Background
To improve my physical and mental condition, I decided to work on changing my habits for good. Initially, I started with only 45 minutes of Zumba 5 days per week with no food or calorie restrictions. For monitoring purposes, I did weigh almost every day, first thing in the morning. Then, I gradually added minor changes to my daily life. I started a sleep goal of 8 hours per night after the 1st week. My goal is to be in bed by 9:30 pm, hoping to be asleep by 10:00 pm every day. At approximately the same time, I introduced a 2-minute meditation before going to bed. I lost 3.7 lb. from this 4-week schedule.
Unfortunately, two days before ending this round, I had to start taking antibiotics for a day of surgery. I was still exercising a day before surgery, but I decided to push out the starting day for the 2nd round of the 4-week challenge for five days. Thanks to my lifestyle change, antibiotics and day surgery did not cause me to gain weight five months ago.
The Effects of Antibiotics
I had to take antibiotics for ten days for this surgery. I noticed that I had significant decreases in the amount of weight lost per day. For example, I lost only 0.1lb for the first 5days of the 1st week despite the exercise increase. It was not surprising since antibiotics can kill good microbes along with unwanted microbes. According to Cox et al. (2014), taking antibiotics can alter the metabolism of the host. A study found that that metabolic alteration occurred in mice taking a low-doses of penicillin. Mice taking a low dose of penicillin from youth had sustained effects on the body compositions. Low-dose penicillin strengthens the negative impact of high-fat diet-induced obesity because it disrupted the microbiota of mice (p. 705). I have been eating more fermented foods and taking some probiotics. I am not sure how long it will take me to regain all the microbes I lost.
While I was in better shape than the last operation several months ago, I also experienced difficulties falling asleep.
Loss of sleep due to antibiotics
I had a sleep problem despite the antibiotics not listing Insomnia as a side effect. The sleeping problem, which started a few days after taking antibiotics, lasted about two weeks. I began to see issues arising from not sleeping well. For example, I was not performing well in the Zumba game. I felt tired when I woke up with inadequate energy. I struggled in completing my daily to-do list. I craved pasta and rice.
Eating Out
We took out food from a restaurant nearby our house because we just completed a project in the front yard. Alas, I gained just over 2.5lb from the Gyro platter. It may be a little too salty, but I had to drink much more water to get rid of the extra salt I introduced to my body. Although the biggest problem was not because I ate the Gyro platter, I kept eating even though I was already feeling full in the middle of it. There is nothing wrong with eating out or eating the delicious gyro platter. Instead, I need to think about why I kept eating it.
It took me approximately nine days to get rid of most of the weight. I noticed all this effect because I measured my weight every day. I realized how essential to weigh myself so that I can see the pattern of my weight movement. I am not that proud of this incident; however, I learned something from this incident. I need to listen to my body.
My struggle in losing weight continues until the mid-week of the second week. I was kind of desperate since I gained weight from the Gyro platter I ate. I start losing weight again. It sucked to lose my good gut microbes to die out from antibiotics, but so did the harmful microbes, too. I need to regain good microbes and nurture them by eating prebiotics such as pistachios and cabbages. When I talk like this, my husband makes a joke that I am talking about my gut microbes as if I have pets.
For the 2nd round, I planned to add more aerobics time, and I take a course, “Designing Your Personal Weight Loss Plan,” from Coursera during this round. Since I took the first few weeks of the course, I knew this course was worth taking. I started taking this course in 2020, but I stopped after a few weeks due to priority changes. This time, I somehow felt I needed to prioritize taking this course because I felt the need for some guidance from a professional. Some content of this course is outdated. For example, the recommended tools for food journaling or planning meals are no longer usable. However, there were several tips, articles, and good books suggested in the classes. You can take it free from Coursera, and I recommend it.
There is a lot more content in this course, but I have summarized some things that inspired me:
- Exercising: You will need to exercise at least 150 active minutes per week to lose weight. You can double count high-intensity exercise minutes. Some watches such as Fitbit can count active minutes.
- Planning for Eating Out: When you plan to eat out or party, you can reduce calories 100-150 calories per day three days before eating out or adding 10-15 minutes of additional exercise. You can also take a smaller portion at the party so that you do not overeat.
- Monitoring: Monitoring weight, calorie intake, and calorie output are essential because we can see the pattern in our weight movement. We must continue monitoring these data. According to Thomas et al. (2014), those who maintained the behavioral changes could sustain their weight loss, while many others gain back weight after the weight loss program (pp. 17-18).
- Mindful Eating: Instead of depriving you of eating something you like, eat mindfully. According to Dahl (May 16, 2014), you will crave more by trying to suppress eating. The research shows that parents who enforce stringent eating rules tend to become overweight because they eat more when they can (para. 10). Instead, eat anything you want to eat, but eat mindfully.
With a bit of professional guidance, I made some changes in my strategies for losing weight. I added all conditions from the first challenges. Still, I implemented other habits: a calorie intake restriction of 1,500 calories per day, food journaling, and ring-fit adventure (switch game) as a tool for muscle exercise. I added a 60-minute Zumba workout for the 2nd and 3rd week.
Summary of My Tactics
- 45 Minutes of Zumba 5 times a day
- Weighing every day
- Aiming for an 8-hour sleep
- Drinking at least 80 oz of water per day
- 2 minutes of meditation per day
Added:
- Food restriction 1,500 calories per day
- One additional session of 45 minutes of Zumba per week
- One 60-minute of Zumba on 2nd and 3rd weekends started ring fit adventure one mission per day for three days per week.
- Food Journaling
I should be mindful of increasing the amount of exercise. Since I was doing Zumba every day, I started to develop leg pain. I took a day off from the Zumba session. Instead, my husband and I went for a nice long walk at a nearby park. The air was fresh, and I smelled the scent of nature. Listening to birds singing or trees swaying in the wind made me feel comfortable and relaxed. I slept so well that night.
I started losing weight again at the beginning of the 2nd week. It took me over a week to lose the 2.5 lbs. I just gained from the Gyro Platter, but by the end of the 4th week, I lost an additional 2.5 lb. I lost 2.3 lb. of fat, and I gained 0.2 lb. of muscle mass. Although I lost 5 lbs. in total, 2.5 lb. out of 5 lb. was the weight I regained. The result is not as exciting, but I lost weight. I am sure I can do better next time.
I am considering reading a book, “Mindful Eating,” which was introduced by the Coursera course I took. I am considering implementing some Yoga next challenge. I also want to explore parks around Nashville going forward. The important thing is making small changes that I can sustain. That is what the Japanese believe as a Kaizen.
References
Cox, L. M., Yamanishi, S., Sohn, J., Alekseyenko, A. V., Leung, J. M., Cho, I., Kim, S. G., Li, H., Gao, Z., Mahana, D., Zárate Rodriguez, J. G., Rogers, A. B., Robine, N., Loke, P., & Blaser, M. J. (2014). Altering the Intestinal Microbiota during a Critical Developmental Window Has Lasting Metabolic Consequences. Cell, 158(4), 705–721. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2014.05.052
Dahl, M. (2014, May 16). A Non-Diet Diet: The Case for Eating Whatever You Want. The Cut. https://www.thecut.com/2014/05/non-diet-diet.html
Thomas, J. G., Bond, D. S., Phelan, S., Hill, J. O., & Wing, R. R. (2014). Weight-Loss Maintenance for 10 Years in the National Weight Control Registry. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 46(1), 17–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2013.08.019