How I lost those last 10 pounds…and kept them off!

How I lost my last ten pounds…and kept them off for a year so far!

Normally this is the time of the week where I talk about homeschooling and organizing. But it’s a special anniversary for me…it’s been one year since I lost ALL of my baby weight (from four babies over eight years). I was a size 8/9 in high school, and now I am a 4/6…but I had gotten up to a 12/14 before I found Trim Healthy Mama!

I lost thirty pounds total, not just ten. But for so many years I could kind of get close to my weight-loss goal and I'd get stuck at those last ten awful pounds. You know those ten “stubborn” pounds, the ones that love you so much they want to stick to you forever? THOSE dreaded pounds are the ones I'm talking about today.

I’m sure you’ve heard or read this before, but there is no “easy” weight loss. That’s true for everything, and it’s true for Trim Healthy Mama. Trim Healthy Mama may be the easiest weight I’ve ever lost, and I may have had the easiest time keeping it off, but it’s not like there’s no effort involved. Anyone who wants to lose weight and get healthy has to be deliberate about it. If you want to be healthy, you have to be intentional about it and put some effort in.

I lost my first twenty pounds very quickly with Trim Healthy Mama, and then kind of stalled for the last ten. You know those ten “stubborn” pounds, the ones that love you so much they want to stick to you forever? Those are the ones I'm talking about.

Many years ago, I had tried the South Beach diet after baby #2, and I really liked it because I lost a lot of weight quickly (except for, of course, the ten pounds). But after six weeks on the diet, my weight started slowly and steadily creeping up again. I tried several Master Cleanses, losing weight only to have it quickly reappear.

I kind of gave up after that. I never considered myself overweight…in fact, I think I was in denial. I didn’t mind the way I looked in the mirror, and when I calculated my BMI and saw that I was in the “overweight” category, I brushed it off and excused myself. I’d had babies, I didn’t look that bad, and those BMI thingies must want everyone to be a skinny supermodel, so it shouldn’t apply to me. Never mind my health. I suffered from PCOS and migraine headaches for many years, and seriously thought it was just part of life.

I had a terrible pregnancy with baby number four. So terrible, in fact, that I was in and out of the hospital and went weeks without being able to eat solid food. Once the baby was born, and I was feeling better, I ate EVERYTHING, Very Hungry Caterpillar-style. I quickly gained the weight that I’d lost during pregnancy, rekindling my love for Dr. Pepper, ice cream, cookies, and everything that was bad for me.

Fast-forward about ten months later and I was miserable. I had just had a baby, but since I hadn’t really gained weight when I was pregnant, I couldn’t use that as an excuse. I was incredibly unhealthy, frequently sick, and just wanted to feel better about myself.

Enter Trim Healthy Mama. I saw an advertisement for the book on the back of an Above Rubies magazine. I went ahead and ordered it, thinking it might be nice to lose 5-10 pounds.

At first I was really intimidated. The book was huge, and I would try to put a meal together only to find out that what I had eaten was totally mixed up and wouldn’t help me lose weight. After about six weeks, though, I got it. It clicked. I had been losing a couple of pounds here and there despite my confusion, and once I started eating correctly the weight started melting off. Once I lost that first five pounds, I realized that I might as well keep going – I felt so good! I changed my weightloss goal to “whatever feels good” and “whatever my husband is happy with.”

I lost my pants at the grocery store. THAT was embarrassing…but what a great problem to have! I went from a tight size 12 to a loose size 8 quickly. Better still, after three months on plan I realized I hadn’t had a migraine in a long time. My PCOS symptoms all but disappeared. And I had energy to keep up with my kids!

Now for the reason for this post: The last ten pounds. I stalled after my first 20 pounds, and it was pretty discouraging for me. Other diets had totally failed.

So how did I get those last ten pounds off?

1. I re-read THM and saw that I had been too relaxed in many areas and made changes accordingly.
2. I mixed up my meal types to keep my metabolism guessing.
3. I exercised faithfully. I hadn't really needed to exercise to lose the bulk of my weight, but I needed something to kick-start that last 10. If you’re having a hard time getting started on an exercise routine, I have some suggestions here). I built lots of lean muscle and I’m in better shape than I've ever been.
4. I watched more closely for hidden sugar. This was tough for me, because I’m not too much of a label reader. But I started checking more thoroughly for sugar, and discovered there was a lot of sugar in ketchup and other foods that I ate frequently.
5. I quit drinking soda. Now that it’s been a year, I enjoy a very rare soda…but I fully realize that it’s a slippery slope so I’m very cautious! I generally drink these THM-friendly drinks instead:

Those five steps got me through that last ten pounds, and I was very glad to see them go! I’ve never had so much fun on a diet, and since I’ve been at my goal weight for about a year I’ve really enjoyed incorporating crossover meals in my Trim Healthy Mama eating plan!

If you need meal plans, cheap meal ideas, and recipes…click here.

I’ll post before and after pictures as soon as I get a working camera. If you’ve had success with weight loss, please share in the comments! I’d love to hear any tips or tricks you can share! If you're interested in THM and have questions, I'd love to try to help you get started! And if you want to buy the book, you can buy it HERE.