Trim Healthy Mama Review

I have to say.... I wasn't even going to buy the book at first. However, I am SO glad I did!

Right off the bat, I was SHOCKED at the size of the book and well worth the cost.

Even better was what is inside the book!

Chock full of wisdom, recipes, and more you get a no-nonsense look at how to be a trim healthy mama (or dad, I suppose!).

The basis of the plan revolves around two ways of eating. The S way (or Satisfying way) or the E way (or the Energizing way). You are never to combine S & E at the same time- unless you WANT to gain weight or you are a growing child. (The meal then becomes a Crossover, but we won't get into that.... I'll let you buy the book for that!).

Serene Allison & Pearl Barrett teach us how to eat filling, satisfying, yummy foods without gaining weight- yes, even losing it- but they do more than just teach us what to or not to eat. They give us the science behind it.

It all boils down to your glucose. When you eat a heavy, fatty, carby meal (say.... burger and fries), your body simply cannot process both the fat of the meal (hamburger, cheese, etc) & the carbs (glucose). What happens? It chooses the glucose first, putting the fat on hold.... but it never gets to it- so........ yep, you guessed it, the fat is stored. You know- on the hips, bootie, chin...

Aha! But I don't eat burger and fries you say. What about a baked potato and steak? Same concept. Carb/glucose from the potato mixed with the heavy fat from the steak.



BLT Salad (recipe in the book)- SO YUMMY!!!!



Steak is healthy and so are potatoes (sweet potatoes, of course) and other more starchy veggies. But they create havoc when you eat them together.

NEVER INCLUDE LARGE AMOUNTS OF BOTH FAT AND CARBS IN THE SAME MEAL UNLESS YOU ARE TRYING TO GAIN OR MAINTAIN. IN OTHER WORDS, DON'T TANDEM FUEL. Trim Healthy Mama, page 64

S meals consist of protein (animal protein), fats like butter and cheese, non-starchy veggies, berries, nuts and seeds. These meals remind me of Phase 1 meals from The Maker's Diet by Jordan Rubin.

These are the meals you eat cheesy broccoli, eggs & bacon, and steak & salad (yes, even using a creamy dressing.)

These are not the meals for starchy veggies- so no sweet potatoes. No oranges, peaches, etc either. Too high in sugar.

E meals allow for a moderate amount of starch from foods like whole grains, beans, and natural sugar from fruit.

These are the meals you eat lean chicken breasts with a sweet potato. You can have salad, but hold the creamy dressing. Instead use something with a vinegar base.

S meals give your cells a chance to empty out since they involve less total carbs and allow you to use fat for your primary fuel. E meals help fill your cells up again, and because they have more carbs, they offer glucose for your primare fuel source. ~ TRIM HEALTHY MAMA, page. 41

Not only do you get to eat ALL the food groups God created, Serene and Pearl have included MANY, MANY recipes that fit into these plans. Chocolate, cheesecake, pizza, salads, soups, sandwiches, and yes, even bread.

Pizza and Salad- Plan approved! The secret? Cauliflower crust!

They emphasize that this is not a low carb diet, but rather a carb conscious lifestyle.

What are my thoughts on everything though?

Well, I have to say... It all makes perfect sense to me. Not combining certain food groups together. With a little planning you can easily learn to make a few swaps (no sweet potatoes with your steak, but instead enjoy them with a lean chicken breast).

Just remember.... sweet potatoes go with LEAN meat! Not fatty meats like steak!

You also don't have to be a real "purist" as they describe in the book. If you don't want to or can't make everything from scratch, they give you items you can purchase at the store that gets their approval. The book is designed for EVERYONE, not just natural foodies.

Can't afford the best coconut oil? No problem, they say! Grab the brand at Walmart. Can't afford or don't have access to grass-fed beef? No biggie. Get what you can. They both have large families and live on a budget. They GET normal people. Trim Healthy Mama is not designed to break the bank and you don't have to cook yourself seperate meals from the family. They EVEN TELL YOU HOW TO DO THAT IN THE BOOK!

I know several who went out and purchased all the additionals that were mentioned in the book- things like nutritional yeast, Chana dahl, Konjac noodles, Bragg Liquid Aminos, etc.... but I didn't. I'm not sure I will. If I come across it, then maybe. You don't HAVE to have these things to eat the way they recommend.

I did buy Truvia and NuStevia Pure White Stevia Extract Powder because I felt like these were options that were both Trim Healthy Mama and The Maker's Diet approved. Considering we were on Phase 1 of TMD when I began testing some of the recipes, I wanted to make sure it meshed. Plus, I highly recommend TMD because of the insights Jordan gives. It truly is a better way of eating. Taking the knowledge from TMD, you can then implement it the THM way!

I will also buy glucomanna- to help thicken meals naturally.

That's it. Some things I chose not to buy based on family preference and cost. Seriously though, it isn't a deal breaker!

Wanting some support? Check out Trim Healthy Mama forum. They're also on Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter.

There is seriously so much more to this book that I could easily write a couple more blog posts about it, but I'll leave you to buying the book if you're interested.

I definitely give it my thumbs up!