Have you faced obstacles in implementing the Trim Healthy Mama Plan?
You are not alone. Lots of women face obstacles in implementing THM long term – and think that’s a bad thing. Anytime you try something new, it’s hard. Just like walking was hard. Learning to ride a bike was hard. Learning to read was hard. I’d like to help you flip the switch on thinking that obstacles to THM are a bad thing.
Obstacles, rather than keeping you from your goal, actually ARE THE WAY to long term success on Trim Healthy Mama. Think about it. The very things that are in your way, conquered one at a time, get you closer and closer to the goal of making this healthy way of eating sustainable for you.
There are some common obstacles I’ve seen firsthand or experienced myself.
Common obstacles include:
- Lack of time to prep
- Planning
- Confusion about the plan
- Unsure how to include special ingredients
- Thinking of THM as a short term diet
- Eating out
- Going to parties
- Timing of meals
- Finding THM desserts that taste good to you
- Staying on THM when traveling
- Following THM long term
- When to eat S, E, XO, FP
- Recipes that seem overwhelming or very involved
- Cravings for junk food
- Emotional eating
The solutions to these obstacles are as individual as the women who face them.
Identifying your obstacles to making THM a long term lifestyle, and developing strategies to crush those obstacles, paves the way to long-term success on Trim Healthy Mama.
The steps to overcoming your THM obstacles:
- Identify as many obstacles as you can think of – make a list.
- Look at each obstacle and be honest with yourself. Can you shift your thinking a little bit to easily overcome that obstacle?
One example of an obstacle is thinking that it’s too hard to eat out on plan.
Is that really true? Can you change how you think about eating out to make it work for you?
Instead of thinking how hard it is to eat out on plan, maybe you could think, restaurants have so many options now. If I take a few minutes before I leave for the restaurant, and look over the menu, I bet I will find something I love that is on plan. Following through on your plan only serves to reinforce your new thought.
- For each obstacle that’s left, come up with your individual solution for that obstacle. Your solution may be different for you than for someone else.
Here’s an example:
- Obstacle – I don’t have enough time to prep food.
- Here are a couple possible solutions:
- Buy as much food as you can that’s already prepared or that takes minutes to prepare – bags of salad mix, pre cut veggies, steam in bag veggies, pre cooked chicken breast, precooked sausage, microwaveable brown rice packets
- Another possible solution for this obstacle could be to look at how you are spending your time. Is there time that you’re spending on social media that you could be spending on prepping food for the upcoming week? See if you can carve out one or two hours of your week for prepping food.
- Implement one solution at a time. I recommend starting with a smaller obstacle. When you start to see results, your confidence will grow, momentum will build, and you’ll become an absolute OBSTACLE CRUSHER!
- Finally, evaluate and adjust as necessary. It’s ok if you have to change up your tactics. We are looking for long term solutions, not quick fixes. Sometimes we can get impatient for results. Developing long term vision and imagining reaching your goal often can really help.
What do you think of these ideas? Are you willing to give them a try?
To help you in your quest to overcome your obstacles, I’ve created an Obstacle Busting Worksheet. It’s my gift to you for signing up to receive blog updates.
