Non Scale Victory

I have not posted a blog in awhile because I have been utilizing every bit of my time and energy focusing on my fitness and nutrition.  On July 4th, 2018, I started the 80 Day Obsession (80DO) program and made a commitment to complete it…no matter what.  This meant that I had to put other hobbies and blogging on to the back burner.

What is 80 Day Obsession (80DO)?  It is a Beachbody workout and nutrition program created by fitness expert Autumn Calabrese.  80DO, consists of three “phases”, each phase lasting 4 weeks, and a final “peak week”.  It has one working out for 13 weeks straight and every workout program is different.

On September 29, 2018, I completed the entire program!!  Despite everything — work, chores, sick kids, catching a cold, one kid breaking a bone, attending a destination wedding, and having a house guest — I did it!!   I completed every single workout AND I followed the nutrition plan.

I am so proud of my hard work, that I am sharing it with the world.  The 80DO workouts are NOT a piece of cake.  They are some of the hardest workouts that I have ever done and I have completed  a lot of Beachbody workouts.  To name a few, I have finished P90X, Insanity, 21 Day Fix Extreme, Chalene Extreme, and PiYo.   Even though  I have done multiple rounds of the aforementioned programs, I have never gotten results like I have with  80DO.  80DO has changed my life for the better, similar to how Birkenstocks have changed my life.

A major component of 80DO is the nutrition piece.  Autumn has created a “timed nutrition’ program that tells one what to eat, how much of each macro nutrient to eat, and when to eat it.  And the workouts are so intense and challenging, that one is eating like a horse for 13 weeks.  Seriously!  I ate all day, everyday, for 80 straight days.

Containers I used for Timed Nutrition and my custom Birkenstocks (more on these in another blog)

I am not going to sugarcoat it, 80DO challenged me in new and different ways, like breaking-in a new pair of Birkenstocks.  I was eating more than I have ever eaten on a daily basis, which at times was a struggle.  Some days, I pushed through physical and mental challenges to get through hour long workouts.  Since I refuse to be a couch potato, I powered through every single day and learned that I CAN do hard things!!

When I started this workout program, my pie in the sky, was to lose weight.  During the entire first phase of the program, I did not get on the scale because I was instructed, by Autumn, to  focus on “non scale victories”.  Non scale victories are changes in your body and mind that have improved and do not reflect a number the  scale.  When it was time for me to step on the scale between Phase 1 and Phase 2, I thought about all the non scale victories that I had experienced thus far.  But all those victories melted away when I saw the number of the scale go up!   I will be honest, seeing the number of the scale increase, was extremely hard for me to digest.
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Since there is no such thing as a free lunch, I continued on.  I was not going to reach my fitness goals unless I persevered.  I was determined not to get on that scale again until, at least, day 80.  I have not yet weighed in because I feel like I do not have to.  The non scale victories that I have observed are rewarding enough.

Here is some food for thought….I have literally toned up from my earlobes down to my tippy toes.  I could list at least a  baker’s dozen non scale victories that I  have experienced in 13 weeks of 80DO.  But, I  am  going to just focus on just one.  The biggest non scale victory that I have noticed, and that I do not want to admit, is related to my Birkenstocks.

Yeah, that’s right.  I have a  Birkenstock  related non scale  victory.  Are you sitting down?  I need to make sure that you are sitting down because you are not going to believe this when I tell you.  My entire body, including my feet, have toned up so much that I can now fit into a narrow width Birkenstock.  OMG!!! I cannot BELIEVE it.  Narrow width Birkenstocks have been my forbidden fruit.  There have been so many Birkenstocks, made  in  narrow width  only, that I had to forgo because I needed regular width.   

My narrow width Birkenstocks fit better after completing 80 Day Obsession!

Over the last few weeks, I noticed that my regular width Birkenstocks were beginning to fit me more loosely.  I began having to adjust the buckles to tighten the straps and then I realized that the shape of my foot had changed, ever so slightly, as well.  Since  my foot looked slimmer, I took out a pair of narrow width Birkenstocks, from the back of my closet, and slipped them on.  And they fit..SO  MUCH  better!!
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This Birkenstock related non scale victory was as sweet as honey.  It has opened the door to a greater variety of Birkenstocks for me.  Imagine where my collection will go now that I can fit into narrow width Birkenstocks too!!  I can take my collection to places that I could not before, since Birkenstock often only makes certain styles or models in narrow width.

I realize that comparing regular and narrow width Birkenstocks is like comparing apples to oranges.  Don’t get me wrong, I will always default to regular width.  Regular width Birkenstocks will forever be the apple of my eye.  However, knowing that I can toss a few oranges, or narrow width Birkenstocks, in to  the mix is like icing on the cake.

Autumn encourages individuals to celebrate their non scale victories and to practice self care with non food items.  No cake, no cookies,  no alcohol.  Rather, celebrate by having a massage, getting a pedicure, or buying a new pair of work out leggings.

You know how I celebrate my non scale victories and practice self care?  Yeah, you guessed it.  I buy myself Birkenstocks.  I  look at it  as multi tasking.  I  treat myself to Birkenstocks  and they take care of  my feet!!   Since I think Birkenstocks are the cream of the crop in the shoe world, I have celebrated the completion of each Phase of 80DO with a pair of new Birkenstocks.

After Phase 1 I treated myself to these Birkenstocks:

End of Phase 1 self care treat: Birkenstock Gizeh Fringe

With my completion of Phase 2, I felt like I deserved these Birkenstocks:

Birkenstock Big Buckle Arizonas in Zinfandel were my Phase 2 purchase to celebrate all my non scale victories

Finally, I celebrated my completion of 80 Day Obsession by purchasing these beauties:

Birkenstock Arizona Injected Rivets Gunmetal Gray - a gift to myself for completing 80 Day Obsession!!

And guess what....I ordered them in 38 Narrow!!!!  OK, I will  be  honest,  I ordered them in narrow (mostly) because they were not yet available in regular width.  But, also, as a reminder that 80 DO has changed my life and my feet!  I  did not have to  forgo these beauties  just because there  were only available in narrow width!!
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Now that I have completed 80DO, you might be wondering what’s next for Gina Mama.  While I realize that variety is the spice of life, I have never gotten results from a home workout program as I have from 80 DO.  So, I think I am going to do a second round of the program.  I will continue to use the motivation of purchasing a pair of new Birkenstocks to help get me through each phase of the program.

This time, however, I am going to toss my scale out the window and measure my non scale victories on how my Birkenstocks fit me.  Let’s hope that my foot does not change that much more, because recrafting my entire collection to a different size or width would make me go bananas.