I lost 20 pounds during 2020

Before we get started, I feel it would be unfair if I didn't tell you that I have two personal training certifications and a yoga teacher certification from one of the top 10 yoga teacher training schools in the world (White Lotus). Before November of last year, I was still within a healthy BMI range, but I was pushing it to the limit. I thought I was doing everything right, and I couldn't understand how this extra weight refused to come off.

I ran 5 miles, 4 times a week. I did yoga most days of the week, sometimes two classes in one day. I thought I was eating clean. I was also a competitive ballroom dancer. I thought I knew all there was to know about fitness and weight loss, but when I applied what I thought I knew to myself, it didn't really seem to work. I'd lose a little, gain a little, but I was never truly happy with the results.

Do you know how much money the weight loss and fitness industry pulls in each year? It's billions of dollars. If everybody who bought the products, paid for trainers and followed the diets with long lasting success, how much do you think that industry would be worth a few years down the line? My best guess is a lot less. If you lose the weight and keep it off, they lose you as a client. We make money by assuming you'll fail, and some products and programs actually set you up to fail once you stop paying for their products.

Long lasting weight loss doesn't happen from buying into a gimmick, or looking for a shortcut. Losing weight and keeping it off happens when you make small lifestyle changes that yield huge, long lasting results. There is no "quick fix" for healthy, long lasting weight loss. Over exercising wont do you any good either. You could be eating as clean as a whistle, but if you are dealing with a stressful life event or a personal loss, chances are you won't see the results you're hoping for either.

The science behind weight loss is very complex. There are a lot of theories out there. One method may work for your friend, but do nothing for you. Everybody's body is different, but this is the story about what worked for me.

HORMONES play a huge role in weight loss for just about everyone. The stress hormone cortisol, especially for women, is a particularly difficult road block. There are lots of things a person can do to elevate cortisol levels, which stalls weight loss. These include any activity that causes your body to hold onto unhealthy stress. It could be over exercising, your job, your kids, your relationship, anxiety, depression, medication, ANYTHING that causes stress. So lets all take a deep breath through our noses so that our belly will rise before our breast bone, and exhale through our mouths until our lungs are completely empty. Repeat as many times as you like. I'm sure you already feel less stressed.

Right, so lets get down and dirty. It was December 2019. I had three jobs, a new boyfriend who lived 90 miles away, a helicopter mom (despite being near 40), and I never made any time for myself. I wasn't over weight, but I wasn't really healthy either. I was "acceptable" for a 39 year old woman, but I didn't like how I felt in my own body. My skin was dull. My eyes were always bloodshot from not getting enough sleep. I was always running around like a chicken with its head cut off.

By mid February of 2020, my new boyfriend's mom came down with Covid-19. I was exposed, and it was my responsibility to tell all of my employers and my private clients that I had to take time off to make sure I wasn't infected. Losing all three of my jobs, even for just 3 weeks, definitely effected my income. When my quarantine time was up, the bar I worked at had closed, and my private clients were hunkering down, unwilling to come to the gym. Plus, we were legally supposed to be closed anyway.

I had to file for unemployment for the first time in my life. At first I was embarrassed, but in the end, it afforded me the time to start making much better and healthier choices for myself. The constant stress of running around was entirely eliminated. I had to make a strict budget. That cut out getting take out for meals and buying the wine I used to enjoy drinking. It was a hard adjustment at first, but within a few weeks, pounds just started dropping off.

I was forced to cook 90% of what I ate at home. I had to think about every energy drink I wanted to buy, the pizza I was really craving, the sushi I thought was a quick, healthy choice. I had to cut back on my beloved yoga classes, because they didn't exist anymore. The same went for my dancing classes. The entire structure of my everyday routine changed almost over night. At first it was stressful, but humans are designed to adapt. That's when I decided that worrying about all these changes, which were entirely out of my control, wasn't worth the energy.

I also started to read up on hormones and how they effect the body, especially because I was quickly approaching the big 40 in a couple months. I wanted to be prepared for the hormonal changes that I knew were coming right around the corner. This is when I had my A HA moment.

Forget input/output, move more/eat less, low-fat diets, no carbs, diet soda, diet anything, protein powders, supplements, fat burners, keto.... FORGET ALL OF IT. If any of that shit actually worked, there wouldn't even be a weight loss industry in the first place. What you might want to look into is your hormone levels. Are they balanced, within normal range? Or maybe you just need to honestly assess how you feel. Do you feel overly tired, under pressure, overworked, etc? You might not need to to extensive (often expensive) blood work to see the numbers. Maybe you just need to pay attention to how your body feels and the signs its surely showing you that something needs to change.

The first month I was off work, I lost ten pounds doing absolutely nothing without the intention to lose any weight. I was actually terrified I'd end up tipping the scales without all my activities I was used to doing.

I was broke, so I started cooking all of my meals at home. I'm not big on salty foods, so cutting out takeout was HUGE. There is so much sodium hiding in even the healthiest options on (insert your favorite food delivery service here) when you aren't cooking for yourself. Sodium causes water retention, and that's what causes that uncomfortable, bloated feeling the morning after you eat a big meal from a decadent restaurant. I never season my home cooked meals with much salt. I use other flavorful spices like cumin, tumeric or fennel seeds. I also use healthy fats or oils in all of my home cooked meals, and ALWAYS real butter. None of that fake crap.

I started looking at the quality of the calories I was eating instead of the quantity. I eliminated my daily lattes, energy drinks, and all other heavily processed beverages. I replaced them with good ol' water. I replaced convenient snacks I'd buy on the go with avocados, hard boiled eggs, hummus, veggies and fruits. My processed food intake decreased by 80% or more. It was cheaper to buy whole foods (not from the store Whole Foods), but food that didn't come in a package. Plus, learning how to prepare different foods was fun and broke up the MANY hours on end I had to stay indoors.

I won't lie. I also had a lot of really amazing sex. Sex is great cardio that is actually fun. New boyfriends or lovers are great for that, because you're both still figuring each other out. Sex increases the hormone oxytocin, which is a natural way for your body to counteract stress hormones. Streass hormones cause us to hold onto extra pounds, especially around the tummy area.

When our bodies are too stressed, we hold onto weight because it's a natural response. Sex is just one way to elevate this stress busting hormone. Listening to happy songs, creating art, movement of any kind, meditation, masturbation or hugging your pets are all ways to get a similar effect. When your body releases stress, it will often release extra weight as well.

I got back into my creative groove. I made a scrapbook, I painted, wrote, danced in my underwear in my living room. I felt FREE. For the first time since college graduation, I had the time to do what I wanted to do, not just what I had to do. I found balance. I found out what my natural sleep/wake cycle was. I didn't set alarms. I could finally just be me the way I was designed to be. Getting the sleep I needed each night was monumental in the unintentional boon of losing the 20 pounds.

I got really into redecorating my space to make it more tranquil. I told you I was broke, so I took a lot of old junk and repurposed it to make something new that would look nice in my house. I personally need a routine to stay sane. My new routine revolved around creating new projects, which I could afford, that made my living space a happier place to spend time in. I made my home into my sanctuary.

About six months into the lock-down, I realized I was the happiest I had been in a long time. I was calm, centered and energized. My skin was glowing. I got carded at the grocery store that I have been shopping at for twenty years (more than once). The best was when I got carded on my 40th birthday and my boyfriend who was behind me buying beer didn't even get a second look.

I was living my best life with very limited means. Everything I put in my mouth was something my body needed. I cut back on all the frivolous shit we all buy to cram into our faces when we are in a rush. In fact, the rush was no longer an issue. I was no longer scurrying along just so I could keep up with the day to day. I STARTED TAKING CARE OF MYSELF, by not having the extra cash to be lazy getting food delivered (we all do it). On the flip side, I didn't have the extra money for all the protein bars and supplements I used to think were essential for feeling and looking my best. I had to learn how to buy food in its simplest form and prepare it in new and exciting ways. Chicken breast gets boring really quick.

I stopped running altogether because my hips couldn't take it anymore. I had to stop dancing (which was heart breaking at first), but I learned how to dance by myself instead....and now I prefer it. I was forced to quit the rat race. I was forced to do some massive self reflection and cut out a lot of things that weren't as essential as I once thought they were. I cleared my head space so I could make an entire paradigm shift. I changed my priorities.

Now that things are picking back up again, I'll have to be mindful of the changes I've made so I will stick with them. I'll be taking a pay cut, because I will never work three jobs ever again. I will never be that chicken running around without my head attached to my body. The stress and extra money to blow on stupid shit I don't really need isn't worth giving up the life I've created for myself, or gaining the 20 pounds back.

I know that everybody lives different lives, and the minimalist lifestyle isn't for everyone. All I can say is that it did wonders for me. Not only for my physical appearance, but my mental state is so much more in line with the person I always hoped I'd become. Who knew it would take a global pandemic to force me to learn how to take care of myself the way that feels right for me.

I wish you all the happiest and healthiest year that might just rewire your entire perspective and change your life for the better. I never claimed this year long journey was an easy one, but the outcome was well worth the effort. Until next time, dear readers, be kind to yourself and one another. Have a happy and healthy 2021.