Are you like millions of others who gained unwanted weight during the pandemic? We’ve got quarantine weight loss tips to get you back to your old self!
Maybe it was the increased stress, the closing down of your gym, or just a complete lack of motivation. Or maybe you were already a bit bigger and the pandemic motivated you to try and live a healthier lifestyle. No matter the reason, we’re here to help you successfully start your quarantine weight loss journey to get you looking and feeling the way you deserve!
First thing's first — fad diets aren’t going to cut it in the long run. There is one way to lose weight correctly, and that is by counting calories. There are plenty of free calorie trackers out there, like Myfitnesspal, that offer tracking for calories, macro nutrients, micro nutrients, water intake, and exercise. These types of tools are ESSENTIAL to a successful quarantine weight loss journey, as it will allow you see when you are over or under eating.
Every person is different, and we all have varying activity levels that can affect our weight loss goals. Trackers can take into account how much you move throughout the day to give you an approximation of what you need to eat at your current daily activity levels, which you can then monitor and adjust as the scale does.
A big reason people fail to lose weight is because they decide to “go all in,” or basically go “cold turkey” when they stop eating junk food. The motivation is clearly there, but weight loss isn’t to be treated like quitting drugs or alcohol. You can’t be expected to just fix your habits overnight, you have to adjust and figure out what works best for you.
Cutting out all of your favorite foods from your diet will only resort in boredom and a lack of motivation to keep going further down the line. “Why look good if I can’t enjoy my favorite snacks?”
That doesn’t have to be true. We can keep eating the foods we love, as long as we moderate them and also include some that are healthier for us. Some of our favorite fast food places, like Chipotle or Yoshinoya offer great low-calorie meals that have a good amount of protein and carbs to fuel your body. You need to find a diet that can fit into your calorie goal, while also providing clean energy throughout the day with foods that you like to cook/eat. This may sound hard, and it can be, but weight loss is a journey that takes time and effort, and hopefully something that can lead to an overall healthier lifestyle. So all of the work you put into your diet will definitely be rewarded in the long run.
Here’s the thing about exercise: it will not be the reason you lose weight. That's what the calorie trackers are for. However, exercise is going to be more of a supplement for your diet that allows you a few extra calories to eat throughout the day. And overall, it’s good for your body to be doing some form of movement every day.
This movement doesn’t have to be strenuous. It can be as simple as walking during your breaks at work, or taking your dog for their daily walks. As long as it gets you up and moving for around 30 minutes a day.
If you want to go a bit more intense, there are tons of at-home exercise routines, like Insanity, that provide great bodyweight exercise you can do in the comfort of your own living room, or you can purchase some gym equipment like some free-weights and a treadmill. Whatever you can stick with and enjoy, pick that!
One thing about exercise that is worth mentioning, is that the only realistic way to gain muscle mass and and more muscular physique, is to lift weights and progressively overload your body with heavier weights overtime. While this may not be your current fitness goal, it is worth knowing so you can have realistic expectations about your quarantine weight loss journey.
There is something so special about buying a new outfit and loving how you look in the mirror. Doing this with gym clothes can motivate you to actively want to show off your new outfits at the gym, track, or trail. It may seem a bit silly, but if an outfit can spark your motivation to step into the gym and move around- then why not?
There are some great brands that offer stylish, fun fitness clothes such as Gymshark, Alphalete, Kinda Fit Kinda Fat, Darc Sport, and many more! Try finding some brands that offer gym clothes that fit your style to add some motivation to your workouts!
Whether you only need to lose five or 50 pounds, it is important that you track everything you're doing so you can make sure you're going in the right direction. Also, seeing the scale go down week by week will only give you more motivation to stay on track! Try taking a couple of selfies in a certain outfit that you can repeat every other week or so. After a couple of weeks or months, compare all the selfies you’ve taken whenever you feel like you’re not making any progress. The pictures will be a clear reminder of how far you've come!
If you are weight training or doing some type of cardiovascular training such as running, it is also important to keep track of your progress here, as well. Numbers in the gym and on the track/treadmill can serve as reminder of how your diet and fitness routine are both important to your overall goals. If your bodyweight is going down, but you’re getting significantly weaker or slower in the gym, then it may be time to evaluate what foods you’re putting into your body or if you’re eating too little. If it isn’t diet related, it may be that you’re not getting enough sleep or your stress levels may a bit higher than usual. Be sure to evaluate all aspects of your physical and mental health regularly!
One of the most important things to consider when losing weight is the “why?”
We all have a reason for starting our fitness journeys — some are more health related, while others may just be for vanity, which is totally valid! No matter the reason, there are going to be times where you wake up and do not want to eat the food you prepared overnight, or you do not want to put your running shoes on. There will be days where you look in the mirror and ask yourself, “Why am I even doing this?” This can be extremely hard to overcome. Those days are the times you need to remember why you started your weight loss journey, and if that reason is still as important to you as it was when you started it.
If you can power through those tough days and stay strong when your mind is against you, then there is truly nothing that can stop you from reaching your goals!
Don’t feel discouraged if you see that you’ve gained a bit of weight over the course of the pandemic. You’re in the same boat as millions of other people who are struggling to shed those pounds off, and you can succeed with the right motivation and attitude! Be sure to follow the quarantine weight loss tips above to stay on track!
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