Review of Trim, Healthy Mama {and a Giveaway!}

I didn’t want to read this book. Although I kept more padding after my last pregnancy than I’ve ever kept in my life, I still didn’t want to read it. Why?

•  It overwhelms me to think of colossal diet changes.
•  I have no interest in diet fads that eliminate certain food groups, like fruit and bread. I've been there, done that and bought the ebook.
•  I like chocolate. I like muffins. And don’t even talk to me about coffee.
• I don't jump on bandwagons easily.  If it's on the top ten list anywhere, I'm suspicious. 
• And even if I could get past all that, I knew huge diet changes simply had to transfer into a higher grocery bill. I’m feeding an army and I have to be careful.

Nope, no interest. Leave me alone, healthy mamas. I’m doing just fine, K? I’ll just keep enjoying my coffee and learn to love my new love handles.

I changed my mind.

I changed it because I heard testimony after testimony from women I respect who said just implementing a few of the changes the authors recommend would leave me with more energy. I was officially intrigued. By the end of the day I usually feel like a boneless chicken. More energy sounded fabulous. I put in an interlibrary loan request for the book because I thought it was too expensive.

Our library was slow.

I contacted the authors and they gave me a free book to review. Yes, there are advantages to blogging. And so here is my take on Trim, Healthy Mama.

The book opens describing four different types of eaters.

 They are:

1. A raw food purist

2. A meat-n-taters gal

3. A woman who is called drive-thru Sue

4. A whole-grains fanatic

Incidentally, I have been all of these eaters at one time or another. You will probably find yourself in one of these women too.

Explanations

There is an explanation of what exactly is causing most of us ladies to be fat and unhealthy (insulin) and why we’re not doing ourselves any favors by eating banana smoothies (yes, even if they are green) or pounds of apples. I admit it, I was suspicious. But the authors make a compelling case for working with our changing metabolism as women. Sure, give the kids the apples and oranges. But moms should eat fruits that keep our insulin levels balanced and not on a roller coaster all the time. Didn’t know your insulin levels were on a roller coaster? Me neither. But I learned a lot.

A Little History: Atkins Vs. South Beach Diet

In the 80’s and 90’s everyone told us fat was bad. Everything on the shelf sported “fat free!” Trouble was, the sugar content was higher to compensate for the loss of taste. Enter the Atkins’ Diet. Dr. Atkins said eat all the protein and fat you want but no carbohydrates. We all stocked up on bacon and eggs and consumed loads of those nasty pork skins that smell like you-know-what when you open the bag.

A few years later came the South Beach diet, which I know nothing about because I was still doing pork skins. But I hear that it was similar to Atkins, they just advised less fat.

The authors of Trim, Healthy Mama conclude that there are some truths to both of these diets in that they help control blood sugar and insulin surges. But eating this way is hard to maintain because who wants to be deprived of bread and sweets forever? The authors show us how to indulge in some sweets and healthy breads (with real butter, of course) without spiking our blood sugar. High blood sugar = insulin spikes.  And it's all about the insulin, gals.

Most importantly, they never scolded me for drinking coffee, but actually encouraged it.

So there went two of my hang-ups with why I didn’t want to read the book.

What about the cost of the food?

I have been eating with some of the Trim, Healthy suggestions for three weeks now. I have not noticed any change in my grocery bill. While the authors do make recommendations for some special, you-can-only-get-this-online ingredients, they are not needed for most of the recipes.

The purpose of learning to eat this way is not to lose weight, but to be healthy and have energy. However, I have lost that excess baby weight plus a few pounds. I have read countless testimonies of people who have significant weight to lose, and are doing so by implementing these changes. Even better, I have more energy due to exercising the way the authors suggested.

I Just Said the "E Word"

I almost skipped the exercise chapter because I despise exercising. But again I learned a lot. Statistics were given to prove that our current trends of exercising are not doing us much good to burn fat. That means that elliptical machine I torture myself with on rare occasions probably isn't helping a lot.  Well. Except for the sermons I listen to on my iPod as I sweat.  But all that energy doing cardio exercise could have been better used with short bursts of energy (like ten minutes' worth. Who can’t handle ten minutes?) and strength training.

In other words, a ten minute run with intermittent sprints, will do us more good than a one hour steady cardio session.

Sweets and Chocolate

The authors recommend using Stevia, Truvia or NuNaturals as your new sweeteners because of their low glycemic index (meaning they don't cause a significant increase in blood sugar.) However, I tried using Truvia and it made me sick. Stevia tasted terrible. Although I didn’t try NuNaturals (I’m not going to buy “special food” remember?), I searched out the Trim, Healthy Mama Facebook page and discovered others were using Coconut Sugar with success as well.

I strolled over to my hand-dandy Wal-Mart and there it was on the shelf just sitting there smiling at me. I have made the book’s sweet recipes using Coconut Sugar and have continued to maintain the weight loss. Coconut sugar (which isn’t actually sugar from a coconut) has a higher glycemic index than Stevia, but nowhere close to table sugar.

But truth be told, eating the THM way (that it to say—becoming aware of insulin spiking foods and/or combinations of them and avoiding them) has made me crave sweets less.

The Cost

I held off buying this book because of the price, but: it is worth the price. If you can't stomach the $35 then you could try the digital version which is only $20. You can buy it here.  It is like buying three books (619 pages!!) because the first part of the book explains the why for the diet changes, the next portion explains the how and the third portion is full of recipes. There are also chapters on hormone imbalances and how to cure them naturally, an exercise chapter (which remember, I almost skipped, but was so pleasantly surprised with the recommendations…that work!) and also a chapter on marital intimacy.

Who the Book is For

This book is for married women. Trust me. The end.

Who the Diet is For

The diet is for everyone: husband, children and even grandma included. This isn’t a fad diet, but changes that can be made to your liking and pace, that are overall a healthier way of eating. Even if you don't have weight to lose, you will learn a lot about how to eat by reading this book.

I do believe the book to be balanced, although as with every book we should read it with radars at attention (discernment).  The two sisters writing are very different, one is more of a purist and really educated me at times,  while the other uses the microwave and helps us identify short-cuts if we want to use them. ( I like her.) The ladies write in a conversational style and I especially like that they were humble enough to share their past mistakes and extremist tendencies that they now regret.

Serene and Pearl, authors of Trim, Healthy Mama are giving away a copy to one of you.  The giveaway will run until Monday.

And now I'm off to go exercise.  For ten minutes.

What about you?  Have you read the book?  What did you think of it?


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dirty Nails and Goat Slobber

We can encourage boys to get dirty because life, for a man, no matter what his occupation, is going to be dirty at times. He’s going to need the fortitude to get his hands into the grease and mud that life throws at him, whether it’s literal or figurative. The point is not that masculine boys must always love to get dirty, but that they are willing to get dirty if it is required of them.

Read the post at Raising Homemakers

Large Family Living: Table Chores

How does a large family get the kitchen cleaned up after mealtime?  Where there are no oxen the manger is clean, but we have a LOT of oxen around here.

Here I'm going to share how we get it all done.  Everyone in the family has a job to do and completes it to keep the dishes clean and the kitchen ready for the next meal. 

When age appropriate, children get "promoted" to a harder job after they are trained by the child currently filling that position.  We are about to make promotions again and that is one reason for this post.  I want to remember "how it used to be" because pretty soon, we'll change it up.

This is how we make it work for now:

Breakfast

• Monday thru Thursday I prepare breakfast, usually something simple.
• Stephen (6) takes the dishes to the sink, wipes down the table and sweeps the dining room and kitchen.
• Silas (4) pushes up all the chairs.
• Sarah Grace (8) empties and loads the dishwasher and starts it again.  She wipes down the counters. (This takes her a good while, about 45 minutes sometimes--but she is so encouraged when she gets a big job done like her sisters can do! :)
• On Friday and Saturday, Savannah (16) and Shelbi (17) cook breakfast and clean the kitchen, including mopping it and cleaning the microwave and other extras like cleaning out the pantry, etc.

Lunch

• I prepare lunch every day once we finish school projects.
• Sarah Grace (8) clears the dirty dishes from table, wipes it clean and sweeps the dining room and kitchen.
• Savannah (16) unloads and loads the dishwasher, wipes down counters and often bakes something delicious.
• Seth (12) takes out the garbage.

Supper

• I cook supper every night with Shelbi and Savannah assisting me.  They cut up vegetables, make dessert, whatever I need them to do.
• Seth (12) clears the table, wipes it down, sweeps the kitchen and dining room and takes out the trash.
• Savannah (16) unloads/loads the dishwasher, wipes down counters.

How does it work in your house?  Do you try to even out the kitchen chores?

What is the Secret to Happy Home Life?

J.R. Miller, The Secrets of Happy Home Life:

 

“What are some of the secrets of happy home life?

The answer might be given in one word – Christ.

Christ at the marriage-alter;

Christ on the bridal journey;

Christ when the new home is set up;

Christ when the baby is born;

Christ when a child dies;

Christ in the pinching times;

Christ in the days of plenty;

Christ in the nursery, in the kitchen, in the parlor;

Christ in the toil and in the rest;

Christ along all the years;

Christ when the wedded pair walk toward the sunset gates;

Christ in the sad hour when farewells are spoken, and one goes on before and the other stays, bearing the unshared grief;

 

Christ is the secret of happy home life.”

 

 

HT: NCFIC

 

Common-Sense-Gone-Controversial: The Training of Young Children

I can't remember anymore when I didn't have preschoolers.  And one thing I have learned is that what a child struggles with at two, he will struggle with at twenty if we are not there to train him in love, during these crucial years before age 5.  While he may learn to hide his issues later on in life, when needed in order to fit into "normal" society, the root character issues will still be there.

Although we must not let fear of the future rule us or shape the expectations we have of our children, the truth is we have a duty to train their outward behavior now, when they are young.

The realization that only a genuine conversion of the soul by God will effect the child's spiritual state before Him should undergird everything we teach our little ones.  But as parents we don't wait on the heart of the child to accompany the outward behavior.  It would be foolish to wait until a pure motive accompanied the child's actions, before we began training a child not to throw things, to come to us when he is called, or not to pulverize his sister.

This used to be common sense.  A no-brainer.  But in our "enlightened" generation these simple truths have become controversial.

God has given parents the authority and duty of shaping their children by training their flesh in the malleable years.  Biblical authority has been so distorted by society that the training and instruction of our children has been labeled as a wicked thing.  But this is false.

The Bible commands parents to teach our children to obey us (Eph. 6:1, 4) and to require them to honor our authority. And if we are not shaping our children then we can be sure they are being shaped by someone.  Either way, their lives are being molded.  The question is, who is doing it?

Expecting obedience and teaching them to honor, with love and gentleness, is showing them a picture of God's relationship to His children.

For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives. Heb. 12:6

We can't do it perfectly.  I blow it very often.  But just because we don't do it perfectly, doesn't mean it shouldn't be before our eyes and what we're striving for.  Our ultimate goal is to lead our children to Christ.

Many times throughout the day small children need correction, sometimes for the same offense repeated again and again. Here are a few practical points I endeavor to be faithful in:

1.) Speak in Quiet Tones

This won't work if Junior is headed for a busy highway, but in normal circumstances I have found that speaking softly requires the little one to stop what they're doing, quiet down and strain a bit to hear me. A loud, stressed sound trains a child to only respond when this type of voice is used.

 2.) Look Him in the Eyes

I try to stoop down to the child's level and maintain eye contact with him when I'm correcting him. If I can't stop and kneel then I will at the least cup his face in my hands and gently coax him to look at me.

 3.) Take Your Time

Again, these are in average circumstances, not when you're in a dangerous situation and safety is at stake. But when possible, I try to give the child correction with words that are slow, deliberate and chosen well, instead of throwing out harsh rebukes willy nilly. Words, according to Prov. 18:21, are a matter of life and death.

 4.) Use Biblical Terminology

"Were you considering your sister more important than yourself?" rather than, "You were mean to your sister." 

or

"Are you using self-control?"  rather than "Quit doing that!"

 5.) Use Role Play

Re-enact the scene that just caused the need for correction, coaxing the child to behave in a God-honoring way.

 6.) Encourage and Love

Show love and affection and remind him that no matter how many mistakes he makes, he will always be loved by Mama...your love is not dependent on his good behavior.

Verbally give him encouragement for what you see him doing right.  Always be watching for an opportunity to encourage his heart. Somewhere I read that for every correction we must give, we should strive for ten encouragements.  And again, we can use Biblical terminology in our encouragement, such as "You were patient with your brother just then!" 

7.) Model Repentance. 

Ask forgiveness when you sin against him.  Because we all do. And we are thankful to be freely forgiven.

 7.) Give the Gospel

Teach him that his actions are sin against God and tell him that sin is why Jesus died for us. Help him understand that his offense is against God and not just something that irritates you. We can begin to help our little ones understand that even on their best behavior days, God does not love them more because of it (and neither do we). 

We can use these opportunities to turn their attention back to Christ each time, if we will just take the time (see #3).

8.) Build Cords of Fellowship

 I try to keep corrections as short as possible and move on to restoration (hugs and fun times) .

May the hearts of the parents and the hearts of the children be turned toward one another and may God set our feet on the right path as we lead our children to do the same.

Is there anything you would add to this list? What are some other tips to help our little ones be lovingly trained in righteousness?

Weekend Links: The New Legalism, Being a Burden to Your Children & More

Latest trends in evangelical circles say real Christians must be living "radically different."  Who defines what is "radically different?"

"I continue to be amazed by the number of youth and young adults who are stressed and burnt out from the regular shaming and feelings of inadequacy if they happen to not be doing something unique and special. Today’s Millennial generation is being fed the message that if they don’t do something extraordinary in this life they are wasting their gifts and potential. The sad result is that many young adults feel ashamed if they “settle” into ordinary jobs, get married early and start families, live in small towns, or as 1 Thess 4:11 says, “aspire to live quietly, and to mind [their] affairs, and to work with [their] hands.” For too many Millennials their greatest fear in this life is being an ordinary person with a non-glamorous job, living in the suburbs, and having nothing spectacular to boast about."

Read The New Legalism: Missional, Radical, Narcissistic and Shamed.


Choosing life in the big and small:

"Far from having done our part when we carry a baby to term, we can continue to choose life every day. Every day we choose the life of another over our own life. Every day we can lay down our desires, our selfish ambition, our self-importance, and choose life. And of course this is not unique to mothers — every Christian has the means of fighting for life by laying theirs down for those around them."

Read Jancovic's The Real Life of the Pro-Life Home


Talk About Counter-Cultural Thinking.  I love this post by Russell Moore. 

"I want to live long enough to be a burden to my children."

"I certainly wouldn’t want my children, when I’m elderly, to have to suffer in caring for me in the throes of dementia or cancer or paralysis. But when I peel that back further, in my case, the real issue for me is simple: pride.


Read Russell Moore's Do You Want to Be a Burden to Your Children?


Have a wonderful weekend friends!

Whose Thursday Is It?

Originally published 2/16/12

Whose Thursday is it?

The question comes from me. Because they always know whose Thursday it is.

For almost a year of Thursdays now, each child goes to lunch alone with Mama. They choose a restaurant they'd like to eat at and perhaps an errand to run before heading back home.

Will it be a chatter Thursday? A little magpie with a Texas drawl that chooses a fried chicken lunch and asks non-stop questions like just how long does it take for front teeth to grow back? And Mama, do you really think Solomon would have cut that baby in half? And why does that lady have a hole in her pants? And how many more days is it til the baby comes, Mama?

Maybe it will be a young man Thursday. The day that the door gets held open wide for Mama, heavy items are kindly lifted, and the gas is pumped by a man-cub shivering in the cold. A slightly-squeaky-voice-Thursday and a let's-go-to-a-pizza-buffet-so-I-can-eat-as-much-as-I-want-to-Thursday. And can we stop and get some more guitar strings before we head home, Mama?

Maybe it's a sober, let's-enjoy-the-quiet-lunch-Thursday with a young woman who continues to blossom before my eyes, who surpassed me in grace and beauty long ago. It's a let's-talk-about- worldview-and-politics-Thursday, and can-we-drop-by-the-library-Thursday. Oh, and do you want me to drive? We'd better stop by the grocery store because you know we're out of ______, Mama.

Perhaps it's a McDonald's Thursday. The day that two little cowboys unstrap their holsters and toy pistols for a brief moment. Mama runs ragged and she pretends that it's really not that noisy in here and the food really is tasty and she chooses not to think about the cooties lurking on that slide or the creepy toys in the Happy Meal. It's a watch-what-I-can-do-Thursday and a we're-hyper-and-loving-it-Thursday and just five more minutes please, Mama?

It could be the favorite corn dog stand and let's-get-a-lemonade-Thursday with a precious 15 year old that wears a permanent mischievous grin . The day I laugh til my sides hurt and we browse the store aisles and pick our jaws off the floor at the styles and decide to shop for shoes instead. It's a Mama-can-you-turn-up-this-song-Thursday and better-stop-for-more-goat-feed-because-I'm-almost-out-Thursday.

I love Thursdays.

It's the ordinary. It's the every day. It's the string of familiar that make up the memories.

Make the most of your Thursday today...