Scheduled Free Styling Menu #1

**revised**  This is not a true fuel cycle--so I changed the name of the post.  Don't be confused! 

As I communicated with a wonderful admin on the FB group page, I realized that this is what the THM book calls the scheduled "Free Styling" method. Chapter 11 talks about using full fuel days as a way of Free Styling.  I've also adjusted the menu to not have dairy or sugar-free peanut butter on the low carb(S) days.  I did allow myself a very small amount of these when I followed this version of the THM plan for 3 weeks.

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In the past few months, I've been frustrated with my weight loss on the Trim Healthy Mama plan. 

Healing takes time & rest.   

I LOVE the Trim Healthy Mama plan.  It works but my circumstances worked against weight loss.  The scheduled free styling menu below plus increasing my activity level is how I have managed to get the scale moving in the right direction again and I'm slowly loosing weight once more.  Go back and read how I have gained since August for the whole story.

Below is Week #1's menu.  I did 3 weeks of the scheduled free styling and now I'm taking 2 weeks off.  

It was time. Being so strict it made me want to cheat more.  Not a good place to be.

Day 1--Focus on Low Carb meals   

**I drink GGMS & Shrinker off and on all day

• Breakfast--Scrambled eggs, bacon, Light Bulletproof Tea
• Snack--Skinny Chocolate & Hormel lunch meat wrapped in leafy lettuce
• Lunch--Leafy green salad, Baked Salmon, Tangy & Sweet Vinaigrette, skinny chocolate(p. 371)
• Snack--Snickers Shake
• Supper--Meatloaf(p. 316), leafy green salad, steamed broccoli & cauliflower, olive oil, skinny chocolate

Day 2--Focus on Low Carb meals

• Breakfast--Broccoli & Ham Quiche
• Snack--Skinny chocolate & Hormel lunch meat wrapped in leafy lettuce
• Lunch--Panera Mediterranean Chicken Salad(Hidden Menu), olive oil,
• Snack--Cake in Mug(pg. 379)
• Supper--Crabbie Patties(p. 338), leafy green salad, olive oil
• Dessert--Skinny chocolate

Day 3--Focus on Protein--light day

• Breakfast--Yogurt, 1/2 scoop protein powder, berries
• Snack--Berry Whey Smoothie with Spinach(p. 243)
• Lunch--Loaded Fotato Soup(p. 294), Joseph's Lavash bread with deli meat, lettuce & tomato
• Snack--Cucumbers, turkey pepperoni
• Supper--Easy Chicken Yogurt Bake(p. 323), leafy green salad, steamed broccoli & cauliflower
• Dessert--Unfudgy No Bake Cookies

Day 4--Focus on Protein--light day

• Breakfast--Berry Smoothie(p. 243) with egg white scramble & turkey bacon
• Snack--Hormel lunch meat wrapped in leafy lettuce
• Lunch--Just like Campbell's Tomato soup(light p. 293), 1 wasa cracker(rye), cottage cheese & leafy green salad
• Snack--cottage cheese with Berry Syrup
• Supper--Citrus Fish Bake(p. 286), Cauli Rice(p. 358) & carrots & a leafy green salad
• Dessert--Light Bulletproof Tea

Day 5 Focus on low-glycemic Carbs & Protein

(CARBS are SO important to loosing weight.  But be sure to choose low-glycemic ones!)

• Breakfast--French Toast topped with Greek yogurt & 1/2 a banana(I LOVE bananas)
• Snack--cottage cheese with Berry syrup & piece of fruit
• Lunch--Hormel deli meat sandwich with sprouted wheat bread(Trader Joe's) , carrots, triple zero yogurt
• Snack--Orange and low fat cheese stick
• Supper--Chicken & Beans and Rice with Trader Joe's baked blue corn chips
• Dessert--Light Bullet proof Tea, Josheph's Lavash with Laughing Cow cheese(aldi brand)

Weekends are crazy around here and I find it easier to just free style and switch it up.  Make sure to have AT LEAST one low-glycemic carb meal or snack each day!  As you can see I used recipes from the THM book and just basic foods.  Nothing crazy or special.

Many of these recipes are on my pinterest boards. The recipes with page numbers are from the THM book.

  Week #2's menu are coming!  

Let me know if you decide to give this a try! 

Follow Day to Day Adventures Facebook page or sign up for email updates(sidebar) on my progress, more scheduled free styling menus & for the Traveling with THM post!

More THM help

Where we were . . . Nationals 2010

Well to celebrate Bible Quizzing Nationals I thought we'd have some fun flashbacks photos.  These are from the last time we were in Pittsburgh, PA in 2010.

Michael was on Quest

Elizabeth was on Stride

We were just along for the ride.  No coaching.  Just watching.  My how things have changed.

And then some fun ones because I just couldn't resist. 

Weight gain frustrations on THM

I've gained 10 pounds since August.  There I just laid it out there for you all to read.  Kinda gives me a pain to say it.  I'm struggling because I don't have a bunch of clothes that fit right now.  There is a reason.  Pain meds, healing, inactivity, healing, winter, healing. 

See the theme?

TRIM HEALTHY MAMA!!

Some where along the way as I was surfing the internet, I read about the Trim Healthy Mama eating plan. (affiliate) After ordering and reading the book in April 2013 I made some changes to the way our family eats.

From April 2013 to July 2014, I lost about 20-25 pounds following the Trim Healthy Mama lifestyle.  In the past I'd tried every diet under the sun, exercised as much as I could and limited my calories. 

NOTHING worked.  I felt like I was banging my head against a wall. 

I lost & gained the same 5 pounds for years.  I wanted to feel healthier which meant not hauling around the extra weight. The weight loss when I was on the THM plan was slow but I was ok with that as long as I saw some progress.

What we changed

• For me to loose I had to fuel my body with just one main fuel per meal.  That meant pairing protein with carbs OR fat at each meal--not both.  My family would pair it any way they wanted.  They are all at healthy weights.
• Most carbs that we eat are low glycemic.  Brown rice, sprouted wheat, sweet potatoes.  Some cereal, bread, white potatoes for those who can handle the rise in blood sugar.
• LOTS of protein and good fats. 
• Our intake of veggies has gone way up. 
• My wonky up and down blood sugar issues were no longer giving me problems.
• With this lifestyle I’ve kicked the soda habit & the cravings are gone!!  I was hooked on Pepsi for YEARS!
• Elizabeth's Celiac limitations work well with the THM plan. 
• Steve & the other kids still get plenty of food and don't feel starved at all.  In short this works for us.

Pancreatic Cancer & Delusions

The past 2-3 years have been incredibly stressful for for us as a family.  My mom & dad's health problems created a situation where I was on edge and stressed ALL the time.  I found if I could follow the THM plan then I could cope.  However, if I indulged in sugar, wheat, or other off plan items I became unable to help my parents or my own family. 

Plus I felt LOUSY!!!!  After starting THM, my joints didn't hurt as much and I felt much less bloated.  The THM lifestyle was part of what saved my sanity during that season.  My friend, family & faith were the other factors that I leaned heavily on.

I slowly was building a smaller wardrobe & had gotten rid of my "fat" clothes.  I was even able to start a consistent workout plan.  Seemed like my new size was here to stay. Yeah!!!! 

Then at the end of July 2014 I got a fungal infection my right eye.  That's when I needed the pain meds.  I've learned a lot of things from the infection & cornea transplant that I had in December. 

Healing & Weight Loss

While I was hurt, I didn't change the way I ate.  But while my body worked on healing the "broken" part of me, it had to put loosing weight on pause.  Getting healthy meant something totally different. 

What really changed was that my body REQUIRED rest. 

I often think that my eye problems were God's way of saying "Ok you have worked REALLY hard for 2 years and now it is time to take a break and rest." 

That is NOT how I thought that stage of my life would look like but God was right.  I needed time to process it all and rest.  That plus some serious inactivity from the fatigue I experienced is what helped me put back on 10 pounds.

So what now?

It is incredibly frustrating to be eating in a healthy way that had worked so well and still gain. 

I'm still following the THM lifestyle.  However, I've had to change a few things again. 

The weight wasn't moving even though I inched my way toward more activity in Feb-March. So in April I've been trying scheduled freestyle days. For more details on the THM plan or the Trim Healthy store go to Trim Healthy Mama website.(affiliate link). Or if you are local--ask me--I have a book that you can borrow. Below is my weekly "plan."

Here's my menu for a week of scheduled free cycling.  It's VERY similar each week & this makes meal planning super simple for me!  I just recopy the week before on to my menu planner (free download). 

This help my brain not to explode.  I'm kidding--kind of.

How's it working?

Well the scale is moving again.  Again REALLY slowly.  I've done scheduled free cycling for 3 weeks and I'm holding steady at 2 pounds lost.  Honestly, I'm a little tired of the being so strict so next week is a week off for me.  We are traveling so that works out perfectly.  I'll still be on plan.  I'm planning to maintain the pounds that I have lost and come back ready to jump back in.

Let me know if you decide to give this a try! 

Follow the Day to Day Adventures Facebook page or sign up for email updates(sidebar) on my slow progress, scheduled free cycling menus & for the Traveling with THM post that is coming soon! 

More THM help!

It is a Wrap April 19, 2015

Monday

Over the weekend we discovered that Megan's glasses were falling apart.  Well the coating was peeling off her lenses making it difficult to see.  Lucky for us we got her in quick on Monday afternoon. 

So she scored some new glasses and they are super cute on her!  Well when she's not being totally silly with a pepper in her mouth!

Tuesday

My heart wasn't on running errands.  So I just headed home and spent a couple of hours outside on the mower taming the jungle of grass in my yard.  I LOVE sunshine and this was a wonderful treat for me. 

Wednesday

Steve had a friend/client out early to see where to deliver some hay.  We are ready to start on our 2015 Garden Plans when we get back from Bible Quizzing Nationals.  Free hay will help us get going on that job.  Then a plumber came out to give us an estimate on fixing the plumbing in our house.  AWESOME news is that it looks like it won't be as big of a job as we thought.  Still messy and a pain but no ripping up the floor.

I had an appointment to check my eye and got a GREAT report.  Everything looks healthy, it is slowly healing and is progressing as the doctor expects.  I go back in 2 months.

Megan got to see the hand specialist for some wrist pain that she's been dealing with for a while.  He found nothing wrong on the x-rays.  So she will take an anti-inflammatory for 6 weeks and then go back to recheck.  Good nothing is wrong but still a mystery.

Blurry pic but totally Megan

Thursday

A friend of Megan's is now driving so I didn't have to take her to her English class.  I got the mowing finished after Joshua & I battled it out over math.  All the trees blooming were blooming so I spent a bunch of time out in the flower garden digging up dandelions.  That evening at Central Christian College of the Bible there was a women's banquet.  My sweet daughter invited me to join her to listen to Susan Lawrence speak & have dinner.  Fun event!  Elizabeth drove home after that since her aches/pains & fatigue seemed to be getting worse.  I think she wanted to be babied(ha!)

The kids have been SUPER busy this week studying for National's.  If you think of them next week, please say a prayer for their energy levels & that they can do their best as they compete in Pittsburgh, PA.  A prayer for the parents wouldn't hurt either!

Friday

Michael & Rebekah closed on their house in St. Louis finally!  They have the keys and are ready to start moving!

I picked up 40# of hamburger from Zaycon.  I LOVE this company and the meat they provide.  I HIGHLY recommend it.  If you click on the link above, then I make a little from the referral.  But I'd recommend it even if I didn't--we like it that much.  The prices are excellent too.  Check it out!

Earlier this spring I did the same thing with 40# of Chicken.  Check out the recipes tab above for some of the recipes that I used!

Saturday

Megan had the ACT at the high school in Hallsville.  Joshua got to go play games with his brother daddy & grandpa. Unfortunately Elizabeth was feeling worse so Steve's game time got interrupted so he could take her to Urgent Care. 

She had to miss Baby Brush's shower but she was able to get a different anti-inflammatory that seems to be doing a better job to control her pain.  Keep praying for her.  The appointment with the rheumatologist is about a week away.

Baby Brush's shower was a lot of fun!  Rebekah was excited to get some sweet little outfits and useful items to prepare for their little one due early in June.  One very special gift she received was the beginning of a quilt from her mom that was made from her dad's shirts.   

Sunday

A day of rest.  More than half of us here feeling sick or exhausted.  We spent some time listening to it rain, reading and just hanging out together.  Pray that we can bounce back and be ready for a BIG week coming up!

What's been going on . . . . if you missed it.