When Life Gives You Lemons...

First off, I went up two pounds this week, so I am back at 256 lbs. Am I disappointed? No! See I was in a two-day workshop as a presenter. This involved me going outside of my regular schedule and diet. In essence, I had to take my "day off" on Thursday instead of today. That means that my next day off the diet will be next Thursday. Therefore, a two pound difference is really not at all that bad. I am willing to bet that, if all else remains the same, I will be able to not only lose these additional two pounds, but perhaps another two on top of that.

You could say that me gaining two pounds is an indication of failure in my approach, but in fact I do not believe the approach is flawed. What I have recognized is that what has been missing from my daily routine has been the constant movement, "exercise" that I used to engage in. This is simply because recently I have been under certain stress, which leaves me fatigued and mentally, and physically, drained everyday. If you ever try losing weight while under any kind of stress, you will see that it is almost impossible. This is because the body is designed to respond in a specific way to stress. This involves elevating cortisol. Here's an interesting quote:

"One of the most common symptoms of elevated cortisol levels in the body is progressive weight gain, explain health officials at Up To Date, a peer-reviewed health information website for patients. High cortisol levels typically cause excess fat to accumulate around the face or neck, causing patients to exhibit round, puffy facial features that are collectively referred to as "moon" face. These patients may also experience weight gain around the neck or abdomen that occurs in conjunction with thinning of the legs and arms."

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/107934-elevated-cortisol-symptoms/#ixzz2UL8szLTJ

So if you are being put under a lot of stress and life hands you lemons, don't make yourself a high sugar-content lemonade drink! Instead grab those lemons and throw them at the face of those people putting you through hell! Ha! But seriously, do something about the stress first and you will see that the weight-loss effort will begin to work again. My strategy will work, I know it. But it takes time. First there must be the achievement of balance and the rest will follow.

Paz.

Gabriel