Are You Making These 5 THM Mistakes?

I first read the book Trim Healthy Mama several years ago so I’ve been around long enough to have made quite a few mistakes as well as see others make those same (or different!) mistakes. I thought this week that I would list the top five misconceptions that I’ve seen and also help clear up the confusion – based on my own personal experience.

Check Out the Top 5 Misconceptions Below…

1 – Fuel Pulls are free and can be eaten at any time.

2 – Carbs don’t count if they’re your main carb source.

3 – No fruit allowed on THM.

4 – Weight loss is supposed to be fast on THM.

5 – Off-plan foods are fine as long as you’re not a purist.

1. Fuel Pulls-

There is a lot of confusion surrounding fuel pulls and when you can eat them so let’s just clear that up. First, fuel pulls are incredible! Pearl & Serene are absolute geniuses and these tasty snacks/meals are low in fat, low in carbs, and wrapped in protein so, therefore, your body digs into its own fat stores and burns it as fuel. (More info can be found about fuel pulls starting on page 102 of the book). If you are absolutely starving between meals, then eating a fuel pull snack is definitely ok. That being said, it shouldn’t be the norm. Your body really does need the full 2.5 – 3 hours between meals in order to burn through everything you consumed. Next time try eating more protein and veggies at your meal in order to carry you through the full three hours. Don’t beat yourself up though, and definitely don’t starve yourself!

2. Carbs always count…

There, we can move on to the next point. I kid, I kid! Every carb counts in an E meal (and S/FP for that matter!). For a solid E meal, you want to have between 20 – 45g of on plan carbs including your main carb source. And while we’re on the subject, we may not always count all of the fat in an S meal but that doesn’t mean it’s a free for all. Eventually, calories do count. 😉

3. Fruit…

…is most welcome while doing Trim Healthy Mama! You just need to make sure it’s in the right setting. Most fruit is totally acceptable in an E setting. Peaches, apples, mangoes oh my! Now I’m not suggesting you gorge yourself on an enormous bowl of fruit and have no protein with it. That will spike your blood sugar and that is what we’re trying to avoid on THM. An apple with a small handful of almonds is a perfect snack. A slice of Briana Thomas’ peach cobbler for dessert is yummy and totally on plan. Up to a cup of berries is perfectly acceptable in an S and FP setting (with the exception of blueberries which is limited to a half cup in those settings) and you can use fruit more liberally in an E setting. Bananas are on plan too, just limit yourself to half a banana occasionally. You do want to be aware of how many carbs you’re consuming as mentioned above but fruit is absolutely a part of the Trim Healthy Mama plan.

4. Fast weight loss…

…isn’t healthy no matter what plan you’re doing. Trim Healthy Mama recommends that you aim to lose 1-2lbs/week on average. Of course, if you have a lot of weight to lose then you will likely experience faster weight loss at first. Those who only have a few pounds to lose (less than 20lbs) usually seem to lose weight a little more slowly. Slower weight loss is a good thing! It gives your body a chance to shrink at a slower rate and that leaves you with less loose and flabby skin. It also helps you maintain that weight loss. Losing and gaining the same pounds over and over again is not healthy and let’s be honest – it’s also super discouraging.

5. Off-plan foods…

I often see people give suggestions of off-plan foods with the caveat that they’re “not a purist so [they] use this”. One of my favorite quotes is from the movie The Princess Bride. “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” and it totally applies here. There are definitely differences between a purist and non-purist but it’s not their consumption of off-plan foods that separate them. Both the purist and non-purist always consume on plan foods. Purists are people that don’t use microwaves or convenience foods, and mostly cook or bake everything from scratch. They often ferment stuff (that’s official eh? I think you can guess which camp I’m a part of…), they make their own sauces instead of buying them pre-made, and they don’t usually consume any questionable ingredients. Non-purists use things like Dreamfields pasta, joseph’s pitas, microwaves…they buy pre-packaged sauces and dips (on plan and sugar-free of course) and basically use foods that are convenient because they’re not going to make it from scratch. That doesn’t mean that if something has a little sugar or corn syrup in it that it’s on plan just because the person eating it is not a purist. Off-plan is off-plan. Serene is a purist, Pearl is a non-purist. They’re both on plan, they simply do things a little differently. Isn’t that one of the most beautiful things about Trim Healthy Mama? Food FREEDOM!!!!! (I totally just shouted that in my head picturing Mel Gibson in Braveheart).

~Meggan

Meggan Larson is a wife, mom of three, and challenge overcomer! Diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and undergoing aggressive chemotherapy, when her second born child was only three months old, gave Meggan an expected twist to her life. Dealing with pregnancy weight gain and the debilitating effects of chemotherapy, Meggan’s weight soared to over 228 pounds. Feeling humiliated with no desire to socialize Meggan was desperate for a change. Shortly after losing 20 pounds with the Trim Healthy Mama program, Meggan found out she was pregnant with baby number three, which ended in an emergency C-section and unexpected hysterectomy. Despite the challenges she faced Meggan has just celebrated her one year “trimiversary”, and her success of releasing just over 60 pounds! Meggan is confident that her success on plan is “doable” for anyone looking to gain back their health and wanting to live a trim and healthy lifestyle!

 *Disclaimer:

Meggan Larson is not a Trim Healthy Mama expert, associated with the Trim Healthy Mama website. These tips are based on what she has learned through losing 60lbs (so far) following this lifestyle. We are not affiliated with Trim Healthy Mama nor endorsed by them. As with all resources, you should review them with care. We have done our best to make the recipes and all menu plans THM compliant in an effort to assist you on your journey.