Gained almost 2 stone during lockdown

[Palm50]

Stepped on the scales today for the first time in a while - I’m horrified to see how much I have put on

I lost 2 stone in 2018 and felt great for it - since February/March I’ve put it ALL back on.

I know why - pre lockdown I had a very active lifestyle, ate mostly home cooked foods and kept everything fairly low carb and healthy. I also kept busy, I was always out and about.

Since lockdown I’ve been snacking, comfort eating and getting occasional takeaways. Obviously unable to go to the gym etc, and WFH plus being bored confined to the house loads. When I have too much junk and unhealthy foods, I crave them constantly and never feel satisfied with normal healthy meals. I’m not the sort or person who can have a small bit of chocolate each evening as my treat.

How do I even get started on tackling so much weight gain? I’ve totally spoilt how hard I worked to lose it the first time around

@Palm50 easier said than done but please don’t be too hard on yourself, we were/are living in unprecedented times.
My first suggestion/recommendation would be to break it down into 4 manageable 7lbs goals. If you are less than 7 lbs from going into the next “stone category” then you may wish to make this your first mini goal. Stop thinking of things as this insurmountable two stone weight loss.
Treats/takeaways can and will be a part of your life longer term if you don’t want to be on a constant dieting hamster wheel for the rest of your life, so try and build healthier choices around those.
Also do not ever get into the mentality that if you’ve overindulged at one point in the day that the whole day has been written off and you continue your “blow out”.
Can you get yourself out for a walk/cycle today? Or even just do some gardening? The key is to regularly keep moving. Even on a work day you can build seated squats into your daily routine.
Each day try and have a focus, make realistic and achievable changes. Today could be to drink more water for example.

[quote Itsatoughgig]@Palm50 easier said than done but please don’t be too hard on yourself, we were/are living in unprecedented times.
My first suggestion/recommendation would be to break it down into 4 manageable 7lbs goals. If you are less than 7 lbs from going into the next “stone category” then you may wish to make this your first mini goal. Stop thinking of things as this insurmountable two stone weight loss.
Treats/takeaways can and will be a part of your life longer term if you don’t want to be on a constant dieting hamster wheel for the rest of your life, so try and build healthier choices around those.
Also do not ever get into the mentality that if you’ve overindulged at one point in the day that the whole day has been written off and you continue your “blow out”.
Can you get yourself out for a walk/cycle today? Or even just do some gardening? The key is to regularly keep moving. Even on a work day you can build seated squats into your daily routine.
Each day try and have a focus, make realistic and achievable changes. Today could be to drink more water for example.[/quote]
Thank you @Itsatoughgig breaking it down into more manageable goals is a great idea, this morning I’ve been feeling rubbish about how many months it’ll take to lose it, whereas half a stone should only take a few weeks

You’re totally right re avoiding all treats - when I lost weight and maintained the loss last time I tended to stick to healthier choices during the week, and ate out occasionally and saved the treat foods for the weekend. It worked really well, I never felt deprived.

I’ve booked in to go for a swim today at our local pool, might start going a couple of times a week to start with - my membership let’s me use the gym there too, but i feel horribly self conscious. I can still squeeze into my workout clothes at least!

@Palm50 healthy weight loss is 1-2 lbs per week. I’m very much of the opinion that slow and steady wins the race when it comes to weight loss. A dear friend in their 50’s went on a low carb diet and lost the weight so rapidly particularly around their face that they ended up having to get a face lift due to the effects on their skin from the rapid weight loss. Their food choices have been so heavily restricted that in my opinion they no longer resemble a healthy diet long term.

I put on 12lbs at the start of lockdown. Been doing 1220 calories (tracking with MFP) a day, running twice a week, cycling 20km a day (exercise bike) and started doing Chloe Ting's online videos. It's hard work but worth it. I've lost 20lbs so far.

2 stones in that amount of time is a lot. I've put that much on in 2 years.

Anyway, just go back to your old habits of eating. Should be easy.

@Palm50 how are things?

Definitely don't be hard on yourself. This has been a really shit few months and we've done what needs to be done to get by. For me, now that things are beginning to look a bit more normal, I've found it slightly easier to get back into that routine of eating healthily etc, plus it does have benefits on how you feel mentally too. I'm taking it slowly by cutting down on unhealthy snacking and increasing fruit and veg into my daily meals and snacks.

Thanks for checking in @Itsatoughgig - it’s going well so far, I went for a swim on Sunday and I’m trying to go for walks and generally be more active. I’ve also started making changes to my diet - less junk food, and being a bit more mindful of what sorts of meals I cook! Early days still, but the scales say 3lbs down since Sunday morning I know it’s just water weight at this stage, but I feel less bloated already which is nice.

I’m going to summon the courage to do some classes at my gym soon too. Baby steps!