2B Mindset Success: Laura's Journey So Far

Tell us a bit about you - work, family, give us a sense of your lifestyle and day to day.

My name is Laura Monson. I am 40 years old. I've been happily married for 17 years to my high school sweetheart, Carl, and we have two daughters, Charlie (age 15) and Hadley (age 12). I work full time for the Department of Veterans Affairs in the payroll department. It's a demanding and stressful job but also rewarding since the majority of our staff are veterans and it is my honor to serve them. Our little family spends a great deal of time together since we are all music and movie fanatics which means we do very little in the way of actual exercise.

Why did you decide to give the 2B Mindset a try and what are your goals in the program?

My goal is to lose weight so that I can live a healthier lifestyle. My husband and two daughters are not overweight and have lots of energy whereas I am morbidly obese (those are my doctor's words) and lack the energy to keep up with my family. I gave the 2B Mindset a try because it focuses on nutrition which is what I need right now. Exercise is optional. I would prefer to lose at least 10 to 15 pounds before incorporating exercise to see if that weight loss can boost my stamina for exercise a bit.

What progress have you seen so far?

My progress so far is that I am down 7 pounds going into week 7 of the program. I'm proud of myself for sticking to clean eating and preparing all meals in my kitchen versus eating out. One milestone is that I'm drinking 90 ounces of water per day and before I barely even drank 16 ounces!

What are you proudest of?

I am most proud of my commitment so far. I have to be honest, I tend to throw in the towel pretty easily and end up giving up if I don't see immediate results. I have learned that change takes time and to be gentle with myself and with my progress this time around.

How have you surprised yourself? I have surprised myself by not snacking. I was a HUGE snacker which is why I’ve become as heavy as I have. Now I have structure to my meals and because I'm eating the right kinds of foods to make me full, I don't graze all day long eating empty calories.

What are your favorite things about the 2B MIndset? My favorite things about the 2B Mindset are that exercise is not mandatory and that I'm able to follow Ilana's videos to learn how to sustain this lifestyle. I like that I can refer back to the videos if I missed something or just watch them again to refresh my frame of mind so old habits don't start to creep in.

Any dislikes about the program?

I don't really have any dislikes about the program so far. I find it simple to follow. Any hangups that I have are all my own...like the fact that I am a super picky eater!

Speaking of that, how have you made this program work for you as a picky eater?

I was very nervous when I began this plan after seeing the long list of vegetables provided in the guide... and the fact that I would only eat like six of them! I told myself with only eating such limited veggies, I would have to try new things. So I did, and decided there was a reason I didn't eat most of them in the first place! I've made the plan work for me by mixing up my veggies by how they are prepared. Sometimes I eat them raw, or steamed, roasted, or in a soup/stew but even though I'm eating the same types of veggies, I'm eating them way more than I ever was before!

How have you made the plan work for a family of four who may not all want to eat this way?

Fortunately, I have a husband who will cook me whatever I need to make this work (I am a terrible cook). We sit down on Sundays when the new grocery store ad comes out and plan our weekly meals based around what is on sale, what we have coupons for, and what new recipes we are interested in testing that week. If my husband and our daughters want tater tot hotdish or baked ziti for one of the meals, then I plan something different for myself. Typically I just grill myself a chicken breast and microwave a bag of steamed veggies for my dinner. We make it work. I'm thankful that my kids are willing to try new things, and overall they have been enjoying turkey burgers (open faced for me), chicken meatballs on romaine boats, roasted chicken and veggies, and different types of cold weather soups. We haven't been eating out much which they sometimes gripe about but they know I struggle and are trying to be supportive.

Who would you recommend this program for? What advice would you give someone just starting out with it or considering the program?

I would recommend this program to anyone who is struggling with their weight and all of the "diet" programs out there. I myself have tried Weight Watchers, Atkins, the South Beach Diet, LA Weight Loss, the Diet Center, SlimFast, and even considered Jenny Craig although I couldn't afford it. I had success with Weight Watchers because I tracked with that program too but found myself getting sick of counting points all the time. I like the 2B Mindset because it's real food that is healthy and good fuel for my body. I like that I'm not constantly counting calories also.

Want to try the 2B Mindset for yourself? You can find the details here. The next round starts January 7, 2019, and a new round generally starts each month so it's always a good time to enroll and get access with the next cohort!