Lost 15 pounds in 60 days

Since I joined BMC in 2014, I have been traveling more than 50% throughout the year, visiting customers, giving talks at conferences and working with my global teams. Most of the dinners were formal, several courses with glasses of wine.  The food was delicious and different each day, I enjoyed traveling and enlighting interactions with our customers and teams.
Well,  I gained more than 15 pounds, and I was no longer as nimble and fit. Sadly, one of my classmate at PKU graduate school passed away unexpectedly, and a partner at Zen Water Capital died in the same month earlier this year.

 “The day which we fear as our last is but the birthday of eternity.”  – Seneca

I made my decision to change the way I worked and lived.   Late February, I decided to leave my job at BMC, and my final day at BMC was April 28, 2017.  I wanted to devote my time to write the V2 of myths of the promotion, as well as draft the AI book, working on the two pressing and meaningful projects before I take on another challenging and exciting job, driving another global team and making the real impact in the technology world. 

On April 1, I decided to change my habits of eating dinner and exercise.  It was not an April fools day joke. I joined the hiking group on April 2nd.  We hiked 12 miles and climbed over 100 floors.  I lost two toenails because I didn't wear the right hiking boots.  That intensive exercise boosted up my metabolism, I started to loose weight without starving myself. 

I also started to eat light dinners, and stopped drinking red wine and eating snacks before sleep. 

The "miracle" happened. I lost 3 lbs in the first week; I continued with both changes, I lost total 12 pounds in April. I have successfully reached my goal of losing 15 pounds in 60 days and stabilized around 125 pounds, the weight that my doctor recommended for my height 5'4". 

On May 16, I accidentally stepped in Bikram Yoga San Jose location and joined it. I have beening going to the 90 minutes Yoga six times each week at 5:30 am.  My flexibility has improved significantly, back pain and shoulder pain are gone!  My body is firm and slim.  

I am fit, nimble and flexible,  I never feel so good in last ten years.

I took this picture at Bikram yoga; I'd like to share the quote:

 " When we change the way we look at things, what we look at changes."

I have changed the way I looked at career, family, money, health; I made the decision that Health is the 1st priority at this moment.  Because of that priority shift, my life changed significantly for better. 

My readers and students, what changes are you going to take on? What area of your life you like to invest your time with?

No matter what you decided to change, work on it daily, don't stop, one day, you would be in an entirely new world, where you are mostly free from your own constraints and stress. 

Elizabeth Xu, Ph.D. June 25, Sunday, 2017