So the gym is closed (we both know it’s not like you went there) and you are not comfortable jogging on the empty streets alone (also, you never jogged…I’m just helping you out with a few excuses here)?
You can still go back to work or school without looking significantly heavier than before the lockdown. The last thing you need is to be the guy with the big tummy because we will mistake you for our blessers, or the lady everyone keeps saying congratulations to because they genuinely think they are pregnant. So unless intentional, let’s keep our current physique because we are one hell of a good looking nation.
Healthy Eating Habits
If, like me, you are scared because these lockdown snacks keep disappearing and you don’t even remember opening that packet of chips then it is time to reexamine our eating habits.
You need to eat three heavy meals a day and one healthy snack. This will limit your cravings and need to snack every hour or so. When you are full then you don’t crave anything. Personal experience I swear. I wake up to a cereal and make sure it is filling. Get a second serving of it right there if the first wasn’t filling. This will keep you for a good three to four hours if you did it right. Another alternative is soft porridge or muesli, yoghurt and fruit then follow with a high protein breakfast. Proteins can come from avocado, salad, eggs, beans, meat. So fill up, it will save you from looking like a two in one.
When you do breakfast right then you should only be hungry around lunch time. At this point you should eat a filling lunch, with all the food groups. Eat until you brush your tummy then go into a food coma my love. My current favorite lunch meal is a chicken or tuna salad. I chop the tuna or chicken, then add lots of lettuce, tomatoes, olives, feta, onion, green paper then mayonnaise or salad dressing. This sounds light as you are reading it but because of all the proteins contained in this salad I am full until dinner time. If you are frowning, may I please remind you that this is a perfect time to be experimenting? And if you don’t like it then you can put it on bread and you will easily have yourself a lunch sandwich. I encourage a fruit and a beverage with this meal.
Your feeling of a need of a snack should fall somewhere here…around 4 – 5 pm. This snack does not need to be filling but rather a satisfying one. I highly recommend popcorn, maybe with a movie? Emafethi or a bowl of fruits and vegetables would not be a bad idea.
Then by 7 pm you will be all ready for dinner. And this should ideally take you to bedtime so you should look into a heavy meal consisting of starch. Feel free to throw in rice, pap or potatoes with a stew and salad of your liking.
Useful tips
Now that we’ve got your partial lockdown eating all checked out, let us look into other habits that will help you fit into your daily clothes, not just those pajamas you’ve been wearing since the 27th of March…don’t ask me how I know.
- Do what you must to keep active. There are tons of home workouts on the internet and they have different levels of strength training, so start where you are comfortable. No pressure. You can even target train i.e. specially work on your soon coming abs or your arms.
- Start your day with at least 500ml (two standard glasses) of warm water, this will help your metabolism throughout the day. Adding a slice of lemon will add on that ‘thing’ and assist your immune system in fighting off sicknesses hint hint.
- Starting your morning meal with coffee (the blacker the better) will also assist with metabolism throughout the day. Feel free to also drink it, or tea, throughout the day. It helps and you need all the help you can get during this period.
- Take your last meal at least three hours before bedtime. Do not eat then nap, your food will be bored in your stomach then will have to be turned into storage fat. Let me remind you that storage fat does not go to the areas you want like bum, breast or male private part. It goes to your stomach, neck or arms. Ewww!!
- Hide your snacks where you can’t see them, it minimizes the need for snacking.
- Choose the low fat food, whether yoghurt, mayonnaise or salad dressing, go for lite.
- Try to cook everything from scratch, it helps you control what goes into your mouth and eventually body. It may be time consuming but if I may ask, where are you rushing to?
- For the hundredth time, drink at least two litters of water. You’ll be running up and down the toilet all day and that running helps a great deal in weight loss. Also, your skin and hair will pop for days!! You are welcome.
- Dance and play! Even if it is just in front of the mirror. This will also keep you active and mentally happy.
- End your day with a glass of red wine. It speeds up your metabolism to make sure you go to bed with no food undigested. Another benefit is you’ll fall asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow and you’ll sleep happy.
Well, I’ve done my part for the human race. The rest is up to you. Small changes lead to big differences. Well if you do gain weight then you can open your own dobha phansi because if you can’t keep your weight, at least keep half of your money you used to buy your old sized clothes. It is a lose win situation. But it is better than a lose lose situation. Best of luck mates.