Trim Healthy Mama - Week 1 Progress Report

Progress: 3.8 lbs down this week and about half an inch lost in most places. What can I say...the plan works. I'm not really surprised that I lost since I ate wayyy healthier (and less calories) this week than most weeks. I am a bit surprised that it was over 2 pounds, though, since I wasn't even exercising much. I do have hope that this 30 day challenge will get me past my plateau and help me establish better eating habits. The first few days of the plan I felt pretty wretched...most people on this plan do go through detox since you cut out so much sugar and junk food. I think I did experience some of that since my whole body just hurt like crazy for a few days, and some of the illness was probably due to a minor cold/sore throat I had, too. However, I didn't have that weird lightheaded thing that I used to get most days (sugar highs/lows related?). My energy is good now, yes, better. Also, I never went hungry this week. When I was hungry, I ate. I had to choose sometime on plan, which maybe wouldn't have always been my first choice, but I didn't go hungry. This is not a "starve-yourself" plan, thankfully!

Read about Day 1, and Days 2, 3, 4. 

Here are some of the other things I ate this week:

Spinach, Egg Whites, & Feta Cheese on a 5 minute Flax Wrap for breakfast

Homemade Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (cocoa, stevia, peanut butter, coconut oil). These were awesome  - pretty sure I had at least one a day. Will definitely make these for a healthy dessert for myself.

Low-Carb Meatballs (made with almond flour instead of bread crumbs). These were decent. Everyone like them. The only sad part was that the sauce I made (for mine) was disgusting...unedible.I had to thrown mine out. Hours later I still felt like throwing up...no joke. Served them with buttered broccoli & the rest of the family also had mashed potatoes. Gross meatball sauce led to the McDonald's smoothie cheat in the evening. On the plus side...it was fat free, so "just" a lot of empty carbs and simple sugar...bad for the blood sugar. oops.

Low-Carb Cabbage Rolls (good...the whole family didn't mind them) with Asparagus. I would definitely make these cabbage rolls again if I was doing the low-carb thing long-term. The rest of the fam also had mashed potatoes.

Moroccan Spiced Lentil Soup (with chicken). Loved this. Super healthy and the flavours were awesome. Will definitely add this one into my regular rotation. Can't wait for hubby to try the leftovers as I think he's going to love it, too.


Creamy Berry Dessert (cottage cheese blended with frozen berries & stevia). I didn't mind this. If I wouldn't have known it was cottage cheese, I probably would have liked it even more.

McDonalds Chicken Caesar Salad (no croutons). Good fast food choice, though I prefer their other salads, which aren't plan-approved. oh and fries. I sure did miss those fries...

I found out my 5 minute artisan bread is E-approved on THM if I make it with mostly whole wheat flour and let it sit in the fridge 3-5 days before baking. YES! Had this and dipped it in balsamic vinegar with my soup....soooo good.

I attemped this lemon curd dessert in an almond crust with whipped cream. Fail. Major fail. It was awful. I'm not always sure about this stevia stuff. Sometimes it makes things taste like garbage. Sorry, but it's true.

Exercise: I was actually sick for a day or two...feeling very, very lousy, so I skipped a couple of workouts. I probably exercised about 3 times during the week. I hope to get back on track next week.

Final thoughts after Week 1....I honestly cannot see myself sticking with this strict THM thing life-long. At best, I will use what I've learned and follow the plan half-heartedly (which is better than not following the plan at all, in my opinion.) It's a bit too low-carb for me, and the sugar thing is frustrating, especially when it comes to cooking/baking our favourite meals. For example, I could see myself using whole wheat pasta and whole wheat pitas/bread long-term but not using these  very special low-carb pastas and breads/pitas as they are super expensive and hard to find (mostly only found online).

I am glad for this 30 day challenge, though, because I am learning to think about food in a different way. I'm stretching myself to try new things and experiment with healthier foods (quinoa, steel cut oats, stevia, almond flour, coconut flour, etc), which is awesome. Some of the new foods  have been fantastic. Even my husband loves them. There are definitely things about this plan that I will try to work into our way of eating. I am going to try to use the S, E, FP philosophy when planning my meals and eat healthier treats and snacks most of the time. The hardest part for me is the no-sugar thing, though. I know there are other things like xylitol and erythritol, but they are crazy expensive compared to plain old sugar. Plus....I'm just not sure how I feel about them. I think I am more comfortable using "healthier" things like maple syrup and raw honey in place of these lower-calorie "weird-to-me-natural" sweeteners. Though I haven't read the book yet, my understanding is that once you are at goal-weight, honey & maple syrup are okay in moderation. The other sweeteners are preferable partly just cause they are zero or very low in calories and don't do a number on the blood sugar. Going out to eat while being on this plan is also pretty tough. I had a grilled chicken caesar salad from McDonalds without the croutons. I hear some people order a cheeseburger without the bun....I just can't do it...sorry.

3 weeks to go...I will likely be loosening up the rules for myself just a little bit for the next 3 weeks, especially with regards to the sugar stuff in cooking/baking. I will still try to stick pretty closely to the plan for the next 3 weeks, especially with regards to E, S, and FP meals.

Moving into Week 2...