
What a difference a year makes! I can’t believe that it has been a year since I started Trim Healthy mama! For 6 months before I started my Sister Diana had been hounding me (yes Diana you hounded me!) She even gave me the used car salesman speech “Melissa what can I do to help you get into this life style change?” For 6 month I made excuse after excuse, about why I couldn’t do this… I was too busy, too broke, too whatever to change. The bottom line is I wasn’t ready to take a leap and try again to lose weight. After 15 years of trying, and failing I had truly in my heart of hearts given up all hope that I would ever get bellow a size 24. That is until I finally sat down, and READ the book. I remember sitting in my parent’s living room with tears streaming down my face as I read this book that for the first time in my adult life gave me a hope of health, and weight loss.
The day before I started this journey my sister and I had taken a road trip to Austin and spent 90% of the time talking about this lifestyle, about how I could do it. We laughed and planned together for 4 hours down to Austin and 4 hours back. The next day I jumped 100% whole heartedly and never looked back, I attended my first North Texas Meeting of Trim Healthy Mama’s, and met some amazing ladies, who have supported me every step of this last year. I have to say a quick thank you to Teri, Cynthia, and Teresa. You ladies have encouraged and cheered me on this past year and I am so thankful for you! In my first week I ate! I actually was able to eat and eat well – all the while LOSING weight! I remember my mom actually calling my sister and asking her “Diana is Melissa supposed to be eating this much?” Diana Laughed and replied “Yes mom, she is supposed to eat and be satisfied!”
I lost 30 Pounds that first month and a half, and then another 30 by summer time, and then another 20 by my birthday! And by years end I had lost an accumulative 80 POUNDS! I started the year at a size 24 in clothes and ended in a 14/16! This wasn’t an easy year for me, there were times when I was frustrated, and would look at the scale and wonder why it wasn’t moving, I would feel sorry for myself and then remember where I started! I would look in the mirror or at a picture at times and think to myself “who is that person” I remember walking by a glass window and seeing my reflection and stopping and looking at myself. For the first time in my life I wasn’t ashamed of my reflection. I started the year pre-diabetic, hypertensive, and morbidly obese- I ended the year with perfect blood glucose levels, perfect blood pressure, and obese not MORBIDLY obese. I can run, and play with my son! I can clean my house and not be exhausted. I can stand for 8 hour shift at work and then come home and still stand and be a mom! I have so much energy it is amazing. After battling with thyroid cancer at the end of the year I made a decision: if I never lost another pound, I would still stay a trim healthy mama for life. Why? Because the HEALTH I have gained in this LIFESTYLE change is far more priceless and more valuable to me than ever losing another pound. I was able to undergo MAJOR surgery, and recover in a week, why? Because my body was healthy! This wouldn’t have been possible without Trim Healthy Mama. I am still recovering from surgery and cancer treatments right now and my energy levels are not where they were, I am positive that without my Trim Healthy Life, I would be leaps and bounds behind where I am right now. This isn’t a lose weight quick scheme, or an overnight change. This is a LIFESTYLE change. It takes time to learn this way of life, to cut out old bad habits and create new healthy ones. It took me a good couple of months before this life style became second nature. Not I can truly say Trim Healthy Mama for Life!
Here are my 10 favorite tips for success:
1) Read the book! I thought that this was way more complicated and difficult than it actually is, once I read the book it was exactly what it claims to be: “A common sense guide” to a healthy life! Pinterest, Bloggers & the Facebook groups are a great SUPPLEMENT to the TRIM HEALTHY MAMA book, but just like any supplement they will only get you so far! You have to go to the source if you want to TRULY be successful in this lifestyle.
2) Start making small changes as you read the book, cut out sugar & white flour, buy more fresh veggies, and start labeling your foods
3) Give recipes from the book a second try if you don’t like them the first time or a first try if you are like me and think to yourself “really cottage cheese?” I promise your taste buds change!
4) Take a before Picture and Measurements! The weeks that the scale wasn’t moving, looking at pictures of the day I started really helped me to see the change. Looking at my measurements also really helped encourage me also!
5) Pick a mini goal to achieve, when you achieve that pick a new one. I buy a super cute outfit in my next goal size, and hang it up in my room so that when I look at it every day I say to myself, I can’t wait to be able to wear that outfit! When you try it on and it fits, that feeling is priceless!
6) Make a list of things you want to be able to do, things that have NOTHING to do with a scale, or measurements! Here are a couple of mine: I want to walk to the park without using my inhaler, I want to wear a skirt without my thighs chaffing, I want to come home from a 12 hour shift and not have my back & knees hurt, I want to come home from work and have enough energy to play with my son.
7) Be kind to yourself! This is a learning process; it isn’t an overnight change for everyone. You didn’t form unhealthy habits in a day, or gain excess weight overnight… It is going to take time to break those habits! So be kind to yourself!
8) Plan what you are going to eat until it becomes second nature! I plan my Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and two snacks a day. It makes it easier because I don’t have to think when I am hungry- I just look at my menu! You can down load my blank menu plan here. Or here is a link to 3 weeks of completed menus to get your started.
9) Find a friend to do it with you & hold you accountable in the beginning! I couldn’t have done this without my sister there cheering me on and answering my four billion questions.
10) See one, Do one, Teach one… You’ve read the testimonies– you have learned to live this lifestyle—now teach someone else how to do it! Give someone a book, and help them to learn to be a Trim Healthy Mama or Man!

