Isn't there always a lesson to learn in everything? I don't think that being sick was any different. I actually learned or rediscovered three main things.
A Reset
It is a habit for me to step on the scales right before hopping in the shower. It was no different that first day after I was sick with the flu. When I first stepped on the scale that day my first thought was honestly one of elation. And immediately I was like, "man, I want to keep this weight loss", even though I knew that it was most likely impossible. But I wanted to hold on to the weight loss because dude, that was hard earned loss! Jason even made the comment that 'well your stomach shrunk'. That made me really think about what I needed to do to maintain my loss or at least not gain it all back.
Jason and I even had a talk about it where I readily admitted that I knew that I would put some back on as I started to eat and drink normally again. He made a comment to me saying, "Well, your stomach has shrunk so I would take advantage of that." Hmmm, that made me think and I began to wonder. "Could my stomach have really shrunk in the 2-3 days of fasting that started with the elimination of everything from my body.
Not one to sit in the unknown, I started to research. There were two parts of the stomach shrinking story: The first is to start by saying that while it is definitely possible to stretch our stomachs beyond the normal limit of our stomachs, for those who have severe weight problems. Once they have been stretched past that normal limit it is not possible to shrink them back to the original/normal size. But secondly, our stomach's are always stretching and shrinking as it does the job that it is intended to do, so yes, it does technically shrink when we don't eat....it shrinks back to it's current normal size. Is there anything we can do manually/physically to cause it to shrink any more than the normal process and the answer is no.
So I didn't shrink my stomach. (Waaaaaaaa) It is possible to shrink my stomach to the lowest 'current' normal though. And that I did for sure. The one article I read did talk about a side affect of shrinking the stomach and having an empty stomach. That side effect was the fact that an empty 'shrunken' stomach is more capable of emitting and transmitting the signals to my body that tell me when I am hungry and when I am satisfied. (Don't worry they gave long discussions about the hormones involved and the secretions from the stomach lining and all that gobbly gook to make it official.)
That made sense to me. When I started to eat I noticed that I would eat just a bit and my stomach would start to notify me that it was done. Let me tell you, I don't get that feeling often! I also rarely feel the hunger pang when it's time to eat. I never let my stomach empty enough to get there. This week I have gotten that feeling and in my fear of getting sick again I have stopped! And you know what, it kinda feels good to listen to my body.
Are you Really Hungry
Hand in hand with the last thing I learned was something that these newfound (rediscovered maybe) feelings of hunger and satiation taught me. That big lesson is that I need a lot less food in order to feel satisfied. Yes. A lot less! That fear of being sick and actually eating slow and listening to my body has made me stop eating a lot earlier than I normally would have. And I have been absolutely fine. I haven't been wracked with hunger pains. I haven't felt anything negative. I have been absolutely fine! Furthermore, I have tried to not eat again until my stomach actually starts to feel a little 'hunger pangy'. Which means I don't just eat at noon because it's lunchtime. It's an interesting feeling.
It's a Good Thing
Yeah, don't call me Martha Stewart who used (may still use it or all I know) that as her tag line. But, being sick may have been a good thing......for my knee. I had been having huge issues with my knee for the last half of my attempt to do the 75 Hard challenge. I have limped around. I have moaned and groaned even as I try to get into a comfortable position to sleep. But I didn't let up for even one, I was in a 75 day challenge you know. I pushed through the pain. I knew it was arthritis and that I wasn't doing more damage to it, so I felt ok pushing. The challenge ended and I didn't want to lose what I had gained in terms of exercise. So I kept exercising daily. I did follow my plan for April and did some days of strength training but I was still working out. The week I was sick I dind't exercise. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. (And I don't feel bad about it either). BY the end of the week I could feel a difference in my knee! I still have twinges, but it is just that, a twinge and not any real pain! YAY!
I love the three major discoveries that I made. It is my hope and plan to hang oneo them and continue letting my stomach have time to shrink enough between meals to allow my body to pick up on the signals. I plan on listening to those signals. And I hope to carry these as good lessons and thoughts through the rest of my "One Month of Winning."
