TULIPS

I've never grown tulips.  I WILL be planting more of these.  So cheerful and happy!

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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!