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Health Reset: From Routine to Realignment

  • Apr 2
  • 4 min read



Current Snapshot

  • Weight: 64 kg

  • Target: 58 kg

  • Meals/day: 3 (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, plus snacks)

  • Intermittent Fasting: Not currently fasting

  • Portions: Medium


Meal Breakdown:

  • Breakfast: Eggs with coffee or tea

  • Lunch: Protein shake

  • Dinner: Fish or chicken with vegetables

  • Snacks: Nuts, cheese, and sliced ham


Lifestyle Snapshot

  • Exercise: 3–4 times/week, 45–60 minutes per session

  • Sleep: Over 8 hours/night

  • Showers: Hot only

  • Grounding: Not practiced

  • Tracking: Occasional

  • Hormones: Estrogen and progesterone pellets inserted


Goals

  • Improve muscle tone

  • Increase energy

  • Enhance overall health

  • Lose body fat


Motivators

  • Better appearance

  • Boosted energy levels


Challenges

  • Emotional eating

  • Nightly wine habit


Recommendations & Reset Plan

1. Introduce Gentle Fasting

Even a 12:12 fasting window (e.g., 7 AM to 7 PM) can help regulate insulin and improve fat metabolism. Gradually build to a 14:10 or 16:8 schedule as your body adapts.


2. Upgrade Lunch Quality

Replace the shake with a whole-food, high-protein meal 2–3x/week. Great options include a tofu bowl, chicken salad, or a veggie stir-fry. This helps maintain muscle tone and keeps you fuller longer.


3. Tame the Wine Habit

Alcohol increases belly fat and disrupts sleep. Try:

  • Alcohol-free nights (e.g., Monday to Thursday)

  • Sparkling water with lime or herbal tea

  • Reflective journaling to explore emotional triggers


4. Address Emotional Eating

  • Keep a mood-food journal and ask: “Am I hungry or emotional?”

  • Use non-food distractions like walking, stretching, or drinking water

  • Practice self-care as a substitute for food-based soothing


5. Increase Tracking Consistency

Track progress 1–2x per week—note your weight, how your clothes fit, and energy levels rather than focusing on daily numbers.


6. Try Cold Showers (Optional)

A 30-second cold blast at the end of your shower may support metabolism and reduce inflammation.


7. Begin Gentle Grounding

Even standing barefoot outside 2x a week can help lower cortisol and improve emotional regulation.


How to Train Ghrelin to Support Fasting
1. Start Gently

Begin with 12:12 fasting and build gradually to 16:8. Allow 3–7 days for your hunger hormone (ghrelin) to adjust.


2. Delay Breakfast

Start delaying your first meal by 30–60 minutes every few days. Use hot water, herbal tea, or black coffee to reduce the urge.


3. Stick to a Routine

Eat meals at consistent times to help ghrelin learn your schedule. Avoid irregular snacking.


4. Eliminate Snacks

Snacking causes frequent ghrelin spikes. Focus on 2–3 solid meals per day.


5. Ride the Ghrelin Wave

Hunger typically passes within 30 minutes. Distract yourself and let the spike fade.


6. Eat Whole Foods

Prioritize protein, healthy fats, and fiber. Avoid ultra-processed carbs, which trigger rebound hunger.


7. Improve Sleep

Poor sleep raises ghrelin and lowers leptin, increasing hunger. Aim for consistent, high-quality rest.


Natural Ghrelin Soothers

  • Green tea or Rooibos

  • Calocurb

  • Gentle movement (walks)

  • Hot water with lemon or cinnamon


Emotional Eating: Understand & Transform

Common Triggers:

  • Stress, anxiety, overwhelm

  • Boredom, loneliness

  • Fatigue or emotional lows


Step-by-Step Strategy

1. Pause & Pattern SpotBefore eating, ask: "Am I physically hungry or emotionally triggered?" Track what you ate, when, and how you felt before and after.


2. Craving Delay Ritual (5–5–5 Rule):

  • Wait 5 minutes

  • Drink 500ml water or tea

  • Do 5 calming actions (walk, deep breathing, stretch, journal, etc.)


3. Create a Non-Food Comfort MenuBuild a list of 10 go-to activities: bath, walk barefoot, journal, hug someone, stretch, etc. Keep it visible.


4. Balance Blood SugarEat balanced meals with protein, fat, and fiber to prevent emotional crashes.

5. Name the Emotion & Nurture ItAsk: What am I really feeling? Lonely, anxious, tired? Meet the true need—don’t numb it with food.


6. Use Gentle Self-TalkAvoid “I was bad.” Try: “I was triggered—what can I learn from this?”


7. Heal the RootExplore deeper needs for safety, value, connection. Emotional eating often masks unmet emotional needs.


Final Thoughts

This journey is not just about fat loss—it’s about energy, confidence, and sustainable emotional wellness. With small shifts in fasting, food choices, and self-care, you’re on a powerful path to reconnecting with your healthiest, most radiant self.


Link on an Instagram live on how to break fast to maximise the action of fullness and hunger suppression hormones. https://www.instagram.com/p/DHuOuGeT9q4/

How Intermittent Fasting: Lowers insulin + cortisol, Retrains ghrelin rhythms, Improves leptin sensitivity, Makes CCK + PYY more responsive to meals https://www.instagram.com/p/DHrovKqB51p/

Leptin resistance and hunger and cravings: Leptin is your “I’m full” hormone, made by your fat cells. But in menopause and insulin resistance, your brain can stop listening. The result? Hunger, fatigue, fat storage, and food noise. https://www.instagram.com/p/DHmb8tYh9FT/

Ghrelin the hunger Hormone can be trained. Meet Ghrelin – Your Hunger Hormone (aka the Whiny Puppy!) HEre's how to train the Ghlerin (hunger) puppy https://www.instagram.com/p/DHj3KOJhX4p/


Cortisol: High cortisol creates resistance to your key satiety and metabolism hormones:

Ghrelin (increases—more hunger), Leptin (ignored—you never feel full), Insulin (resistant—you store more fat), CCK + PYY (blunted—weak satiety signals) https://www.instagram.com/p/DHe2za9Bz84/

Why the belly fat? In perimenopause and menopause, belly fat often increases—even if you’re eating well. Why? Because estradiol (E2) drops, and your body shifts to making more estrone (E1) in fat cells, especially visceral fat (the dangerous fat around your organs). https://www.instagram.com/p/DHZrhLrB2nD/


1. Fasting too hard, too fast – start with 12/12, build to 16/8


2. Breaking your fast with sugar or refined carbs – spikes insulin and cravings


3. Overeating after your fast – confuses hormones and overloads digestion


4. Not eating enough protein, fibre, or fats – weakens satiety hormones


5. Overusing caffeine – drives cortisol


6. Fasting on poor sleep – ghrelin spikes, leptin drops


7. Fasting as punishment – keeps your body in stress mode


Follow on Instagram #drpuritycarr for more


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