Adriene Kicked my Bum

Last week, as if by magic, my clothes started feeling loose. I knew it wasn't my imagination when my husband said he could really tell what I am doing is working. I ended the week at 193 for a total loss of 13 pounds, but I think the inches will be most telling once I get around to measuring again. I'm not going to lie, starting to see the progress is really helping me keep at it. I'm glad I gave intermittent fasting a try because nothing much was happening for me until I added that to the mix. This week I experimented and did a 16 hour fast. I typically only fast 12 hours and that feels perfectly fine, but I've heard 16 hours is the place where your body gets really good at using your fat for energy. It was a good practice in not freaking out the second I felt a hunger pang because that's my normal reaction. I don't like it. I just sipped some herbal tea and focused on my work. I found myself thinking about my growling belly a lot, but I managed to calmly remind myself good things were happening and my patience would pay off. When I finally did eat, my body buzzed in thanks. since it went well, I am thinking of incorporating one day a week to do a 16 hour fast, then the other two days that I fast will be 12 hours unless I suddenly start liking longer fasts. It's not just about eating less calories but about giving your body a break from insulin. Every time we eat, it spikes insulin, and our body has to go through the process of handling it. If you make more insulin than your body can use or get rid of, you store it as fat. When we give our body a break from processing food and dealing with insulin your body becomes more efficient at using insulin, regrowth of new cells (autophagy) and burning fat as fuel. These were the reasons I decided to try it and from a weightloss perspective, it works. Last weekend's food choices were better, despite eating out 3 times. I saved my indulgence for Saturday when I had a burger and fries, the other meals out were a taco salad and a steak with side salad. After we ate lunch on Sunday, in a neighboring city, we decided to explore a hillside park. I was full and felt like being lazy but obliged my husband. It was actually a cool little park. We got down the steep hill then had to get back up. I, per usual, was not wearing the proper footwear. There were steps made out of railroad ties, but they were so far apart and tall that I had to take two steps on each one. Had I been wearing good shoes I probably would have skipped the steps and climbed the hill. By the time we got to the top I was breathing heavy while talking to my husband and he was acting like we were just walking on flat ground, no heavy breathing, unruffled. I realized that weightloss and shrinking bodies only matter if I'm getting fitter and that is not the case. I have been so so very lazy where exercise is concerned. I have always made exercise a morning thing because I know that things can come up and its easier to skip later in the day. For me, since I started working from home, as soon as I get done with work, I take my dog out and feed him, then I plop down in a chair and start looking at my phone and fall asleep. usually my afternoon nod is 30 minutes or less, but as I inch closer to menopause I am starting to notice differences in my sleep. I'm sure napping every day, after a very sedentary job, doesn't help. So this week I decided to move more after work. I took my dog for short walks 2 days and did yoga all 3 days so far this week. My perception of sleepiness is the same when I get done with work, but I know I will feel more energetic (and less cold) after my yoga, so I just do it before I give myself a chance to back out. The first day I did a known easy yoga flow (Yoga with Adriene "Yoga for a Rainy Day"), then I began one of Adriene's 30 day challenges. Day one was pretty smooth and easy, Day 2 definitely turned up the heat working the core. I feel so weak whenever I have to use my core. I was doing planks and my body was shaking, and static squats and lunges had my legs screaming like kids in a haunted house! I know these are things I need to work on for a better quality of life as I age so a little challenge now will reap good rewards in the long-term. I always end yoga feeling warm, relaxed and good. I am always reminded just how stiff my hips and hamstrings are, especially now that I have a desk job, and yoga helps remedy that. So I think I am going to challenge myself to complete the entire 30 day challenge without a break. I like a challenge. Today I realized that, unlike so many times when I started a weightloss attempt, I didn't really take any "before" photos that I can compare with current weights as I lose. I have done it so many times and not followed through with the weightloss, so maybe that was a jinx, huh? I am sure any previous photo that included my body will suffice as I really sat in the same 15-pound range for years. I am not going to worry about it until it's time for "after" photos, but I do plan to take some progress photos along the way for my own sake if nothing else. Its fun to think ahead to wonder what I'll look and feel like next summer. will my hip hurt less (it's a summer-related pain for me, not sure why)? Will my swimsuit still fit me? Will I turn into a sac of loose skin and wrinkles? The only thing I know for sure is, if I keep up with yoga I am going to ve a freaking yoga Goddess by then!