How did the covid-19 lockdown effect your weight. General thread.

[Naataaliiee]

I’m on mat leave so have been walking daily for months with my baby in her pram. My Apple watch is a huge motivator for me. I aim to walk 30-60 mins daily at a brisk pace and hit 10k steps. I love exercising; my problem is I love eating more i’ve gradually lost weight since having my little one but only around 1 to 2lbs a month... I just couldn’t seem to shift it, even with my daily exercise. Since New Year, I’ve really tried to focus on my portion control. Per meal, I try to have a palm sized amount of protein (sometimes more if i’m hungry, don’t see the problem with increasing healthy proteins!), a cupped handful of carbs (wholemeal), a thumb sized amount of ‘good’ fat eg avocado, and then fill up on a variety of veg. I have 2 coffees in the morning then drink water for the rest of the day. I allow myself a couple of alcoholic drinks Fri, Sat and Sun but try to maintain my eating (although some snacks do creep in of a weekend...) . Since doing this, the weight has quite literally dropped off me! I couldn’t believe it. And I feel just as full as I did before, less bloated and my skin is so much better!

 

[hrh89]

didn’t realise flying saucers (the sweets with sherbet in) were so low calorie. bought a pack in Morrison today and they were 40p and only 60 calories for the bag. that’s my new fave for sugar kicks now

 

[hrh89]

Also I find peppermint tea amazing when I’m cutting back. Its so nice and satisfies me when I might be tempted to have a snack that I don’t need!

 

[KerChing]

I walk an hour a day. I’ve done it since first day of lockdown. I go at 7am as my husband works in the day and I work in the evening (young children). I also do a home weights workout 4-5x a week.

Despite this I’ve put on half a stone purely eating and mostly through drinking too much. I need to reign it in!!

 

[idkiwi]

It's nice to know most of us are in the same boat! I'm currently 14 stone and this time last year I was 11 stone 9 the lowest since I was 18 and I'm 24 now. Piled the weight back on comfort eating from stress and boredom but I know I can do it again, I started this Monday. Here's what I found helped me lose the most

- Set a small goal first of half a stone/half stone and go from there, and have a small treat as a reward (doesn't have to be food or drink)
- I only drank water and black coffee unless I went on a night out
- If I went out for food I would get starters as a main or ask for a kids portion
- The walking really does work, an hour a day is all it takes but I know that doesn't suit everyone, but it was the only exercise I did
- I did OMAD some days (one meal a day) and I had that meal in the evening, or else intermittent fasting
- Lowering my carb intake
- If I did eat carbs I would make sure they were wholegrain and had a smaller portion
- Used myfitnesspal to track calories and make note of portion sizes
- Weigh out the portion before I cooked it for pasta, rice etc instead of eyeballing it
- Weighed myself once a week only on the same day each time
- Took a progress picture each week, would also recommend taking measurements although I didn't do that but I'm going to start

I hope someone finds these tips helpful, I'm not an expert most of this is common sense and I've spent lots of time watching YouTube videos and reading weight loss forums, Reddit is quite good for that I like to read the Keto page even though I don't adhere by it.
I think in the end slow and steady is way better, less of a chance of binge eating or developing loose skin if you rush it.

My ideal weight would be 9 stone, I'm 5ft 5 and also I'm giving myself until the end of this year to reach this goal, although this may change depending on how strict I am with myself and if I feel comfortable at a different weight, I haven't been that small in years so who knows!

Very sorry for the rambling, this is my first proper comment that wasn't a screenshot haha

Hopefully some of you will find this helpful and I'd be happy to share more tips and tricks if anyone is interested

 

[hrh89]

It's nice to know most of us are in the same boat! I'm currently 14 stone and this time last year I was 11 stone 9 the lowest since I was 18 and I'm 24 now. Piled the weight back on comfort eating from stress and boredom but I know I can do it again, I started this Monday. Here's what I found helped me lose the most

- Set a small goal first of half a stone/half stone and go from there, and have a small treat as a reward (doesn't have to be food or drink)
- I only drank water and black coffee unless I went on a night out
- If I went out for food I would get starters as a main or ask for a kids portion
- The walking really does work, an hour a day is all it takes but I know that doesn't suit everyone, but it was the only exercise I did
- I did OMAD some days (one meal a day) and I had that meal in the evening, or else intermittent fasting
- Lowering my carb intake
- If I did eat carbs I would make sure they were wholegrain and had a smaller portion
- Used myfitnesspal to track calories and make note of portion sizes
- Weigh out the portion before I cooked it for pasta, rice etc instead of eyeballing it
- Weighed myself once a week only on the same day each time
- Took a progress picture each week, would also recommend taking measurements although I didn't do that but I'm going to start

I hope someone finds these tips helpful, I'm not an expert most of this is common sense and I've spent lots of time watching YouTube videos and reading weight loss forums, Reddit is quite good for that I like to read the Keto page even though I don't adhere by it.
I think in the end slow and steady is way better, less of a chance of binge eating or developing loose skin if you rush it.

My ideal weight would be 9 stone, I'm 5ft 5 and also I'm giving myself until the end of this year to reach this goal, although this may change depending on how strict I am with myself and if I feel comfortable at a different weight, I haven't been that small in years so who knows!

Very sorry for the rambling, this is my first proper comment that wasn't a screenshot haha

Hopefully some of you will find this helpful and I'd be happy to share more tips and tricks if anyone is interested

great tips!

I kind of do OMAD but not really I suppose it’s more intermittent fasting really but I try to save most of my calories for a set 3-4 hours. Between 9-midnight ish. I always always want to eat more in the evening so saving it up makes it’s easier as I feel like I’m eating more ? It works for me most of the time.

I really like reddit for food ideas I especially like 1200 is plenty and 1500 is plenty!

MyFitnessPal pal is key for me! And the one thing that keeps me right on track is a food scale! Until you start weighing food you really don’t know just how much you’re eating. Packaging labels can often be wrong. For example bread can differ quite a lot from the “calories per slice”.

 

[RumNCoke]

Eating shouldn’t really be a reward BUT... I’ve definitely been feeling less guilty for eating crap and drinking lots of booze if I keep on top of my exercising x

This has been the major turning point for me! My whole life I've been an emotional eater. Feel shite - eat/drink - feel guilty. Rinse and repeat. I'm so much happier that I'm in control of this, I still keep around 150kcals for an evening choc snack (if I go cold turkey I will binge at weekend) and don't wake up feeling guilty. Lost 7lbs in 3 weeks and no intention of stopping. Also noticing differences from exercise so that's a motivator too.

 

[theghosttown]

This has been the major turning point for me! My whole life I've been an emotional eater. Feel shite - eat/drink - feel guilty. Rinse and repeat. I'm so much happier that I'm in control of this, I still keep around 150kcals for an evening choc snack (if I go cold turkey I will binge at weekend) and don't wake up feeling guilty. Lost 7lbs in 3 weeks and no intention of stopping. Also noticing differences from exercise so that's a motivator too.

Congratulations, I bet you feel great!!!! I’ve managed to lose around 1.5 stone. It’s a good feeling!!x

 

[Diva18]

So glad I found this thread. I was losing weight before lockdown. I was losing 2lbs a week. I was nearly at my goal. Just 10lbs away. Now at home not be active and watching Netflix. Also not having enough healthy options at home. Fresh fruit and veg means going out to local shops a lot more. Trying to avoid going out as much as possible. I have gained 8lbs since 20th March. What I did before was the 5/2 plan which worked for me. I will try that again. Good luck everyone! Glad it's not just me.

 

[Am49704]

I'm the same worried about putting on weight through snacking . Where I live we are not allowed out for walks or any exercise so I have been doing exercise videos on Youtube which has really helped!

 

[Diva18]

I'm the same worried about putting on weight through snacking . Where I live we are not allowed out for walks or any exercise so I have been doing exercise videos on Youtube which has really helped!

I think I will try this thank you.

 

[swimming]

Hope no one minds me joining in a sensible discussion for once (I'm only usually here for the piss taking ).

But I am due to start fertility treatment as soon as clinics open again from COVID, and I have to lose weight for it to work basically! I have been overweight for years but just got on with it, but now I need to do it for not just my health, but for the health of a possible baby. (plus, not being funny, but I dont want to waste thousands of pounds for something not to work because I need to lose weight!!)

I joined weight watchers in Feb and I have lost a tiny bit, but over Easter I sort of had one treat, which has turned into 2 weeks of "I'll start again tomorrow", and I really must get my head back in the game. Because it works! And theres nothing better than waking up each morning knowing that yesterday you stuck to plan.

So I will be back on it tomorrow. Thank you so much to whoever created this thread xx

Good luck to every single one of you xxx

 

[Mercedes12]

So glad I found this thread. I was losing weight before lockdown. I was losing 2lbs a week. I was nearly at my goal. Just 10lbs away. Now at home not be active and watching Netflix. Also not having enough healthy options at home. Fresh fruit and veg means going out to local shops a lot more. Trying to avoid going out as much as possible. I have gained 8lbs since 20th March. What I did before was the 5/2 plan which worked for me. I will try that again. Good luck everyone! Glad it's not just me.

Maybe look online to see if any local companies are offering deliveries of fresh fruit/veg boxes ? I know there’s a few near me offering this, if you want to avoid going out to shops

 

[Justhereforacreep]

Our local butchers and green grocers are doing deliveries, I think they’ve no choice really to keep business coming in as not everyone can go out and buy stuff. We used to always use supermarkets prior to COVID but we’ve started utilising local businesses since and have found the quality of the meat and veg is so much more better and that we’ll be continuing to use them after COVID now.

 

[pinkem]

Joining because I've been a gym goer since I was 16 (I'm 25 now) and never really had much success. I think it's partly down to my body just being happy with the weight it is and I always seem to sit between 10.3st/10.7st. I find it easy to get motivated and love going to the gym for the most part but after a few weeks of consistency I get SO disheartened by not seeing any changes and not feeling my body is any different before all the hard work. This means I give up until I hate myself so much for not trying and begin the cycle again.

Throughout the lockdown I've been super conscious to eat lots of fruit and veg, something I think I'm pretty good at anyway, and as I live on my own I've been making sure I go out and walk for an hour a day just to keep my sanity. I'm averaging 7/8k steps a day and still haven't lost weight!

Really at a loss of what to try next or how long it'll take for me to notice any difference. Is an hours walk a day good enough?!

 

[Mercedes12]

Joining because I've been a gym goer since I was 16 (I'm 25 now) and never really had much success. I think it's partly down to my body just being happy with the weight it is and I always seem to sit between 10.3st/10.7st. I find it easy to get motivated and love going to the gym for the most part but after a few weeks of consistency I get SO disheartened by not seeing any changes and not feeling my body is any different before all the hard work. This means I give up until I hate myself so much for not trying and begin the cycle again.

Throughout the lockdown I've been super conscious to eat lots of fruit and veg, something I think I'm pretty good at anyway, and as I live on my own I've been making sure I go out and walk for an hour a day just to keep my sanity. I'm averaging 7/8k steps a day and still haven't lost weight!

Really at a loss of what to try next or how long it'll take for me to notice any difference. Is an hours walk a day good enough?!

I’ve always been guilty of exercising but not having a great diet so even tho i feel good from exercising I don’t see any difference - one thing I’ve had to remind myself is that it’s meant to be 20% exercise and 80% diet to lose weight!

Do you track calories? Might be worth downloading an app to track your food and try and create a calorie deficit (burning off more than you consume) that’s what I’m trying to do now !

 

[Sshhimnothere]

I’ve always been guilty of exercising but not having a great diet so even tho i feel good from exercising I don’t see any difference - one thing I’ve had to remind myself is that it’s meant to be 20% exercise and 80% diet to lose weight!

Do you track calories? Might be worth downloading an app to track your food and try and create a calorie deficit (burning off more than you consume) that’s what I’m trying to do now !

@pinkem
You may well be not eating enough calories either which is just as important to do as not overeating too many. If counting your calories and working out are definitely not working you should look into getting your macros assessed and focusing on that also

 

[JoeBloggs]

This thread spurred me on, I lost about a stone prior to lockdown. I’m really pleased with my self that I’ve fluctuated by a few lbs since while eating whatever we had but we don’t have much crap in the house.
I’ve started SW again this week and trying to be more active and I feel amazing! I find less processed food does my gut the world of good and when I calorie count I tend to grab easy processed food. Hoping for a good loss!

 

[Naataaliiee]

Joining because I've been a gym goer since I was 16 (I'm 25 now) and never really had much success. I think it's partly down to my body just being happy with the weight it is and I always seem to sit between 10.3st/10.7st. I find it easy to get motivated and love going to the gym for the most part but after a few weeks of consistency I get SO disheartened by not seeing any changes and not feeling my body is any different before all the hard work. This means I give up until I hate myself so much for not trying and begin the cycle again.

Throughout the lockdown I've been super conscious to eat lots of fruit and veg, something I think I'm pretty good at anyway, and as I live on my own I've been making sure I go out and walk for an hour a day just to keep my sanity. I'm averaging 7/8k steps a day and still haven't lost weight!

Really at a loss of what to try next or how long it'll take for me to notice any difference. Is an hours walk a day good enough?!

Yes, an hour a day is great as long as you’re pushing your body. You should feel as though you’re working out as opposed to having a leisurely stroll. Do you have a smart watch? I always make sure i’m walking at around 15min/mile, and maintain this for the duration of my walks. Find the pace which pushes your body and try to stick to it for the duration.
Also, track your calories to make sure you’re in a deficit but also eating enough. When you’re confident in doing this, also look at your macros to check you’re eating roughly the right amount of each food groups.
I’m no expert by any means, but this is just what i’ve found works for me. Eat right, calorie deficit, move more! Hope that’s helpful.

 

[pinkem]

I’ve always been guilty of exercising but not having a great diet so even tho i feel good from exercising I don’t see any difference - one thing I’ve had to remind myself is that it’s meant to be 20% exercise and 80% diet to lose weight!

Do you track calories? Might be worth downloading an app to track your food and try and create a calorie deficit (burning off more than you consume) that’s what I’m trying to do now !

I don't really track calories as I find it super time consuming and also disheartening, but do occasionally log meals into myfitnesspal. I thought about having a food diary where I just log everything I eat as that might work better for me - but maybe if I do properly track calories for a couple of weeks it'll give me an idea of whether or not I'm in a true deficit? I always thought I had a good, balanced diet so chances are it's probably not as balanced as I like to believe! Thanks for the input!

@pinkem
You may well be not eating enough calories either which is just as important to do as not overeating too many. If counting your calories and working out are definitely not working you should look into getting your macros assessed and focusing on that also

I personally find macros SO confusing! I understand the basic idea that calories in must be lower than calories out to be on the right track to achieve weightloss, and I use a TDEE to get a rough idea of where I need to be. Thank you!!

Yes, an hour a day is great as long as you’re pushing your body. You should feel as though you’re working out as opposed to having a leisurely stroll. Do you have a smart watch? I always make sure i’m walking at around 15min/mile, and maintain this for the duration of my walks. Find the pace which pushes your body and try to stick to it for the duration.
Also, track your calories to make sure you’re in a deficit but also eating enough. When you’re confident in doing this, also look at your macros to check you’re eating roughly the right amount of each food groups.
I’m no expert by any means, but this is just what i’ve found works for me. Eat right, calorie deficit, move more! Hope that’s helpful.

This leads me to admit I'm probably not pushing myself as hard as I could on my walks. Maybe picking up my pace would encourage a difference. I don't have a smart watch but have contemplated it on and off over the years. Could you recommend one - I always looked at the fitbit charge 3? As I'm saving money on gym memberships at the moment maybe it's finally time to invest! I also can't wear it at work (I work 8-10 hours a day full time constantly on my feet) but would it still log steps if it's in my pocket or does that defeat the point? Super helpful response!