Troubleshooting Common Patterns
by Meggan Larson
I often get asked to help troubleshoot someone’s meal plans to find out where the problem is and what is causing them to gain weight or to stall. I enjoy doing this because sometimes it’s a simple fix that can get that scale dropping again. There is a common pattern that I’ve noticed through helping others and through troubleshooting my own eating.
What’s the pattern?…
Denial.
Often I receive an email with a few days of a “typical” meal plan. That’s kind of like sending me a budget. It’s a great plan but what did you actually spend? Sending me a typical week’s worth of meals doesn’t tell me what you actually ate. It tells me what you planned to eat. When troubleshooting your eating (or your finances for that matter!) you’ve gotta be honest with yourself.
The best way to do that is to get out a journal and write down every single thing that you put in your mouth for at least 3 days. This will do a couple of things. First, it will surprise you because you will likely realize that you are eating far differently from your “meal plan”. You’ll realize that you popped a few chips in your mouth when your husband was munching last night and that you ate a cookie when you gave your kids a snack this morning. The second thing it will do is stop you from eating things you shouldn’t. If you know you have to write it down you are less likely to actually eat it because you know that someone is going to be looking over it. It feels silly to ask someone to troubleshoot what you’re eating if it’s down on paper that you’re cheating or consuming far too much when you know you shouldn’t.
Just like with your spending, it’s far easier to ignore the problem if you don’t have to face it. But sticking to a budget, and sticking to a meal plan, is far easier if you’re being brutally honest about what you’re eating or spending. If you write down every single thing that goes into your mouth (or goes out of your wallet!) it will make it much easier to see where you’re going wrong and how to correct it quickly. So let’s face the music mamas and let’s stop living in denial!
~Meggan
ps…If you need help to figure out why you are struggling with the weight in the first place, what plan will work for you, or why you emotionally eat, then I strongly urge you to check out the 5-Day Video Mini-Series inside our private Facebook community-“Release the Weight from the Inside Out” click the link to join the Facebook group! It could be the change you’ve been searching for!
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:
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.
