I take no pleasure in stating the obvious here, but the ‘Lockdown Pounds’ are definitely a thing.
Where people who have been slightly more active at work are forced to work from their downstairs desk or their garden office, it’s always going to happen.
Basic things such as a decrease in steps, an increase in time spent sitting and snacks (healthy and unhealthy) on tap all have their part to play with the onslaught of lockdown pounds.
As we’ve mentioned before, weight is generally gained when your food intake increases, and your activity decreases. When we look at activity, for this particular piece we’re including everything. All movement burns calories, so any reduction in activity for the same calorie intake will see the individual eventually gain weight.
I know, I know. It’s tough at the moment with the current climate around the world. Covid relentlessly suppressing our old lifestyle and slowly driving us to make choices that aren’t generally within our nature. People are doing what they can to escape this, whether it’s eating food they normally don’t as a means of enjoyment, consuming alcohol (or more of it) because they don’t have a drive in to work or indeed in some cases, both.
As I mentioned above a reduction in activity for the same calorie consumption is going to end up in weight gain, so it stands to reason that combined with an increase in calories, the result is going to be even worse in a short space of time. These are just basic facts, and indeed stating the obvious, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening with our clients, family or friends.
How you manage your food usually depends on what your overall goal is and how much it means, however. If you’re the one who’s being subjected to unwanted lockdown pounds I would like to invite you to reassess where you’re at, correct your mistakes and restart as you mean to go on.
Step one. Get back to tracking.
How? Download MyFitnessPal, and start logging the food either as you eat, or plan your meals in for the day, in advance. This really helps with accountability.
I don’t know my macros! This is common, but don’t fret. A really simple figure to get you in the ball park for where you are right now is your body weight in KG multiplied by 22. This will give you a rough figure of many calories you need to eat. For weight loss, a good ratio for macros is 40% Fats, 40% Protein, 20% Carbohydrates.
I don’t know what to eat! No problem, ask us for ideas. Failing that, our past recipes are on our website for you to read, and enjoy.
In addition to this we recommend reducing your alcohol and caffeine intake, increasing your water intake to 2.5 litres per day and aiming to get 7 to 8 hours of restful sleep per night.
I know all this seems a lot to take in but it is enough to be going on with, and it’s enough to have a positive impact on your unwanted lockdown pounds. 1700/1800 calories may not seem a lot, but with the right ingredients, it’s certainly enough to help your training, and help you achieve those results you can measure.