Trim Healthy Mama Plan For Beginners are the easiest to follow and have been designed to ensure that success. Simply by following these plans you will be able to shed pounds and keep them off. The meal plans incorporate delicious recipes that can help refresh even the most boring meal.
Monthly Trim Healthy Mama-friendly Meal Plan – October
Happy Autumn! This is an updated October Menu – a full family meal plan that works for Trim Healthy Mama – and this one includes a bonus! I have a shopping list for the whole month included with the menu. You can scroll down to the bottom of this post to sign up to get menu and monthly shopping list packet, but please read the notes below first!
If your tastes are a little different, or if this menu doesn’t appeal to you, I have months and months of other menus available here.
After many requests, I went back to the way I used to do the menus – 31 meals that you can make when it fits your family. This makes it much more customizable to your eating habits and cooking style – just choose what you want, and go from there! This menu planning style goes really well with a Menu Board – you might want to try that out if you find you have food go bad before you can get to it or if you want to try a really efficient way to meal plan that takes very little time. I worked really hard to put together a clean, easy-to-read and follow menu and shopping list to make your shopping experience even better. I hope it works well for you!
SPECIAL BONUS
This menu has been updated and now includes a free printable challenge calendar with easy tasks to help get you on track for THM! Check it out and participate in the challenge if you want to build healthy THM habits!
You can get the full menu with the monthly printable shopping list by scrolling to the bottom of the post! But please read the notes, first – they explain how this menu works and answer questions you may have. They also give important tips about the recipes on the menu. To handle the large load on my server, I do have to mail the menu to you instead of keeping it up for download on the website. If you enter your email address at the bottom of the post, I’ll send it over right away. Thanks for understanding!
October Menu Notes:
- This menu uses the Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook for some recipes. If you don’t have the cookbook, you can click here for other menu ideas and options. This cookbook is different from the new Trim Healthy Table cookbook (which includes one of my recipes – check page 405!).
- You can click on the recipe names on the menu to see the recipes. Important: The recipe links aren’t underlined, so you’ll have to hover over the recipe name with your mouse on the PDF document to see the recipe link).
- If there’s no clickable recipe link, that means it’s super simple and you can make it to your liking. If, for example, you don’t know how long to cook chicken thighs, you can just season them to your liking and cook them the way you normally do, or search for instructions online. But I try to include some instruction with each meal idea to make it simple. Lots of the breakfasts for this month are pretty easy, like scrambled eggs, and don’t include instructions.
- You’ll notice the note “Double and Freeze” next to some recipes. That’s because I utilized my favorite method of freezer cooking, which is to double or triple a recipe while I’m cooking it on a weeknight and freeze one or two portions while we eat the other for dinner. If you do this at least once a week you’ll have a full freezer sooner than you think. This is why you’ll see a few dinners repeated – we are always lower on time and money as the month goes on, so it’s great to have these meals frozen and ready to go for later in the month. But just in case you are the once-a-month kind of person, I have several freezer cooking sessions you can use if you’d prefer to get it all done at once.
- If you’re interested in eating a healthy, frugal diet but you don’t know what the “S and E” letters next to the meal names are, don’t worry! Anyone can benefit from this healthy menu. Those letters are for the Trim Healthy Mama diet (which I highly recommend!), and if you’re interested, you can learn more about it in the Trim Healthy Mama book or with one of my free resources.
- MOST IMPORTANT if you follow Trim Healthy Mama: The clickable recipe links in the menu may not be THM-friendly as written. PLEASE make sure that you read the notes next to the recipe link that make each recipe THM-compliant.
- As always, this menu is gluten-free.
- The shopping list for week one is for days 1-7, week 2 is days 8-14, etc. That way you can start your week depending on when you normally do your grocery shopping.
- As always, please note that my menu planning system includes repeating breakfasts, lunches, and snacks throughout the month for simplicity. That means there are lists of breakfasts, lunches, and a handful of snacks included on this menu. My kids and I enjoy the routine of knowing that on Monday we will be eating a certain thing for breakfast and a certain thing for lunch – it definitely saves time in the kitchen!
- Some of the dinners filled us up with just the entree alone, but it just might be us – feel free to add a side salad or round out your meals as desired.
- Remember that THM is SO ADAPTABLE! You may need to swap out E for S, or S for E, or switch things up during the week. Don’t be afraid to mix up your fuel types and keep your body guessing!
- If you have bigger kids, or big eaters, you may want to add more protein, rice, and veggies to your shopping list. It doesn’t hurt the recipes to add an extra chicken breast or 1/2 lb of ground beef to make a meal stretch, and you can always add extra rice or veggies or salads as side dishes for the kids. When money’s tight, I’ll grab a bag of potatoes and give the kids a baked potato lunch when I’m eating a salad, or serve them as dinner sides that I avoid.
- If you have a smaller family you may want to make the meals as directed but freeze half (if it’s freezable), or just eat the leftovers for lunch.
- If you don’t like one of the veggies listed, just swap it with something you like better that works for the plan.
- The Trim Healthy Pancakes recipe can be found in the Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook on page 259.
- I multiply the “Just Like Campbell’s Tomato Soup” lunch recipe x 6 to make enough for me and the kids. The correct ingredient amounts are on the weekly shopping list.
- For Day 3 – if you brown ALL of the ground beef, you can reserve and use the second half of the meat for a quick dinner on day 5.
- For Day 5 – Roast a spaghetti squash (instructions here), or (my favorite method) cook in an instant pot (instructions here); heat canned or jarred spaghetti sauce and stir in the cooked ground beef until heated through. Serve like spaghetti with meat sauce. If you aren’t a fan of spaghetti squash, you could sub zucchini noodles or Dreamfields pasta (if you’re not gluten-free).
- For Day 20 – When you double and freeze the Coconut Thai Chicken, please do not add the Not-Naughty or Shirataki Noodles before you freeze it. Save the package and add them when it’s time to eat.
- For Day 22 – Use your family’s favorite taco recipe, or try Taco Stack Ups.
Trim Healthy Mama Meal Plan For Beginners For Fast Weight Loss
Speedy Weight Loss With This Easy Trim Healthy Mama Meal Plan For Beginners.
This easy-to-follow Trim Healthy Mama meal plan for beginners is a great way to dive into losing weight. The THM-friendly menu gives you a taste of the diet plan while helping you lose the weight your first week on plan.
If you’ve looked into the Trim Healthy Mama diet before, it’s easy to feel like you’ve wandered into a bowl of alphabet soup with S, E, and FP’s floating all over.
Sometimes you just want someone to tell you what to eat and when to eat it.
After 6 years on plan with THM, following Trim Healthy Mama has become almost second nature for me. And it totally can for you, too!
But to start off with some great results, let’s use this potent Trim Healthy Mama meal plan for beginners for some speedy weight loss.
We’ll look at some basics of starting with a Trim Healthy Mama meal plan for beginners and then dive into a one week menu (lol, keep scrollin’ if you’re just here for the food ).
How do you do the trim healthy mama diet?
The main tenants of Trim Healthy Mama meal plan for beginners to master are stable blood sugar levels for health and separating foods for weight loss.
Ready for 5-Ingredient THM-Friendly Meals?
Want to make THM easier? This Slim & Speedy Menu has 3 days of 5-Ingredient Meals to help you fuel your body fast with slimming foods. (THM-friendly!)
GET MY SPEEDY, SLIMMING MEALS!
Here’s a quick overview of each main principle:
1. Balanced Blood Sugar Levels
THM advises you to keep your blood sugar levels from spiking.
Spikes in blood sugar can lead to pre-diabetes or diabetes, increased inflammation in the body, impaired immune response, weight gain, and even premature aging.
THM ways to balance blood sugar:
- Cut out blood-sugar-spiking foods like white flour, sugar, and white potatoes
- Use blood-sugar friendly sweeteners, like stevia, sugar alcohols (erythritol and xylitol), and monk fruit
- Have protein with every meal and snack
2. Separate Meal Types for Weight Loss
THM teaches that you separate healthy carbohydrate meals from meals with healthy fats for weight loss. Here’s a quick summary:
- Leave 3 hours in between meals if switching meal types
- Pick either a lower fat meal with healthy carbs OR a higher fat meal with lower carbs
- Include lots of veggies!
How do I start trim healthy mama?
To start Trim Healthy Mama, you need a THM book.
Which Trim Healthy Mama Book is best?
- Original Trim Healthy Mama Book– it’s huge, but packed with info. It was written before the majority of the THM food products were developed, so many recipes do not contain special ingredients. This book is going out of print (it was self-published) and may not be available much longer.
- THM Plan Book– The plan is laid out in a very clear way, with lots of details and a bunch of THM example meal plans based on the first THM cookbook.
- Trim Healthy Table Cookbook– This is a second THM cookbook, and there’s a very simple, clear explanation of the plan in the first 3 chapters. The recipes are more like typical American foods, but many do contain special ingredients.
- The Trim Healthy Mama Starter Book– A fantastic, beginner guide to THM that breaks THM down into easy to follow, bite size steps. It’s so good and so easy to understand! Also available as a Starter Book (and membership) or the Starter Book with Best-Selling THM Products to jumpstart your journey.
Is Trim Healthy Mama healthy?
I spent over 10 years working as a physician assistant before becoming a stay at home mom. I’ve worked in internal medicine, weight loss clinics, the ER, family practice, and integrative medicine (holistic health/natural remedies stuff).
THM is my favorite meal plan.
I find that it tends to be helpful for diabetics, since it recommends healthy blood sugar levels, and its emphasis on healthy fats, protein, and veggies is great.
My favorite part is that it doesn’t cut out any entire food groups.
Healthy carbs have become the enemy in this era of Keto/low carb dieting
Carbs are super important for the adrenal glands and your thyroid, both of which play a vital role in energy levels, weight loss, and stress response.
THM is the most balanced diet that I’ve come across for all-around health.
Trim Healthy Mama meal plan for beginners
How To Simplify Your Shopping
Save even more time by using one of these methods to get your groceries. We do a combo of Walmart Grocery Pick Up and Instacart delivery (they shop at Aldi for me).
I’ve heard great things about Amazon grocery delivery, but it’s not available in my area yet.
- Walmart Grocery Pick Up– They shop for you, you pull into the indicated parking spots, and they load stuff right into your car. Added bonus- if they don’t have what you ordered, you often get an upgraded brand or size! Do check your produce and eggs though!
- Instacart Grocery Delivery- They shop for you and bring it straight to your door. My shoppers go to Aldi for me (yay for on plan sprouted bread and cheese crisps!). You can try InstaCart and get $10 off your first order with this link.
- Amazon Fresh offers amazing service if it’s available in your area. You get free grocery delivery with Amazon Prime.
What To Eat
The very first THM book mentions starting off the THM diet with 2-3 days of only S meals (low carb, healthy fats) to use up all of your stored glucose and kickstart fat burning (page 112).
For the fastest weight loss, it advises that you follow those S days with 1-1.5 days of just E meals (low fat, healthy carbs).
Ready for 5-Ingredient THM-Friendly Meals?
Then you repeat that rhythm for a few months.
This meal plan is based off of those recommendations for faster weight loss in the beginning.
This also helps you to get really familiar with each of the two basic meal types of THM.
Additionally, you’re a lot less likely to accidentally have a crossover (when you mix the S and E too close and it can promote weight gain).
There’s also no special ingredients (NSI) needed for this THM beginner meal plan.
But, you should have picked out an on plan sweetener that you like. Personally, I like Pyure (available on Amazon or at Walmart) for baked goods and THM stevia for drinks.
If you’re hungrier on the all E days (most people are), use any of these tips to stay full after E meals.
A word of caution– very rapid weight loss can trigger gall bladder issues if you still have one. Additionally, rapid weight loss isn’t always sustainable.
While I am a physician assistant, I’m not your PA. Please consider discussing this with your doctor before starting a new diet or exercise program.
Sunday- All S
Breakfast- scrambled eggs with sauted veggies (non-starchy ones like zucchini) and seasonings (I like Creole seasoning, salt, and nutritional yeast), bacon or sausage, coffee with cream
Lunch- salad with lots of leafy greens, cucumbers, a low carb dressing (like ranch or olive oil and vinegar), cheese Whisps crumbled for croutons if desired, bacon bits, and topped with grilled or sauted salmon
Snack- Cheesecake Berry Crunch (I make mine with peanuts and 1/2-1 tsp of Pyure)
Dinner- Roasted chicken with skin, Company Cauliflower, side salad with low carb dressing
- Make enough chicken to have leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch
Dessert (if desired)- Skinny Chocolate (or Skinny Toffee if you happen to have some protein powder)
Monday- All S
Breakfast- Coconut flour blueberry muffins and turkey bacon or sausage
Lunch- leftover chicken reheated with a large helping of Green Fries
Snack- celery with natural, no sugar added peanut butter
Dinner- Spaghetti and meat sauce, side salad with low carb dressing
- You can use spaghetti squash, zucchini noodles, or Dreamfield’s pasta for the noodles
- Double the sauce recipe and save for Day #5; use a tomato sauce with no added sugar
Dessert- Pumpkin Cake in a Mug
Tuesday- All E
Breakfast- Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal over vanilla Greek Yogurt with a clementine orange on the side
- You can buy vanilla Oikos 000 Greek yogurt (considered on plan)
- OR you can make your own with plain, fat free Greek yogurt, a dash of vanilla extract, and your favorite on plan sweetener to taste
Lunch- 1-2 bowls of Get Methylating Lentil Soup
Snack- cheese stick, an apple or pear, 2 Wasa crackers with 1 wedge Light Laughing Cow cheese, cucumbers or celery sticks
Dinner- Sweet and Spicy Stir Fry over brown rice
Dessert- Apple Pie Muffins with Crave-Worthy Crumble
Wednesday- Part E/Part S
Breakfast- leftover Apple Pie Muffins with one Okios 000 Greek Yogurt (or your own, on plan Greek yogurt)
Lunch- Leftover Get Methylating Soup or leftover Stir Fry
Snack- 1-2 brown rice cakes or Wasa crackers topped with <1 tsp peanut butter and sliced strawberries; smoothie with 1 cup frozen strawberries, defrosted (comes to about 1/2 cup defrosted), 1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese, 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, and sweetener to taste (I use 1 doonk THM stevia)
Dinner- Taco Salad:
- Lettuce (preferably organic; we prefer iceburg for the flavor with taco salad, but other greens have more nutrients)
- Top with ranch dressing (with <1 carb), S toppings like sour cream, cheese, and avocado
- Make taco meat with low carb taco seasoning
Dessert- Skinny Chocolate
Thursday- All S
Breakfast- Muffin in a Mug
Lunch- BBQ Chicken Pita Pizza and an S side salad
Snack- Celery with natural peanut butter, 1 square 85% dark chocolate
Dinner- Eggplant Lasagna with leftover meat sauce, broccoli with butter and seasoning, low carb garlic biscuits if desired (see Eggplant Lasagna link for recipe)
Dessert- 5 Ingredient Cheesecake for Two
Friday- All S
Breakfast- Pumpkin Cake in a Bowl
Lunch- leftover Eggplant Lasagna, side salad with S toppings
Snack- almonds, berries, and 85% dark chocolate
Dinner- The Best Cauliflower Pizza and non-starchy veggies on the side with ranch
Dessert- Easy Peasy Peanut Butter Fudge
Saturday- All E
Breakfast- Healthy Pancakes topped with Greek yogurt and berries; 1-2 slices turkey bacon
Lunch- Sandwich on 2 slices sprouted bread- use lean turkey meat, 1 wedge Light Laughing Cow cheese, veggies; 1/2 cup cottage cheese, berries, and stevia; carrots and celery slices
Snack- Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies and a cheese stick
Dinner- Turkey, Black Bean, Sweet Potato Chili
Dessert- Cottage Berry Whip (technically a Fuel Pull)
Trim Healthy Mama: How to Lose Weight With THM
Looking for a diet that will work for you? The Trim Healthy Mama offers a lifestyle shift that just might do your body good! Read on to learn all about it, and try out some of our favorite recipes.
With all the diets out there, how does anyone know what to eat?! Do you load up on protein, salads, fat, or all of the above? But, the key to success can mean taking a different approach, and that’s where Trim Healthy Mama (THM) comes in! This diet might not be revolutionary, but it does prioritize lifestyle change over diet culture. If you’re looking for a healthy meal plan that won’t deny you the joy of food, it could be for you.
*This article contains affiliate links. It doesn’t cost you anything, but if you click on the link and buy something, we’ll earn a small commission to help our writing team create more great articles.*
What Is the Trim Healthy Mama Diet?
Despite the name, this healthy meal plan isn’t just for mamas. THM started when sisters Pearl Barrett and Serene Allison self-published a diet book back in 2012. While Barrett wanted to lose weight, Allison needed to switch to a diet that didn’t leave her feeling bloated. Even though they’re not registered dietitians, their focus on carbs and fats has proven successful for many people. In 2015, the book was re-published by Penguin Random House. They also published The Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook containing their favorite recipes for meals and snacks.
In their book, sisters Pearl and Serene talk about their own journeys with nutrition, health, and weight loss. Both of them tried (and failed) different eating styles and finally created their own concept after consulting scientific results of research and the Bible. In addition to following the Bible’s moral principles, they also used it as a foundation for their nutrition and wellness. For them, crafting the THM plan was like a natural part of their faith-based lifestyles.
Why Trim Healthy Mama Works – Understanding the THM Meal Plan
That’s the reason why they call their program “A Biblical Approach to Food Freedom.” It’s not as much about food restrictions as it is food freedom– so instead of being a slave to food, you can maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Trim Healthy Mama basics are all about reducing insulin spikes in the body. This process doesn’t require the calorie counting that a lot of diets do. Instead, you can keep your insulin balanced by doing things like:
- eating a snack or meal every three hours
- eating both fats and carbohydrates, but never in the same meal
- avoiding foods with added sugar
While this meal plan worked for the authors of THM, it is more of a lifestyle than a diet. In order to see the best results from the diet, those who embark on it may need to commit long term. Luckily, one of its benefits is that you don’t have to skip out on the foods you love! You can have oatmeal or steak, or fruit if you please by using your favorite Trim Healthy Mama recipes. You may even want to get ideas from others on a family app! The only thing you should avoid is refined sugar, so if you love desserts, you may want to choose Stevia instead.
What Are Some Good Trim Healthy Mama Recipes?
With the flexibility of the Trim Healthy Mama plan, there are lots of delicious recipes to try. Here are a few of our favorites.
Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal: Cook your favorite oatmeal with almond milk, and add apples, cinnamon, vanilla, sugar-free sweetener, and pecans. It’s a delicious and filling way to start the day!
Taco Soup: Combine 2 lbs ground beef, 2 cups chicken or beef bone broth, a small can Rotel, 1/3 package cream cheese, 1 onion, and 3 cloves of garlic. Add cumin, chili powder, and salt seasoning to your liking. Cook in the crockpot for 6-8 hours on low, or Instant Pot for 13 minutes on high.
Trim Healthy Mama Cheeseburger Pie: Yes, you can still indulge while maintaining a healthy lifestyle! That’s why we love this cheeseburger pie recipe. Try to find organic grass-fed beef if you can, but it’s delicious regardless.
THM Cheeseburger Pie
A husband-approved, crowd favorite!
PREP TIME10 mins
COOK TIME1 hr 10 mins
TOTAL TIME1 hr 20 mins
COURSEDinner
CUISINEAmerican
SERVINGS8 people
CALORIES601 kcal
INGREDIENTS 1x2x3x
- 2.5 lb lb lean ground beef
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1.5 tsp tsp salt
- 3 cups cheddar cheese (grated)
- 2 egg whole eggs
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- onions
- pickles
- jalapeno peppers
- tomato
- ketchup
- mustard
INSTRUCTIONS
THM Cheeseburger Pie
- In a skillet, cook the ground meat on medium heat until brown. Drain the fat.
- Add onion powder and salt.
- Place meat mixture in casserole dish (or pie dish) and stir in half of the cheese.
- Place layer of any optional mentioned ingredients over meat and cheese combination, (or skip for a more basic pie).
- In another medium bowl beat eggs, mayo, heavy cream, mineral salt, and black pepper.
- Pour mix over the ingredients in the dish and top with the rest of the cheese.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes.
NUTRITION
Calories: 601kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 49gFat: 43gSaturated Fat: 19gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 385mgSodium: 974mgPotassium: 638mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 980IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 367mgIron: 5mg