For those of you don’t know, I’ve been doing Trim Healthy Mama (THM) for over 7 years now & I became a coach 2 years ago. I have always loved the fact that there are no food groups that we can’t eat, that I feel healthy & energetic, & that I can “THMify” almost anything that I’m in the mood to eat.
I love teaching my clients to love this way of life & to really embrace this food freedom. Most of my clients reach out for help because they either need accountability &/or guidance with getting the scale to move again. Of course as THMers we know that focusing on our health is the best approach, but let’s be honest, we all like to see that scale move or to see inches lost!
Now just because I’m a coach doesn’t mean that I’m always perfect. I have had some of my own health struggles this past year that has made it hard to lose weight, and then when we all went into quarantine I had a bit of a freak-out moment like I’m sure most of you experienced in one way or another. I needed to reign it in a bit & I knew I needed a bit more structure to help me. I also knew that some of my clients & prospective clients were feeling the same way.
Stubborn Losers Menus
Each persons’ needs and bio-individuality are so different that I give different recommendations to different people. However, in my experience, there are two kinds of meal plans that get the scale moving for almost everyone. The first is a stubborn loser menu. For those of you who don’t know what they are, they are menus that really help you change up your fuels, encourage superfoods & have you watch foods that can be overdone like cheese, nuts, & other dairies.
If followed correctly these kinds of menus will help you get results. You can find these in the THM membership site. I like to write up my own for my groups based off of the fuel juggling they use on the site. My coaching group just finished doing several stubborn loser menus this past month & we had a lot of success with them.
A 1-Week Fuel Cycle
After doing the stubborn loser menus, I gave my clients the option to try something more strict if they wanted to end the month feeling really ready for summer! This is the second kind of meal plan that really gets the scale moving & can re-boot your metabolism. You can find more information about how to do a fuel cycle and the benefits of it in the Turtle Loser Chapter of the plan book. The most important thing to note is you don’t want to do a fuel cycle if you’ve been on plan less than 3 months because it might be too rigid. Remember, THM is all about food freedom!
Honestly, I have had kind of a love/hate relationship with the fuel cycle. I love the results I get, but I don’t always enjoy the process. I can say that this time around I actually enjoyed the process & the menu! I know part of it was I was motivated to see results, & to help my clients see results, but I really did enjoy the menu! I like to try out menus before I give them to my clients so I can make tweaks to them & give them some tips.
I definitely wasn’t perfect with my timing & some of my food choices, but I still had great results so I wanted to share.
Note: Any recipe that is highlighted in blue is a hyperlink to the recipe 🙂
My Menu
Day 1: Deep S
Deep S meals mean you are stripping down your S meals to superfoods, greens, & protein. No nuts, dairy (no cheese is hard for me), or fruit. These are some foods that are easy to overdo & after not eating them, it’s easy to realize whether or not you’ve been overdoing them.
Breakfast: Deep S shake with cookies & cream protein powder & spinach @ 9:30 Good For you Protein Shake (Deep S version)
Lunch: Canned chicken Salad w/ bacon bits, sweet mini peppers, cucumbers, a sprinkle of parm cheese from the green can, Costco no-salt seasoning, Italian Primal Dressing; 2-minute truffles @ 12:00
Snack: Deep S cuffin with egg, 1/2 T MCT oil, 1/2 T water, 1 T. egg whites, cinnamon (& a few Lily’s chocolate chips- technically these are not Deep S but adding just a few makes a nice gooey topping) @ 2:30
Dinner: Homemade Nut Free Pesto with Basil *(from our garden! If you know me you know this is a big deal because I usually don’t have much luck with gardens 🙂 @ 6:40 *I only used a sprinkle of parmesan cheese from the green can to be compliant with Deep S
*Not enough water, but overall a great day!
Day 2: Deep S
Weight Loss – 1 lb.
Breakfast: Deep S shake with Chocolate/PB protein powder, 1 T MCT oil; 1 egg with butter & egg whites, parm cheese & everything but the bagel seasoning @ 11
*Notes: I had breakfast later, so I was hungrier than yesterday
Snack: light string cheese (technically not Deep S but these light string cheese with 2.5 grams of fat saved me when I couldn’t have my beloved regular cheese), 1/3rd of a THM bar @1
Lunch: 2 eggs, whites, nitrate-free sausage, a few peppers & onions, spinach, & some salsa
30-minute run
Snack: 3 T protein powder w/ MCT & spinach @ 4:00
Dinner: Taco Salad with cucumbers, spinach, and seasoned ground beef with Italian Primal Dressing; 2-minute truffles @ 6:45
Day 3: E day
Weight Loss – 1.6 lbs
Breakfast: Good for you Protein Shake (E version with oatmeal), 1 Ezekiel Toast with Light Laughing Cow Cheese @ 11
Lunch: Mexi Quinoa Bowl @ 2
Snack: 3 cinnamon toast light rye wasa crackers with Light Laughing Cow Cheese, cinnamon, & sweetener; celery with Laughing Cow Cheese & Everything But the Bagel Seasoning @4
Dinner: Loaded Sweet Potato with 1/3 turkey burger, cottage cheese, salsa, broccoli, black beans @ 6:30; frozen blueberry chocolate crunch (1 scant t. of PB, a few blueberries, some sweetener, & a few Lily’s chocolate chips)
Day 4: E day
Weight Loss -.1 (I fully expected this after an E day but they are so important to the success in this fuel cycle)
Breakfast: Same as yesterday @ 11
Lunch: Same as yesterday @ 2
Snack: Light String Cheese, 3 wasas- 2 with vanilla triple 000, 1 cinnamon toast, some celery @ 4
Jog for 30 minutes
Dinner: 1/2 turkey burger, some creama, salsa, parm cheese, MCT, green beans; tropical shake @ 6:30
Day 5: FP Day 1
Weight Loss -.4
Breakfast: Good for you Protein Shake (FP version) @11
Lunch: Chicken skewers, Sweet Mini Peppers with Light Laughing Cow Cheese, Light String Cheese, 1 rye Wasa, 1/2 triple 000, celery & LCC with everything but the bagel Seasoning @ 12
Snack: Blueberry Scones/ Light String Cheese @ 3:30
Dinner: FP Pizza, Strawberry Sorbet, 1/2 Cream Soda Zevia
*Not too hungry today even though I usually am on FP days!
Day 6: FP Day 2
Weight Loss -.7
Breakfast: Good for you Protein Shake with Cookies & Cream Protein Powder @ 11
Snack: Light String Cheese @ 12
Lunch: 2 wonder wraps (made with 1/2 c. egg whites), grilled chicken, sweet mini peppers, cucumbers, light Laughing Cow cheese, & mustard; 1/2 triple 000 with 1 wasa, 1 strawberry with some reddi whip & a few Lily’s chocolate chips @ 1
Snack: Light String Cheese, Blueberry Scones, 1 wasa with LCC @ 4:45
Dinner: Spaghetti Squash Carbonara with turkey bacon & laughing cow cheese; 3 strawberries with some reddi whip & a few Lily’s
Day 7: Deep S day
Weight Loss: -.7
Breakfast: Good for you Protein Shake (Deep S version) @ 12
Lunch: eggs, butter, nitrate-free sausage, spinach, peppers & onions, 2-minute truffles @ 2
Snack: Light string cheese @ 5
6-mile bike ride
Dinner: eggs, egg whites, turkey bacon, 1/2 protein shake with spinach, 1/2 deep S cuffin @ 7
Weight Loss: -.5
Total Weight Loss: 5 lbs!
Things I’ve learned during my Fuel Cycle:
1) Make sure to fill up on plenty of veggies, especially green veggies! This really makes a difference to ensure you’re not hungry.
2) Drink sippers & water throughout the day to keep hunger at bay. I mostly drank water because it’s been hot, but I also enjoyed some boost juice & Zevia
3) Exercise only if you have energy too. Some days I had planned to exercise but felt too low on energy so I listened to my body & didn’t do it on those days. I still worked out 3 times during the week, so I call that a win. Exercise isn’t necessary to having success during a fuel cycle but it can help.
4) Keep it simple. Don’t try and make new & complicated recipes. Make recipes you know you will enjoy eating & don’t take a lot of time, this includes desserts. I loved the 2-minute truffles for Deep S days because they are quick & easy & tasty.
5) Remember even when it gets hard, you can do anything for 1 week! Commit to the 1 week and reassess, if you’re done then move on & go back to juggling your fuels using the knowledge you gained about cutting back on calorie-laden foods and meals. If you feel good & want to do another week, go for it! Just remember that If you choose to do a 2nd week, end Day 7 with an E meal so you can change up fuels before going back to Deep S on day 8 🙂
Have you ever done a fuel cycle? What was your experience?
