I have a family member who is following the Trim Healthy Mama Plan which is ultimately a lower carb plan, but claims that you can have a higher fat meal and a higher carb meal in the same day as long as you don’t combine fuel sources in the same meal. They say you can change your fuel source if you put 4 hours or so in between (This is from my best recollection). I’ve tried to find the science so I can have a meaningful discussion with them about why it will not work like it claims to, but can find no science related to THM. Is anyone familiar with this diet or do I just need to throw all the available science of Keto at it and hope it doesn’t turn into a he said she said conversation? Thank you, I’m very concerned that my family member is in greater danger trying to follow this cyclical plan.
Debating "Trim Healthy Mama"
Sounds like the “food combination” diet protocol making another comeback, rearing it’s ugly head…again! Remember the diet book that Susan Somers came out with, promoting her “Somersizing” diet regime? Was equally effective as her thigh master exercise machine…cough bullshit cough
I couldn’t even come up with a name for the theory, so maybe I’ll try my luck with the googles for “food combination”. Thank you for that! My dear family member keeps saying they’ve spent years researching and every claim is footnoted, but couldn’t give me an idea of how to find the studies. And I refuse to buy the book. I have a hard time believing that these lovely ladies actually oversaw or participated in the studies. Just so frustrating when you want so badly to help, but someone is not interested…
Is that the same “Trim healthy mama” from the TV show My Diet is Better Than Yours that was fired by her contestant?
She didn’t impress me on that show.
Abel James from that show was the motivating factor that headed us down the path towards keto.
People on the Paleo diet probably cycle in and out of ketosis but I don’t know how they would readily do it within the same day. I have heard people say that they were “kicked” out of ketosis and took MCT oil and did some exercise to get back in within a few hours.
Yeah. I really liked that show. Listening to Able’s podcasts later turns out he did have Kurt following keto which is what I suspected from his progress.
I really think he should’ve won. He didn’t lose the most weight percentage but if you subtract the lean mass from it, he did lose the most bodyfat weight.
I was disappointed they didn’t address the “winners” much higher lost of lean mass.
I would love to see them do another with Bulletproof or Mark Hyman or Mark Sisson’s plan also with a keto application. That would be great.
I’d say this is not a bad idea for those not very insulin resistant and as long as the carbs are whole foods, not processed crap. Also, I’d wait at least 6 h after a protein + fat meal before start with carby one. It might be more difficult to IF on this regimen though.
Sounds like the “Fit For Live” diet of the 80’s.
The basic concept is that proteins and carbs use different digestive enzymes, acid vs alkaline, so when they are combined in a single meal they compete and slows the digestion.
I think they couldn’t let Kurt win because the “experts” think his success was a fluke. I hope they do a reunion show because I’ll bet he’s the only one who maintained his weight and improved his health.
That would be great! I bet you’re right.
I think he started blogging after the show.
Yes, I would love to know. I know many ladies under the influence of THM, and would love to switch them over to Keto.
She is doing low carb now. I saw her a few months ago on Dr. Oz and she was bragging about how much fat she eats
I’d ask her what the higher carb meals are going to do to her insulin levels. Will it cause them to spike? Because it’s the spikes in insulin that lead to the damage. That’s where we can pull in the science.
I lost weight on Diamond’s Fit for Life twenty years ago, but went vegan, got ill and slowly gained weight back. When I tried FFL (food combining) to shift weight gained over 59 years of age, it just did not work. The only thing that works is Keto. I have kept weight off for 4 + years.
Not very familiar with THM, was looking for a product and ended up on their site. I also recently read a sample from Leanne Vogel’s book. It sounds a lot like one of Leanne’s alternative to keto carb up diets
There is no reason to be concerned about doing the Trim Healthy Mama plan, it’s not cynical. I have lost 53 lbs on the plan. I have hypothyroidism so I’m transitioning to Keto for a time to see if I can break my stall. The past few months I have been intensely exercising so I’ve stalled, and so think my body has just gotten used what I’ve been eating. The basis around the plan is to remember to eat protein at every meal, and either pair the meal with a carb source, or a fat source and always eat non-starchy veggies. They still want you to limit your carb intake, keep it to one carb meal a day, I usually do about 3 carb meals a week but I never go over 45g of carbs in a day. They also strongly encourage no processed foods, no sugar at all and whole grain as in sprouted whole grains only, no wheat, no flour, except coconut and almond. It’s much like Keto beside the fact that you can have carbs as long as they are naturally occurring carbs, not carbs from sugar. I wanted more of a challenge and came across Keto through THM, I had never heard of Keto before. I’m trying to go gluten free to see if that will help my thyroid. Overall different things work for different people, unfortunately Keto is not for everyone while THM is not for everyone. As long as we’re trying to be healthy, by eating real food, that’s what matters. By the way I was on THM for 2 1/2 years, I’ve cheated some for special occasions and I’ve haven’t gained I’ve kept it off, because THM isn’t a diet, it’s a complete lifestyle change.
Is your thyroid autoimmune? If it is you are definitely on the right track avoiding gluten. Good luck
I’m not sure I understand your concern for your family member. I know people that are doing THM and keton. Those doing THM have had great results, as a matter of fact, very much the same results as those doing keto, reversed diabetes, lowered blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, no longer taking meds, reversed or are no longer suffering from a lot of symptoms of their autoimmune diseases, and weight loss …of course not every person is experiencing all the same results, but a good majority of them have had great results in a lot of these areas. I also know people doing keto who are having a lot of the same results, the biggest and most common with keto (in the people I know) being weight loss. What works for some, may not work for others. I think if a person is having success, they’re committed to and like what they’re doing and can stick with it, that’s what matters and what is best for them. It’s hard enough trying to change your ways, especially when it comes to eating habits and losing weight, it makes it so much harder on a person when someone tries to convince them that their way is not right, causing self doubt, which leads to giving up. Leave your family member be, and do what is best for them, and you just do you! It’s a personal journey for each of us, just be supportive of each other, that would be more helpful than trying to make a convert of this person.