I gained weight recently. I feel bloated, puffy, and sluggish, and my body is definitely more bootylicious than before. I have nothing to feel bad about. In fact, I think going all in and eating as much as I wanted to for a few weeks was good for my hormones.
I didn’t get my period for a year and a half until three months ago and I believe there were many factors that contributed to the return of aunt flo, including eating more, adding more carbohydrates to my diet cyclically, resting more, spending more time with friends and family, and relaxing more.
I have been taking frequent diet breaks over the past 5 months or so, which I believe helped a lot. They typically last for 2 weeks, but this time, I took a 5-week break. I had every intention of going back on my weight-loss diet plan after 2 weeks, but it just never happened. While the extended diet break has been fun, I know it will need to end shortly. My clothes are feeling tighter and not as comfortably as I would like.
I have not given up on my body composition goals, but I have prioritised regulating my period for now. Even when I start eating for weight loss, I will still take a diet break after a few weeks, working according to my menstrual cycle.
I do not want to diet continuously and risk losing my period again. I finally have it back. I am currently in the luteal phase of my cycle and the menstrual phase should arrive soon. This is not the best time in my cycle to start my diet, as cortisol levels tend to be higher in these phases and I do not want to add stress to my body.
Here are some things that I am doing to prepare my body for fat loss:
Eating Enough Protein
My husband is on the carnivore diet, which makes it easy to have enough protein. I want to provide my body with enough amino acids to be able to build and repair. Protein is also quite satiating, which is very important when you are on a diet for weight loss.
Eating Enough Fat
Consuming fat is crucial when it comes to training your body to become fat adapted. You can make your body used to burning fat for energy before your diet starts, so that it can switch to burning your fat easily when the time comes.
Reducing My Carb Intake
While I will not aim to go zero-carb, I have been eating a lot of honey and dairy products lately. I really am a dairy queen. I love cheese and yoghurt and have been overindulging a little too much. I am starting to reduce my dairy intake, as fermented dairy contains histamines and can cause inflammation, which can interfere with fat loss.
I will still have cheese on special occasions and maybe some plain yoghurt once a day, so I am just reducing my dairy intake.
I Am Starting To Move More
I took a break from exercise as well to really give my body rest and now I am easing into working out by doing light exercises, such as walking, cycling in our neighbourhood, and stretching. Then, when I do start doing harder workouts like weight training and harder yoga routines, it will not be as much of a shock to my body. And no, I am not running. I hate running. Cycling is cool though.
I Am Identifying Stressors and Strategies
Feeling stressed and anxious can make it much harder to lose fat. What I am doing currently is writing down various stressors and anxiety triggers, so that I can perhaps go into my diet with a plan on how to handle them if they pop up.
I am incorporating strategies to help me manage stress, and so far, it is going well.
I Am Loading Up On Nutrients
I firmly believe that if your body has all the nutrients that it needs and it is as healthy as possible, it will be easier for you to lose fat. That is why I am making sure that I am following a nutrient-dense diet to prepare my body for fat loss before my diet starts. I am having nutrient-dense foods, such as eggs, grass-fed meat, yoghurt, dark chocolate, etc.
I Am Not Judging Myself For Gaining Fat
It is tempting to be upset about my weight gain, but I have been very good at challenging these feelings when they pop up. I do not allow them. Gaining fat is not something I need to be ashamed of. Instead, I make fun of it. From singing the lyrics to “All About That Bass” by Meghan Trainor or “Bootylicious” by Destiny’s Child throughout the house while dancing to make my extra fat jiggle to admiring the fact that my butt got bigger as a result, I am making the best of it.
These are just a few of the things that I have included in my plan to help prepare my body for fat loss. I am positive that when I do start my diet, my body will respond well and I will achieve the results that I want.
