Like so many Americans, I have struggled to eat healthy and exercise pretty much my entire adulthood. Growing up, I ate more balanced meals, but still had a huge love for sweets. I was never overweight as a child, teen or young adult. As a child, I never played sports, rarely played outside, or exercised much, except for physical education classes. My eating habits have never been very good.
I turned 30 right before the pandemic and this is the age where your body WILL CHANGE ALOT. Pre-pandemic, I already carried about 20 extra pounds, nothing too crazy. During the pandemic, I gained an extra 30 pounds. So I had to lose weight and I am just now hitting my pre-pandemic weight almsot, a year and a half later. Here are some tips that helped me shed the pandemic weight:
Book Suggestion: Freedom from Emotional Eating by Barb Raveling: https://amzn.to/3SoslPS
https://bydominiqueduarte.com/how-to-overcome-food-addiction/
Keep a Food Dairy Everyday
You can write it out by hand, use myfitness pal online, or type it daily in a Microsoft Word document. I chose MyFitnessPal. Go back over the diary for the week. Acknowledge what you did well and see where you need to make improvements. The diary has given me insight into my eating habits. I usually don’t eat enough or I binge, and rarely have I had a solid 1200 calorie day.
I’m usually over 1,200 calories or under 1,200 calories. If you want to lose weight, you need to consume between 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day. Then, you can increase to 2,000 calories a day once you reach your goal weight. Counting calories is super important, however, you also need to look for the grams of fat, protein, and sugar. Knowing your numbers are essential for consistent weight loss.
Ask Yourself Why are You Eating
Are you hungry, bored, sad, or lonely? Most times boredom, depression, and loneliness can cause overeating. Quarantine increased boredom and depression for people. Food has become a crutch for many of us during this time. Journal, workout, read books, or watch movies or television shows to manage your stress.
Acknowledge your feelings instead of stuffing them down with food or other substances. Eventually bad habits will catch up with you. It is better to deal with this now before it becomes a serious medical problem later.
Move Your Body
You have to move your body regularly whether you want to maintain or lose weight. I walk almost everyday and this has helped me lose weight within the last year. If you want to go to the gym to tone up, great, but walking is quite effective.
I have walked between 5,000 to 10,000 steps almost every day since early 2021 and have lost almost 30 pounds since that time. I combined the walking with logging my meals consistently and the weight came off. However, be patient if you only choose to walk. If you want quicker weight loss results, the gym may be the way to go.
Conclusion
Keeping a food diary and moving my body have helped me get my body to a healthy weight again. Does this mean that I have everything together? Of course not, my diet is still a serious work in progress. I am consuming less calories most days, but the quality of the calories still needs improvement.
It is okay if you mess up on your daily calories, just reset the next day. Be Patient with yourself! Weight loss does take time and may take longer than you anticipate. I thought 30 pounds would come off in six months, but it took a year and a half. Just remember to take your time and keep taking care of yourselves!!
Have a good day!
Dominique Duarte