Monday marks the end of week two in my latest journey into the world of mindful eating, and I’ve gotta say, so far, so good.

I started off at about a 7 out of 10 on the motivation scale, but after my first meeting with the nutritionist, I walked out of her office at about an 8. These last two weeks have kept me in the 8-9 range, so I’m not hating life. In fact, I’m starting to notice a few small positive changes.

First off, I feel good about the things that I’m eating. Am I perfect? Not by a long shot, but I’ve made many small changes for the better, and I feel good about that. I still have a couple of Hot Tamales candies most evenings, but instead of an entire box, I eat about 7 or 8 of them. There were a few boxes in the pantry when I started, so I opened them all into a jar so I wouldn’t have the “finish the box” syndrome, and it’s working. I enjoy my treat, then move on.

I’ve also realized that there are other foods that work for me, instead of against me. Who knew I would enjoy V8 so much, or natural almonds? And the Clif protein bars? Yum!

I’m still eating dinner with the family, but we’ve been having good home cooked meals (swordfish, anyone?) and even meals out have been carefully chosen. I’m feeling pretty good, and I’m hopeful that this time I can keep up the momentum.

One of the things that I’m focused on right now is limiting carbs, and it isn’t because of calories. The thing about carbs is that they turn to sugars and then the body produces insulin to process them (at least that’s the way I understood it, don’t quote me, I’m not a medical professional). The body I live in needs to produce less insulin, so fewer carbs (and Hot Tamales candies) are the order of the day.

I can honestly say I’m looking forward to my next visit with the nutritionist. I’m feeling energized and positive, and I’m interested to hear her feedback, as well as step on the scale. Even if it didn’t move, I know that the changes I’m making are having a positive effect on my body, and that’s something to feel good about.