You all were forced to stay at home for a couple of months when the pandemic was at its peak. Thankfully, now you are out of the fear of the virus. However, now people have started noticing that they have put on weight.
It is not just you who is experiencing this scenario; many people are out there with the same complaint. Many of you slipped into the patterns of overeating and excess drinking, and since you were not physically active because of closed gyms or you were not encouraged to take a stroll at your home or down the street, you noticed a significant weight gain.
However, overeating was not just because you were gulping down food as you were at a loose end. Yes, it happens with many people. When they have nothing productive to do, they feel the hankering for doing something (and it is a human tendency), and they eventually feel like having something.
They start to eat food and keep on eating even if they are not feeling hungry. However, some people keep on eating to avoid stress. When they feel stressed out, they start eating to suppress their negative feelings or to divert their mind from negative thoughts.
This does not happen to everyone because some people ignore their hunger pangs at the time they are stressed, and hence they start losing weight. So when you notice somebody has lost their weight, you start getting more depressed about your weight gain.
You think that it is just you who is experiencing the weight gain issue. Well, just stressing about your weight gain will take you nowhere. You should, instead, start amending your habits.
What should you do to deal with pandemic weight gain?
It is not impossible at all. You just need to revise your eating habits so that you can get back on the right track. Here is what you should do to deal with the pandemic weight gain:
Add more veggies to your plate
You should add more vegetables to your diet now. They are loaded with multiple vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Since they are not rich in calories, you will unlikely gain weight and get a sufficient supply of nutrients that you cannot get from processed food.
The purpose of adding more veggies to your plate is to replace high-calorie food. As they are rich in vitamins and minerals, you will feel fuller for a longer time. As a result, your intake of processed food will plummet. However, it does not aim to cut back on processed food totally.
If you want to try it for the sake of your taste buds, you can. Another purpose of introducing more veggies to your diet is to remove excess refined carbs.
Do exercise
Now you are free to go out, so you should start exercising. If you like to go to the gym, you should. If you do not like doing exercise at a gym, you should go to the park. Taking a stroll down the road can be helpful to manage your weight.
It is crucial to remember that the key to weight loss is to burn more calories than you consume. If you still hesitate to go down the street to take a stroll or to go to the park because of maintaining distance from people, you should keep walking in your house. The ultimate goal is to burn as many calories as possible.
Maintain a schedule for eating
It is crucial to maintain the schedule for eating. Your busy life should not be an excuse for avoiding meals. A rule of thumb says that you should set a particular time for your meals. When you eat food at regular intervals, you will be able to supply enough nutrients to your body.
This will curb your craving for junk food. When you skimp a meal, you do not bother to eat something at that time, but after a couple of hours, you feel it churns in your stomach.
That time you quickly get to instant food, and as a result, you get your hands on processed food. This will increase the risk of higher calorie consumption, and then you will eventually fail to achieve your target.
Drink a lot of water
In amid of all that, you should not forget the fact that your body needs to drink a lot of water to stay hydrated. Even if you eat nutritious food, you cannot avoid drinking a lot of water. This is because the nutrients you get from food cannot help your body to be hydrated.
This is why water is essential. You should consume at least eight to nine glasses of water. Most people do not drink much water because they are heavily dependent on carbonated drinks. Cold drinks are bad because they consist of too many calories.
You are not just drinking flavored water, but you are adding up calories. Make sure that you avoid caffeine. Excess consumption of coffee can make your body feel dehydrated.
Try to drink enough water. Instead of drinking cold drinks and coffee, you should increase the intake of milk consumption. This is a healthy alternative because your bones will get a boost in calcium levels.
Whittle down alcohol consumption
If you drink not more than two drinks a day if you are a man and not more than one drink if you are a woman, you can manage to gain a healthy weight, but if you are consuming more than the recommended limit, you will end up gaining more weight.
Alcohol consists of a lot of calories because of an inordinate amount of sugar involved in it. You should always try to reduce the intake of alcohol if you are trying to lose pounds.
The final word
Many people are taking out small loans in Ireland in order to take weight management training, but if you follow the tips mentioned above, you can quickly get rid of pandemic weight gain. So, when are you going to start following these tips?
