When I read the Trim Healthy Mama dictionary sized book the first time I instantly identified with one of the four categories of women described. There’s Whole Grain Jane, Drive Thru Sue, Raw Green Colleen, and Farm Fresh Tess. I am undeniably Whole Grain Jane.
As I read about Whole Grain Jane, I realized we basically have every single detail in common, from the maple syrup on whole wheat pancakes to the homeschooling a large family, to the banana smoothie (which happens to be my bedtime ritual). I’m also interested in health, I grind my own wheat and spelt and make bread for my family, and we eat lots of brown rice and whole wheat options. I know this is boring, but I was astonished at how identically we matched up so I have to share. We ate lots of dried fruit, avoided butter and used olive oil instead, we made every variety of green smoothies known to man, I regularly baked muffins with my girls using honey and agave… Ok now you get the idea. If it wasn’t for the husband loving potatoes part, I literally would wonder if someone had been spying on my life!
The part when she gives up her one indulgence in hopes of losing a few pounds resonated with me too. After my sixth baby, I found it extremely difficult to lose those last few pounds, so I tried the same thing- no more late night dates with the Nutella jar. I tried to make all kinds of small changes, like running more, eating less, not eating at night and all kinds of other tactics hoping to see some kind of difference but the scale wan’t budging. Learning from Trim Healthy Mama how much sugar I was consuming, despite my health conscious ways was invaluable to me. “All forms of starchy carbohydrates result in a raised blood sugar.” Like Whole Grain Jane, I was relying too heavily on carbohydrates (healthy carbs, but carbs nonetheless), making them the bulk of my meals. I took the advice and added “an appropriate amount of healthy fat and pulling back on the excess carbohydrates.” I admit, I felt guilty eating real cheese, cream, and butter just like the book said I would, but I quickly learned that these foods do satisfy which leads to eating less calories at the next meal.
To be specific, I started snacking on cottage cheese instead of granola, having turkey and cheese on romaine lettuce instead of bread, and eating more butter and eggs and next thing I knew, those last few pounds were gone. Just less sugar, and more healthy fats. It was that EASY!
