Born to be “fat” | Day 5 of 90

Yesterday ended up being a rest day for me because I went into the office early to decorate one of our team member’s desks for her bday! Funny thing was – even though none of us talked about it – pretty much the rest of the team came in early too to do the same thing! It made my heart so happy. The office has been a lovely place lately with good vibes flowing.

I did however sign up for my favorite stretching class at SM Stretching in Beverly Hills. I literally tell everyone about this class. I am always searching for an intense flexibility class (not yoga) but every single one that I try is so inconsistent. Sometimes the pole dance studios get it right but those classes aren’t as important to them so the instructors are always changing so you never know what you’re gonna get.

Anyway, I’ve been going to SM Stretching for a little over a month and a half I think? Love it. The gym is developed by a former Russian medalist in rhythmic gymnastics and y’all IT IS INTENSE. The teachers will push on you to go deeper, make you put blocks under your heels, and make you hold splits for 3 minutes…each side. It’s for sure painful. I mean, I can barely move my legs after I hold splits for that long, especially middle splits, but I see small improvements every time I go! Nothing motivates me more than progress…so I KEEP COMING BACK!

First time I went a a couple months ago with my friend Laura who is a professional ballerina. She is flexy goals. Here I am in front splits with 1 block under my heel.

A month or so in, 2 blocks under my heel.

Yesterday, 3 blocks under my heel! Gotta still get my front hip down lower.

Middle splits are a different story entirely. This is a couple months ago:

This is yesterday:

Not bad! But the middles are SOOOO painful for me!!!

My goal in life is one day to be able to do the middle splits. I swear I will do everything it takes. One day it is going to happen. But seriously, MY HIPS ARE SO TIGHT. This might take me a while!!!

Anyway, because yesterday became a rest day (I don’t schedule rest days because I let them take place naturally when I’m traveling or too busy) I knew my progress was going to stall a bit. For me movement does more than burn calories, it helps with my digestive system too. So when I don’t work out, I just kinda feel slower…with everything!

As I’ve gotten older and as I’ve experienced several fitness journeys, I’ve begun to understand my body much more. For my body type, weight loss and fat loss are a constant uphill battle. I’ve always kinda known this growing up as the chubby one in my family and in the classroom. My sister could always eat what she wanted and she’s always been slim. My friends in school were always thinner than me.

My 23andme report says:

Some of you may be thinking – 5%? That’s not even anything! But just to give you some context, the 5% is actually the highest I’ve seen from all my friends & fam who have taken the test. Even for those whose weight actually qualifies them as overweight or obese, they had 3% on their report. Everyone else was either predisposed to weigh average or predisposed to weight 3 or 5% less than average.

So what am I “supposed” to weigh?

Ok, so a couple things I find problematic with this “average” weight for a 32 year old 5’5″ woman.

They are getting averages from a pool of European people. Asians tend to be smaller in frame and therefore weigh less. So it’s not truly accurate to compare me against an average of people that don’t reflect me.
Also, what is the demographic of people who actually have purchased and taken 23andme? The average only reflects the demographic of the 23andme customer. I don’t know what that demo actually is but I presume it is someone who has a little bit of disposable income, probably middle class or upper middle class, is educated, and is probably Caucasian.

I don’t think I am too far off. Out of all my family, only my sister and I have taken 23andme. We recently forced our parents to do it too. My dad really didn’t want to. He said all knowingly “NO TEST CAN TELL ME WHO I AM!” I don’t know whether to be mad or to laugh.

Anyway my sister and I have not found any relatives on the app. In contrast, pretty much everyone in Sam’s family (big fam) has taken the test and they continue to find new relatives like almost every month! So that explains why 23andme only has data for people of European descent. I think Asians just don’t wanna pay for it. Hahaha.

OK BACK TO THE WEIGHT THO

When I first found out that I could pretty much blame my genes for my lack of a six pack even with my active lifestyle, I didn’t know whether to be happy or to be sad. Should I celebrate that I weighed less than my average? Or should I be resentful for not having genes that would have been really useful for my career in the fitness industry?

You know, when you’re given the gift of life and a body that is so precious, you take it, you take care of it and you appreciate it.

I was dealt a hand of cards that made it a bit harder for me to lose weight. And you know what? That’s amazing. I could have been dealt sooooooo much worse!!! I love that my genes gave me my dark hair, brown eyes, long fingers, great legs (if I may say so myself), and a mind that never stops thinking and creating. I love myself and I love that I don’t have to ever feel “stuck” with what I have because I have the power to keep learning and improving.

So, for the camps of people who believe that body positivity and weight loss cannot go hand in hand, I ask you to take a moment to think about the WHY behind the weight loss. If someone wants to do it to get healthier, be happier, and gain more confidence, we should cheer them on! If someone is doing it because they feel pressure from somewhere that isn’t from within, that is a whole ‘nother thing. Be understanding that everyone’s fitness journey is their own. So unless you can get inside someone’s brain, don’t tell them they’re doing is wrong.

DAY 4 RECAP:

This is what I ate yesterday. I was actually kinda hungry in the morning which is not normal for me, so I ate some brie cheese and these Thai chili almonds – both from Trader Joes! Pretty good combo I must say! I like rolling the cheese around in the Thai chili seasoning.

Also, in case you guys were wondering how I stay hydrated, I carry 2 water bottles around with me. The blue one is 32 oz and the pink one is 24 oz. Why do I carry 2? In case I’m not in a place where there’s a water fountain. Also, I love my water ice cold (and these bottles keep it ice cold all day). I mean I cannot depend on an unknown water source to give me the temperature of water I desire! :P

For lunch I had meal-prep turkey chili and cauliflower rice with chicken marsala – both items I bought at Costco! The chicken marsala has some sauce and mushrooms. Very good flavor!

Now, the cauli rice. We need to talk about the cauli rice!!! You guys, it’s cauli rice in a bag and it takes 90 sec to heat up in the microwave!!! AHHHHH!!!

The first time I bought it, I was so skeptical. Like how does a vegetable live outside of the fridge or freezer?? Honestly, no idea, but after 90 sec in the microwave, I tasted it, and it was legit!

For dinner, I couldn’t choose whether I wanted a “Mexican bowl” or tacos. So, I did both! Haha. That’s why my plate has a side of cauli rice plus chicken, mushrooms, hatch chile peppers, onions, and then 4 mini keto flatbreads that I used as my “taco” outsides.

You guys. IT WAS SOOOOO GOOD!!!!

The tacos ended up being more like tostadas and they were DELICIOUS!!!! I added some guac and pico de gallo on top.

Again, I did not measure my ingredients for the keto flatbread, but I can tell you that I mixed about 1 TBSP  of mozzarella cheese with 1 egg and like 2 TBSP of almond flour. Put it on the pan, flipped, and boom, done. Total process from mixing to getting on my plate is like 5 minutes.

The post Born to be “fat” | Day 5 of 90 appeared first on Blogilates.