Hot and Healthy – Thriving Through Menopause One Pound at a Time – Day 48, March 29, 2024

Breakfast was organic Harmless Harvest Strawberry Yogurt with a protein shake and then Wake Up Yoga with Joelle, link below, and on my YouTube Channel. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R94eADqBRUQ&list=PLjCtglnWyIJVJZ5vQJndjfqSe6NPpBgNq&index=3&t=15s 

After that, some cardio with Eleni Fit. Link below and on my YouTube Channel: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpKXzVTfN4E&list=PLjCtglnWyIJXL_tNvtUID3ss5GJg884-1&index=2 

It was a bit hard, and I couldn’t keep up completely so running in place when my body would not do what Eleni’s did was a substitute, but it still felt like a great workout. 

Let’s talk about the amount of weight I have lost. Yesterday I said I would expand on this. 

According to the internet and all of its vast knowledge, along with what we have all learned and/or been told for years, the best way to lose weight and keep it off is to do it slowly. They recommend about ½ a week. I agree. After having dealt with weight issues my whole life, the slower the better. 

That is not happening to me though. I’m losing about a pound a week. 

This may be why: 

·        Three weeks of practically zero dairy and red meat, drinking 2 protein shakes a day, exercising and doing resistance training twice a day.

·        I got sick.

·        I kept eating healthy and kept up with my protein shakes. 

Take a look at how much protein you really take in on a daily basis. Count it. Use the computer. Post a comment on my blog as to how much protein, as of this day, you take in on a regular basis.  

Can we bet it is not enough? 

Why can I say that it isn’t enough? Because I thought I was getting enough but was literally only getting 20% of my daily protein. My intake should be the equivalent of at least 3 protein shakes a day but the only one I’ll drink is not that cheap, so it’s only 2, but that adds 40 grams of protein to my diet daily. In total, for me, it should be around 80-100 grams of protein a day to maintain and build muscle and lose weight. You may need that much as well. 

I’m searching the internet to see if added protein burns fat, here is what was found. 

“Several clinical trials have found that consuming more protein than the recommended dietary allowance not only reduces body weight (BW), but also enhances body composition by decreasing fat mass while preserving fat-free mass (FFM) in both low-calorie and standard-calorie diets. Fairly long-term clinical trials of 6–12 months reported that a high-protein diet (HPD) provides weight-loss effects and can prevent weight regain after weight loss. HPD has not been reported to have adverse effects on health in terms of bone density or renal function in healthy adults.”

Credit the National Library of medicine, July 2020. Link here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7539343/ 

From Healthline.com:

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-protein-can-help-you-lose-weight 

“How Protein Can Help You Lose Weight Naturally

Increasing the amount of protein you eat may help support weight loss by regulating certain hormones and helping you feel fuller longer, among other benefits.

Protein is the single most important nutrient for weight loss and a better looking body.

A high protein intake boosts metabolism, reduces appetite and changes several weight-regulating hormones. Protein can help you lose weight and belly fat, and it works via several different mechanisms.” 

I’m beginning to believe that losing the animal protein and dairy, drinking Pea protein, and exercising more, has contributed to a weight loss that, while faster than expected, I will be able to maintain. 

My body feels lighter. My tummy doesn’t get in the way when I bend down. 

I cannot wait to try on some of the clothes I haven’t been able to wear in a while. 

The other bonus is that my cholesterol is down so much, in such a short period of time, that my doctor took my OFF me cholesterol meds. C’mon, you cannot dispute blood tests. The doctor recommended a redo test in six weeks so I will be there on May 2 to happily roll up my arm and see if my results are still as good as they were last week. 

This may be the first time in my life that I will be looking forward to them stealing my blood. 

My last workout was a return to LISS with Tone & Tighten which I really enjoy. Video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKevDYtxc-s&list=PLjCtglnWyIJUoB6I8hyIgz8eUR3ZrX6gt&index=1 

Food intake today:

Harmless Harvest Strawberry Yogurt

2 Protein Shakes

Brownie

¼ Cup Cashews

Organic 1/6 Bar Sea Salt Dark Chocolate

2 Stuffed Shells

1 Piece sourdough bread

Irish Cream

Water, water, water...all day long. 

You can find all the videos I workout to on my YouTube Channel.