by Leslie
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You probably know Beachbody for their at-home workout videos and infomercials that somehow draw you in and keep you watching. But did you know they also offer nutrition-only focused programs too? After all, 80% of health and fitness is based on nutrition. I’m a huge fan of Ultimate Portion Fixand recently gave their other nutrition program, 2B Mindset, a try. If you’ve been curious about the program I’ve got all the details for you along with my honest 2B Mindset review.
What is 2B Mindset
Beachbody created a “nutrition-first” weight-loss program for people who aren’t ready or able to workout. 2B Mindset is a video-based weight-loss program designed to change your mindset about food, your body and losing weight.
The program is not a diet but rather a lifestyle change. Instead of focusing on what you can’t eat, the program focuses on what you can eat to feel full and satisfied.
The structure of the program is very loose and therefore easy to follow:
• No counting calories, no measuring food, and no using food containers
• You don’t cut out any food groups
• There’s no deprivation or feeling hungry
• You can follow the program even when you are at a restaurant, a party, or on vacation!
Co-creator Ilana Muhlstein, MS, RDN (Registered Dietitian Nutritionist) lost 100 pounds herself— and kept it off—using the 2B Mindset principles. She’s helped thousands of others lose weight through her private practice in Beverly Hills and a clinic at UCLA.
The program is based on 4 Principles:
- Water First
- Veggies Most
- The Scale
- Tracking
The videos explain the importance of each principle and how it aids in weight loss. There are also tools available to help apply the principles.
What’s Included
There are a variety of packages to choose from when purchasing the 2B Mindset nutrition program. You can choose from digital only, base kit with printed materials or a challenge pack.
All packages include:
- 40+ short videos
- Digital program materials & resources:
- Getting Started Guide
- My Go-To Guide
- My Tracker book
- Recipe books
- 30-day meal plan
- Beachbody Nutrition+ App
- First 30 days of The Mindset Membership
The videos and digital materials are accessed through Beachbody On Demand. However, the 2B Mindset program is not included with the standard Beachbody On Demand membership and requires a separate purchase. It is not required that Beachbody On Demand be purchased to access 2B Mindset. You can purchase 2B Mindset as a standalone product.
2B Mindset Meal Plan
Ilana, a self-proclaimed volume-eater, loves food and likes to eat lots of it. The meal plan revolves around staying full and satisfied.
While you don’t measure your food you do eat based on ratios. Each meal has it’s own set of ratios based on the “Plate It” method. You eat a different mix of veggies, protein and fiber filled carbs for breakfast, lunch, dinner and an optional snack. You are also encouraged to use the accessories food group to give your meals more flavor.
The 2B Mindset doesn’t “tell” you what you should eat. Instead, it helps you learn what you should eat and why.
I love that the program comes with a 30 day meal plan complete with healthy recipes. It makes it very easy to jump into the program and become familiar with the ratios. I love to meal plan by recipe instead of type of food.There is also a mix and match guide if you don’t plan meals based on recipes or plan to eat out.
I used both the 2B Mindset Barre Blend 7 Day Meal Plan and the 30 Day Meal Plan Summer 2019 to plan our menus. Youcan check out the 2B Mindset Meal Plans we followed here.
Favorite 2B Mindset Recipes
One of my favorite things about trying 2B Mindset was all the new recipes. We tried a number of new recipes and enjoyed pretty much all of them.
Here are some of our Favorite 2B Mindset recipes:
- Apple Pie Parfait Bowl (2B Mindset Holiday)- This was simple to make and delicious! My husband loved it too. The hardest part was finding a high fiber cereal that meets 2B Mindset requirements.
- Cranberry Turkey Sweet Potato Sandwich (2B Mindset Holiday)- I was a little skeptical about a sandwich made with sweet potato as the “bread”. I used my mandoline to slice the sweet potato to create even slices. To my surprise this sandwich was delicious.
- Spaghetti Squash with Tomatoes & Mushrooms (Beachbody Blog) -This was delicious and easy to make. Although the spaghetti squash takes quite a while to cook, it’s a hands off process.
- Celery Root Stuffing (2B Mindset Holiday) – My husband rated this recipe as “Awesome!” It was so delicious. I couldn’t find celery root so I subbed in parsnips. It takes a while to cook but is pretty hands off.
- Jamaican Coconut Shrimp and Cauliflower Rice (2B Mindset Summer)- This was really good. My husband liked it a lot. My son even ate it, including the cauliflower rice. We didn’t tell him it was cauliflower till dinner was over.
- Deconstructed PBJ (2B Mindset Summer)- Ooh, this is so good! It’s basically Greek yogurt mixed with peanut butter powder and berries. I mixed in honey instead of Stevia. It makes the yogurt so rich and creamy.
2B Mindset Results & Thoughts
As a big believer in the Ultimate Portion Fix nutrition program it was a bit hard for me to let go of that mindset and be open to the ideas in 2B Mindset. My first thoughts were that the 2B Mindset program is designed for people who have a lot of weight to lose (20+lbs). But after 30 days on the program I don’t believe that to be true.
Instead I would say the program is for people who like to eat three large meals a day (volume eaters) instead of smaller meals throughout the day. The program focuses a lot on eating to feel full.
While I was not really looking to lose weight I did lose a few pounds while on the program. I believe some of it may be due to the fact that I was afraid to “accessorize” my meals because I didn’t know how much to use. Following the example meal plan helped. I also believe increasing my water intake was a positive factor in my weight loss.
As someone who is very structured the lack of structure was hard for me to get used to although there was a lot of freedom in not having such a set structure.
In the beginning I felt that using the scale every day seemed a bit obsessive. I usually only weigh myself once a week and the number doesn’t really matter much to me, it’s more about how I look and feel. But I gave the daily weigh-ins a try. As an analytical person I actually ended up enjoying going on the scale to see how what I ate the day before affected the number I saw.
Since I wasn’t really looking to lose any weight I didn’t do a lot of tracking. If you are looking to lose weight I believe using the tracker would be very helpful. I was diligent in my tracking during my elimination dietso I was already very familiar with how different foods affected my body.
Positives
While I do not plan on continuing with the 2B Mindset nutrition program there are some principles I plan to continue to follow that I learned from the program:
- Water first- hydration is important
- Veggies most- the best nutrient rich calories
- More flexibility in “accessories”
- Paying attention to how foods affect me
Negatives
One area I thought the program did not address was the emotional side of eating. Some of the videos available in the base program mentioned she would go deeper in the certification so be sure to buy the certification. I am a Portion Fix Certified Coach and to me the certification should be an additional tool to help coaches help others with the program. You shouldn’t have to buy the certification to get vital information for completing the program like how emotions and learned attitudes about food affect your relationship with food. I have not done the certification for 2B Mindset so I can not say if this is addressed or not.
The program talks about focusing on losing two pounds at a time. Over what time period? What happens once you reach your goal weight? These are a few of the questions I felt were left unanswered.
What is the Mindset Membership
The Mindset Membership is a monthly subscription to help you stay connected to the program. Each month Ilana shares more content, recipes and exclusive office hours where she answers questions and offers insights.
Content through Beachbody On Demand includes:
- Monthly Focus from Ilana on relevant topics such as handling difficult situations, Mindset Shifts to help get you back in weight-loss mode, and more.
- Monthly Tracker Analysis by Ilana, using a real-life case study to learn how to effectively track your food each day.
- 8 NEW delicious recipes each month (video and PDF)
- Goal Setting Worksheet (PDF)
With the Mindset Membership you also get 24/7 access to The Mindset Membership Exclusive Community for support from other membersand check-ins from Ilana. The community includes livevideos with Ilana twice per month. Once to explain the monthly theme and help you set goals, The second for Office Hours to answer your questions.
If you don’t want to pay a monthly fee but are looking for support you can find community through Facebook groups. Just search for 2B Mindset and you’ll find several.
My overall experience with 2B Mindset was positive and I would recommend it to anyone looking to lose weight without a lot of restrictions.
Get Started with 2B Mindset Now
