Last week I tried my second fuel cycle while being on the THM plan. I have talked a little about the plan before here. I want to start out by saying that Trim Healthy Mama doesn’t feel like a diet or very restrictive 90% of the time, but on the fuel cycle it feels like an awful mean diet, well only on a few of the days. But every once in awhile your body needs a restart and this works the magic. It is not recommended to start out the plan like this or to try it in the first couple months. You want to be at a pretty good stall before you try this.
A fuel cycle week looks like this. Days 1&2- Deep S or high fat low carb. On these days there is no dairy, no nuts, minimal carbs, and a lot of good fats like animal fats and coconut oil. Days 3 & 4- E or high carb low fat. On E days you can have the dairy back if you want, there is very minimal fats or oils, and many good carbs such has brown rice or sweet potatoes. Days 5 & 6 are FP (fuel pull) which is low carb and low fat. These days you want to stick to veggies and protein. Day 7 is a Deep S again following same rules as the first two days.
To understand the why behind these days refer to the Trim Healthy Mama Plan book.
Here are my before and after pictures. I lost 5 pounds in one week. Which is huge for me I also lost a total of _____ inches. I am not a fast loser and have had a hard time losing anything most of my adult life. THM has been the only thing that has worked for me and while I don’t enjoy the Fuel Cycle that much it was so worth it. I’m proud of myself for sticking out the whole week this time and for being so close to my goal.
Day 1 on left and after it was finished on right.
Now time for what you want to know, what I ate. Each day I had, at least, one THM Moonshine and one Shrinker, recipes to follow.
Deep S days
Breakfast- 2 slices of bacon and 2 eggs cooked in coconut oil and a bit of bacon grease, seasoned with salt pepper garlic and a little cayenne.
Lunch- Chicken breast cooked in skillet with coconut oil and varrious seasonings. Greek seasonin is my favorite. Cauliflower or mixed green veggies steamed then sauteed in coconut oil with greek seasoning.
Dinner- Same as Lunch most days, just more meat.
Dessert- skinnified chocolate mousse.
E days
Breakfast-Apple and Triple Zero Greek Yogurt
Lunch- Sweet potato soup from THM Cookbook, sweet potato and chicken.
Snack- 2 or 3 Wasa and a Laughing Cow wedge or air popped pop corn
Dinner- “Fried” brown rice with chicken and carrots, sweet potato fries and chicken
FP days (my hardest)
Breakfast- strawberries and Triple Zero Greek yogurt
Lunch- Progreso Light Soup- Santa Fe and Creamy Chicken and Dumplings
Snack- 2 wasa and a laughing cow cheese
Dinner- Steamed cauliflower with seasoning and 3 oz chicken breast
Dessert- strawberries cut with a little Pyure sprinkled on top.
It is repetitive but it gets the job done with easy prep. I was more hungry on the FP days so I just ate a bit more often. The E days I craved chips, which I don’t ever eat anyway, I wanted all the junk I could think of but by day 4 that was mostly gone. Air popped popcorn in the microwave with no oil and a bit of salt did the trick and saved me from finding chips.
The Trim Healthy Mama’s out there have their own kind of Moonshine and it is great at keeping you hydrated and helping your body. The people and kids I work with know it as Mrs. Birchfield’s Special Tea. It is simply a sprinkle of powder ginger, a splash or two of Apple Cider Vinegar, sweetner to taste, tea ( I use a herbal tea, lately it is Raspberry Zinger) and 32 oz of water. Stir together and enjoy all day.
There is also a drink called the Shrinker I modified it to make it taste better to me. A bag of Oolong tea, 2 teaspoons of Pyure, a dash of cinnamon, about 1 capful of caramel extract and hot water to fill your mug. Stir to help dissolve and combine and enjoy. It is also good with a splash of Almond milk or cream.
I am so glad I did this fuel cycle and recommend it to those you are stuck and the scale just won’t move. I am also very glad that it is over and I can go back to free styling and mixing my meals up again. I am sure you will see more updates and Trim Healthy Mama menus in the future, if you have any questions about the plan please leave a comment or want to know more about the Fuel Cycle just ask I would love to share more details with those who want them.
This was very helpful. I was overwhelmed when I looked at their fuel cycle in the book…this looks simple and budget friendly. Thank you
I am so glad that you found this helpful! The whole plan can be done in a budget-friendly way. I am currently working on a for beginners post that will have some great tips to keep the cost in any budget.
I have a question, I started the plan March 28th and by end of April lost 13 pounds. The whole month of May I didn’t lose anything else. I feel a little discouraged and wanted to give up. What are your suggestions?
There are times that after a big weight loss your body needs to heal its self and you may not lose anything. Also, you may be losing inches instead of pounds. A good rate to lose weight is 1-2 pounds a week so 13 in one month is awesome! The scale is not always the best way to measure your success even though it is nice to watch the numbers drop. I had to put my scale away and just trust my body, it has been very freeing.
You may also be eating more crossovers or not switching fuels often. If you are a member of the Facebook groups they are great at looking at your menu for 3-7 days and catching things that you may be missing.
I hope this helps. Feel free to contact me if you have more questions, and good luck on your journey there are many of us with you.
I too found this very helpful, and now I am ready to follow this and get back on track after a summer of holidays and family visits. I love how you made it so simple and budget friendly!
I am so glad you found it helpful. Good luck on your journey you can do it!
can i have the shrinker on the s or e days or does it need to be a fp day??
Shrinkers can be drank at any time.
Thank you for posting this. I was going to make some oatmeal concoction for brekkie this morning, but saw your apple and yoghurt idea. I stirred in a little slim belly jelly and dipped my apple slices in. Yummy and so quick to prep. I’m sipping your version of the shrinker right now…much easier and delicious. The caramel really makes it! Thanks again.
I am so glad you found this helpful! I need to make some slim belly jelly, that sounds great.