'm here to tell you that it DOES work. Since I started my Trim Healthy Mama journey in September of 2015, I've lost more than 30 pounds, have regained so much energy, am sleeping better, am no longer thirsty all the time, and all while eating my favorite foods.
But my experience aside, what I want to make clear is that anyone can be successful with Trim Healthy Mama and dispel some myths:
- You don't need fancy gadgets
- You don't need to buy specialty foods
- Your food budget does not need to go up
- You don't need to cook separate meals for yourself and your family
- It's not as complicated as it might seem on the surface
- There's no need to count calories
First of all, I highly recommend that you buy and read the book, Trim Healthy Mama. Pearl and Serene's fun tone, their infinite amount of helpful advice, and their breadth of knowledge is something you can't get anywhere but in their book. (you can buy it here <<— affiliate link)
But, reading the book takes time, so if you're still trying to digest all of the THM info, or need some help getting started quickly, here's what you need to know about to get started:
Protein Is The Foundation
Protein is what makes up everything in our bodies. It is like the building blocks that makes up our body. It's the foundation for every function, and how our bodies use carbohydrates and fats successfully.
So, no matter what you're eating or when, your meals and snacks should all contain a healthy dose of protein.
Carbohydrates vs. Fats
To eat like a trim healthy mama, you eat either Carbohydrates or Fats with each meal or snack – not both. And, like I said above, pair either a carb or a fat with protein.
If you eat fats, but are craving carbs, you'll need to wait at least 2.5 hours to eat carbs.
Both fuels (carbs and fats) are necessary, but when we eat them together, one is ultimately used as fuel, while the other is stored as fat. But when you eat them separately, you body can use them for fuel – not storing any fat. In fact, the fat will almost melt off your body!
Space Out Meals
Lucky for us, Trim Healthy Mamas get to eat fairly frequently, every 2.5 – 4 hours. 2.5 hours is the minimum you need to wait between eating carbs and fat, and it is recommended that you wait no longer than 4 hours past your last meal to eat again.
Sugar is Off-Limits
Sugar is an absolute no-no, the only real restriction to Trim Healthy Mama.
That might seem restrictive, but the Trim Healthy Mama cookbook, as well as this blog has tons of recipes that use Stevia as a sugar alternative. They're so delicious you won't even notice the difference!
Those are the basics! If you start today by simply cutting out sugar, separating your fats and carbs, eating protein with everything, and spacing our your meals you can (and will!) lose weight!
Or, if you want to dig into Trim Healthy Mama even more, keep on reading:
S (Satisfying) Meals
An S Meal is also known as a satisfying meal because of what it contains: protein and healthy fats.
The protein keeps you full for several hours, and the health fats are unbelievably satisfying to eat. Besides the protein and fats you can also pile on the non-starch vegetables such as zucchini, yellow squash, asparagus, and leafy greens.
In most cases, it makes sense to use higher fat protein sources, such as beef, pork, and salmon in an S meal, adding a fatty marinade, or leafy greens with an oil-based salad dressing. There is no limit to the amount of fat that you can have in an S meal, since fats do not promote weight gain, but instead place the emphasis on keeping the fats from healthy and unrefined sources, and limited carbohydrates to no more than 10 grams per meal.
Some great examples of good for your S fats are:
- Coconut oil
- Ghee
- Butter
- Full-fat dairy products: sour cream, cream cheese, milk, cottage cheese, plain yogurt
- Avocados
- Olive Oil
- and many, many more!
For more information about Trim Healthy Mama S meals, see Chapter 8 of the Trim Healthy Mama book.
E (Energizing) Meals
An E Meal is also known as an energizing meal because it contains carbohydrates and proteins.
The protein keeps you full for several hours, while the carbohydrates give you sustained energy. However, unlike an S meal, there is a limit to how many carbohydrates you should eat in an E meal. In this case, you want your meals to stay below 45 grams of carbs per E meal.
Also, you can have a bit of fat with an E meal to help with digesting the minerals in the meal: up to 2 tsp, but no more than 5 grams per E meal.
For protein sources, you can have lean meats such as chicken, turkey, white fish, turkey, and even lean ground beef! Just be sure to stay away from fatty protein sources and you'll be fine.
Finally, focus on getting your carbs from healthy, un-refined sources. White rice and white potatoes are out, since they're particular type of carb acts like sugar in the body. But even so, there are tons of carbs you CAN have:
- Sweet potatoes
- White potatoes
- Brown Rice
- Wile Rice
- Sprouted Bread
- Fruits, in moderation
- Corn, in moderation
- Beans
- Quinoa
- Lentils
- Green, yellow, and orange peppers
- carrots
To learn more about E Meals, see Chapter 9 in the Trim Healthy Mama book
FP (Fuel Pull) Meals
An FP meal is low in both carbs and fat. Basically, it's just protein. These meals will keep your blood sugar levels very normal, while still filling you up and keeping you from getting hungry for a few hours.
Carbs and fat are fuel sources (vs protein, which is the foundation) so when you eat protein only, you literally force your body into using fat stores to process and digest the protein so its usable. While you cannot eat FP's only, using them strategically amidst the S and E meals can help speed weight loss.
Just be careful not to use them ore than 4-5 times per week, since that would actually slow down weight loss.
As a guideline: FP's should have less than 10 grams of carbs and less than 5 grams of fat.
Want to know more about FP's? Check out Chapter 10 of Trim Healthy Mama
Meal Ideas to get you started
Here at Fit Mom Journey, I publish weekly meal plans designed to help you rotate between S, E, and FP meals. You can check out the full list of meal plans on the Meal Plan Page, or check out the sample men below:
S Breakfasts
- Bacon & Eggs
- 2 seasoned eggs with cottage cheese
- Almond Flour Waffles with stevia chocolate syrup and 1/2 cup strawberries
- Bulletproof coffee with a Breakfast burrito on a low-carb tortilla
E Breakfasts
- Protein oatmeal
- Egg whites with zucchini, onion, salsa, black beans, and a bit of corn on a tortilla
- 1% cottage cheese with berries and sweetened with stevia
- Fat Free Greek yogurt topped with berries, a bit of stevia sweetened granola, and with a bit of stevia stirred in
E Lunches
- A turkey sandwich on sprouted bread with lettuce, tomato, fat free mayo, and mustard
- Southwest salad with chicken, fat free ranch dressing, black beans, corn, salsa, and maybe a bit of fat free sour cream
- Chili lime chicken breast with cilantro, fat free greek yogurt, tomatoes, black beans, and quinoa on a low-fat tortilla
- Baked sweet potato and califlower chunks with chopped chicken, and topped with fat free sour cream
S Lunches
- Salmon over a bed of greens, drizzled with an oil-based balsamic vinagarette, and loaded with slivered almonds, bacon, and hard boiled egg chunks
- Cottage cheese and marinated chicken breast smothered with a bit of cheese
- Leftover Zucchini Lasagna
- Full-fat tuna salad in a low-carb wrap
E Dinners
- Baked lemon chicken with sweet potatoes
- Spaghetti made with whole wheat pasta
- Blackened white fish over spiced rice
- Chicken chili
S Dinners
- Salmon topped with lemon pepper cream cheese, and served with asparagus drizzled with olive oil and cheese
- Grilled pork steaks with broccoli and mashed cauliflower
- Zucchini Lasagna
- Chicken alfredo over shirataki noodles
E Snacks
- 1 apple with 1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese
- Tuna salad made with greek yogurt
- Low-fat greek yogurt with berries and a bit of stevia
S Snacks
- String cheese with a few slices of turkey
- Caramel Turtles
- Roasted Pecans
How are you feeling now? Ready to give Trim Healthy Mama a try?
Start today – you don't need to be perfect – just give it a go!
Talk Soon,
Gretchen
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