After more than three years “on plan” with Trim Healthy Mama, and over thirty pounds lost (pre-pregnancy) I still don’t consider myself a THM Veteran.
The first two years, I lived by strict, self-imposed standards, but there was always someone more experienced, or more qualified to be a “veteran” of the plan than I was… and that was pre-pregnancy.
These days, I fall off the wagon too easily (or so I tell myself). It’s my first Trim Healthy Mama pregnancy (also my first overall pregnancy) so of course, there are others who are so much more experienced (not to mention those who have been on plan longer).
The Biggest Lie I Tell Myself
The above lies are potent enough, but here’s the biggest lie I tell myself… Trim Healthy Mama is a lifestyle, and not something I “do”. It’s a way I live (all true so far…). Therefore, I am not a THM Veteran, because it’s not something I (had) to work at very much. It came naturally (for awhile).
What the actual heck?!
The biggest lie I tell myself doesn’t even make sense.
THM Veteran Versus First Time Pregnancy
These days, I am very loosely a Trim Healthy Mama (food-wise).
Maybe that disqualifies me from being a “veteran”; however, everyone makes mistakes. We all know (quite well) that *our* mistakes are a million times worse than anyone else’s… even if it’s the same mistake!!
This pregnancy has nearly run its course (by the time you read this, I’ll probably be cradling a bundle of joy), but that doesn’t mean that I cannot get back with the program and be a *proper* Trim Healthy Mama BEFORE my baby arrives.
It doesn’t mean that I’m not a Trim Healthy Mama if I wait until he’s here, either.
Of course, there are reasons on both sides – to wait, and to get back on plan (see How Gestation Diabetes Transformed my Pregnancy to hear more about the “wait” side) – but whatever I decide, I am still a Trim Healthy Mama.
I am *not* disqualified (despite the lies I tell myself) from being a THM veteran.
THM Veteran or Not?
In some ways, THM Veteran is a title that we earn… but in others, it’s one we give ourselves.
It doesn’t *have* to mean we have X number of years invested in being on plan, or that we were a founding member… but it could. Necessity doesn’t dictate that we be 100% on plan all of the time to “earn” said title, either.
We don’t have to be purists – drive-thru Sue’s could be veterans, too.
Regardless of how long you’ve been “on plan”, or how often you get derailed, a title is nothing more than just that – a title. It doesn’t dictate your journey.
So no, I might not see myself as a veteran of the plan (yet) but that doesn’t mean I’m not a Trim Healthy Mama. It doesn’t mean I can’t/won’t improve from the (regular) derailment I’m currently experiencing, or that I won’t be able to lose the weight I re-gained with this baby.
I am a Trim Healthy Mama, and being a veteran of the plan (or not) doesn’t change that.
Do you consider yourself a THM veteran? Why/why not? Let me know in the comments below! I’d love to hear your viewpoint.
Christian, wife, “hybrid” mama, I run the site All Behind A Smile to help others like me.
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