The Hot Yoga Doctor – Free Bikram and Hot Yoga Resources › Hot Yoga Doctor Forum › Injuries, Restrictions, Ailments, Pose Modifications › Illnesses/Ailments › a little freaked!
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I have been practicing yoga for almost a year and just recently (4 weeks) started Hot Yoga. I did hot yoga last summer but then didn’t have a class nearby until now. I am a little freaked out because I am feeling like I am gaining weight!! I have read tons of older post about this and I know I should give it time etc. I am not weighing myself, so I don’t know if I’m really gaining or if it just ‘feels’ like it. Pretty sure I am though! I am eating healthy, but do have a good appetite. I have posted before about the fact that I have struggled with an eating disorder in the past. I’m wondering if my new ‘weight’ is just due to me ‘filling out’ or if I’m getting fat! Do I just buy new pants or will this level out? I am no longer underwieght, so therefore am not too pleased about this! I am 5’7 and last time I did weigh it was around 125. I do NOT want to keep going UP! I keep thinking that maybe if I go low-carb or low-fat etc. maybe I could do better, but restrictions just really throw me for a loop! I am NOT eating like a pig or anything, just feel tempted to cut back. I LOVE yoga, but don’t want it to make me keep gaining. I guess I just need some serious encouragement and motivation 🙁
Hi Kimberly
I wonder if you can share with us a few things. Your issue may be a timing or a food thing or maybe even a combination:
>> What is the nature of food that you eat? What percentage cooked and raw? Whether you are an omnivore etc. Anything you would like to add.
>> At what times do you eat and when are you main meals of the day?
>> How many times per day do you eat? Once, twice, or do you graze?
>> At what times do you practice hot yoga?
>> What do you feel most comfortable eating after class?
> Can you clarify if you feel bigger in your clothes rather than feeling more toned and muscly?Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂Easier said than done sometimes, but I think you should be more concerned with how good you look, not how much you weigh or your size. You are gaining a more toned, muscular and athletic body with Bikram and toned, muscular and athletic bodies weigh more in general. I’m willing to bet, too that no one but you will realize you may have gone up a pant size and if you stick with it you’ll look glowingly fantastic! The eating disorder history is worry some though, so if you still find yourself obsessing then I’d say it’s time to re-visit the therapist. Good luck!
Thanks for the reply ladies 🙂
Gabrielle,
I will try to answer your questions without writing a novel. Here goes:I am mainly a vegetarian. I will very rarely have a few bites of chicken, but I do mean RARELY. I have tried the high raw diet a few different times due to some gut issues I have. My natureopath felt like high raw would be best for me due to the enzymes etc. While I did notice improvement in my health, I always felt like I was STARVING! I can not handle a lot of fat, but on the other hand I can not handle a lot of fruit either. I have Celiac, so no gluten and I also don’t do dairy. I have just recently started adding some gluten free grains back to my diet but try to not overdo that as it tends to mess up my gut. At the moment, I am eating a lot of cooked veggies, some GF grains, some soy products(yogurt and cheese), a little fruit and I do have dairy free ice cream some. Oh, and I LOVE chocolate but eat very little and always eat dark.
I usually eat three meals and a couple of snacks a day. Breakfast usually around 8, lunch around 12, afternoon snack, dinner around 5, and then a light snack around 8pm. Of course this all depends on when I practice. I have been practicing mid-morning (9:45 class). If I go to the 9:45 class, I eat a light breakfast around 7 or 7:30. If I don’t I feel sick during class. Then I will eat some sort of veggie stir-fry over raw spinach for lunch. BUT, this week, I have had to go to the 6pm classes. I eat a snack around 3:30. I don’t like the later classes because that means by the time I get home and can eat it is around 8pm. One night after class I had a green smoothie, but I woke up STARVING and TIRED the next day. The next night after class, I had an almond butter and all fruit preserve sandwich(gluten free flax bread). I felt better eating that but don’t like to eat that heavy at 8 pm. I would like to be able to eat less–fewer times a day, but can’t seem to get my body to cooperate. If I don’t eat enough, I end up binging!
I do feel bigger in my clothes! I have pants that I wore last summer that are tight on me now. When I was in the midst of my eating disorder, I lost pretty much ALL my muscle. At one point, I could not even walk for ten minutes! So, I have really come a LONG way over the last few years. I know I am gaining some muscle back and that is a good thing, but I thought muscle took up less space than fat. Am I just putting muscle on top of fat?
It might also be important to note that I am 40 yrs. old and I do have some hormonal issues going on. 🙂 I just want to feel healthy, which is something I have not felt most of my life due to undiagnosed Celiac. I want to feel toned, lean and strong and maybe even get rid of some cellulite!
Okay, that was pretty long and it’s time to go practice 🙂
Thanks so much for any help you can offer me!! I love this forum!!
Kimberlymuscle can be bulky, too… look at all those body builder types… but it looks MUCH, MUCH better!! 🙂
Hi Kimberly and Micherie
Micherie is right about the feeling component. One should really go by how they feel.
What you are telling us is that you feel uncomfortable. That I understand. It seems your shape change is not consistent with your expectations. Your story indicates a complexity that could be affecting your self-image.
Your issue is complex because it involves past eating disorder, self-perception of shape and weight and a focus on food, amounts and frequency. Along with that there is the hormonal issue which makes for a very interesting blend.
What makes it a little difficult is that I have no idea what you look like. Most women (and many men) are very self-critical and find something to complain about. If a regular person were to “assess” your shape would they be more likely to say that you are trim, slim, overweight, flabby or fat (or some other description)? Would they be more inclined to say that you look fantastic? When you were happy with your shape were you considered to be of normal size or smaller than regular folk? If you were smaller than normal then it’s not unreasonable to put on a little shape.
Lean muscle has a different shape to fat. It should be obvious whether what you are developing is lean muscle or not.
Just noticed your comment about food: I wonder about your efforts to try for only 3 meals a day. It would seem that smaller more frequent meals (meals and snacks or whatever configuration) is a better way to go. You would have more stable blood sugar levels. It seems you have tried some very sound eating regimes. It’s a pity you couldn’t satisfy your appetite with the raw food. I am finding it takes a little more planning if you’re not simply prepared to go and grab a few veggies and fruit from the fridge. I tend to make it a little more complicated than that so it takes me more time. But I don’t go hungry. I have snacks that I can rely on.
I know I could ask you a ton more questions but I don’t want to go beyond where we are without invitation.
In a nutshell
>> your eating habits could need reviewing
>> you could be more shapely but muscular rather than fat (you have to be able to be the judge on that, or perhaps a partner or close friend or family member)
>> it could simply be that after only 5 weeks of hot yoga your body is adjusting to the new challenging regime and all it takes is a little patience and some experimentation with your food intake
>> I would love for you to feel comfortable and easy with what’s going on so that you can support this process. It seems that a clear picture of your shape and how you feel about your shape is still a little elusive for me (and it seems possibly to you too).
>> Perhaps finding a personal mantra in your practice could help with some self-acceptance and create more joy in your practice. Perhaps all that is needed is a different focus. (There are some great ones on this forum: search with the words ‘mantra’ or ‘affirmation’.)So Kimberly, what seems to be clicking for you? Does anything resonate? Where can we go?
Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂 -
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