Starting Week 5
Hard to believe... that this...
only took....
four weeks!!!!
I feel happier, more with it, more everything really - not the first week the first week - wekk two weeks in contrst to this last week was not great. I can see that now. But here I am at the age of 52 walking back all that weight. It is really something to be amazed about.
In the process I discovered that If I eat one good meal a day, I have at least 4 weeks worth of survival in me. 4 weeks is huge. I suppose if the body had to, and had no food at all, I would have 3 weeks. But then add another 3 weeks - that 6 to 8 weeks worth of energy to keep me going.
I could have lost more weight if I moved more when I got home to do things like, I don't know deep clean the house, or just CLEAN the house, but nah - I was most horizontal. In the end I didn't even pretend to be watching TV like last night. I was just reading and writing in my journal.
I do not even know how much weight I was carrying when I got back from Singapore last year. All I know is that I am going to do this for another 4 week before I am happy with where I am going to be.
You can see that most of the loss takes place, is most obvious around the belly area... it is so weird...
Other things...
All other activities to promote weight loss are just unnecessary. To make a whole song and dance about it is pointless. All you need is to just do a calorie deficit, which is what I always said, and there is no need to exercise. Exercise when you get to the weight you want to get to. In fact I might start running again after week 6. I can't wait. It will be something to look forward to.
The exercise is about basic mental and physical health. The IF is about weight. The both should not be confused. Any exercise done does not ameliorate the eating. You can't say, oh I ran 8 km or even 10 km today. I can have this ice cream. Unless you are preparing for an ultra marathon, at elite athlete status, you can just assume it hs not a lot to do with the weight gain/ loss.
In fact, it could sabotage your body as it tries to cope with the IF, making it hungrier as blood sugar levels yo-yo.
I know my body now and I know INSTANTLY when I am in the state of drawing on my body's store. That happens for the first 9 hours of the day - from 5 am till when I start eating again - which could be anything between 3.30 pm and 4, sometimes 5 pm.
I do also think that now I am menopausing, my metabolism is slowing down. So maybe IF is the way to go from here on in. I am also glad that I caught the menopause weight gain at the start - nipped it in the bud as it were. That I turned it around before it got even further.
So I think going in, I am just going to have to be more careful with the amount I eat and make sure that I am eating carefully, judiciously.
So, lessons learnt from menopause once again:-
1. That there are many stupid rumours about menopause. One thing which is NOT a rumour though is that weight gain is real. Why is this? I do not have any scientific theory backing this up BUT I feel that.
a. Not producing your period monthly means that energy is kept, stored away. So the amount eaten needs to be reduced. Plus the ebb and flow of the water retention which you could rely on no longer exists.
b. Your metabolism probably slows down - whatever that means. (Don't know if this is true. Think the first one is more true.)
c. Start your weight management journey at the start of menopause. Whatever your weight. - by adopting new habits. Namely good healthy eating habits like not snacking, not overeating, reducing your portions. Intermittent fasting.
d. Start regularly exercising AFTER you have lost the weight you needed to lose.
e. Keep the weight stable and at the level you want by keeping up with your new good habits.
TRUTH: People do not need to eat a lot to live. Our bodies are so ridiculously energy efficient that one good, sensible meal a day is enough to keep you going. The three square meals a day is a total myth. I think it is ideal for growing children, but adults, especially older adults do not need to eat 3 meals day. It is waaay too much and the product of a society which is a little bit bored.
I have literally not felt hungry since I began this process. Literally. Which makes me wonder, did I ever feel hungry given the fact that we live in this society?
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