Project – Page 3 – Kaizen Neko Project

May 9, 2021May 14, 2024

Procrastinating? Sometimes, It Is Better To Act On the Tasks

We had a carpeted storage room. The storage room has a light, and it was good size room. To make the space more usable, we decided to create shelving units. We also decided to remove the carpet and install a hardwood floor. I am a big fan of the YouTuber April Wilkerson. She has filmed so many DIY projects and uploaded them to her Channel. I want to learn how to do woodworking or carpentry like her, and this project was an excellent project to start. I was initially excited by imagining completing the project ourselves.

It took several months to start the project because I was procrastinating. I was hesitant to start the project because I felt anxious about starting. I was not ready for this task at all. I was so scared that I am not comfortable with the job. The last time I worked on flooring was a decade ago. So doing this project itself feels very risky because we might screw up the renovation. So, I sat with the idea for a long time without doing anything about it. Murray (2018) pointed out many of us procrastinate for various reasons, and some fit my situation.

Fear of the unknown
Fear of making mistakes
Wanting everything to be perfect or completely ready first
Fear of taking risks
Tasks seem too hard

A little procrastination is merely a peccadillo because it can damage us exponentially. Steel (as cited in Rice et al., 2012) studied the level of performance and mood outcomes resulting from procrastination. Steel concluded that procrastination could relieve anxiety only temporarily. Yet, the participants reported negative moods following procrastination (p. 3). The primary source of my distress was the guilt of delaying the project. The psychological damage impacted my mood; thus, it started affecting the performances of other activities.

Since procrastination can harm us both mentally and physically, why do we procrastinate? I guess just like Steel pointed at (as cited in Rice et al., 2012), it makes us feel better. The problem is the effect is only temporary (p. 3). It is like moving the pile of garbage from one corner of the room to the other corner of the room. The garbage stays and continuously torments me until I remove them. Rice et al. (2012) also concluded perfectionists tend to procrastinate. Procrastination correlates with poor health performance due to psychological distress resulting from procrastination (p. 12).

Procrastination prevents us from growing because it promotes stagnation in our growth. In the modern, rapidly shifting era, we need to acquire skills to deal with new challenges to survive. Murray (2018) said we don’t even see the reason for it as they hide very well. Procrastinating conflicts with our rapidly changing external world just like Homo sapiens were engaging complex planning 100,000 years ago, enabling them to evolve. At the same time, the Neanderthals were resistant to go out into the cold from their comfortable cave (para. 9). Procrastinating is one way for us to conserve energy, but on the other hand, we must start working on more complex tasks to evolve with our rapidly shifting eras.

I gained no benefits from this procrastination. It was pretty uncomfortable sitting with a non-progressed project. I remembered reading Brian Tracy’s “Eat That Frog,” Tracy (2001) recommends eating the ugliest frog first thing in the morning to be productive if you must eat one. So, I decided to deal with my frog.

To overcome my procrastination, I did list the possible challenges from this project to deal with them one by one.

Can I Install a hardwood floor by myself? It has been a long time since I did the hardwood floor installation last time. Since this was the first experience for my husband to install a hardwood floor or a shelving unit, I will be leading this project.
Can I build a strong shelving unit for our storage room? I was unsure whether the method I wanted to use will work for this space.
Which tools do I need to buy?
How long will this project take?
How much will this project costs?
When can I start this project? I will not start this project until October as I was leading a large project at work.

By looking at the list of my challenges, I can overcome these obstacles with some researches. Instead of doing everything at once, do section by section. The project can be broken into two main tasks.

Installation of the hardwood floor
1. Installation of the hardwood floor
2. Installation of the Baseboards
Installation of the shelving Units
1. Installation of Shelving supports
2. Installation of Shelving units
3. Paint shelving units

I could deal with the root of my anxiety by researching how to complete the project. So, I researched YouTube channels and other blog posts on installing hardwood flooring, baseboards, and shelving units. I decided to use engineered flooring because it seems easier. We bought the hardwood flooring from Home Depot online. When I was researching, I observed the tools each YouTuber was using. We must get a few tools such as a Miter saw a jigsaw, a level, a Pry Bar, Spacers, and a tapping block. A miter saw can be expensive, but we can use it for other projects.

We decided that the best time to start the project was Columbus day since I knew I would be busy until the last day of September. We purchased tools and materials in small increments over four months until the starting day. We still had four months until the project starting day. We have a compact passenger car, so it was impossible to purchase everything at once. Unexpectedly, having a tiny car created more challenges than any other source. Thanks to my husband’s surfeit of packing skill, we managed to carry all tools and materials we purchased. Later, I found out that Home Depot rents out a truck and will consider renting it for future projects.

Initially, I estimated we would complete this project by the end of Thanksgiving day; however, it took longer due to my stomach problems. We completed the project by the end of last year. The outcome was better than what we had originally thought, even though it was far from perfect. Since we took a long time planning and purchasing materials and tools, it cost us approximately $150 less than I budgeted. We may not have a perfect storage room, but it is functional. The important thing is that I regained my confidence, but I finally managed to remove my psychological distress. I gained satisfaction from completing the project ourselves.

We already have another plan for home renovation. Since neither of us is a professional renovator, it will be another challenge for us. But, that will be another chance to learn something new.

New Hardwood Flooring in the Storage Room

Used Wall Mounting Technique for Pantry Shelving

References

Tracy, Brian (2001), Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time, Errett-Koehler.

Murray, John. (2018). Start now, get perfect later: how to make smarter, faster & bigger decisions & banish procrastination. [Skillsoft version] Available from <https://roberthalf.skillport.com/skillportfe/main.action?assetid=149423>

Rice, K. G., Richardson, C. M. E., & Clark, D. (2012). Perfectionism, procrastination, and psychological distress. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 59(2), 288–302.

April 5, 2021May 14, 2024

The Reasons Why I Started Making Homemade Yogurt

I have a story that starts after a few weeks after the last day of taking antibiotics. I woke up in the middle of the night from stomach pain. I had been suffering from a leaky stomach problem from antibiotics for days. Since I do not usually take medication, my stomach got surprised by the sudden intruders. The pain the night was so bad that I could not sleep at all the rest of the night. I was so sick until the following morning that I ended up taking a sick day the next day. That was my first sick day in the last ten years.

Deep in my heart, I do know that this was caused by more than just antibiotics because I was having mild symptoms of a leaky stomach for the last few months. I hypothesized that my stomach problem is due to my recent poor lifestyle.

To find a lasting solution, I started identifying any unpleasant symptoms I have. Then, I was trying to identify the possible root cause of the symptoms. Then, I grouped any symptoms that appear to share the same root course. For example, I have not had any single days off for five months due to two major work projects I was leading. Then, I was trying to remember the last time I exercised. I hardly exercised for the previous five months because I made many excuses to keep myself from exercising. Mental exhaustion and the lack of exercise, of course, prevented me from falling asleep. I felt tired even if I slept long hours. We do not eat out, but I tended to cook comfort foods with more carbohydrates and fat to compensate for my lack of energy and stress. These poor lifestyle habits were very detrimental to me. It was high time to look into fixing the problems.

Taking a supplement was the easiest solution for me to fix my leaky gut problem. According to Victor (February 2021), it is common for people to suffer from diarrhea, and it is possible to treat the symptoms of diarrhea caused by antibiotics. One study suggested that taking probiotics reduces diarrhea caused by antibiotics by 42%. Taking probiotics reduces diarrhea duration by an average of 25 hours (p. 39). Probiotics provide microorganisms called gut flora. Gut flora is vital for our body because it manufactures vitamins B12 and K. Gut flora fiber from short-chain fats and feeds our gut. The short-chain fats boost our immune systems.

Taking supplements seemed to be working; however, I discovered that not all probiotics supplements are effective as the capsule’s microorganism may no longer be alive. But taking supplements is not the only way to obtain probiotics for the guts. There are multiple traditional ways to obtain probiotics by eating fermented foods. Victor (2021) suggested that we can get probiotics from bacterially fermented foods such as Yogurt, Kombucha, Kimchi, and sauerkraut (pp. 5-6).

I have always been interested in fermented foods. About three years ago, I took a fermentation workshop. After the workshop, I started to make Kombucha. We have been making it since the fermentation workshop. It worked very well for my husband’s stomach problems and regulated his bowel movements. I sometimes make Kimchi or Japanese pickles, but I do not do it as often as I would like to. The biggest reason was my husband suffered from high blood pressure. I eat Natto, fermented beans, but I am not sure about making Natto at home as it smells terrible. Yogurt, on the other hand, I can easily make using our instant pot.

Yogurt is fantastic food. Yogurt with active culture helps with some gastrointestinal conditions. Elaine (n.d.) reported that yogurt with live culture helps with Lactose intolerance, constipation, diarrhea, colon cancer, Inflammatory bowel disease, and H. pylori infection (para. 1). It has the benefit of a prolonged lifespan. According to Victor (Februrary 2021), Eli Metchnikoff, a Russian scientist, considered probiotics’ father, stated that the lactic acid bacteria could reverse intestinal auto-intoxication after studying the lactic acid bacteria. He also observed that those who consume fermented milk have a longer lifespan; thus, he theorized that the lactic acid bacteria could prolong life (p. 17).

I learned how to make yogurt from watching a video from Skillshare and YouTube. I read blog postings from people who make yogurt. Yogurt making was unknown knowledge to me since I have never seen someone making it around me. Since everyone’s instant pot has a slight difference in the operation, I decided to follow the recipe that came with the instant pot for my first attempt.

I first acquired a yogurt culture for my yogurt. You may be able to make yogurt from a commercialized yogurt, but I decided to buy a yogurt starter mix. I used yogurt culture from Euro Cuisine.

Ingredients

Milk 42 oz

Yogurt culture one package

Procedures

Pour 42 oz of milk in an instant pot.

Choose the yogurt function, and adjust the mode to boil. The boiling process takes approximately 30 minutes on my instant pot. The instant pot brings up the milk to 180 F. This heating process allows for firmer, thicker yogurt. I usually boil it for a little longer to make thicker yogurt.

A thin layer of film or skin form appears on the milk’s surface after heating. I take out the film. I forgot a piece of film on my first try, and the texture felt awful in it. Now let the milk cool down to 111 – 113F. It takes approximately 45 minutes.

Pour the warm milk from the instant pot (111 – 113F) into a pitcher, and mix the yogurt culture packet (5g). Lightly whisk to dissolve all of the yogurt cultures into the warm milk.

Pour the mixture of warm milk and yogurt culture into the rest of the milk in the instant pot. Close the lid, and set the instant pot to yogurt for 7 hours. My instant pot stops heating after 7 hours.

Once the yogurt is cool enough to refrigerate, I put the yogurt into mason jars and refrigerate it.

I usually make yogurt on Friday night before going to bed to have a yogurt the following morning.

Most recipes call for 1/2 gallons of milk per two tablespoons of yogurt culture, but the yogurt culture from Euro Cuisine called for 42 oz of milk for one pack of yogurt culture. I accidentally used 1/2 gallons of milk for one yogurt culture package, but I still made yogurt.

If you cook something in the instant pot before making yogurt, make sure to wash and dry everywhere. Once I used my instant pot right after making stew, my yogurt had a scent of cumin. I think it was because I did not fully dry off the instant pot’s lid after washing.

So far, I try to consume at least 100 g of yogurt each day. We make yogurt dressing, frozen yogurt, and Indian foods from our homemade yogurt. I found many recipes I want to try. If you add some honey and frozen fruits, you can also make a good smoothy. I try not to add so much sugar to my yogurt since eating sugar may not be a good idea.

We refrigerate our yogurt in mason jars. Yogurt never lasts in my house as we use them up within ten days after making it. So I know homemade yogurt lasts at least ten days.

I cannot say yogurt healed me of my leaky gut problems since I consume many other fermented products. But, I can say this. I have not had leaky gut problems since I am consciously eating fermented products.

References

Magee, E., MPH, & RD. (n.d.). The Benefits of Yogurt. WebMD. Retrieved March 27, 2021, from https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/benefits-yogurt

Victor, G. (2021). Absolute Prebiotic Diet Guide: Active Prebiotic Health/Kitchen Recipes to Renew The Body & Brain (Kindle).

March 29, 2021May 14, 2024

Yes, We Like Our Fizzy Kombucha

Introduction

My parents had a habit of introducing healthy foods to our household, and they used to drink Kombucha. When I was a child, I tried a spoon full of Kombucha. I remember that it was sour like vinegar. I do not remember why they stopped drinking Kombucha. I met Kombucha in the United States after years after my first introduction to Kombucha.

In 2018, Mr. Sandor Ellix Katz facilitated a fermentation workshop at Short Mountain culture, located in a lovely town approximately 1 hour from Nashville. We joined the workshop to learn how to make Sauerkraut. Mr. Katz introduced to us a variety of types of fermented products in the class. Kombucha was one of them. Because it was something I drank long ago, I was instantly curious about making my Kombucha. I bought my first SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast at Short Mountain Culture, and my journey of making Kombucha started.

General Idea of Kombucha

Kombucha is a fermented drink made from black tea and sugar. Kombucha’s fermentation process is similar to vinegar’s. That is why I thought it was sour the first time I tasted it. According to the Kombucha Brewing & bottling guideline published by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (May 2017), Kombucha contains approximately 1 % alcohol. During the fermentation process, a white film appears on the liquid’s surface, and it will turn into a blob. The white blob in the picture is called a SCOBY (p. 1). It feels like touching the surface of the hard jelly.

The SCOBY from my last batch. — It is the SCOBY from my last batch. I remove any wanted parts from SCOBY to keep it healthy.

History of Kombucha

People have consumed Kombucha for a long time. My parents told me that it was from Manchuria, North East of China. The use of Kombucha has a long history. According to Jayabalan et al. (2014), it first appeared around Tsin Dynasty. People have used Kombucha to detoxifying and energizing in 220 B.C. Japanese people started consuming Kombucha around 414 A.D. A physician named Kombu brought Kombucha to Japan to treat the Japanese Tenno, Inkyo Tenno to treat his digestive problems in 414 A.D. (p. 538).

The benefit of Kombucha

As a physician, Kombu used Kombucha for treating digestive systems or detoxifying. My husband and I used it for treating our digestive system. My husband had some problem with his digestive system, which was in control after taking Kombucha. There are more benefits of drinking Kombucha. WebMD (n.d.) listed that Kombucha’s use boosts your immune system, losing weight, reducing blood pressure, and preventing heart diseases and cancer (para. 5 – para. 8).

The process of making Kombucha

I use sweetened Jasmine green tea as the fermentation medium for Kombucha to shorten the fermentation process. Jayabalan et al. (2014) claim that green tea and lemon balm tea shorten the fermentation process as it has more stimulating effects on Kombucha tea (p. 542). I accidentally found this alternative medium by purchasing Jasmine green tea instead of Jasmine black tea.

Ingredients to brew Tea used for fermenting

3 quarts of water

Eight bags of teabags (caffeinated black tea) – you can use green tea.

1 cup of sugar

1/2 cups of Kombucha (Use the Kombucha broth that came with the Kombucha SCOBY for the first batch)

First, clean the surroundings and wash your hands with soap to avoid growing unwanted microbes or molds.

Add 3 quarts of water to a pot and bring to a boil. Then, you steep the tea for approximately 10 minutes. Add sugar, then allow it to cool to about 68F – 75F. Be careful with the temperature of the tea. It is a host to living microbes, and you can kill them off if the Kombucha broth is too hot. Once it has cooled to 68F, add the Sweetened tea and the 1/2 cup of Kombucha to a clean Jar. Then, add the Kombucha SCOBY. We keep ours in the dark area for approximately one week at room temperature.

We like our Kombucha carbonated like a cider, so we do 2nd fermentation to carbonate it.

Bottling

Remove the SCOBY and set it aside on a clean plate. Keep 1/2 cup of Kombucha aside for the next batch.

I use 16 oz dark bottles for bottling Kombucha since yeast dislikes U.V. light. We use OxiClean to clean the bottles before filling them. Fill the bottle with 6 oz of fruit juice and add strained 10 oz of the fermented sweetened tea. It took me almost one year to figure out the balance of juice and Kombucha that best suit our tastes. I strain the fermented sweeten tea because I’m not too fond of pieces of SCOBY floating in my Kombucha. Seal the bottles and store them at room temperature at a dark location for about a week. Then refrigerate until ready to consume.

With little to no air, yeast will use sugar and excrete carbon dioxide. This process turns Kombucha into a fizzy drink.

The risk of Kombucha

Despite the health benefit gained from drinking Kombucha, there are some risks of drinking it. Like taking herbal medicine or any medicine, you will need to consult your doctor, especially if you have any preexisting conditions or take medications. For example, my husband consulted his doctor before taking any medications for his hypertension and kidney condition.

It would be best if you cleaned all equipment used for making Kombucha and your hands. According to Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (1995), two patients from rural Iowa reported getting severe illness after consuming Kombucha. The arterial blood samples from both patients show severe metabolic acidosis, which indicates an elevated level of lactic acid in the body. Both suffered cardiac arrest. Although the FDA could not link direct causation to Kombucha, they suspected that the Kombucha might have become contaminated by unwanted mold or microbes (pp. 892- 893).

I inspect my SCOBY for health every time I make Kombucha. I remove any unhealthy layers or excess layers so that Kombucha will remain healthy. I sometimes wash the SCOBY with extra fermented sweetened tea.

There are a variety of ways to consume Kombucha. Some add herbs or Puree in Kombucha. Some add sugar to keep their Kombucha unflavored. We like our Kombucha fizzy and enjoy the flavor of the juice we use. But feel free to experiment to find flavors that match your preferences.

References

Jayabalan, R., Malbaša, R. V., Lončar, E. S., Vitas, J. S., &Sathishkumar, M. (2014). A Review on Kombucha Tea—Microbiology, Composition, Fermentation, Beneficial Effects, Toxicity, and Tea Fungus. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 13(4), 538–550. https://doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.12073

Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Bureau of Food Safety and Laboratory Services. (May 2017). Kombucha Brewing & Bottling Guidelines. Retrieved March 24, 2021, from https://www.agriculture.pa.gov/consumer_protection/FoodSafety/manufacturing-packing-holding-distribution/Documents/Guidelines%20for%20brewing-bottling%20Kombucha.pdf

Unexplained Severe Illness Possibly Associated with Consumption of Kombucha Tea — Iowa, 1995. (1995). Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 44(48), 892-900. Retrieved March 21, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/23305248

Kombucha—Health benefits and risks. (n.d.). WebMD. Retrieved March 27, 2021, from https://www.webmd.com/diet/the-truth-about-kombucha

March 21, 2021May 14, 2024

First 4-Week of My Weight Loss Challenge

I decided to work on reducing my weight because I am quite a bit overweight. I noticed some negative consequents of being overweight. I tend to be hungrier than when I was average weight. My heart rate was higher. My energy level decreased. My clothing does not fit me well, and I lost confidence. I decided to challenge myself to lose weight. This blog is a summary of the progress of my first four weeks of this challenge. I experienced some benefits and some setbacks I wanted to share with you to help you lose weight.

perfect figure Image by Justine FG via https://www.freeimages.com/photo/perfect-figure-1326465

Exercise

With a commitment to being healthy, I started with regular exercise. One of the biggest obstacles for me is making time for regular exercise. Since I am working from home, I could do 30 minutes of exercise during my lunchtime and 15 minutes after work. I picked my favorite workout, Zumba fitness, for my starting exercise. I used to go to Zumba class back in Canada, and I have only good memories associated with the activity. Zumba can be a strenuous exercise, and the calories consumptions can rise to approximately 230kcal with my weight within 30minutes. I use Zumba Burn it Up!. I played the Zumba game since we acquired a console that was able to run it last Christmas, and I like the game a lot. Having a good feeling about the activities is an excellent way to keep me going with my commitment.

Equipment

The equipment I use for my exercise commitment is Fitbit Charge 3/4, Nintendo Switch, and Zumba Barn it up!

Fitbit Charge 3 & Charge 4: I have two Fitbit watches listed here because I had to replace my Charge 4. I loved Charge 4 as it tracks your activity duration and calculates your active minutes by considering the workout intensity. The workout intensity level is an essential factor for the amount of calorie output as it changes the amount of exercise expenditure per minute. For example, you will be spending much more energy by hiking a hilly mountain than walking on a flat road. The reason is your heart rate is higher for more vigorous exercise. Fitbit is not a cheap watch, but it eliminates my time to calculate activity minutes. You can use a heart rate monitor for around $20-$30 instead. The minutes for a high-intensity activity are double activity minutes.

Nintendo Switch and Zumba Burn it up!: I used a Nintendo Switch Game for an exercise program. You can use any exercise program as it is more accessible, and you feel you can commit to doing so. My husband, who disliked jogging, used Zombies, Run!, a phone app to make his jogging more interesting. He likes Zombie stories. He can now run 10 km in one go despite his physical challenges due to his brain trauma five years ago.

There are some improvements in my vital measurements, such as my resting heart rate and sleep quality in the first week. For example, my resting heart rate improved from 68 to 65, and my sleep quality increased from 76% to 83%. I was anxious about recent increases in my resting heart rates; it was an unexpected change.

It was not only good news, though. Soon, I started realizing exercising is not enough to lose weight. After a week of exercise, I lost only 0.3lb with 420 minutes of weekly active minutes. I began to review my Fitbit records, so I had to make modifications to my programs.

I noticed the following problems: sleep duration, water intake, and food intake. They are all equally essential factors in being healthy, but I must make choices. I was in the middle of a financial audit, and I did not have time to research all the factors. It is crucial to understand why I am modifying my programs. I was unsure about implementing the changes in my food intake as not all diets available are healthy nor practical. I decided to work on sleep duration and water intake. Since Fitbit cares about and tracks them, they must be important factors.

Sleep Duration

Sleep duration is essential for losing weight. According to Markawld et al. (2013), insufficient sleep leads to weight gain and obesity due to the change in energy expenditure and the changes in satiety and hunger hormones. Inadequate sleep will increase our energy expenditure per minute to compensate for the lack of energy; however, the hormone changes also signal our brain to eat more carbohydrates and fat, resulting in increased weight gain. Duration of sleep impacts females (pp. 5695-5696).

Sleep duration is a crucial factor for losing weight. To improve my sleep duration, I decided to review my habits. One of my biggest obstacles was I have no sleep schedule. I also like watching YouTube or reading on my smartphone, resulting in less than 6 hours of sleep. Even with my blue light filtering glasses, how good is not having enough sleeping time. So I will make modifications to these habits. First, I made a strict sleeping schedule that imposed a penalty to pay my husband. Second, I made it more difficult to access my mobile devices as my mobile devices are one of the factors taking away my sleep time. Third, I made a habit of meditating two minutes before going to bed. At first, it was challenging, but I managed to increase my average weekly sleeping duration to 7hours and 43 minutes by the end of the 3rd week.

Water Intake

Hydrating our body is essential for our health. There is an exciting news journal you can read on the John Hopkin University website. There are multiple benefits to drinking enough water, but I focused on a few relevant factors to this program.

According to HR NewsWire published (Jan 15, 2020), water helps hydrate our body and lose weight. Research conducted by Elizabeth Huggins suggested drinking 2 cups of water before eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner decrease food intake by 22% on average. A 2013 study reported that drinking approximately two cups of 71F water before breakfast, lunch, and dinner helped reduce body mass index and improve body composition score by 14% among healthy adults due to the increases in the body’s metabolic rate 33% average. The reason is the body tries to recover the heat lost from drinking cold water.

Finally, drinking water helps us exercise more effectively. Melina Jampolis, a board-certified physician nutrition specialist, explains that water dissolves and distributes electrolytes required for muscle contractions. Therefore, proper hydration will more effectively gain muscles. We tend to lose hydration during exercise. Sweat has its essential role in regulating our body temperature. So, it is crucial to have enough water before and during training (para. 4 – para. 15).

I struggled with implementing this habit. Initially, I set up a drinking schedule like 12 oz after waking up, 12 oz at 10 a.m., and so on. It became more challenging when I could not take time to drink due to auditors’ phone calls that lasted more than I would like. Then I missed the scheduled time to drink the 12 oz of water at 10 a.m. After few days of struggling, I drank 12oz of water after I go to the washroom. Somehow this method worked for me—the act of going to the restroom triggers my memory to drink 12 oz of water. Well, everyone has to go to the washroom sometimes after all.

I think having a sufficient sleep gave me more energy for being active. The effect of improving my sleeping habits and drinking enough water brought me a fantastic result of losing 3.7 lb in 2 weeks.

Conclusion

My tip is to work on your goals even when you encounter some challenges. Losing weight can be tricky. In some weeks, you may gain weight, or it may not change at all. It can be frustrating. A slight modification in programs may help you to accomplish losing weight. The most important thing is that you will keep working on it because maintaining a healthy weight will become your lifetime commitment.

References

Jan 15, H. N. / P. & 2020. (2020, Jan 15). Yes, drinking more water may help you lose weight. The Hub. https://hub.jhu.edu/at-work/2020/01/15/focus-on-wellness-drinking-more-water/

Markwald, R. R., Melanson, E. L., Smith, M. R., Higgins, J., Perreault, L., Eckel, R. H., & Wright, K. P. (2013). Impact of insufficient sleep on total daily energy expenditure, food intake, and weight gain. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 110(14), 5695–5700. JSTOR.