I Just Got Back From Cabo. Here Is What My Numbers Actually Showed.

A Real Life Experiment Update and an Invitation to Do This Together

Publish date: Sunday July 6

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I just got back from a week in Cabo San Lucas and I want to be completely honest with you about how it went.

All-inclusive resort. Pacific ocean. Amazing food. Good drinks. Late nights. Zero vibration plate and zero weighted vest because there was simply no way to pack all of that.

What I did pack were my BFR bands, a resistance band, and my intentions. And then I lived my actual vacation.

When I got home I stepped on my Hume Health scale and checked every number. Not selectively. All of them. Because that is what this experiment is about and I promised you the real data, not the highlight reel.

Here is what I found and what I decided to do about it.

Where the experiment stood before I left

If you have been following along you know I started tracking my visceral fat numbers in late May using daily movement, BFR bands, a weighted vest, vibration plate circuits, and intentional movement snacks throughout the day. I wrote about the full story behind why I started this experiment and what has been driving it in my last two posts and I would encourage you to read those first if you are new here.

Then right before leaving for Cabo my husband and I did ProLon, a five day fast mimicking nutrition program we have done together for years. I did not plan to add it to this experiment since it introduces another variable, but the timing worked out that way and the research behind ProLon for someone like me in perimenopause was too relevant to ignore. I will explain more about that in a few minutes.

When I left for Cabo on June 21 my visceral fat index had dropped from 17 at the start of the experiment down to 12. My waist had dropped from 41 inches at the start of the experiment down to 39 inches. Multiple other metrics were trending in the right direction and I felt genuinely good about where things stood.

Then I got on a plane.

What I actually did in Cabo

I want to be real about this because I think it matters for context. I went on vacation. I ate the food. I had the drinks. I stayed up late. I did not white knuckle a single meal or stand at the buffet doing mental math.

I also moved every single day and I want to tell you what that actually looked like because it was not glamorous or perfectly structured.

Most mornings I was out before the heat got unbearable and I did a BFR beach walk along the Pacific with my B3 Sciences BFR bands. The terrain was hillier and windier than I expected and my legs felt it every single time. On one of those beach walks I added resistance band pull aparts as my circuit move between strides so it was not just a straight walk.

I also did my travel BFR circuit on the balcony on a couple of different days, which uses nothing but a water bottle and your own bodyweight. Horizontal chops, diagonal chops, overhead chops and drops. Simple, portable, and genuinely effective. Then on top of that I added a separate strength session with balcony push-ups, Bulgarian split squats using the patio chair, and tricep dips off the couch. That was not part of the travel circuit itself but a bonus round while I had the energy and the momentum going. I actually filmed the travel circuit and recreated it from a version I originally posted during a December trip, this time with palm trees behind me instead of an Airbnb wall. If you want to see it in action and grab the full written routine as a free PDF, the reel is linked here.

The movement snacks never stopped either and honestly that is the piece that does not get enough credit. In a program like this the movement snacks are the one thing that happen every day no matter what because they require nothing but a few intentional minutes. On vacation that looked different than it does at work but it absolutely still counted. Walking to and from every meal, every activity, every corner of the resort. Taking the stairs every single time instead of the elevator. In the pool I kept moving rather than just floating, switching between different swimming strokes, doing multidirectional arm and leg swings, some jumping and twisting in the water, flutter kicks off the wall. One early morning when no one else was up I went down to the pool and just breathed, did some neck stretches and hip openers, and let it be a recovery and mobility day. That counts too. Movement snacks do not all have to look the same.

I exceeded my Oura ring movement goal most days just from walking around the resort. On the day I had a deep tissue massage I let that be my recovery. On one other rest day I did exactly that and nothing more.

That is the readiness method in action. You check in with how your body is doing, you match the movement to your actual battery level, and you keep going. Every day counts. They just look different from each other.

If you want to know where to start with movement snacks, the metabolic burner category gives you the fastest win. You feel it quickly in your energy, your focus, and how your body responds throughout the day, and it carries over into everything else including mobility, stability, posture, and recovery. That is exactly why metabolic burners are the foundation of the Minutes That Move the Needle program and the first category you will work with when you join.

What the numbers showed when I got home

I stepped on the scale the morning after I landed and my first reading showed my visceral fat had spiked back up significantly. I was not surprised by that and I was not discouraged either. Travel inflammation, excess sodium, disrupted sleep, and dehydration all affect that number and I had experienced all of them over the previous week. I drank more water, got a solid night of sleep, and checked again the next morning.

And then the morning after that.

Two consecutive mornings confirmed my visceral fat index at 13, sitting in the Standard range with a down arrow.

Here is what that means in context. I started this experiment at 17. I left for Cabo at 12. I came back at 13. One point above my pre-Cabo best after a full week of all-inclusive living. That is the number I want you to sit with for a moment.

My waist came back up to 40.5 inches from my pre-Cabo best of 39 inches, which was completely expected after a week of resort food and extra sodium. But here is what I want you to notice. My waist is still half an inch smaller than the 41 inches I started with at the beginning of this whole experiment. Even after a week in Cabo the waist is still smaller than day one.

Now here is what did not bounce at all and this is the part that tells the real story. Lean mass is holding steady. Skeletal muscle is holding steady. My basal metabolic rate is still elevated. Subcutaneous fat is still trending downward. Those metrics do not shift from a plate of nachos or a fun resort drink. They reflect what happened over the five weeks of work before I ever boarded that plane. And that foundation held completely through the entire trip.

What my Oura ring told me the morning I got home

My Oura ring flagged minor signs that first morning back. Elevated heart rate, elevated temperature, and lower HRV, which is your heart rate variability and a reliable indicator of how recovered your nervous system actually is. It suggested a recovery day and I listened. I kept to movement snacks throughout the workday and did a recovery vibration plate flow before bed that night.

The next morning I was out the door by 7am despite a heat advisory in Chicago for a BFR weighted vest circuit walk with cardio impact boosters.

Check in with your body. Assess honestly. Adjust accordingly. Then move anyway.

That is the whole method in one breath.

What I built while I was there

Here is the part I genuinely did not plan for.

Somewhere between the beach walks and the balcony circuits, while I was watching my own numbers hold through a week of real life, I started organizing everything I have been doing into a structured program. I filmed the exercise videos out on the balcony with the ocean behind me and then looked around my hotel room and realized the curtains behind me were almost exactly my brand colors. So I set up right there and filmed the talking head content too. Sometimes the universe just cooperates.

I also became a medical practitioner partner with ProLon during that trip so I can now offer it properly to the people I work with.

I came home with a complete program ready to launch.

It is called Minutes That Move the Needle and I built it because this experiment proved it works. Not in a lab under perfect controlled conditions but in real life, with long work days and tired days and a week in Mexico with unlimited food and drinks.

About Prolon — the optional accelerator

Before I tell you about the program I want to explain ProLon properly because it is an important part of this story and because I think it is one of the most misunderstood tools in the wellness space.

ProLon was originally developed by Dr. Valter Longo, director of the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California, to support cancer patients who needed the therapeutic benefits of fasting but could not tolerate water fasting. The research behind it spans over 20 years and more than 47 clinical studies across institutions including USC, Stanford, Cedars-Sinai, and the Mayo Clinic, with funding from the National Institutes of Health. This is not a trend. This is serious longitudinal science.

The fast mimicking approach provides carefully calibrated nutrients that keep the body nourished while triggering the same cellular responses as a true fast. Your body essentially does not register that it has been fed, so the beneficial processes that fasting activates still happen. That includes ketosis, autophagy which is your body's natural process of cellular cleanup and self-repair, and a measurable reduction in biological age. A 2024 study published in Nature Communications found that three cycles of the fast mimicking diet reduced biological age by an average of 2.5 years. A 2025 trial at Cedars-Sinai confirmed it is the first and only nutrition program clinically proven to trigger autophagy directly in humans.

For midlife women specifically the research hits close to home. The FMD has been studied for its effects on stubborn abdominal weight gain, hot flashes, mood swings, bone density, and metabolic health during perimenopause and menopause. It protects lean muscle mass while targeting visceral fat, which is the exact combination most of us are working toward. Clinical studies show that three cycles produced an average loss of 5.7 pounds and 1.6 inches off the waist while preserving lean body mass. It also supports gut health, reduces inflammation markers, and is being discussed as a natural way to activate some of the same cellular responses that GLP-1 medications trigger, through food and fasting rather than injection.

My husband and I started doing ProLon years ago when our functional medicine neighbor suggested it to help address a random inflammatory issue my husband was experiencing. Within six months of dietary changes, targeted supplements, and periodic ProLon cycles his inflammation had cleared. We have done it once or twice a year since.

I did ProLon right before Cabo and saw a meaningful drop in both my visceral fat index and waist measurement during those five days. I did not plan to include it in this experiment since it adds another variable, but the timing aligned and the science was too relevant to my situation to ignore.

I am doing it again in mid-July and I am inviting anyone who wants to join me as part of the program cohort. You do not have to do it. Some people will want to start with movement only and add ProLon later as a plateau breaker or a bridge into a second round. Both approaches work and both are built into the program structure.

And if you are intrigued by ProLon but not ready for the full movement program, that is a completely valid place to start. You can order through my practitioner link anytime and use it as a standalone reset whenever the timing feels right for you.

One important note before you consider it. ProLon is not right for everyone. Anyone with underlying health conditions, digestive issues, a history of disordered eating, or who is taking medications should speak with their doctor before starting any fast mimicking protocol. Please always check with your medical professional before beginning any new health or fitness program. This applies to ProLon and to the movement program below.

Introducing Minutes That Move the Needle

This is a five week program built around exactly what I have been doing in this experiment. You check in every day with a simple readiness assessment and choose from a movement menu based on how your body is actually doing that day. Full battery days get the circuits and the tools. Low battery days get movement snacks. Recovery days are built in on purpose. The whole system adjusts to your life rather than the other way around.

I am doing this alongside the founding cohort, not just coaching from the sidelines. You will see my numbers and what I am doing each day. This is not a program handed down from someone who has it all figured out. It is a PT living the same midlife reality as her clients inviting a small group to do this together.

Founding price is $67 until July 10. After that it goes to $97. The program starts the week of July 13. Everything you need to know is on the landing page.

Where to start

If the experiment resonates and you want to do this alongside me the founding cohort is the place to begin. Five weeks, real movement, optional reset, small group, and my numbers shared right alongside yours.

The founding price ends July 10 and the program starts the week of July 13.

If you want to track your own body composition the way I have been tracking mine, the Hume Health scale is what I step on every morning. It goes way beyond just weight and breaks down body fat percentage, lean mass, skeletal muscle, visceral fat index, hydration, and metabolic trends so you can actually see what is changing over time rather than guessing. Use my referral link and we both get $20 off.

If you want to add ProLon as your week one accelerator, order through my practitioner link so it arrives in time for the July 13 cohort start. And if you are not ready for the program but want to try ProLon on its own, that link works for that too.

If you are new to BFR and want to understand what it is and whether it is right for you before investing in bands, grab my free BFR Starter Kit. It includes the research, the Is BFR For Me quiz, and my personal tips for getting started. When you are ready the bands are available through my B3 Sciences affiliate link and right now you can save $50 through my personal page.

The foundation I built in five weeks held through a week in Cabo. That is what this program is designed to do for you.

To smarter health through strategic movement,

Lori

Your Movement Detective

P.S. The founding price for Minutes That Move the Needle ends July 10. If you have been following this experiment and thinking about joining me, this is the moment.* [Join here.]