Staying on Plan Archives - Protecting Your Pennies

All of your Trim Healthy Mama questions answered from A to Z. A complete look into the THM plan with insight on how to make it easier and more cost effective.

Are you a Trim Healthy Mama with question? Or are you interested in the plan but afraid to take the plunge?

Today we are embarking on a 26 day comprehensive look into the Trim Healthy Mama plan. If you have lots of questions or need help on something specific, please join us on this journey!

I blog a lot about THM and I really did not have that intent when I started blogging! My first goal was to share money saving tips with other moms that I have learned along. Since my full time 9-5 is as a professional buyer, I thought my expertise would be valuable to families that could apply those principles at home to live a better life.

But then one day in June 2018, I posted a Keto/Low Carb/THM S recipe. It was a pretty simple recipe that I threw together one night in less than 30 minutes and did a quick blog post. The pictures are terrible. The recipe is crazy easy. There are only 4 ingredients. I expected to throw it up and go back to talking about saving money on back to school clothes shopping.

My THM/keto readers had a different plan though! The post went crazy and the recipe has been shared more than 150,000 times on Pinterest. So I decided that maybe you guys were interested in seeing more Trim Healthy Mama recipes and learning about how to save money and time while doing THM! So here we are, working our way through Trim Healthy Mama A to Z.

Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.

Trim Healthy Mama Basics

If you read any of the THM posts that I have, I always stress that you should read the book! The internet is a wealth of knowledge but I recommend reading the book to get your own grasp of the plan.

In particular so that you can understand the sister’s reasoning for different items and then apply personal choice and food freedom to make choices that work for you and your family.

So now that you have read the book, we will go over the THM basics before we dive into the Trim Healthy Mama A to Z guide.

What is THM?

THM is a way of eating that combines aspects from several other popular diets like Keto/Low Carb diets as well as lifestyles that focus on low fat meals like Weight Watchers.

On Trim Healthy Mama, your meals are broken out into one of four different types: E meal, S meal, XO or FP meal. There are actually a couple of others (like Heavy S, S Helper, Deep S) but you are not going to worry about those until you get these first few down pat.

Here is the THM cheat sheet!

S Meal (Low Carb – Fats allowed)

The easiest way to describe an S meal is to call it low carb. You will eat whatever fats that you want but you will avoid carbs. Full fat dairy, any type of meat, full fat cheese, and full fat dressings are allowed in this type of meal.

You can also have berries or a kiwi with an S meal but should avoid other fruits.

E Meal (Healthy Carbs – Low Fat)

For an E meal, you will have a lean and low fat meal with a healthy carb. You will avoid fatty cuts of meat and all those full fat dairy and cheeses. You should aim for lean meats, brown rice or quinoa, sweet potatoes or carbs that are higher in carbs such as apples, pears, oranges, half a banana.

FP Meal (No Large Source of Fats or Carbs)

A FP meal is a meal that doesn’t have a major source of fats or carbs. I think of this meal as a traditional diet meal that you might find on a low calorie meal plan. For example, grilled chicken and non-starchy vegetables would not be high in fat or carbs leaving it to be a nothing meal (as I like to call it) or a FP.

If you read my 9 tips on what to do if you are not losing, you will need to know what a FP is!

XO Meal (Mixing S and E)

If you mix an S meal and an E meal together on one plate, that is called a XO. A crossover (XO) is still on the Trim Healthy Mama plan. However, if you are actively trying to lose weight, they may not be as beneficial vs. separating your fuels.

An example of a XO would be a fried egg in butter (S because of the fats in a whole egg and butter) with a piece of sprouted toast (E for the carbs in toast). Eating these together is certainly better than eating a donut but it may not have you losing as quickly as you would if you ate your fuels separately.

XO’s are great for growing children, men, nursing mother’s and those that are at goal weight. They are also good if you are going to go off plan or choose a XO! I would much rather see you eat the breakfast that I described above vs. that donut! And some people even swear by eating a cross over occasionally to kind of jump start their weight loss again.

Protein

Don’t forget to add a protein to every meal or snack!

Now that you have the basics, lets jump into this 26 article list of all things THM.

Trim Healthy Mama A t0 Z

Ok, here is the list of Trim Healthy Mama A to Z posts that will solve all your THM problems. A new letter will be added weekly and this will be your one stop shop to see every post from A to Z.

A – Accountability for Success on Trim Healthy Mama & Alcohol on THM

B – Budgeting On Trim Healthy Mama and On Plan, Store Bought Bread

C- Cooking Made Easy on THM & Store Bought On Plan Crackers & Chips

D – Drive Thru Sue – What it is & how to succeed if your name might be “Sue” & Store Bought THM Desserts

E – E Meals Simplified

F – Fuel Pull Meals & Understanding Fuel Rotation

G – Giving Yourself Grace

H- Husband’s and THM (Making it Work)

I- Icecream

J- Jelly (On Plan, Store Bought Options)

K- Keto Vs. Trim Healthy Mama (What’s the Difference?)

L- Lunch On THM, More than 35 ideas

M-Meal Planning Tools

N- No Special Ingredients (NSI) – Do you really need special items?

O- Overwhlemed on THM – 5 Simple Tips to Make Life Easier

P- Party Foods & Potlucks – Healthy & On Plan Appetizer Ideas (that even your non-THM Friends will like)

Q- Quitting THM – what I did wrong the first time around & how you can avoid my mistakes!

R- Restaurants & THM – How to eat on plan at virtually any restaurant

S- Shopping List – Everything you will want to grab at the grocery store.

T- Type 2 Diabetes (How my Husband Drastically Improved his A1C in 6 months)

U- Understanding THM – A Beginner’s Guide

V- Vacation Meal Plan

W- Wasa Toffee & Wasa Puppy Chow

X-

Y-

Z-

Drop me a comment if you have a question. I would love to try and help you on your journey.

If you are feeling overwhelmed on the Trim Healthy Mama plan, you are not alone. It can be tough to get started on Trim Healthy Mama and stay on plan but you can do it.

Trim Healthy Mama is very manageable once you get a few things under your belt. However, it can seem impossible if you pile too many things onto your THM plate. Learning to manage the plan and making it work for your lifestyle is definitely possible.

Try the tips below to help gain control of your new healthy life.

Join the Protecting Your THM Pennies Facebook group to save money on On Plan items.

(Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.)

Overwhelmed on Trim Healthy Mama

Feeling overwhelmed on Trim Healthy Mama is totally normal and I bet most mama’s have felt that way at least a few times on our journey. But you can overcome the feelings that you are having and make it easier staying on plan with just a few simple tips.

1. Understand the Basics of the Plan

There are a lot of resources on the internet that will give you a quick overview of the basics. I even wrote a quick overview of what the meal abbreviations (S, E, FP) mean and how to build your plate here.

I still recommend reading the THM plan book because it is really the best way to fully understand the plan. And one sure way to feel overwhelmed on Trim Healthy Mama is not understanding which foods go with which fuel type.

2. Make a Meal Plan & Have Fall Backs

You can read all about how I meal plan here. It includes important tools & even an app that make meal plans much easier!

A loose meal plan is what I like. That means 7 breakfast ideas, 7 lunches and 7 dinners. Then I make what sounds good from that list on any given day during the week. Having a plan eliminates that “OMG it is 6 p.m. and I have not one clue what to make” problem.

In addition to a meal plan, I like to keep several fall back options in my pantry. Because sometimes that complicated recipe that you planned on Sunday for a Thursday night doesn’t mesh with the stressful day that you had at work. And standing in the kitchen for an hour sounds horrible.

So keeping some easy meals that you pretty much always have the ingredients for is a great way to plan for those hard and busy days that pop up from time to time. Here are some of our favorite last minute, super quick THM meals:

Black Bean Tacos
Pantry White Bean Chicken Chili
Tortilla Pizzas
BBQ Kielbasa with Cauli Rice
Breakfast For Dinner
Fried Cabbage & Smoked Sausage
Salad & Rotisserie Chicken (5 lunch ideas with a Rotisserie chicken here)
Tacos or Spaghetti – See the Meal prep/Food Prep section below for notes on this.
7 day FREE No cook THM menu

3. Stop Trying Everything (oolong, collagen, baked goods)

It is tempting to start a new program and jump in at 110%. I did this once and quit after just a couple of weeks.

Why did I quit? It was too hard. I was working, had one young child at the time, and had just moved several states away. It was a busy and chaotic time in my life and I added to it by deciding to start THM.

Now, I’m not discouraging you from starting just because you are in a busy season. It is totally doable but start simply. If you are feeling overwhelmed on THM, don’t add to your stress by trying every new ingredient and recipe that you see.

Eat simple meals and add in the new items or recipes as you have time. And don’t make a bunch of complicated desserts if you are at a breaking point. Don’t worry – I’m not asking you to skip the on plan treats. Just try super simple recipes like this easy mango bai sorbet or just a couple of squares of a Lily’s Chocolate bar.

4. Meal Prep or Food Prep

Meal prep is not something that traditionally appeals to me. I don’t like eating the same thing multiple days in a row and to be honest I really just don’t want to commit every Sunday to meal prep time. But if you like this technique, go for it! It will surely make the rest of the week easy peasy.

But food prep is a different story. I love food prep! Wondering what food prep is? It is simply pre-preparing items so that they are ready to go at a moments notice at a later date.

Here are some things that I like to food prep:

Ground Beef/Turkey: As soon as I get it home from the store, I brown the meat and package it in portions that will feed my family. Then I place those zip bags in the freezer. When we want tacos or nachos or spaghetti, I don’t have to brown them meat. I simply warm it, add seasoning & serve up a quick dinner. You can always preseason the meat which I do sometimes when I make the Best Taco Meat Ever for the freezer.
Prepare Fruits and Veggies: Wash and chop any fresh fruits and veggies that you have for the week. You are so much more likely to eat a celery stalk if it is already washed and cut.
Boil Eggs: Having boiled eggs on hand is such a lifesaver. Eat them for a quick breakfast, turn them into deviled eggs, chop them up for a Chef’s Salad or throw some in this E Tuna Salad.
Baked Oatmeal: This is probably the one meal prep item that I really like. Make a big batch of pumpkin spice baked oatmeal in the fall or Georgia peach baked oatmeal in the summer for a quick breakfast that will reheat great all week.

5. Eat Fast Food (On Plan)

If you are just completely overwhelmed on Trim Healthy Mama and need a break, give yourself some grace and grab dinner. A break from cooking can be an occasional way to give you the boost you need to stay on plan.

You can pick up a fast food meal (Free THM Guide here) or go out to a nice dinner and still stay on plan. And sometimes that is just what a tired mama needs.

5 Things I Don’t Do on THM

In general, I’m not a rule breaker. If I am following a plan, I go 100% all in and don’t stray. And that perfectionist mentality is exactly why I failed on THM in 2017.

Every meal I made took 10 ingredients and required a cookbook and a blender. I was making unfamiliar foods, some were good and some were flops. It was frustrating, time consuming and ultimately I quit because I needed easy after a day of work and caring for a family.

So I put together this list of 5 things I don’t do on THM to help others that might have the same tendency that I do to become a Trim Healthy expert in 2 days vs. starting at a reasonable pace. You will still lose weight without being the newest THM superstar- promise!

More THM Quick Start Guides