Tuesday, August 23, 2022

Catching Up!

I just looked back and it's been a while since I last posted!!  Wow!!  I've been on Profile all this time and I've been very successful but am losing steam with the intense difficulty that is involved with this program.  As of last Friday's weigh-in I have lost 45# and have 39.2# to go - over half way there!!  Woohoo!!!  The problem that is now happening is that we have been loosening up our weekends for some treats and that has led to small losses and several maintenance weeks.  That's great for my hubby who reached his goal last week (over 100# lost!!) but I still have some road to walk.  I know that Profile is amazing and works when nothing else really has but I also know it's just not sustainable for much longer for me.  Profile cuts calories quite dramatically and involves the use of their shakes and bars.  We paid for a year of coaching (and it was not cheap!!) and the bars and shakes end up costing about $110 a week each.  I am retiring at the end of September so our income will be going down a bit so we are looking at ways to cut some costs.  I know my health is important but I also know my mental health needs a break from the intensity of Profile.  My mental health will also benefit from being able to cut our food costs a bit so we can take more vacations!!

So...in comes Trim Healthy Mama.  I've been hearing about this lifestyle (not a diet) for quite a while and have been slowly learning the plan.  I picked up the book for my Kindle (reading it again for the 2nd time now) and then found the first cookbook at our used book store.  I've joined several THM FB groups and am reading and just soaking it all in.  I've started incorporating THM concepts into our Profile journey (trimmy coffee and Wasa crackers for the win!!) and plan to transition completely to THM mid-October when our coaching runs out.  It will be really hard to let our coach know we are not going to be meeting with her anymore but it's just not financially nor mentally sustainable any longer.  Do I recommend Profile?  Absolutely, 100% YES!  It is a program that will really get you working toward learning about nutrition and give you the kickstart you need to get healthier.  It's helped me get to a weight I have not seen in over 9 years.  Getting to that weight has reduced the pressure on my joints and allowed me to engage in more activity.  I've been going on 5 mile walks 1-2 times a week, doing yoga nearly every day, riding our exercise bike consistently for the last year, and now I'm incorporating weights along with some cardio exercise through Pahla B's YouTube channel.  Overall I feel amazing and I've had to downsize my clothing as well.  I know I have more to lose but I'm ok losing it a bit slower and being kind to myself as I walk down this health path.

While THM doesn't push you to have a calorie limit I know myself and know that I will very easily overdo even healthy food.  Pahla B has a program designed for women over 50 so I'm using that to guide myself on healthy limits.  She recommended some calorie calculators and said to calculate using these five and then get the average.  I did that today and my calorie goal is 1,870 calories a day.  I think on Profile I'm set around 1,100.  I'm going to start using a food tracker to see what sort of calorie intake I have going on now (TBH I've been adding in a few things non-Profile so I know I'm over the 1,100 but don't think I'm that close to the 1,870 (on regular days) but we shall see the truth when I start actually tracking each bite).  

I'd really like to find a way of eating that is intuitive and doesn't ban certain foods.  I want to move toward seeing food primarily as a fuel source for what I want to do but then also allowing some meals/treats to be special.  I can't deny that food is one of the joys in my life and I truly believe God put food on this earth for enjoyment as well as sustenance.  I just need to work on that balance!

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