Trim Healthy Mama Meal Types Explained

Confused by what is the difference between S, E or FP meals? What about XO? This post explains it all!

If you are new to Trim Healthy Mama or have heard about the plan but don’t know much about it, all the different types of meals probably sound confusing.

Maybe you are thinking of trying the plan but don’t think you could ever get a handle on the terms. Rest assured it isn’t that hard! There definitely may be a learning curve, but isn’t there one with every new thing we learn?

The good news is that to start the plan, you really only need to know the two main meal types, S and E. All the others can wait until you have gotten the hang of these two.

Also, if you have dabbled in Keto or low carb eating, you will already be totally familiar with S meals since these are all the same thing.

I’m going to keep this blog post to what exactly the meals are. If you want to learn the reason why we have these different types of meals and mostly separate fats from carbs, you can read about that here: What Is Trim Healthy Mama.

Ok, let’s get started!

The two main meals, S and E

The only two meals you really need to understand to master the Trim Healthy Mama plan are S [Satisfying] and E [Energizing]. And you can even learn these separately. Get the hang of one of them and then incorporate the other if that is easier for you!

Let’s start with S since many people already are familiar with this one.

Denver Breakfast Hash: THM S meal

S meals stand for Satisfying since they contain healthy fats which satiate and satisfy us. Healthy fats are essentially for healthy skin, hair and hormones, among other things. In S meals we can be as free with fats as we like. These include fats like olive, coconut, sesame, red palm and good old butter. Since the key behind loosing weight with Trim Healthy Mama is not combining fats and carbs, in our S meals that have fats, we keep carbs low, under 10 grams.

So, S meals = healthy fats but low carbs.

S meals are exactly the same as Keto meals so there are tons of recipes out there! Along with all the healthy fats we can have fatty meats like steak, hamburger, pork and fatty fish; and full fat dairy like cheese, cream cheese, and sour cream.

These meals are naturally very delicious and many people gravitate toward them, but let’s not forget about E meals! They can be equally delicious and fun even though they are the total opposite of S meals.

Energizing meals

On the other end of the spectrum are E [Energizing] meals. They contain healthy carbs but keep fats low, about 1 teaspoon of fats, or 5 grams.

They are called Energizing because carbs rev our metabolism, support our adrenals and give us energy!

If you are like me and have done a lot of Keto style eating, it can be scary switching to Trim Healthy Mama and starting to eat carbs again. We have been told over and over that carbs make us gain weight. But in reality, if we aren’t combining our carbs with a lot of fat, they in fact help us loose weight!

Eating low carb meals for too long can really slow down our metabolism. I’m speaking from experience here! Including carbs in our diet keeps that metabolism fired up!

Overnight Oats Three Ways: Trim Healthy Mama E meal

These meals can be a little tricky at first since we might not be used to keeping fats so low, but with time they will become second nature.

There are many E recipes in the Trim Healthy Mama cookbooks to get you started, as well as online from THM recipe bloggers like Northern Nester, My Montana Kitchen, Mrs. Criddle’s Kitchen and Brianna Thomas, among others.

Type ‘THM E’ into the search bar to find all the Energizing recipes right here on my blog!

With E meals we get to enjoy yummy foods like sweet potatoes, oatmeal, sourdough bread, grains and beans in a way that is actually slimming!

Although in S meals there is no limits on the amount of fat we eat, there is a limit for carbs in E meals. It is recommended to keep carbs below 45 grams, which lets you enjoy them without spiking your blood sugar.

Moving on….

After you have figured out S and E meals, there are a couple other meals you can learn.

Fuel Pull Meals

FP meals aren’t something you need to worry about right away, but once you are ready to learn more, they are a very slimming option to mix things up!

FP stands for Fuel Pull, since we pull out the two main fuels of fats or carbs. These meals are centered around protein, just like S and E meals, but they keep BOTH fats and carbs low.

So you take what you’ve learned about keeping fats under 5 grams for E meals, and carbs under 10 grams for S meals and combine this for a FP meal.

These meals can be a powerful weight loss tool because you burn through them quickly and go on to burning any stored body fat!

Zucchini, Tomato & Tuna Hash: Trim Healthy Mama fuel pull meal

A few more meal types

While FP meals are on the more extreme weight loss end of the spectrum, on the other end are Crossover meals, or XO.

Instead of pulling out fats and carbs like FP meals, or separating them like S and E meals, XO meals include BOTH fats and carbs.

They are good for pregnant moms, or people who are very active and have high metabolisms or struggle to gain weight.

They aren’t weight loss friendly for most ladies, but even so, it can be helpful to throw one in once in a while, even if you are trying to loose weight. Sometimes it’s all about surprising your body and adding a XO meal if you don’t eat them often is a great way to do that.

And for those of you who are at goal weight, don’t be scared of crossover meals! They are perfectly healthy so long as you aren’t eating so many of them that you start to gain weight.

Different types of S meals

Again, this is something you don’t need to worry about right away, but as you grow in the Trim Healthy Mama way of eating, you can switch things up even more by tweaking your S meals.

Deep S meals pull out any remote source of carbs that are usually allowed, and leave you with pure, healthy fats. So no dairy, nuts or nut flours, or starchier veggies like carrots, bell peppers, squash, peas or brussel sprouts.

These meals are extremely detoxifying and a great way to reset if you have eaten a sugary meal, since the pure fats get rid of any excess sugars in your system.

It is especially recommended to include lots of green, non-starchy veggies in Deep S meals to get the most bang for your buck.

Some of my favorite Deep S meals are some sort of simple sauteed vegetable like zucchini or cabbage topped with fried eggs or air fried salmon.

Oven Baked Salmon With Creamy Horseradish Dijon Dressing: THM Deep S

Last but not least, there are Light S meals. These are the same as regular S, we just are more conscious of how much fat we are using. Maybe we don’t need avocado, nuts, cheese, bacon and a rich dressing all on the same salad!

Lighten things up a bit and just include one or two of these. Or have a light FP dessert after a S meal instead of something with cream cheese and whipping cream.

Hopefully this was helpful!

I hope you now have a better understanding of the types of meals included in the THM plan!

Remember, you only really need to know S and E in order to do the plan successfully.

But including all the variations from time to time, will give you even better results and keep you from getting stuck in one meal type rut.

Comment below if you have any questions and save this post for later!

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