Comfort and Accountability
Lauren shares her journey through the challenges of comfort eating during the pandemic, revealing how stress and lifestyle changes led to weight gain. She discusses the importance of being accountable to herself while navigating her eating habits, including her fluctuating weight and the mental game of weighing herself. The conversation highlights the balance between enjoying food and setting a good example for her son.In this clip
From this podcast
Intermittent Fasting Stories
Episode 376: Lauren Lopez
Related Questions
I'm struggling with all the conflicting information about fasting right now. I've heard several podcasts talk about women in middle age not doing fasted workouts in the morning or fasting until later in the day. I had lost 35 lbs a few years ago with afternoon eating windows of around 4-5 hours, but this past 6 months, I gained 20 lbs over the holidays and just can't get it off. I know I have a lot of hormonal issues right now, so what worked before isn't working now. I'm planning to try opening my eating windows earlier in the day with protein and ending them by early afternoon, aiming to stretch the eating time to 6-8 hours to get more protein in. I'm hoping this will help. I'm afraid I might eat too much with a longer window, but adding more protein should help.
I'm a mom of two, and my youngest is about to turn 2. I cannot for the life of me lose the excess “baby weight” and trim down. My main goal is to continue building strength and lower my overall body fat percentage/improve my body composition. If anything, I’ve actually gained weight since the first year I was postpartum. I was put on an antidepressant, which I now regret and eventually quit taking. After researching, I found that the antidepressant suppresses testosterone. I was doing CrossFit before my second child, where I was in the best shape of my life but exhausted and overtrained. After my daughter, I went into a “hybrid” program, lifting and training for a half marathon. (I gained weight and looked puffy.) Then I thought, okay, I’ll do a marathon and hybrid train. (I do want to lose weight and look fit.) But I’ve stopped that. After listening to your podcasts, I enjoy lifting over running anyway, as it takes way less time from my kids/family, and I feel more energized without all the running. My next question is about macros. I’ve counted macros for a while, and I feel like I’m eating enough. How would I know the difference between eating too much, which would explain the weight plateau/gain, versus still overtraining/under eating? How long should I give my body from stopping all the hybrid training/running and returning back to weight lifting, with very minimal high-intensity work, to let my body adapt and trust the increased calories/less “intense” movement? It gets so discouraging and frustrating when I just want to be comfortable in my own skin but also be the best version of myself for my husband and kids. I’m drained mentally at the complexity of it when I try to do it all and I’m stuck looking like an average Joe that doesn’t work out, even though I can lift and move fairly well. For numbers' sake, I weighed 165 before my daughter, and I still want to improve that version of myself. I weigh 180 now. I lift 4-6 days a week, following a great programming. My protein goal right now is set at 165, and it’s the one target I refuse to miss. I’m at 250-275g carbs and 70g fat, with an overall calorie intake of 2400. This feels like a lot.
I did an extended 5-day fast 2 weeks ago. I was weighing about 116 lbs a month ago. After the fast, I weighed 110 lbs. On the third, fourth, and fifth days, I gained a pound daily due to my refeeding, and this past week I've been steady at 113.5 lbs. I am doing weight exercises mixed with cardio. I am 1.52 m tall. My goal is to lose belly fat and gain muscle. I stopped eating sugar and alcohol 10 days after my fasting, having very little kombucha. I try to prioritize protein, eating eggs in the morning and chicken in the afternoon, although I eat cheese and dairy products with them usually. What advice can you give me, and how can I know if my weight gain is muscle or fat? I have been doing exercise before the fast and after.