Dealing with Setbacks in your Life

So much for “losing the last 5 kilos by the end of Ramadan,” I had vowed not to binge eat during Ramadan as a means of finally achieving my goals of stopping binge eating. If I hadn’t experienced these strong binge urges; I would have never believed that such strong urges for something so irrelevant and irrational actually exist and I wouldn’t have believed that simply saying no to these binge urges and convincing my brain logically does no good, either. 

I’ve been experiencing a lot of setbacks during Ramadan. I had always been a person who made conscious choices about every aspect in my life, but giving in to my binge urges always made me feel like a failure. Because of that, my goals for Ramadan had changed from “losing the last 5 kilos” to maintaining my weight the way it was before Ramadan. This major setback has inspired me to write a new post on how I deal with setbacks and take control over my life again. 

The first thing I would do is take full responsibility of what I’ve done. This means that I should accept the bloated feeling and puffy cheeks (I always get them the day after a strong binge!). I should also accept the temporary weight gain. By acknowledging this, it helps me start my transformation and believe that there’s another face to a setback which is being a stronger person. 

Next, I eliminate all negative self-talk by venting out all the bad energy at the gym and then I remind myself that I need to give my body time to lose the weight and get back on track. Basically, I just need to acknowledge these few steps before I take control over my life again:

1. Take full responsibility

2. Eliminate negative self-talk

3. Patience 

I’m dealing with a challenge right now but this is where I’m at and I choose not to be a victim of this. Nobody’s immune to setbacks. A wise man once said: “Fall seven times. Stand up eight.”

Use Ramadan to Detox

The fasting month is here and that means 15 hours of fasting with endless temptations, right? Not this time!  To me, every Ramadan was a month where I would completely stop working out and take the time to indulge in all the food they prepare at home. Until I read the endless benefits of fasting.

Fasting allows your digestive system to rest, promote mental clarity, and reduce allergies, skin conditions and asthma. Basically, fasting allows your body to go through complete detoxification.  That’s right! Complete detoxification! I don’t know about you but the term “detox” struck my mind; I’ve been thinking a lot about detoxifying my body but I haven’t really figured out how to except when I read about the health benefits of fasting.  

But how do you know if your body is detoxifying the way it should? There are a few signs to look for especially in the first few days of Ramadan

1. Headaches:

The most common symptom that your body is detoxing; this usually means that your body is experiencing caffeine or sugar withdrawal symptoms

2. Fatigue

At this point, your body is working extra hard to get rid of the toxins within (no wonder you feel exhausted!). You might require more sleep which is totally okay. Allow your body to do what it knows.

3. Diarrhea

All that unwanted junk will be coming out. It’s not pretty, but it is necessary. Again, allow your body to do what it knows to do and help to literally release.

4. Skin Acne/Rashes

Some people report breakouts during the first few days of fasting, that is also natural as your body is probably detoxing through your skin.

5. Brain Fog

Sign of insufficient calories, or it could be a sign you’re experiencing sugar withdrawal.

If you’ve experienced these signs then you’re not alone. Your body is trying to tell you that it has been exposed to way too many toxins and it needs to undergo this process. It’s going to be hard at the beginning, but I’m sure it will be worth it. Happy fasting everyone!