Changing my Weigh

A little over 2 months ago, I was tossing around the decision to try Beachbody's new nutrition program the 2B Mindset. My biggest challenges to overcome were:

Facing the scale on a regular basis
Veggies Most
Believing that I could lose weight without exercise

As I was seeing some awesomesauce results coming in from my Beachbody friends, I cast my doubts aside and decided to give it a whirl.

After month 1, I wrote this post about my love/hate/hate/hate/hate (did I mention hate) relationship with the scale and how my mindset was starting to shift.

http://chewingthefatonskinny.blogspot.com/2018/05/lost-my-weigh_10.html

As I just closed out month 2, I thought I'd share my continuing shift in mindset.

Facing the scale on a regular basis
It seems like a bit of an oxymoron, but facing the scale on a more frequent basis has released me from the bondage I've felt to the scale my entire life. Fear of the scale was literally weighing me down. My weekly weigh ins used to cause anxiety and stress. What the scale showed could ruin my entire day. Blah! Life is stressful enough, know what I mean? One of the premises of the 2B Mindset is to weigh in every day. The reason behind this is to simply view the scale as a tool to help you to assess your journey and recalibrate your choices as needed. I was super duper afraid of this premise because as a recovering perfectionist, this could seriously mess with my mind. I was fearful that I could become obsessed with it. But as it turns out, the more frequently I weigh in, the less afraid I am. And let me emphasize, this is not because I'm having rockstar weight loss weeks every single week- I'm certainly not. I have fluctuated between the same 2 numbers, I have lost and I have gained. I am not weighing daily but I am weighing in 3 times a week. Monday so I can see how I did over the weekend and I can break the mindset of "eating whatever I want" on the weekend and "getting back on track" during the week. Wednesday as a mid week check in. Friday as a reminder to not go ape shit crazy with my eating over the weekend. This pattern is working for me. It may not work for you. Maybe every day works for you. Maybe once a week works for you. But here's the deal and my biggest revelation- the scale doesn't lie. Of course our bodies will fluctuate due to hormones, water weight, strength training and so forth. But all in all, the scale is a tool that reflects our efforts- the good, the bad and the ugly and I'm OK with that. I know full well that when I weigh in and have a gain, that I will look at my tracker and see that I've been making crappy choices.

Veggies Most
Due to my absolute hatred of veggies, I should probably dedicate a whole post to this topic. But let me break it down for you. If I can try and eat new veggies, anyone can. Before the 2B Mindset my veggies were starches- peas, corn, potatoes (and oh I did like green beans). I set a goal to try 2 new veggies a week. I must admit I got "all veggied out" by the end of month 1, but I did it. And lo and behold I found a few new veggies that I like. Roasted/grilled peppers, onions, carrots. Sautéed snow and snap peas. And the biggest shocker, cauliflower rice. As a matter of fact I've got Asian chicken in the crockpot and I'm serving it over cauliflower rice tonight for dinner. My biggest veggie issue is texture. So I keep trying different ways to cut and cook veggies and I'm hiding more and more veggies in my recipes like spinach in my lasagna rolls and cauliflower rice in my stuffed pepper skillet instead of brown rice. My 2nd biggest veggie issue is appearance. Broccoli is a no go as it looks like little trees. Snap peas look like caterpillar cocoons (I got over this one). Zoodles look like worms and I've tried zucchini every which way but it's still a no go. I know, I need counseling. The bottom line is that I did find some go to veggies, I'll continue to try more and my health is all the better for it. Coming from the woman who is a veggie detective and used to pick them out of everything, including getting the chunks of tomatoes out of chili- change is possible. Full disclosure, I am still not eating veggies most, but I am eating veggies more. Progress, not perfection.

Believing that I could lose weight without exercise
Once again, I need to write an entire post on this. I have used exercise to compensate for "treats" my entire adult life. If I had a donut, I'd do a Core de Force kickboxing workout and burn off the 500 calories. The 2B Mindset promised weight loss without exercise. It was challenging to wrap my mind around this yet I know for sure this is possible and true. Abs start in the kitchen. I know that nutrition is everything and exercise is a bonus. Yet I have fought against this because...well...I love sweets...and food...and to eat...Yet as I went into month 1 of the 2B Mindset, I also had a herniated disc in my neck and I could not exercise. In the past I would have just waited until I could exercise to start a new program. But I went for it and guess what? You can lose weight without exercise. I'll be darned, the scale went down!

So that's my report at the end of month 2. The knowledge I've gained about nutrition on this program is more than I learned in my 20 years of being a Weight Watcher (disclaimer I still love Weight Watchers, it works). The 2B Mindset has truly shifted the way I eat and how I view food. It's a comfort to know that I'm not "on a diet" I am just living my best life. I am choosing foods that will fuel my body and leave me feeling satisfied. I have dropped the "woes me I can't have this" deprivation mindset. I am having treats. Food freedom means being able to find a way to eat better for the rest of my life and treating my body with respect and care, while enjoying myself along the way.

Hugs and friendship,
Tara