Weight, Weight, Don't Tell Me

I've been secretly hoping that the Bikram Challenge would help me lose 5 or 10 pounds. I am slightly reluctant to admit to all of this, as I would rather be a noble yogini who practices for greater health and deeper connections between mind, body, and spirit. But I am distracted by vanity and the desire to fit into my skinny jeans.

Roughly 3-3 1/2 years ago, I weighed about 15 lbs. less than I do now. When I began a regular Bikram yoga practice (3-5X/wk for about 6-7 months), I actually gained 3 or 4 lbs, but I simultaneously lost a full 3 inches from my hips and firmed up all over. Over the next 2 years, I stopped going to yoga and my life became increasingly stressful. I didn't take very good care of myself, and I gradually put on nearly 20 lbs. In October 2008, when I came back to yoga, I lost about 5 lbs very quickly. Then another 4 lbs gradually dropped off over the course of a year. The rest of my stress weight clings stubbornly.

I'm eating healthy whole foods, a balanced diet, but I just go with the flow of my cravings and hunger. Other than avoiding sugar, processed foods, and junk foods, I don't really restrict my diet. I guess I eat a lot; my friends comment about my hollow leg, and I seem to quite comfortably put away as much food as my 200lb. boyfriend does. So maybe I need to start watching portion size if I'm serious about losing weight, but...I'm not sure that I'm that serious yet. I've just been hoping that yoga would burn away a little weight, and that yoga would adjust my cravings and appetite enough to cause a little more weight reduction.

Sometimes yoga dampens my appetite and seems to make junk food very unappealing. Sometimes yoga makes me crave kale and other leafy greens. Sometimes I crave protein in any form. I had a pickle binge last week. I am just trusting my body to tell me what it needs.

So on Day 1 of the Challenge, I weighed and measured myself. In 29 days, I have lost about 2 lbs. My waist is 3/4 inch smaller, and my hips are an inch and a half smaller. Practicing yoga on consecutive days keeps my metabolism humming right along. I don't know if this reducing trend will continue, but it's nice to see some results pretty quickly.

In other news, I practiced in the front row tonight. It was a pretty good class. I focused on being gentle with myself and putting more ease into my postures. Lost my alignment with Bow Pose again and had knee pain, but everything else was just fine. I can't claim to enjoy camel at all, but it was good tonight. I am getting into the posture with more depth and less strain. It always feels so wonderful to notice an improvement in a posture.

Tomorrow is 30 days...I've never made it to 30 consecutive days before! I'm chuffed!