My Weightloss Journey + Tips for Cyclical Nutrition and Movement

NOTE: This podcast was transcribed by an AI tool. Please forgive any typos or errors. My Weightloss Journey + Tips for Cyclical Nutrition and Movement === [00:00:00] Welcome to floductivity. Today, we are talking about my weight loss journey and tips for cyclical, nutrition, and movement. [00:00:08] My journey has taken me a lot of lessons. And I thought maybe in sharing my experience, it could help you get to your goals and just a better place, body, mind, and soul. So I can't wait to see you on the other side. [00:00:22] Cara: Welcome to floductivity, a place to inspire and empower beings to embrace self-love and self-development for an achievable balance of productivity. I share different ways to come back to your intuition through spirituality, self care, human design, cycle planning, wellness, and everything in between. [00:00:41] Cara: Thank you so much for joining me this week. If this is your first time. Welcome. And if you've been here with me before. Thank you so much for coming back. I'm so excited to join you in this journey. As we learn together. [00:00:54] Welcome to the episode about me being a bit vulnerable with my weight loss [00:01:00] journey. And I give actionable tips for cyclical, nutrition, and movement. [00:01:06] So my journey began right around after I had my son in the fall of 2018. [00:01:14] Around that time. I could tell that my immune system was shutting down and betweenme and my family, there was a lot of sickness that was going back and forth. Pretty much right after I went to work. When my son was about four weeks old, I had gotten strep throat. And he had gotten RSV. And so just in general, it was really hard. [00:01:39] To just feel like I was healthy at that point. So somewhere around January, 2019, I started to document my purposeful action towards getting healthier. I weighed in at about 207 pounds. [00:02:00] And hadn't really done anything to lose the weight after having my son, ultimately, because we were just in that postpartum. [00:02:07] Aspect and. just stay a float was my number one priority at the time. I want to say right around then I had started working out with tone it up. It is an online app. [00:02:20] I highly recommend it for anyone that is looking to be able to work out from the pleasure of their own home. There's quick workouts. There's long workouts there's programs built in, um, But yeah, either way I highly recommend it. If you're looking for something that's easy. And affordable. I found that like the price, it ultimately costs for a whole year of it is, could be actually less than some memberships to gyms. [00:02:47] I always had this ideal weight in the back of my head that I would be really happy if I could be this weight. And it was obviously a lot less than the 207 pounds I started off at. But. [00:03:00] Aye. Was working out. And I had started around this time too. Limit my diet from gluten and dairy because my son was having issues with me, nursing him and I was having like gastric issues. [00:03:16] GI issues. So I was trying to figure Exactly what was causing me to have these flare ups and the inflammation. [00:03:24] you know, during this time period, life was very overwhelming for me. And so being able to give. My body and my health, the attention that it needed, just wasn't available. I had a son who. Had some issues when he was born, which ultimately led him to having surgery when he was four months old. [00:03:41] My daughter ended up having to have emergency surgery just a few weeks later. And, you know, it was an overwhelming time of my life. So I was trying to get healthy and I just didn't really know what to do. And in my mind, Withholding certain foods and moving my body to a [00:04:00] point where it didn't feel good. I thought that's what I had to do to get healthy. [00:04:04] So I had tracked my progress over time and nothing was really mindblowing until. About January. 2020. We realized our house had mold. And. [00:04:16] Ultimately, it led me to realize that I had to detox my body. [00:04:21] Because of my immune system shutting down because of the molds. My body just needed a period of time where all the toxic things that I was putting into it. You know, even though I was not eating dairy and gluten, I was still adding like a lot of sugar and processed foods. On the other end because my body was being deprived of things that it ultimately wanted to have. [00:04:43] So when I decided to do the detox, I was actually seeing an acupuncturist and she helped walk me through the type of foods that I wanted I did this detox for three months. And it was not for weight loss. It was to ultimately, like I said, [00:05:00] detox my body from all these things that had built up. I could tell that. [00:05:04] My body needed a reset and I was willing to give the three months to. A really strict diet that ultimately was organic protein. Organic vegetables. And green apples and green bananas. And the only reason I had those was I would add them into my smoothies. [00:05:22] It was tough. But I was to a point where my life felt so hard and I saw a light at the end of the tunnel when I could. Kind of see that I need to get to the other side of it. And detoxing was the answer. And I could tell within the first week or two, that that is exactly what I needed to do. You know, it takes a few, it takes a few days for your body to get acclimated. So the first week could be a little bit rough, but. [00:05:49] I decided to go for it. And I could tell, I felt I was feeling better. So that was ultimately when the needle started to move. Of course, when [00:06:00] you're not having all these processed foods. Dairy gluten, I kept it to pretty much chicken and Turkey. [00:06:08] And of course you would see the needle move when you have that. But it was one of those where I started to listen to my body more. That's ultimately where the power came in. As I started to listen to what gave me energy and what took away energy. [00:06:25] And so I would say from January to may, 2020 is ultimately where I had my biggest weight loss journey. [00:06:34] I went from 1 75. To about 1 45 in that time period. It felt reassuring that I was on the right path. But right around June, 2020. I had a realization that I was. Detoxy my body from these foods. And these products, I was cleaning up my products at home. I found that I was really sensitive to most [00:07:00] cleaning products. And when I took them out of my cleaning regimen, like I noticed big difference in a lot of these things. [00:07:06] And so it was just assuring me that things with a lot of chemicals, food, cleaning products, I become reactive And so I had to be very aware of. How I could get things clean and I could nourish my body in a way that my body was accepting of it. [00:07:23] And so I want to say June, 2020 is when I realized I was still on birth control. And it was the only thing that ultimately had some sort of chemical in it that wasn't all natural, that I was still ingesting or putting on my body. And so I had decided to get off birth control. I didn't know how to experience it, period. And so it took me learning about a cycle and kind of leaning into it to see how to experience it. And that's when. My mind was blown. [00:07:54] Because I had seen and felt these certain things of like, I want to do a hit workout today. [00:08:00] No. I don't want to do that. I just want to stretch and knowing that there's certain parts of our cycle, that we should do certain things. Life got easier. There are certain tasks that I didn't like to do in certain parts of my phase. And so if I could pivot when I do those to a time where I'm not so vulnerable or I'm overwhelmed, [00:08:20] Into a time where it makes more sense and that I can tolerate it better. I found that I became more efficient in my life and I got less burnt out from the daily life because we are not meant to do all the things all the time. And that's ultimately what this. Episode [00:08:39] Is to empower you to make those little shifts in your daily life. So that life gets easier. You can be more efficient and things feel better for you in the end. It's not about. [00:08:50] Saying that you can't do anything when you're on your period. That's not it. It's a whole lifestyle you don't have to devote your day from morning till [00:09:00] night on this type of lifestyle you can implement what feels good to you at the time. It's. Uh, connection for you to be connected to your body and understand what it needs in that time. And when things feel overwhelming or you just feel out of sorts. [00:09:16] That's when you should look and say where I'm at in my cycle. How can I use this to my advantage and look at it from there. And then when you get to a point where you're. Getting used to looking at it. You can plan ahead. And it's that moment of being able to plan ahead so that you're not disappointed, overwhelmed, spread too thin in your life is when you can look ahead of what's coming to you and kind of fit it in the certain phases of. [00:09:45] Your cycle. [00:09:46] So by the end of that summer 2020, I got down to 135 pounds. And that was my ideal weight. [00:09:56] But I felt terrible. At that point, I [00:10:00] knew the only way that I could stay down to 135 pounds is to completely limit my diet. And I had to sit back and say, Is enjoying meals out with my family important or is looking a certain way because society has told me to look a certain way. [00:10:18] So I found it was more important to me to Figure out what was important to me. And if it was having pizza with my family and not having to before we went out. Then that's what I was going to do. And so. I had the opportunity to look. Feel experience what it would be like to be my ideal weight. And I decided. [00:10:42] I don't want to do that. And so it took him mindset shift to be happy. With [00:10:50] being heavier than this ideal weight I had in my mind. [00:10:56] And that's where I'm at is. [00:10:59] [00:11:00] Loving myself at this weight. And sharing the things that I've done in the different phases of my cycle that could maybe help you get to a point where you're honoring your body in the process. [00:11:12] Our cycles are very intelligent and we are meant to you work with it. And so. [00:11:19] For example. [00:11:21] Some of the biggest takeaways in my cycle is that I become very vulnerable at the end of my luteal phase. So my cycle is about 33 days on average. And somewhere around day 26, I get very emotionally vulnerable. And so how did I know that I prep myself ahead of time? So that I'm not putting myself in emotionally vulnerable situations. And so that's a very large suggestion for any women who. [00:11:53] I find that they have an emotional wave Ray before their cycle is to [00:12:00] know that's normal. And to plan ahead for that. So I would avoid large gatherings. I would avoid. Certain people who may trigger you when you're not. To a place where you can handle that. I would avoid being on social media more than normal. [00:12:22] So, these are just the little things to be aware of. At that time period. And so I'm going to walk through. Talking about the different movement and foods. I like to enjoy. During each phase of my cycle. And I want to also say that I don't live by my cycle. I just try to enhance it when I have the opportunity [00:12:49] So if I have a moment to be able to move my body, I just think about where I'm at in my cycle. I think about what my body's feeling, and I honor [00:13:00] that, and I do that and I don't say. I should do a hit workout today, or I am supposed to go running today. If my body doesn't feel like running, I'm not going to. [00:13:10] And so I have found that this is the first time in my life where I've been able to. Maintain a weight that feels good to me Once I changed my perception of what my perfect body looked like. I was like, this is what makes me happy that I can be a wait. That makes me feel good. I can feel good in my clothes. [00:13:34] And I can eat the foods when I go out with my friends, my family, and enjoy those moments because. I've been that person where I eat that dry chicken breasts before I go out to eat with people just because I know I can't have anything. At the restaurant. And I didn't want to do that again. It wasn't worth it to me. It was literally taking the joy out of my life.[00:14:00] [00:14:00] So, if you haven't already, I would suggest going to Caradempsey.com/cycle to get your productivity cycle planning, printables. And there is an ideal week. I would jot down. Anything that I talk about that might resonate with In that section so that you can always come back to it to say like ooh this food is good during this time this workout is good for this time and that's exactly kind of what i'll be touching base on each phase for the rest of this episode [00:14:31] So the first phase I'm going to talk about is winter or menstruation. And this is technically the fourth phase, but the first day of your bleed is the first day of your cycle. So if you were ever count out how long your cycle is, it is the first day of your bleed and you would count all the way out. [00:14:51] And the last day would be the last day before your bleed. So mine ranges between 31 and 34 days. [00:14:59] [00:15:00] Winter is The time for you to retreat. Reset and reflect. And so your movement. Should reflect that. So think about walking light, yoga. Just light exercises, stretching. [00:15:15] Breathwork foam. Rolling. Anything that can really help you kind of move the king side of your body in a gentle, soft way. [00:15:25] As for foods. You want to think stews and soups. And a lot of times, what I try and do is I try to make a soup ahead of time and freeze it so that when this time comes around, It saves you from having to cook. ' cause you just take it out of the freezer and heat it up. Another thing that I do is I allow more money in my budget for eating out and I also meal plan. [00:15:55] The meals that my husband is comfortable making to take. [00:16:00] The pressure off of having to do everything. I really try to think about everything ahead of time. Before this phase comes. And so that's the cleaning. What cleaning will need done? Well, I'm going to try and get it done before my winter comes or I'm going to try and get it done after there's some cleaning that I don't mind doing in my winter phase, but [00:16:21] Have a list of the things that I know, which. Which drains me. And that is not what I'm going to be doing during this time. [00:16:28] Some foods I like to have during this time. It's broccoli, rice, kidney beans, black beans. I'll try to add sunflower seeds. If I'm doing a salad. Now. [00:16:41] This time has meant for more warm foods. And my little trick with this is if I'm in a salad mood, I will put roasted vegetables on top. So I'm getting the salad aspect, but I'm having the roasted vegetables to kind of give me that warmth. [00:16:56] If you are someone that eats meat or seafood. [00:17:00] Pork. Bone broth. Crab. Scallops. And if you are into seed cycling, About two tablespoons per day of flax seeds or pumpkin seeds will also help. Balance yourself during this time. [00:17:15] As for fruit, you can do blackberries blueberries. Melon is a good thing during this time. [00:17:22] Next we're going to move on to the follicular or spring phase. This is when you should be emerging. You're like planning, strategizing. You're thinking about what you're going to do. Your energy. Hasn't come up to the peak yet. So you're slowly building strength to get to the top where your energy is going to be high. I always make the mistake that like, as soon as my period ends, I want to hit the ground running and our bodies aren't meant to do that. It is meant to slowly build up. So think about that for your workouts, jumping to. [00:17:56] Soon into high intensity workouts.[00:18:00] Can leave your muscles more pliable and you are more open to pulling a muscle. So keep that in mind when you're doing. Your workouts. Cardio running yoga, strength, training, hiking, circuit training. You know, so you can still move your body really well. It's just, you want to be careful because your muscles are more pliable. [00:18:23] As for nutrition, this is the time for more steamed veggies. blanched veggies. So think about. Broccoli carrots, lettuce, string beans, zucchini. [00:18:38] I do a lot of like more hibachi during this time because I love a good sauteed zucchini. Also adding in some avocado. [00:18:49] Oranges. [00:18:50] Oh, so really good during this time. [00:18:54] You can do lentils. [00:18:55] Chicken is a good thing for you to have during this time. And if you're doing seed [00:19:00] cycling, Two tablespoons of flax seeds or pumpkin seeds are really great in supporting. During this time. So next we are going to go to summer. [00:19:11] Or ovulation. This is when your energy is going to start to be the highest. So this is when you can do more cycling, hit workouts, interval running, bootcamps, power yoga. You know, those things that take extra motivation. This is a great time. To do that in your workouts. As for food. Uh, steamy poaching. [00:19:37] Is encouraged. [00:19:38] You can do beans and lentils. You can do quinoa [00:19:45] as for veggies, asparagus, broccoli, brussel sprouts. Dark leafy greens are really good. I love to have. Nutrient packed smoothies during this time. It's like, what can I put in here? And. [00:20:00] Make my energy. Be the highest. It can be in a way that feels good. And so. Berries a really good oranges are good Kiwis. [00:20:11] You can just think about. Ultimately what you would want in that smoothie. Other fruits. Guava. [00:20:17] Cantaloupe Tomatoes are good. And then if you do eat meat, you can think about. Salmon shrimp, tuna. Eggs are really good at this time. [00:20:27] And then seed cycling this one's a little bit more tricky. You're going to do two tablespoons per day, but if you're in the first half of the beginning, parts of summer, you're going to do flax seeds and pumpkin seeds. If you're in the second half of this phase, Think more assessing me seeds and sunflower seeds. [00:20:48] And then the last one we're talking about today is. Fall or the luteal phase. This is my favorite phase in the sense of I can get a lot done in the beginning phase.[00:21:00] But I have to be very careful and watch out for the second part, because if I keep trying to push through towards the end, you know, my period hasn't come yet. And I'm like, I'm not allowed to be tired until my period comes. [00:21:13] That's when I deplete myself. That's when my PMs symptoms are terrible. That's when my GI system is terrible. So now that I know that about myself, I'm really able to utilize this time because I can get so much done in the first half, as long as I'm listening for the signs in the second half. And so. [00:21:34] The first half of this phase, you can do more things like the summer. Phase the interval, the strength training, the weightlifting. But as you go to the second half, [00:21:47] You're going to think more pilates and gentle yoga. [00:21:51] The types of cooking is roasted or baked. What are my favorite things to make during this time is a roasted sheet [00:22:00] pan of veggies. And I usually do brussel sprouts. I do chickpeas carrots, broccoli. [00:22:07] And sweet potato. [00:22:08] I really need those grounding foods because I tend to get too much in my minds. And so anything that's going to help me bring me back on my body is really helpful during this time. Other things that are great. In this phase to eat would be cauliflower, cucumber, garlic. [00:22:27] Onion radishes, brown rice, apple dates, peaches bananas. You can do great Northern beans. If you eat meat, you can do beef or Turkey. You can do Cod flounder halibut. If you eat fish. [00:22:43] And then if your seed cycling. Two tablespoons per day of Sesame seeds or sunflower when it comes to seed cycling for me, one of my favorite tips is having all my seeds in jars that are labeled because I can never remember when. Uh, [00:23:00] seed is suggested. And so when I'm making smoothies and salads, I'm like, okay, let me get my seeds. Let me put it on. So that way I have no excuse. It's right there. [00:23:10] So I hope this episode helps you understand the different things. [00:23:16] In your cycle. I hope this episode helps you understand your cycle a little better and maybe some. Suggestions in adding these foods to your list. I try to have a go-to list in my different seasons. So that way I don't have to think about it. [00:23:34] So I try to keep a few of the staple. Recipes that I know I enjoy in each phase. And that way, when it comes to meal planning, I'm not overwhelmed. What I'm trying to think about So try to think of those foods you like and find a recipe that you can say every month, I'm going to eat this recipe in this phase. [00:23:54] And so that way you have four meals per month that are ultimately [00:24:00] figured out for your cycle, and then seeing where you can add those vegetables or fruits sporadically throughout. We'll help you. Support yourself during your cycle. So thank you so much for being here. And I will chat with you soon. [00:24:16] Thank you so much for joining me this week. If this was your first time. Welcome. And if you joined me for previous episodes, I thank you so much for coming back. I would love it. If you could share this podcast with a friend, it really helps support my podcast journey and I would be grateful for the support. [00:24:31] I just wanted to share my vulnerable experience with my weight loss journey and how I've implemented cyclical planning. And I hope you found. This to be a helpful. Episode four, If you want to. Find out more, you can check the show notes and all the links [email protected] slash 39. We'll chat soon [00:25:00]