My "Trim Healthy Mama" Journey!

WHAT'S THIS I HEAR?  YOU ARE A "TRIM HEALTHY MAMA"?!

Chances are, if you are a woman, you have likely LIVED one or more elements of my life, so some of the following may feel painful in its honesty.  That is OK, because my story ends with “Happily ever after” – and yours can too!

My first genuine recognition of “fat”?  Age 10.  My elementary school enrolled in a new program, emphasizing “physical fitness”. To track growth rates, the school nurse weighed and recorded each child's height and weight. An uneasy feeling came over me as the first of my young friends reported her weight at 77 pounds; my measurements were recorded next. The school nurse pulled me aside and expressed concern, stating my 96 pounds was “heavy” for my age and height. The vast implications were not clear to me, but I did understand that somehow I didn't quite “fit”. Anxiety turned to dread with each new announcement from my friends: weights were in the mid-80's.  That day seared into my psyche and, for the next 31 years, I knew myself to be “awkward”, “clumsy”, and “fat”.

Two years later, I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and a thyroid nodule; I hated taking medication, so stopped soon after.  Of course, my weight continued a gradual, uphill trend.  As I matured through middle and high school, I was artsy, independent and had a healthy number of friends, but “chubby”, “plump”, and “thick” were my tags.  I played confident, but PE class seemed a nightmare for me.  The truth is, at that stage, I was probably only 10-15 pounds overweight... but my perceptions, like so many young women, were quite skewed.

Throughout high-school, I became more desperate – going rounds with bulimia and countless fad diets; always short-term success, followed by the inevitable weight-gain.  With my senior pictures looming, I spent two months eating only malt-o-meal with raisins for breakfast and dinner... 

A “fake-it-till-you-make-it” girl, I suppose I exuded a fair amount of confidence – but in all honesty, I wanted to crawl under a rock every time I passed by a mirror...

My early 20's brought marriage to my very best friend, and then our first son. With our new baby, I began to study natural-care and a “whole food” lifestyle... Wellness was the focus for my budding family, yet, even with “healthy” foods, my weight continued to steadily increase. Low-carb dieting helped, short-term, but was not sustainable.

By 2009, we had three beautiful, healthy children, but my weight and constant fatigue physically hindered my ability to enjoy my family.  The thyroid nodule diagnosed as a pre-teen was also now quite prominent, to the point it was affecting my voice and ability to swallow.  An exam led quickly to a biopsy; the day after my lab results came in, I was in the hospital, being prepped for surgery. After the cancer and half my thyroid was removed, the specialist put my on a “suppressive” dose of Levothyroxine. I was following a low-carb diet, and with excessive thyroid levels, my weight began to drop somewhat... I felt such HOPE!  Within two months, I was pregnant with baby number 4!

I had a rough pregnancy and the doctors had a difficult time regulating my thyroid levels.  After our little one was born, my weight began to climb quickly.  I had injured my back/hip during 4.5 days of labor, so exercise was excruciating… Aside from physical therapy, I gave up.  When I passed from “overweight” to “obese”, hope turned to despair.  I was embarrassed to go shopping and even to church; meeting new people was mortifying.

Desire to lose weight began to bud again and, out of sheer desperation, I started yet another new diet program… this time paying a substantial, quarterly fee for the “privilege”. After counting calories, carbs, and exercising daily, instead of losing big, turned out I was just a loser!

Completely despondent, I noticed an online friend's “update”.  (You may also know “Gwen” from Trim Healthy Mama’s Face Book group?) Months before, I had seen her post about some new weight-loss plan she was following... I shrugged… Until I saw her photos and read her review.

“Trim Healthy Mama” sounded promising... but could it possibly work? 

I have lost over 50 pounds, and have been able to easily maintain my loss.  This translates to going from a tight 18 stretch jeans to a comfortable size 6-8 Levis; a tight size 42 sport bra, to a comfortable 32; size XXL shirts, to comfortable small/mediums. 

As a 42 year old, previously obese, fatigued mama of 4 who couldn't walk, stand or sit without pain... I can hike up to 8 miles, cross-country, with a pack - and do so “pain-free”!  I am enjoying my family, friends, going to town, meeting new people.  I feel trim, healthy, and love eating healthfully – for the first time in my adult life! 

If you are reading this and are tired of the fight... BE OPTIMISTIC!  Trim Healthy Mama changed my life… and can change yours too! 

FOR MORE INFORMATION --  The original Trim Healthy Mama book or The Trim Healthy Mama Plan & Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook...  can be found linked in my THM Store.  For incredible support, you can join the Facebook forum for free:  Trim Healthy Mamas

Jaque...
The RunAmok Mama!