It's not easy to lose weight while in lockdown, with many people living a more sedentary lifestyle but eating the same way as they used to. Trying new ways to lose weight fast, like keto diet for weight loss, only works for some people with the rest of population struggling to keep the weight off their torso as the weeks of self-isolation goes on.
Is it impossible to lose weight at home? According to Simon Jurwik, performance nutritionist and commercial director at Bulk Powders, it isn't, not by a long shot. In fact, some simple changes in lifestyle and diet can lead to big results and you don't even have to do bodyweight workouts at home or run for hours on end to shed pounds.
We asked a few questions to Simon about how to maximise lockdown weight loss effectively.
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Drinking more water can certainly help
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As Simon explains, "to avoid weight gain or to lose weight, you need to maintain calories compared to your energy expenditure to avoid weight gain or in a deficit for weight loss."
If this sounds a bit too complicated, here is what it means: you need to eat less than your maintenance calories in order to lose weight. Maintenance calories are what your body needs to function: on average, it is around 2000 kcal for women and 2500 kcal for men.
"A good way to do this is tracking your calories so you have a better understanding of how much youre eating." Simon adds "If you dont like specifically calorie tracking, then start monitoring your portion sizes. If you need to lose weight, simply reduce the portion sizes."
Calorie tracking can be made easy with apps like MyFitnessPal which can scan barcodes and do the addition for you, no need to calculate carbs/fat/protein manually.
Avoid takeaways if you don't want to get obese
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Simon doesn't believe in bad foods although even he wouldn't recommend chowing down on takeaway every morning. His motto is "everything in moderation". "Nonetheless, I would say to limit your consumption of the below whilst in lockdown as they are more calorie dense" he adds.
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Eat all your five-a-day in one go if you wish
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When it comes to weight loss, Simon vouches for calorie deficit: "You should try and eat a well balanced diet so you get the right amount of nutrients and minerals." Ideally, you would like to eat your five a day, a mix of fruits and vegetables, to make sure your vitamin levels are topped up.
It's easier than you think to add more greens to your meals: have some tomatoes with your breakfast bacon and eggs, have an apple mid-morning, some asparagus and kale with your lunch, a banana in the afternoon and half an avocado with your tea.
Simon recommends the following food groups to be included in your diet for effective weight loss:
Is keto diet the key to weight loss?
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"Ultimately, it comes down to adherence. If you find going lower carb keto diet is easier for you to stick with, then thats a good option. If you prefer intermittent fasting and you find you can stick to it, then thats one to explore" Simon adds.
The key here is sticking to the diet and not jumping from one fad to the other. Once you found the diet you can keep to it doesn't have to be an extreme one either just let your body adjust and eventually, you'll see the results.
The most important thing to remember is that once you get healthy, weight loss will come naturally. It's not about chasing after pounds lost; what's more important is to ease yourself into a healthy lifestyle and a sustainable diet. That will make you lose weight and keep it off, too.
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Exercising regularly is not necessary for weight loss but it can certainly help
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In Simon's opinion, it's important to make a distinction between people who already have a certain muscle mass and people who 'just' want to lose weight: "It depends, if youre aiming to maintain a certain amount of muscle mass, you would need to continue exercising and in particular, resistance training, to hold onto the muscle mass you have."
Cardio has long been used for weight loss, let it be running on treadmills, indoor cycling or indoor rowing. But resistance training is also a great way to burn calories as well as doing HIIT workouts. The best resistance training for weight loss are the ones that use compound exercises, like this full body workout or this two-day push-pull workout.
"Similarly, if youve just completed a diet, which incorporated exercising and calorie restriction, youll need to continue completing the same level of exercise to maintain your weight. If you were to just stop, your calorie expenditure would go down and you will likely gain weight" Simon concludes.
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Supplement-wise, Bulk Powders has you covered
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Understandably, Simon knows a lot about supplements: "supplements can contribute to maintaining/losing weight when incorporated into a balanced diet. For example, if you follow a ketogenic diet, Bulk Powders has several products that are low in carbohydrates such as our Complete Keto Protein Shake, Complete Greens and Electrolyte tablets."
Supplements can come in many shapes and sizes and supplementing your diet doesn't necessarily mean chugging down gallons of protein shakes or weight gainers. Especially if you are following a strict diet, like the vegan diet or the aforementioned keto diet, taking some supplements will be inevitable to support your metabolism.
When using supplements to lose weight, our product Cutting Edge, contains Glucomannan which contributes to weight loss in the context of a calorie restricted diet.
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Lose weight in lockdown: we asked a performance nutritionist for the best weight loss advice for home - T3
