How to ditch the excuses and stay consistent on the Trim Healthy Mama plan

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I'm not going to change.

I'm not going to change the commitment I've made to myself.

That's exactly what Coach Kelly Rackley told herself all year long.

With one quick, impulsive decision, she committed to eating 100% on the Trim Healthy Mama plan for 365 days. 

The trajectory of her entire year took on a new look as she walked out this commitment day after day. And in the end, she learned more about herself and what eating Trim Healthy Mama really means.

MAKING A "DIET" YOUR LIFESTYLE

The ability to stay on the Trim Healthy plan has much more to do with how you talk to yourself than you might think. Kelly found this out with each passing day. Focusing her energy on solving her problems and pushing through the temptation rather than feeling deprived or sorry for herself took time and effort. 

She had to coach herself. 

"I literally truth taught myself out loud."

Becoming the "girl who didn't quit" was the mantra that Kelly repeated to herself. She decided to bring options for meals eaten out or on holidays early on. 

Making food for herself for traveling was more work, but her commitment to her health helped her go the extra mile. Extra work was an excuse, she realized, but not one that needed to stop her from reaching her goal of eating on plan all year.

"You have to decide that I'm worth it, that my health is worth it. And I have to be healthy to do all the things that I need to do."

LISTENING TO YOUR THOUGHTS

Getting wrapped up in comparisons is a sure way to cease making positive forward progress. Throughout her year on the plan, Kelly discovered her most significant change didn't come from the scale or the tape measure. Instead, she saw a shift in her thoughts. 

Creating hashtags to repeat and memorize brought renewal to her mind. She shifted from how hard this commitment felt to celebrating that she was worth the extra effort. 

Through trial and error, Kelly learned she could always find a way around the excuse. No more was "this one time" her go-to phrase. Instead, she chose the mantra "find a way around the excuse." 

Several months into her journey, she was working with her family outside. Living in Arkansas means summers are HOT; this day was no exception. Every once in a while, a soft breeze flowed over them as they continued to work and sweat. Kelly called everyone to feel the breeze, to focus on the breeze, and let it relieve the heat. She realized this breeze is what life is like; you can focus on the heat & the hard, or you can feel the breeze blowing. More energy & feeling better was the breeze blowing over Kelly. Remembering this kept her going. 

PAY ATTENTION

Another major thing Kelly learned was to pay attention. Meeting the first holiday took a few weeks in her year-long journey. That's when she noticed her need to watch her actions. She needed to catch her thoughts when faced with piles of candy around the house. How often had she assumed her actions were mindless, only to understand now that her lack of paying attention created those actions? By setting a boundary (no off-plan food), her awareness increased, and she could stop mindless eating easier than before.

Choosing to bring her eating into alignment with her health goals allowed her the space to really learn the Trim Healthy Mama plan. An important distinction for her was understanding the difference between eating on plan and working the plan. 

Initially, her only goal was to eat "on-plan" foods. She included crossovers and ignored how often she ate. Meal spacing wasn't her priority. But after a couple of months of feeling much better, she started wondering what she would feel like if she actually "worked the plan." 

This change in her thinking took her to the next level. No longer would she only know what she was supposed to do - she would do it instead. 

Gradually Kelly received the blessings of her strong commitment to her health and increased awareness of what she was eating and how that food affected her body. But it wasn't until a few months before her "graduation" date that her ability to trust the process became a reality. 

She was seated at a nail salon enjoying a manicure when she noticed the color applied to her nails wasn't even close to what she had requested. Not willing to panic or cause a scene, she coached herself to stay calm and be patient even though she saw the color looked horrible. She decided to trust the process, to sit with the uncomfortable feeling of things going wrong. Her patience paid off, and the final result revealed a nail color matching her request exactly.

Her mind lit up with the connection between her nail salon experience and staying committed to her 365 plan. There had been plenty of valid reasons and opportunities to stop, to quit. She hadn't experienced any ground-breaking fat loss stories and had given up getting on a scale for lack of its movement. But instead of stopping, she trusted the process and sat patiently. The next time she looked up to check, those results would be visible and be her perfect match.

UNMET EXPECTATIONS

Ministering to her community and her family is a passion for Kelly. Still, as her year progressed, she received little to no communication from those closest to her about the positive differences they saw. Primarily because her weight loss in the first 107 days totaled ½ a pound. She felt so much better, and her doctor commented on her high-energy levels, but no fat melting off or sizes dropping. 

There were days she felt amazing and would expect to see that feeling show up on the scale as weight loss—instead, no change registered. 

The scale got put away, and the measuring tape landed in the bottom of her drawer. Kelly's focus shifted from weight loss being her goal to it being a byproduct of her faithfulness. Feeling better and having energy mattered more than a number on the scale. 

It took 200 days of diligent focus before a shift happened. Kelly's commitment paid off, and her spur-the-moment decision became her lifestyle. She no longer needed to watch her thoughts to curb mindless eating or battle guilt for bringing her food to events. 

"This is my life. And this is my lifestyle."

Kelly got the reward over time because of her faithfulness to her commitment. Even though weight loss became secondary to her overall health, she did end up with 25 pounds released and can cinch her belt 3 inches tighter than before. 

Kelly gained the tools and skills to continue working on the Trim Healthy Mama eating plan as her lifestyle, not a diet. 

By focusing on the "breezes" blowing through her life, eating on plan is a no-brainer. Her Trim Healthy lifestyle is not a challenging task she must complete but an identity she recognizes. 

"This is who I am, and this is what I do."

Are you ready to make this plan your lifestyle?

"Jump in the deep end. You're not going to regret it at all."