More than 50% of the UK population gained weight during lock down. This was down to a combination of moving less, more snacking, boredom and obviously, it became wine time at 3pm.....every day.
So if you gained weight, you are part of the 60% of that population.
Weight gain is a process where the energy balance is slightly off. Where we take in more energy than we put out. Of course, there are many factors at play here but this is how we can simplify. Many of my clients didn't report eating any different. However, if suddenly you're not commuting to an office, going to the gym as much, going to town to meet up with friends, just popping to the shop for that one item, all these things suddenly create less movement. This simple movement can have a huge impact on your overall self and wellbeing.
How can we change this?
Do you track how much you move? I don't actually log many of my workouts. But I can see on my watch how many steps I take, how many floors I travel up and down, my daily calorie expenditure (this isn't accurate but it is another form we can track), our sleep, our varying heart rate (HRV), etc. These are all daily metrics I can use to measure my movement. How can you track your?
Maybe check-in and see when you do on a daily basis and see where you can move more.
How much do you eat in a day? This doesn't even mean track calories. Just noting down everything that passes those lips can play a huge role in how you can feel physically and emotionally. What do you fill you plate with? This can affect your overall feeling of wellbeing. We have a rule in this house, that each week we add a different plant product to our selection of foods. We have our favourites, who doesn't?!! So each week we try something different. This could be -
Vegetables
Herbs - fresh or dried
Beans
Legumes
Fruit
And the the fruit or veg can frozen, dried, fresh or canned.
Why does the weight gain bother you? I get that gaining weight can have a huge impact on confidence, how comfortable you are? These are incredibly valid reasons and you do not need to validate this to anyone. Health and wellbeing are amazing reasons too and the impact weight gain can have on your overall internal health needs to be a factor too. But make sure that you want lose the weight and you are not doing it for anyone else but yourself.
Some Tips -
1. Increase your steps. For example, if you are used to doing 3,000 a day on average, aim for 4,000 a day average.
2. Lay your snacks out for the day. Once those snacks are gone, then you've eaten them. But be strict with yourself too.
3. Plan your dinners and lunches for the week ahead. Annabella (my daughter) and I sit down one day each week and decide what we plan to eat. She is happy and so am I, we then base our food shop around this and stick to it. Any dinner we make I just make extra for lunch for me. Great way to save calories and money.
4. One step at a time. I think one of the most important. Some clients are all of nothing, which can be a set up to failure, just from experience. Let that tiny 1% change, be effective for you. Make one a change a week or every two weeks even. If long term that will lead to a healthier and happier lifestyle, then it will be worth it.
5. Check-in with yourself. Ask yourself if that one thing worked for you. For example, does training at the gym 3x a week make you happy? Did you enjoy it? Is this something you can maintain long-term? If yes, then it's a win.
6. Maybe consider your environment? Does your environment encourage movement, is there fruit on the side instead of cake, do you have a bottle of water available 24/7? Your environment can effect your success.
