To the Trim Healthy Mama: When You Feel Like It’s Just Not Fair…

I wrote this post one day after rocking out at a serious pity-party. My husband eats cookies for breakfast, drinks regular pop every day, and never has to worry about what he eats, but I’M the one with the blood sugar issues. I see those posts in the THM Facebook group too, the ones where the weight is just melting off of people, and I’m over here struggling to lose ONE pound. Especially after having enjoyed great success on the Trim Healthy Mama plan, it really made me feel like throwing a tantrum. I was definitely NOT wearing my big girl pants in that moment (but don’t worry, I was wearing actual pants). Because it totally felt like…

…it’s just not fair!

Ever feel like that? Sure you do.

Your best friend bought a gorgeous new house that you are sure you saw pinned on someone’s Dream Homes board on Pinterest. You’re just feeling blessed to not live in a cardboard box right now.

Your neighbor just rolled up in a new car. Your 1970’s Pinto hasn’t exploded yet, there’s that. And the fact that it still runs is pretty much a miracle, really. Because exploding Pintos actually were a thing. For real!

That lady in your Bible study group who homeschools, keeps a spotlessly clean home and has 8 perfectly behaved children? Yeah, here you are struggling to get your preschooler (your ONLY child) to learn the alphabet. And wear clothes. And not pee on the living room rug.

Maybe it’s something else, but you probably get what I’m saying – right?

Don’t Fall Into THIS Trap, Mamas.

At 11:30 pm you’re scrolling through the Trim Healthy Mama groups on Facebook and see all these “I lost 8 pounds this week!” posts.

You haven’t lost a single pound in the last 8 months. And all you want right now is a big bowl of ice cream to drown your sorrows. 

Or your mother-in-law (whom you truly dearly love, and for whom you are truly very happy) who starts Trim Healthy Mama almost a year after you do, reaches goal weight in just a few months.

And you’ve been stalled for months. Well, stalled in a downward direction but having no trouble with upward mobility. After losing the most weight you’ve ever lost and getting really close to losing ALL that flab, finally.

Here I am, feeling pretty boss after a rather grueling hike at Macherus, Jordan…one of many hard, uphill climbs in the Holy Land. I was just 25 pounds from my goal weight and 10 pounds from where I’d aimed to be before leaving for my amazing trip to Israel and Jordan last summer.  And after spending nearly three weeks hiking five to ten miles a day up and down and around the hills and deserts of Israel and Jordan (the Holy Land is entirely uphill, folks 😉 ), I had not lost one single ounce. Not one single inch. Not one.

Talk about feeling IT’S NOT FAIR!

But here’s the trap – it’s called the COMPARISON trap, Trim Healthy Mama. You compare YOUR body and progress with everyone else. You’re just setting yourself up for disappointment (and THAT trap never disappoints)!

Focus on YOUR Body!

YOUR body may be in a completely different season of life. It may have hormone issues. Or a serious inflammation problem. Maybe your body struggles with food allergies or sensitivities.

Maybe your body is trying to tell you something you haven’t discovered yet, like some nutritional imbalance that needs correcting.

Whatever it is, I can guarantee you that YOUR body is unique. YOUR body may respond to the THM plan differently than everyone else’s. And that is actually OK.

Now, repeat after me:

This is MY body. Not that lady’s on Facebook that lost eight pounds this week.

The Trim Healthy Mama Creed You Need.

Mamas, when we have negative self-talk running rampant through our minds what do we need?

We need to replace that negativity with positive words. Words that lift up, not tear down. Words that help pull us out of that sticky comparison trap.

We need a creed.

So here you go mamas! I created this Trim Healthy Mama Creed based (loosely) on The Rifleman’s Creed, something our amazing Marine knows well!

I came up with this to help me remember that I can’t compare myself to others and that I need to do what is best for MY body, even when I’d rather eat four slices of Chicago deep dish pizza and a big old bowl of Moosetracks ice cream.

I’ve redesigned and created a free printable PDF to download so you can put this creed up all around your house to help you remember to treat YOUR body well, no matter what anyone else is doing 😉 Simply right-click on the graphic below to save to your computer. It’s a standard, letter-sized sheet you can print and frame if you like!

Oh, the Irony…

The ironic thing is that we certainly CAN have pizza and ice cream! It just needs to be on plan, like these great recipes:

• How to Make Holy Grail Fathead Pizza on a Himalayan Salt Plate
• Easy Peasy Pizza Bites from Wonderfully Made and Dearly Loved
• Briana Thomas’ Massive Ice Cream Recipe Index, take your pick (she even has Moosetracks)!
• Or my HUGE round up of comfort food with over 150 on-plan recipes to try: The Comfort Food Myth

Sure, it may take a bit of extra time and effort. but isn’t YOUR body worth the effort to nourish it with healthy foods?

Mamas, too many of us really don’t believe we are worth it. Can you imagine how that breaks your Creator’s heart?

It’s a new day with new opportunities to take or same old excuses to make.

It’s my choice {and yours}.

I know that I’ve not been keeping to the plan like I should. Be honest with yourself – have you been staying on plan?

I have no right to feel sorry for myself for not seeing any changes (other than my jeans getting tight again) when I eat off plan foods. That just end up making me feel terrible…which makes me feel sorry for myself…which makes me eat cake.

No, it doesn’t make me eat cake – I choose to eat it in spite of what I have experienced and know to be true – that the Trim Healthy Mama plan works – and works well. Who or what do you blame for off-plan choices?

Like most things, Trim Healthy Mama will only work as well as you work it. And for some of us, that means only 100% On Plan will yield the results we want. We can accept that and stay on plan, or forever make excuses for not while destroying our health.

We can NOT focus on how some lady in the Facebook group has only been on plan for 3 months, only eating on plan meals 80% of the time, is now only 2 pounds away from her goal weight and fits into her high school prom dress again.

That may be what worked for HER body, but this is YOUR body.

And yeah, that sure feels unfair.

But it’s the reality of YOU.

Time to Face Reality, Precious Soul:

You are not that lady in the Facebook group you’re reading about whose success is making you feel all sulky inside, like a kid who can’t have that toy she wants that all her friends have.

©Robert Kneschke via Canva.com

Your metabolism is different. Your lifestyle is different. Your motivations are different. You may have health challenges that she doesn’t…or that you aren’t even aware that you have.

You can’t compare yourself to someone else and expect to be happy.

You CAN be inspired by their success. You can ask them “what did you do that worked so well?” You can try what they did, and you may find that it doesn’t work for you.

And that’s OK, truly. Because this Trim Healthy Mama journey to better health is so much about discovery.

Discovering your body’s strengths and weaknesses. Discovering what is healthy for YOU. Discovering those emotional saboteurs that get you time and time again.

And that’s just it – it IS a journey. It is YOUR journey. It doesn’t have to look like someone else’s.

So stop comparing, Mama. If you must compare something, compare what choice you are about to make to choices in the past –  ask yourself, “did a previous choice like this help or hinder my progress?”

Or better yet, compare that meal or snack to the Trim Healthy Mama guidelines in the book. 

You control the choices you make. It’s that simple.

Time for a reality check!

I’ve been a pouty, sulking little kid inside. I haven’t been following the rules but expecting the benefits anyway. Time to put on my Big Girl pants again…the ones I wore here, until they get too loose, that is:

Standing on a Pagan altar in Petra…after a very, very, very long and arduous trek to the top (I had no idea the desert could have so many stairs!). I love this picture, because it says so much to me – it says “You Can Do It!” It says “Victory Is Yours For The Taking!” And, it says “My Heavenly Father Is So Good To Me!”

You know what else it says? It says “You’ll Never Get To Where You Want To Be Unless You Take That First Step And Keep On Climbing.”

Have You Fallen Into the Comparison Trap, Trim Healthy Mama? What is One Step You Can Take TODAY to Get Back on Track?

Let’s encourage each other, Trim Healthy Mama, to keep pressing on even when things seem unfair. To discover what works for us individually instead of whining about what works for everyone else (but you).

Feel free to save and print the Creed above and put it where you can see it every day!

Like this post? Be sure to pin it to your favorite Pinterest boards!