Simple Ways to Lose Weight During Quarantine

While the coronavirus epidemic is ravaging the world, and all of us are locked inside our homes, it is important for everyone to take care of their health and well being. 

With all of the workplaces closed (except for the doctors and medical workers, who are working hard day and night to contain the deadly virus), most of us have got ourselves some free time to consider the state of our health, and especially body weight. We won't be physically active as usual, and rather we'd be lying on the sofa watching movies or sleeping most of the time. So, it might be easy to gain weight during these times. 

In order to maintain fit and healthy body shape, we will need to be disciplined in our eating habits and make some changes to our diet. Below are some of the effective methods for people to maintain their body weight and for people who are not happy with their body shape and can use this time as an opportunity to lose weight.

Drink More Water

The benefits of drinking water cannot be overstated. The human body consists of around 60 percent water, and the blood flowing in our body is over 90 percent water. So, obviously, we need to keep ourselves hydrated for our health and well being. Water controls the body temperature, helps in effective digesting, and thrives beautiful skin. It also promotes healthy kidneys and prevents the buildup of kidney stones. Yet, most people do not drink the required amounts of water every day and develop various health problems. Plus, with more water, you won't feel the need to eat too much either.

Drinking water helps in the weight reduction process.
Source: Pexels

Gulping down a few more glasses of water daily is immensely useful while you are trying to undergo weight loss. Studies show that by drinking water, a person's metabolism can increase by 24-30% for 1-1.5 hours due to water-induced-thermogenesis. Increased metabolism leads to the burning of extra calories, which is an effective way of losing excess body fat.

Another beneficial way is to develop a habit of drinking water before meals. By drinking a glass or two before eating can lead to a decrease in appetite, and a person will eat less during the actual meal. A study concluded that intake of half-a-liter of water 30 minutes prior to a meal can reduce hunger and lose 44% more weight than those who don't drink water. It seems that making a routine of drinking water about half an hour before eating can be useful in losing weight. So make sure to hydrate your body with at least a glass of water before a meal, if you are seriously considering losing some excess weight off your body in this quarantine period.

Some Home Workouts Oughta Do You Good

Exercise alone will not contribute to weight loss, but combining it with other methods can be highly effective in reducing a considerable amount of body fat. That is because the primary purpose of weight loss is actually fat loss. But if you are limiting your calorie intake to reduce body fat, it will decrease your muscle amount too.

Working out assists in weight loss.
Source: Wallpaper Abyss

To prevent the reduction of muscle in the body, you need to incorporate workout in your daily routine alongside the required calorie restriction. It is important to keep in mind that muscle burns at a higher rate than the fat because it is metabolically more active. The body will start to use the muscle as a source of energy in case of limited calories, and most of the time, it will be muscle loss instead of fat that is contributing to the reduced body weight. So working out on a regular basis helps to maintain the fat to muscle ratio, making sure you are not losing the muscle instead of the fat.

While you will be spending a whole lot of time inside these days, you can do various types of exercises in your home. With the cycling and running out of the options since you cannot go out (unless you have a large estate), you can replace them with the squatting, running in place, jumps, and running plank. If you have a gym in your house, then that comes with a whole package. If you have a pool at home, swimming can be one of the most effective ways of working out.  

Swimming is also an effective way of working out.
Source: HipWallpaper 

You probably cannot make up excuses nowadays to avoid doing some push-ups or squats in this work-free self-isolation period. With plenty of free time, you can utilize this as an opportunity to reduce weight and even tone up your body significantly. 

Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent Fasting is becoming mainstream nowadays and is currently one of the most popular trends among those who are aiming for a healthy and fit body. It comes with several health benefits, and of course, it absolutely contributes to weight loss. But, first of all, what is Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent fasting is currently one of the most popular food trends.
Source: Health Europa 

Intermittent Fasting is a eating routine that includes certain allocated periods of fasting and feasting. It does not necessarily involve what you are supposed to eat; instead, it focuses on when you should eat. If you eat your meal once, then you eat your next meal after certain hours, 8, 16, or 24 hours, depending on the type of Intermittent Fasting you are doing.

Fasting is not a new technique. In fact, it has been in our traditions for centuries. Many world religions practice fasting as part of their rituals. In Islam, people practice fasting during a month-long period of Ramadan when they do not eat between dawn and sunset (which lasts between eleven to sixteen hours). Hindus in South Asia also fast during special occasions and festivals. So, fasting has been a part of human life since ancient times.

There are three most practiced ways of intermittent fasting. They are described in brief below.

The 16/8 method: The 16/8 technique involves a non-eating period of 16 hours and a eating period of 8 hours. During the non-eating period, you do not eat anything, but you can drink water or tea. Then, you eat the required amount of food during the 8-hour window.

This method is usually implemented in the best way by skipping breakfast. So, if you have dinner at 9 pm, then you will probably have to take your next meal at 1 in the afternoon of the next day, limiting your eating period to 1-9 pm. This is the most practiced method of Intermittent fasting.

Eat-Stop-Eat: This technique requires 24 hours of fasting, once or twice a week. During the 24 hour fasting, obviously, you should not eat any food at all, but should keep yourself hydrated with water or tea.

An example of this method is if you had dinner today, then directly, you will have dinner the next day, without eating in between.

Can you go without eating for one whole day? Seems impossible, right? Well, there's another method that may be suitable for you below.

The 5:2 Diet: This eating pattern is based on calorie-restriction. You limit the amounts of calories you take on two days of the week and resume the normal eating in the remaining five days. The two days should not be consecutive, and you must eat only 500-600 calories of food in those days. 

While we mentioned that you could eat the normal amount during the five days, it is essential to note that you should be careful not to eat in excess amount. The same goes for the 16/8 method, where you should be precarious that you are not eating too much in order to compensate for the hunger during the 16 hours of the non-eating period.

As you are inside the house all the time self-isolating, you may have an urge to go and open the fridge in the kitchen during the non-eating periods. But if you seriously want to reduce body weight, then you really need to control yourself. Being committed and dedicated to the goal can only help to achieve it; otherwise, all the effort will be useless.

Follow Ketogenic Diet

The Ketogenic diet is a pattern of eating that focuses on the intake of high amounts of fat and limited amounts of carbohydrates. It is one of the most effective weight reduction techniques and comes with various health benefits.

Ketogenic diet involves a high-fat and low-carb eating plan.
Source: PhenQ

Several studies have pointed out to tremendous benefits of the Ketogenic diet practice. The reason behind this method's effectiveness lies in the change it creates in the body due to the reduction of carbohydrate intake. The carb reduction causes your body to switch to a state called ketosis, a metabolic state in which the fat is fueling most of the energy in the body. When this happens, the body starts to burn the fat at a tremendous rate for the required energy supply resulting in efficient weight reduction.

You should be extremely selective of what you eat during the Ketogenic diet in order to activate the ketosis state. Here are the lists of the foods you should and should not eat for the Keto diet.

Foods to Eat: Meat, Fatty Fish, Eggs, Butter and Cream, Cheese, Nuts and Seeds, Healthy oils, Avocados, and low-carb vegetables 

Foods to Avoid: Sugary Foods, Grains or starches, Fruit, Beans or Legumes, Root vegetables and Tubers, Low-fat diet products, Alcohol, some condiments or sauces, Sugar-free diet foods, and unhealthy fats 

Here is a complete guide to the ketogenic diet.

In addition to the weight-loss benefit, there are numerous health advantages of the keto diet. It helps in the prevention of chronic illnesses like heart diseases, diabetes, cancer, epilepsy, and Alzheimer's disease. It can cause an incredible drop in the blood sugar and insulin levels too. Keto has also been found to be useful to people with Parkinson's disease, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, brain injuries, and Acne.

Cut Foods High in Carbohydrate and Added Sugar

The main culprits in the weight gain of an individual are carbohydrates and sugar. These two, if taken in regular and excess amounts, can lead to several health problems.

Avoid eating foods containing added sugar and high carbohydrate content.
Source: WallpapersCraft 

In order to limit carbohydrate intake, you can follow a carbohydrate-restricted diet plan called the low-carb diet. It involves avoiding products like bread, pasta, and pizza, which are high in carbohydrates, and replacing them with foods rich in protein, fat, and other nutrients. 

Many studies are showing the weight-loss benefits of the low-carb diet. It is proven to be 2-3 times more effective than the low-fat diet with additional health advantages.

Sugar is one of the major factors contributing to the obesity problem in modern society. People intake excess quantities of sugar through products like sweetened beverages, sodas, and juices. Overconsumption of Fructose, a type of sugar, creates resistance to leptin, a hormone that controls hunger and tells the human body when to stop eating. Well, obviously, it causes an increase in appetite and, ultimately weight gain. 

So in order to lose weight, you need to cut down your sugar intake level and avoid processed foods and drinks like cakes, candies, ice cream, coca-cola, and yogurt. We hope you haven't stocked up these items in your home as self-isolation desserts.

Eat Healthy Foods

Ultimately, it all comes down to the healthy eating habits that govern what kind of body shape you are going to have. It is evident that, to maintain healthy body weight, you need to avoid junk and processed food products full of added sugar and high-calorie content. It is easy to get manipulated by the thriving fast food markets that attract our taste buds while deteriorating our health. So, we have made a list of some food that will be useful for you to follow during this current lockdown period, which will assist in your weight loss journey and overall health.

Eating healthy food is crucial in weight loss.
Source: Pexels 

Fruits and Berries: Apples, avocados, bananas, blueberries, oranges, strawberries, cherries, grapes, grapefruit, kiwifruit, lemons, mango, melons, olives, peaches, pears, pineapples, plums, and raspberries

Eggs, Unprocessed and gently cooked Meat (Lean Beef, Chicken Breasts, Lamb)

Nuts and Seeds: Almonds, Chia Seeds, Macadamia Nuts, Walnuts

Vegetables: Asparagus, Bell peppers, Broccoli, Carrots, Cauliflower, Cucumber, Garlic, Kale, Onions, Tomatoes, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, celery, eggplant, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, radishes, squash, Swiss chard, turnips, and zucchini. 

Fish and Seafood: Salmon, Sardines, Shellfish, Shrimp, Trout, Tuna

Grains: Brown Rice, Oats, Quinoa

Legumes: Green Beans, Kidney Beans, Lentils, Peanuts

Dairy: Milk, Cheese, Yogurt

Fats and Oils: Butter, Coconut oil, Extra virgin olive oil

Tubers: Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes

Apple Cider Vinegar, and Dark Chocolate

You can accumulate these into your diet and take them in a proportionate amount. Healthy eating has become more critical than ever to boost our immune system to fight the deadly CoronaVirus, which mainly victimizes people with low immunity. Stay home, eat healthily, and make the right choices in order to survive this pandemic. 

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