When I was preparing to leave for my sabbatical adventure, most of the women I spoke with asked, “How much weight do you think you’ll lose?”
As if that was one of my big goals!
If I lost more than 10 pounds, it would have been a problem. But 5 pounds?
Good riddance!
My response surprised them. I shared that I wasn’t sure I would lose any weight.
I know my body really well. The stress I was voluntarily putting myself through could trigger an unwanted response.
My body might hold onto weight and … even worse … fat.
As I imagined, the sabbatical adventure was intense. And stressful.
Actually more so than I imagined.
So, how much weight did I lose?
When I got on the scale the day after I returned home, my weight was exactly the same as the day after my most recent Fast Well Week a few months ago.
I lost a few pounds.
In my opinion (and experience), fasting is MUCH easier and actually improves health long-term.
But it loses “hands down” if your goal is to create lasting memories.
The adventure ticked another thing off my Bucket List and created countless moments of treasured memories.
Sometimes even unreasonably stressful endeavors are worth the cost.
Just make sure you factor in the cost of recovery. That could be as easy as taking a few extra days to rest.
“Soft landing” is a phrase used in aviation. 
When the plane glides onto the runway and the passengers barely feel the wheels touching the asphalt, the landing was “soft.”
Taking time to ease back into your routine after time away is sometimes referred to in the same way.
I planned for a soft landing on my return. I’m still taxiing to the gate!
