Tag: Health & Wellness

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The Important Lesson I Learned from Losing Weight Quickly

Background

To improve my physical and mental condition, I decided to work on changing my lifestyle. I started with dancing Zumba on my switch, and I gradually made changes. My goal is to lose weight without losing my muscle mass. I implemented formal strength training offered by Les Mills into my exercise program in June. I have been exercising mindful eating for the last few months. Since the rate of losing weight was so slow, I decided to switch back to the calorie restriction. I started with creating 500 calories deficit per week.

My Exercise Program

 MONTUEWEDTHURFRISATSUN
MorningRestBODYPUMPAny cardioBODYPUMPAny cardioBODYPUMPBODYFLOW
Evening HIIT HIIT HIIT 
My Exercise Program (Les Mills On-Demand)

HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) – 17minutes training – generates 40-45 minutes of activity minutes

BODYPUMP – 30 minutes -> generates 22 minutes of activity minutes

BODYSTEPS – 30 minutes -> generates 60-65 minutes of activities minutes

BODYCOMBAT – 30 minutes -> generates 60-70 minutes of activities minutes

BODYATTACK – 30 minutes -> generates 65-75 minutes of activities minutes

Result

The biggest change I did this time was creating 400-500 calories deficits per day to lose weight. I lost a total weight of 4.4lb. (2.8lb, 1.4lb, 0.2, 0.2lb) over the four weeks. I also lost 0.6lb of muscles mass (-0.6, -0.2, 0, +0.2). I lost 2.8lb; however, I also lost 0.6lb of muscle mass. So, I changed my tactic immediately as I am eating too little for the activities level. In the 2nd week, I ate 1,300 calories per day, resulting in muscle loss of 0.2lb. So, I adjusted my calories intake to 1,400 – 1,500 per day, which stopped my muscle loss. I could not measure the muscle mass of the 4th week due to a technical issue with my phone app.

Analysis

If my primary goal were to lose weight, I would have been happy about the result. In reality, I was shocked by the loss of muscle mass from the first week. I have been working hard to gain muscle by doing strength exercises and yoga three times per week.

My immediate reaction was to investigate how much I must eat not to lose my muscle mass. With my level of activities, getting 1,200 -1,300 calories per day was too little. At least I know that 1,400 calories are my current floor for my calorie intake.

I felt a little lightheaded in the first week because I was not eating enough food. Since I was so hungry at night, and I had difficulties falling asleep at night. As a result, my sleep quality dropped. Increasing the calories intakes by 100 calories did not stop muscle loss or sleep quality problems. Rising to 1,400 calories stopped the issues. At least I know that 1,400 calories are my current floor for my calorie intake. The minimum calories intake changes with the muscle mass; therefore, regular monitoring is essential.

Technical Problems

During the 2nd day of the 4th week, my 4-year-old smartphone stopped uploading my digital weight. The only measurement I can take is weight. Therefore, I expect some challenges in controlling and monitoring. I ordered a new phone, and I should have a new smartphone by September 12th. Since I can no longer watch my muscle mass, I must maintain 1,400 – 1,500 Calories per day with the same exercise routine.

Expectation Gaps

I lost weight; however, I was not happy with the result because I lost muscle mass. I conclude what I want is not to lose weight. To discover the output I want, I decided to organize my thoughts.

What I want to Happen:

  • I want to lose FAT %. My aim is 25% for the moment. I want to fit into my clothing.
  • I want to increase my muscle mass to increase my metabolisms and muscle strengths. (Strong).
  • I want to lose weight.
  • I want to improve my cardio endurance.
  • I want to increase flexibility.
  • I want to decrease my stress.

GAP Analysis

With the five items I listed, I care a lot about retaining or increasing my muscle mass. There are multiple reasons why I want to maintain my muscles. Exercise promotes muscle gains, which helps to prevent diabetes and to improve metabolism (McPherron, Guo, Bond, Gavrilova, 2013). I enjoy many outdoor activities, and retaining my muscles is the key to sustain these activities I enjoy. Moderate exercise can prevent Aging. Naturally, we tend to lose muscle mass as we age. We can prevent muscle loss by doing adequate exercises. I wanted the first two items the most. Mathematically if I increase my muscle mass, I should lose my fat percentage. Thus, I think these goals can coexist easily.

The amount of calorie input is a key to recent unnecessary loss in muscles. In the results from this round, I noticed that eating less than 1,200 calories made my weight decrease. I also lost fat mass. After two weeks, I had to make immediate changes since I did not want to lose any more muscle. I increased to 1,400 – 1,500 calories which seems to prevent me from losing muscle mass; however, the rate of weight loss will slow.

Conclusions

I learned an important lesson. Do not rush my weight loss because I can lose muscle mass. Furthermore, I felt lightheaded, and I had no energy with only 1,200 calories. My muscle loss stopped at 1,400 calories. I seem to have enough energy and a clearer head. Therefore, my current minimum calories intake is 1,400 calories.

Due to technical issues, I do not have the tools to monitor my muscle mass until the 2nd week of September. Thus, I decided to maintain my current programs.

Daily Calories Intake: 1,400 Calories

Exercise: Strength Exercise (3 times) and a short HIIT, 2 Cardio, 1 Body Flow

My Exercise Programs

 MONTUEWEDTHURFRISATSUN
MorningRestBODYPUMPAny cardioBODYPUMPAny cardioBODYPUMPBODYFLOW
Evening HIIT HIIT HIIT 
My Exercise Program (Les Mills On-Demand)

When you know there are some expectation gaps, it will be good to organize your thoughts. For this round, I realize that I want to gain muscle and lose fat. Those measurements will be my primary monitoring inputs. I continue monitoring my total weight. Regular monitoring activities are crucial so that you can create timely corrective actions. The important thing is that I am improving little by little.

Reference

McPherron, A. C., Guo, T., Bond, N. D., & Gavrilova, O. (2013). Increasing muscle mass to improve metabolism. Adipocyte, 2(2), 92–98. https://doi.org/10.4161/adip.22500

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Does It Matter When I Exercise?

For the last few weeks, I changed my workout time to the early morning, 5:30 AM. On day one of the new exercise programs, I felt all workout routines feel much more challenging than when I do them at lunchtime or early evening.

Since I did not have a good sleep that day, I thought I was just tired. The following day, I did a cardio, BODYATTACK. I felt so pitiful that it was near impossible to bring my heart rate above 140 in the early morning than later in the day. I had 8.5 hours of sleep with a sleep score of 90 the day. So, it was nothing to do with the duration or quality of the sleep. I was curious about this phenomenon, so I continued the morning exercises every single day of the rest of the week and monitored my heart rates. I made changes to the intended exercise, but I wanted to check them all. So, I tried30 minutes BODYCOMBAT (Kickboxing), BODYATTACK (Bootcamp), BODYPUMP (Strength exercise), and GRIT (HIIT).

When I wake up, my heart rate is about 65. Usually, I move around the house for 15-20 minutes before exercising. The interesting part of this morning exercise was that I still felt as if I exercised at 90% of my max heart rate at the actual heart rate is just 135-140. GRIT was the worst one, and I had to give up at 17 minutes. Consequently, my calories output was lower by 100 calories for morning cardio exercises.

After one week of the observation, I made the following hypotheses.

The morning exercise feel harder because

  1. My starting heart rate is lower in the morning. I suspect that that is something to do with my heart rate being so low in the early morning. My resting heart rate is 63-65, and it can be a lot of stress to push it up to almost double.
  1. Since I am on intermittent fasting, my body does not have energy in the morning. I exercised at lunch during the fasting before. I have no problem reaching 90% of my max heart. Thus, the 2nd hypothesis is incorrect. 
  2. My muscles are not ready for a workout. I felt this when I was doing BODYPUMP (Strength Exercise) and GRIT (HIIT). I had difficulties keep my squats low.

I suspect that that is something to do with lower heart rates and stiffer muscles. Since my starting heart rate is so low, it can be a lot of stress to push it up to almost double in a short time. Interesting, right? I put my researcher’s hat on, and I investigated some.

If the primary objective is to have the best performance, the morning is not the right time to exercise.

As I suspected, the primary reason is the lower max heart rates in the morning. Thomas Reilly and his colleagues at the Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences at Liverpool John Moore University (as cited in the New York Times, Dec 9, 2009) found that our maximum heart rate is lower in the morning. However, the perception of how hard they were working was the same for morning and evening. Our body has a circadian rhythm that controls the hormones in our body to have a regular sleep-wake schedule. Our blood pressure, metabolism, energy level, and heart rates are lower in the early morning.

He and his colleagues also mentioned that our bodies are not as well prepared to exercise in the morning because our muscles tend to be less flexible. The athlete’s best performance is set in the late afternoon or the early evening (as cited in the New York Times, Dec 9, 2009).

Is morning exercise being all that bad? Despite my findings, there are some benefits to exercising in the morning.

Dietary Choices for the day

The people who work out in the morning tend to make healthier food choices for the day. After observing 2,680 young adults for 15-week cardio exercise in the morning, the young adults who work out in the morning tend to pursue healthier dietary preferences and habits (Joo, Willamson, Vazquez, Fernandez, and Bray, 2018). The study did not particularly seek to find the best time to exercise; however, the morning exercise motivated them to make healthier eating throughout the day. Since I started the training in the morning, I feel it has gotten easier to regulate my foods intake for the day.

More energy and higher productivity

I felt dreadful during my morning workout; however, I felt more energy when I did the morning exercises. My heart rate is higher after the training. My body is warmer. I even felt more alert and focused on my work. I usually do 1 hour of continuing education in the morning. I noticed my focus was higher after the morning exercise. The best part was I felt so good the whole day because I did a workout in the morning. So, I was more productive.

The choice is all about what you want to accomplish and your preference.

I prefer to work out in the morning because I must go to bed early at night. I have never liked to wake up early; however, I hated the morning traffic even more than waking early in the morning. For the last year, I have been working remotely. My work would like me to go to the office three times a week soon. So, I decided to adjust my schedule. Furthermore, I enjoyed the higher productivity due to the morning workout.

Discussion

The following week, I found out few things to minimize the loss. For example, a light intensity cardio before the strength exercise can help with the workout. BODYPUMP also has a warmup. After a short, low-intensity cardio session, my body is more prepared to do more strenuous strength training.

The Starting Exercise Program

 MONTUEWEDTHURFRISATSUN
MorningRestBODYPUMPAny cardioBODYPUMPAny cardioBODYPUMPBODYFLOW
Evening HIIT HIIT HIIT 

For one week, I did GRIT, BODYPUMP, BODYCOMBAT, BODYATTACK, and BODYSTEP all six mornings to satisfy my curiosity. After some investigation, I modified it a little bit. I kept a short GRIT (HIIT) exercise either on my lunch (when I was working remotely) or in the early evening (if I go into the office as I plan). The addition of HIIT exercises changed made a significant difference to my body weight. I started to lose weight again without losing my muscle mass.

I added a 5–10-minute low-intensity cardio before BODYPUMP so that my strength training has the intended effectiveness. This change is helping my strength workout.

Despite the lower-calorie output, I still prefer some cardio in the morning because of the productivity gain. So, I added another Cardio session on one of the weekends to accommodate the loss of 100 calories.

A New Modified Exercise Program

 MONTUEWEDTHURFRISATSUN
MorningRestBODYPUMP*CardioBODYPUMP*CardioBODYPUMP*BODYFLOW
Evening GRIT – Short GRIT – Short GRIT – Short Cardio

*A 5–10-minute light cardio before BODYPUMP

** GRIT – only short version (15-18 minutes)

What’s next

Initially, I thought of doing GRIT even on a Cardio day instead; however, I decided to add another cardio day on the weekend. I am finding out too much GRIT can cause mitochondria dysfunctions due to the stress caused by its strenuousness. You can reduce the damage by taking mitochondrial regulators and protector nutrients such as 5 grams of Leucine, 5 grams of creatine monohydrate, and 2.5 grams of betaine (Blechman, April 12, 2021). He is citing a lot of journals, so that I will check them out. For now, I am going to keep my new modified exercise program without taking these mitochondrial regulators and protector nutrients.

References

Blechman, S. (April 12, 2021). New Study Says High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) Can Cause Mitochondrial Dysfunction.https://advancedmolecularlabs.com/blogs/news/new-study-says-high-intensity-interval-training-hiit-can-cause-mitochondrial-dysfunction

Joo, J., Williamson, S. A., Vazquez, A. I., Fernandez, J. R., & Bray, M. S. (2019). The influence of 15-week exercise training on dietary patterns among young adults. International Journal of Obesity, 43(9), 1681–1690. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-018-0299-3

New York Times. (December 9, 2009). Ready to Exercise? Check Your Watch.https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/10/health/nutrition/10best.html

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Losing Weight Challenge #4 Exercising is not Enough to Lose Weight

Background

To improve my physical and mental condition, I decided to work on changing my lifestyle. I started with dancing Zumba on my switch, and I gradually made changes. My goal is to lose weight without losing my muscle mass. I implemented formal strength training offered by Les Mills into my exercise program last month. I have been exercising mindful eating for two months without any strict calorie or food restriction. With approximately 400- 460 minutes of activities per week, I gained 0.4 lb. of muscles till lost only 0.2 lb. Mindful eating is necessary; however, I still need to change how I eat to lose weight.

Procedures

I follow the following exercise program during the last 4 weeks.

 MONTUEWEDTHURFRISATSUN
ClassRestBODYPUMPAny cardioBODYPUMPAny cardioBODYPUMPBODYFLOW
My workout schedule for the last 4 Weeks

I rotated BODYATTACK, BODYCOMBAT, or BODYSTEP for my carid days, approximately 300-330 calories per 30 minutes per session. Additionally, I walked on Saturday and Sunday, which add up to about 2 hours of activities minutes. Therefore, my average activity minutes were 400- 460 minutes per week. I achieved over 8,000 steps goals for all days except for June 29th, when I felt ill. Therefore, I had more than sufficient activity minutes for losing weight. My muscle mass had increased by 0.4 lb.

The Possible for Not Losing Weight

Why am I not losing weight? I was frustrated; however, I thought that the best way to find out the causes is to review my notes. Since I am not losing weight as fast as I would like, I must make some changes. From my notes, I came up with the following reasons why I am not losing weight.

Not Enough Cardio Exercise

I may need to increase Cardio Exercise as I do only twice per week of moderately-intensity cardio exercises. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, we must target 150 minutes to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activities per week (p. 21). I did only two sessions of cardio per week which might not be adequate for losing fat. I have many activities minutes; however, approximately 250 minutes of those activities are generated from walking or doing house chores.

Not Enough Calorie Deficit

I suspected that this is the leading cause of my struggles since I exercised mindful eating. I decided how much I should be eating by listening to the needs of my body. I ate more than 1,600 calories on some days because I was starving after a long walk or workout. To lose weight, we must create a calorie deficit. To lose one pound, I need to make a deficit of 3,500 calories. I was not losing weight because I was not producing enough calorie deficit. Therefore, I need to create a calorie deficit by either doing more exercise or eating less.

Eating Not Enough or Too Much Protein at Once

Since I was still gaining muscles, I assumed that I ate enough calories and protein. So, there is a cap on how much our body can synthesize protein at once! According to the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition (as cited in Venuto, 2013), you will need to eat 0.4 to 0.5 grams of high-quality protein per kilogram of lean body mass weight. For example, someone with 70kg of Lean body mass weight should eat somewhere between 28 and 35 grams of high-quality protein both pre-and post-exercise. Although, our protein synthesis cap out to about 25 to 30 grams for women (p. 179). Any excess protein above protein synthesis turns into fat. I ate approximately 70 % of my daily protein at supper. According to Layman (as cited in Venuto, 2013), the average American consumes over 65% of daily protein at dinner (p. 179). I ate enough protein because I considered total protein intake per day. However, I did not consider the timing of protein intake. So, some of my protein converted into fat since I was overeating at once. I should break up my protein intake multiple times per day.

Not Sleeping Enough For Two Weeks

In the 2nd week of the last challenge, I messed up my sleeping schedule for three weeks. I had days I could not sleep at all. I tended to eat more even with my mindful eating practice when I did not sleep 6 hours. Insufficient sleep prevents you not only healthy but also me you unproductive. Furthermore, poor sleep leads to weight gain and obesity (Markawld et al., 2013). I also see the tendency to eat more dense calories foods when I do not have enough sleep. Sometimes, I was scared to get on the weight machine in the morning. The number is a good way to monitor, but it can be cruel. When I gained weight for 1.2 lb, I had to think about how much cumulative weight I lost. I managed to fix my sleeping schedule last week, and now I am sleeping on the correct sleeping schedule. I wrote a blog, “Am I sleeping Enough?,” about how I tackled this program. Please check it out!

Things Need to be Changed

After making the list of possible causes for my struggle, I made few hypotheses on possible strategies to overcome struggle. My main reason for not losing weight was that I overate. Therefore, to lose weight, I must create a calories deficit by eating fewer calories or exercising more. According to Harvard Health Publishing (July 11, 2020), you should make 500 to 1,000 calories less than the total weight-maintenance calories to lose 1 to 2 pounds per week. Although, it is not recommended to eat less than 1,200 calories per day for a female and 1,500 calories per day for a male (para. 3). You can calculate your maintenance calories by the following formula.

  1. If you do little or no exercise: Calories = BMR x 1.2
  2. If you do light exercise (1-3 days per week) = BMR x 1.375
  3. If you do moderate exercise (3-5 days per week) = BMR x 1.55

You can calculate your BMR by the following formula.

BMR (Base Metabolism Rate) = BMR = 88.362 + (13.397 x weight in kg) + (4.799 x height in cm) – (5.677 x age in years) Women: BMR = 447.593 + (9.247 x weight in kg) + (3.098 x height in cm) – (4.330 x age in years)

Garnet Health. (July 1, 2016) Basal Metabolic Rate Calculator

If you feel lazy, You can use the online Maintenance Calories Calculator I found on the Omni Calculator website (Please use the web address for reference).

I want 500 calories deficit per week. Since my Maintenance Calorie is 1,337.3 kcal/ I want 500 calories deficit per week. Since my Maintenance Calorie is 1,337.3 kcal/ day, I could reduce only 100 calories just from eating without going below 1,200 calories. Thus, I must create a deficit of 400 calories from exercising or being active. I added 20-minute High-Intensity Interval Training on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday to increase energy output. Les Mills has a GRIT program. I am considering doing 20-minute short GRIT for now.

Modified Exercise Program

 MONTUEWEDTHURFRISATSUN
MorningRestBODYPUMPAny cardioBODYPUMPAny cardioBODYPUMPBODYFLOW
Evening HIIT HIIT HIIT 
Modified Exercise Program next 4 weeks

Conclusion

I did not lose as much weight as I would like at the last challenge. The main reason was I did not make enough calorie deficit. It was a disappointing result, but weight loss is a long journey. I am not going to give up on my journey. For the next challenge, I will create a calorie deficit of 500 calories per day by eating 100 calories less from my body maintenance calories and creating 400 calorie deficits from exercising. I would increase my cardio exercise to lose more fat.

References

Garnet Health. (July 1, 2016). Basal Metabolic Rate Calculator. https://www.garnethealth.org/news/basal-metabolic-rate-calculator

Harvard Health Publishing. (Jul 11, 2020). Calorie Counting Made Easy. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/calorie-counting-made-easy

Michalowska, J. (Jul 08, 2021). Maintenance Calorie Calculator. https://www.omnicalculator.com/health/maintenance-calorie

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.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2018). Physical Activity Guideline for Americans. https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/Physical_Activity_Guidelines_2nd_edition.pdf

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Losing Weight Challenge #2: Struggling with Antibiotics Effects and Eating Out

Mill Creek Park Greenway, TN

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

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How to Make an Exercising Habit into a Long Term Commitment

There is an exercise that I always do, which is a Zumba game on my Switch Consol. Whenever I play this game, I want to keep doing it because I enjoy it. There is something I want to confess. I was never able to sustain my exercise habit in the past. I just did it because my parents wanted me to be active or to lose weight. So my exercise streaks come and go.

Sometimes, there are things we seem to fail at sustaining as our habits. Exercise is a common one. It is almost as if my brain is refusing to accept that I must exercise every day. Well, I thought I was too busy to exercise, but that was not entirely true. I was avoiding committing to regular exercise. It was much easier for me to see exercise as a temporary solution to make myself healthy or lose weight. I somehow managed to believe that I want to read or to learn other things instead of exercising. 

First, I thought easy access is one of the keys for me to getting into exercising habits. It is pretty interesting how the options for exercise have changed, and it is more accessible. My mother used to go to a regular aerobics class in a local community center when I was a kid. Now, there were many ways to get them Online such as YouTube or Amazon Prime. We can even do it from a console as one of a game.

Second, extreme weather can deter me from exercise. Running was another option for me when I was living in Canada or living on the west coast. Since I moved to Nashville, I realized that extreme weather could discourage me from running. I do not enjoy running in hot, humid weather. The last time I ran, I had no choice but to run in the early morning to avoid heat. Since it was hard to wake up early, this plan did not go well.

Finally, I also thought the exercise program must be something I enjoy doing. There is one exercise I keep coming back to even after I stop for a while. That was Zumba. I have first introduced to Zumba approximately 12-13 years ago from now. I like aerobics exercise, but I am not good at dancing. I was worried because I might feel embarrassed by dancing poorly. While I was a little embarrassed, I tried a Zumba class out of curiosity. The dance routine I like the most is the Zumba dance with Shakira’s Waka Waka. I loved the song, and I loved the dance Routine. Because of my work schedule, I could only attend few classes per week. I searched for Zumba on YouTube, and I was practicing the dance Routine when I missed the class. 

I decided to start Zumba again on my Switch Console because it seems to mitigate obstacles. Initially, getting a console was a reward for completing a university graduate program. Unfortunately, I missed purchasing it entirely since there was no console available at the store due to COVID-19. After completing one of my most significant projects at work, I still got the console at a little higher price than the retail price. I want to get back to exercise, and I want to do the exercise with something I will enjoy the most.

So we got the console. As soon as I downloaded Zumba, I tried a 30-minutes class. My first day of Zumba with my console did not sound like I initially thought since some Zumba songs were too intense for my cardio level. To complete the 30-minute Zumba Routines. I had to take a break after 15 minutes. I tried the next day, the same thing happened, but I could complete more songs from the same class. I finished off an entire 30-minute class in one go by the 4th day, and I accomplished a whole 30-minutes course by the beginning of the 3rd week. There was no problem in achieving a 60-minutes class by the end of the 3rd month. Cardio improves much faster than strength. 

I saw an immediate improvement in my resting heart rate. Due to lack of exercise and poor life habits, my resting heart rate was higher than it had formerly been and made me feel uneasy. There have been some gradual improvements in my sleep quality and energy level. Completing a class is an achievement that made me feel good. 

Learning dance and performance have positive impacts on our brain; according to Edwards (n.d.), learning and performing dance use many brain regions, including the motor cortex, somatosensory cortex, basal ganglia, and cerebellum. These brain regions are responsible for planning, executing voluntary movements, eye-hand coordination, and smoothly coordinating bodily motions (para. 3). Edwards (n.d.) also reported that learning and performing dance also improve mental health and our cognitive skills such as decision making and visual recognition (para. 6).

It has been several months since I started exercising with Zumba. I manage to do regular exercise with my busy schedule. I have not felt that my priority set for training should be lower than other activities because I started seeing other benefits than losing weight and lowering my heart rate. After several months of exercise, my job performance increased. Learning queries or new tax laws seemed much easier than before. I seem to memorize piano music much faster. In the book “SPARK,” Ratey & Hagerman (January 2008) suggested that exercise improves learning in multiple levels because it improves alertness, motivation, preparing nerve cells for learning, and developing new nerve cells (p. 53).

My real motivation for getting into exercise was because I was suffering from a leaky stomach problem. After investigating, I see exercise can be more than a temporary solution to my concerns, and I can also get so many additional benefits in the long term. So I pick the activities that can avoid many possible obstacles. I decided on the exercise program I enjoy. Even though I enjoy doing Zumba, I still could not complete an entire Zumba class when I started. I had to start slowly. I keep doing it because I enjoy doing so. Now I can complete a 60-minutes game. Several months have passed, and I feel I gained so many benefits other than losing weight from the exercise.

References

Edwards, S. (n.d.). Dancing and the Brain. Retrieved April 6, 2021, from https://hms.harvard.edu/news-events/publications-archive/brain/dancing-brain

Ratey, J., & Hagerman E. (2008). Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain [Kindle Edition]. Hachette Book Group.

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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).

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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.

Kombucha

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