How I lost 6 lbs on Accident...

So you can lose it on purpose

Author

Aqilah Pope
September 01, 2024

Happy September mindfull community !!

Can you believe we’re here already?

It feels like each year is going by quicker and quicker but Alhamdulillah, for me, this year felt fuller than most years.

I hope it did for you too.

I’ve been chatting with a few of you in the DM’s and a big request was more actionable tips for fitness…

So this week we’re going to chat about the big W, weight loss.

I want to approach this topic mindfully because as someone who’s dealt with disordered eating for nearly two decades, I know how triggering it can be.

Before we begin, I want to reaffirm that your value is inherent.

How good you are has absolutely nothing to do with whatever number is on that scale.

However, there is also nothing wrong with wanting to improve your health either and if weight loss is the way to do that (no pun intended), then I love that for you, but please do it mindfully.

Also, you might get in your feelings at some point in this newsletter and that is not my intention but and big but here, regardless of how tea leaves and incense I may be, I’m not going to sugarcoat anything…

Because, in my opinion, loving accountability and honesty are some of the most genuine ways to show you care about someone.

So let’s get into it.

Calories in Calories out

Weight loss is very simple, it is in fact taking in less calories than you expend…it’s thermodynamics, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy…

Due to hormonal changes, access to foods and fitness centers, as well as your biological makeup, it can be much harder and sometimes very little within your control how your body expends and takes in calories.

Now here are 5 common retorts you may hear as well as some empathetic and nuanced responses: (if you’re someone who just tells people to work harder I urge you to keep reading or listening)

Yes, but not everyone knows how to effectively exercise. There is so much conflicting information on how to exercise, when to exercise, and what exercises to do that many people end up getting overwhelmed, or injured and quitting.

One of my favorite voices in the fitness space is Dr. Mike Israetel. He holds people accountable but also gives plenty of nuance whenever he can. One of my favorite interviews of his was on an IG live and I love the way he tackled this opinion.

When asked if obesity was a choice he said false, however, we do make the choices that lead to obesity.

Dr. Mike clarified with an example.

He asked the interviewer if given two buttons one being “Obese” and one being "Not obese” a good 99% of people would not choose the obese button.

However, if you gave someone two buttons, one being broccoli and the other being a highly obesogenic food like french fries, obviously someone is going to choose french fries.

The problem lies when someone chooses button two over and over again.

The choice lies in choosing delayed gratification vs instant gratification.

And if you remember our chat about Dr Lembke and dopamine you know our brains are designed to love the latter.

Yes, it is, obesity and obesity-related diseases have been referred to as “diseases of affluence” which is why in “more developed countries” like ours you see such high rates of obesity and obesity-related diseases.

Although things like rice and beans are much cheaper than a happy meal, having access to fresh fruits and vegetables, even frozen fruits and vegetables can be a luxury. If you grew up in a suburb like me you likely didn’t grow up in a food desert, you may not even know what one is, but many Americans do.

If you didn’t have a car and the closest grocery store was 20 minutes away but the corner store and McDonald’s were right there which would you choose?

If you want to see what this looks like, Will Tennyson did a great video on food deserts in his video “I Investigated The City That Has No Fresh Food” 

Time poverty is real, according to a national poll done by Time Magazine about 50% of Americans feel time-poor.

And I recently did a poll on threads asking Gen Z and young millennials how many jobs they had the second highest answer was 3+.

  • Let’s do some math real quick for some averages in our country

    • minimum wage- ~$9 , the average hourly income is $28.16

    • average rent for a 2 bedroom apartment - $1,916

    • average utilities- ~ $201.93

    • healthy grocery bill for a 3-person home - ~ $1324

    • average car note ( over 90% of US households have at least one car)- $523 per month for a used car

    • average out-of-pocket medical expenses per month- $118.75

    • Car insurance - ~$100

Keep in mind this doesn’t include student loans or any other debt, a cell phone bill, pet expenses, gas, homeowners insurance, life insurance, car maintenance or childcare.

The total monthly expenses for that person for just the expenses in the above list things would be $4,211.84…

Meaning if someone works 40 hours a week they would need to make ~$26.32 per hour.

This is under the average hourly income needed, just for basic necessities, hence why so many of us have second and third jobs.

How do you expect someone to spend time meal prepping, searching for recipes, or driving a town away ~if they live in a food desert~ to get fruits and vegetables?

Exactly.

Not everyone reaches satiety with the same amount of food.

Studies also suggest that our gut bacteria can cause us to crave different foods, and for some of us, that means calorically dense, low-satiety foods.

With that being said, it’s not all doom and gloom, there is plenty within your control

5 actionable tips:

  • Focus on walking - my game-changing walking pad and its $150 off right now bringing the total to $99

  • Frozen or fresh veggies (frozen at peak ripeness)

  • Buy the packaged rice and beans

  • Focus on compound exercises (we talked about that more in this newsletter click the hyperlink to learn more about these)

  • Focus on spices over sauces

Surprisingly enough, not focusing on losing weight may also help you…

How you may ask?

Don’t worry, I got you

Section 2 How I lost 8 lbs without trying

After nearly 2 years of trying to get back in the 160’s, last month I did it, without trying.

Because of the move, my energetic bandwidth only spread far enough to cover maintaining (not growing) my business, my part-time jobs, and this move.

I had nothing left over for meal prepping and funnily enough, I can probably count on one hand how many times I went to the gym.

So what changed?

I literally just ate less and moved more.

There were multiple days when I only stopped moving to eat, drive, and sleep.

~and unfortunately there was one day where I worked through the whole night and didn’t sleep until almost 10 pm the next day~

I ate takeout (healthier options), as well as microwavable lentils or beans and brown rice on repeat with the occasional fruit and veggie that didn’t require peeling.

Then for funzies, when we unpacked the scale and I stepped on….I lost 8lbs.

And apparently it was, but this time it was 6 lbs down…

THEN I got on the Inbody at the studio I use for my business…6 lbs down…

Part of me was happy because this had been a goal of mine for the past 2 years and I know that when I weigh less, I move better and my joints feel so much better.

The other part of me was frustrated because it had taken me 2 years of trying to lose this weight and I did it in a month 😑 .

As you can see in that picture, unfortunately, some of that weight loss was muscle, which is to be expected as I ate less protein and did less structured workouts.

This got me to thinking “How can I keep this weight off and do it in a healthier and sustainable way?”

Here are 3 things I did the last time I got into the 160’s and hit fight weight without the two- a day workouts and being hangry 24/7 👇️ 

I. 20-20-20 routine by Robin Sharma

During the panini, each morning I would do a variation of this routine from the 5am Club.

I would work out for 20-30 minutes, read something for 20-30 minutes, and focus on my spiritual health for 20-30 minutes ( salah, learning Qur’an, journaling, etc).

20-30 minutes may not seem like a lot but if you multiply 20-30 minutes by 30 days…well I’ll just let Chatty show you …

Ya’ll know I love to talk about momentum: consistency→momentum→ success.

In my experience as both a trainer and an athlete, It’s far easier to commit to moving every day than it is to commit to working out two to three times a week.

II. Intuitive Eating

I know colleagues subscribed to this newsletter may have some opinions about this one, but you know what they say about opinions 😉 

I’ve always been very in tune with my body, I think all of us were until we were conditioned to ignore our bodies’ natural cues.

You know, like when your parents told you to finish everything on your plate even though you were full…

Or when you were told to eat foods you didn’t like that made you feel gross…

I think our parents did the best they could with the tools they had but unfortunately, developing these habits means many of us have some rehab to do when it comes to our relationships with food.

During this time where I felt the best, I did intermittent fasting.

This is not for everyone it’s just what worked for me.

When I eat, regardless of how high protein or high whatever it is, I get a dip in energy for at least 2 hours…

As someone who loves to get my most energetically heavy tasks out of the way in the morning like content creation and working out, eating in AM doesn’t work for me …

Forcing myself to do this was hindering my progress as an overall healthy individual just because certain data and professionals said it was “better to eat high protein meals in the morning”.

So what does this mean for you?

Try different things out and see what feels good.

If eating protein oatmeal and 3 eggs first thing in the morning works for you, do that.

If fruit first thing in the morning works for you, do that.

If fasting and just drinking water until about 11 am works for you, like it does for me, do that.

No one is living inside your body except you.

Our bodies give us signals; listen to them.

Here are a list of some cues our body gives us if you need some direction:

  • feeling uncomfortably bloated every time you eat a specific food

  • brain fog

  • eczema flare-ups (this is big for me)

  • stomach cramping

  • chest pain (also big for me, nothing shows up for me on allergen tests but every time I eat dairy this happens)

  • rashes

  • fatigue

  • acne flare-ups

Here is a video on how to successfully do an elimination diet if you’re interested. As a disclaimer none of this is medical advice, always consult with a medical professional before making any changes regarding nutrition.

III. Not focusing on the weight loss

I find when you focus on the journey rather than the destination of anything, you enjoy the process and are typically more successful.

In my youth, I would weigh myself daily, and whatever number was on that scale would dictate how I felt about myself for the rest of the day if not the week.

The thing about this is, an overproduction of stress hormones like cortisol can lead to weight gain (and increased belly fat), and when you are constantly stressing yourself out about not losing weight, and then binge eating to feel better, then restricting yourself to compensate for the binge eating, you enter this cycle that is terrible for your mental health, your physical health and consequently your weight loss.

There’s so much correlation between the brain and our gut from our moods to weight loss, the foods we like. Here are some of my favorite resources for different kinds of learners about the gut-brain connection.

Articles:

Podcasts:

Documentary

  • “Hack Your Health” - can be found on Netflix

In a country where our top 3 causes of death are related to obesity, I understand the desire to lose weight.

I also understand the desire to lose weight due to the constant bombardment of oftentimes photoshopped and unnaturally perfect bodies on social media.

Regardless of your reason, I hope this newsletter gave you some tools and helped you refocus your intention in a way that was healthier and grounded in self-love.

We only get one body, and I truly believe it’s a gift from our creator, meaning we have to love it and take care of it.

InshaAllah you all have an amazing week, and a beautiful, nourishing September.

I hope to chat with you all again next week.

And as always,

Abundant light and radiant health.

Assalamualaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatu.

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