Weight gain during quarantine or lockdowns is a common problem that we hope to prevent, but many cannot and now may be faced with managing it. I wrote this post with information on the different ways to calculate your weight gain, what you should do to combat this issue, and advice for staying healthy in light of the weight gain so many have experienced. It's important that we are taking proactive steps so you don't become unhealthy due to a delay in weight management strategies. This topic is one that can affect anyone and so it's vital for us all to be informed!
Quarantine lockdown can be difficult because of the change in physical activity, general routine changes, and stress eating habits. This unfortunate side effect may lead people affected by quarantine to experience weight changes. Some people may gain weight, others may lose weight, and still some may not experience any type of weight change. This is a normal side effect due to the impact quarantine has on the body.
Weight gain during quarantine can not only be frustrating, but can impact your health. We have to wonder, how much will we gain and how soon is it likely to occur? Most individuals will start experiencing weight problems after 10-14 days of quarantine. It can be difficult to determine if you are gaining or losing weight because of the changes in consumption of food and your restricted movement. However, it is important to remember that weight gain during quarantine is normal and will be temporary if you can take steps to manage it.
Weight gain can vary from one individual to another. However, there are a few things that you can do to help combat your weight gain if you are experiencing a lot of weight changes. The first thing you should do is to make adjustments to your diet and exercise regimen so it may reduce the amount of food that you are consuming in a day. If you're not eating enough calories or enough food, then your body will output extra calories instead of utilizing them as effectively as possible. This means that the more calories your body consumes, the more fat it will store up on your body.
Other than adjusting to a healthier diet and increased exercise regimen, you can also be proactive about weight gain and building muscle during quarantine. It is important that you continue exercising and taking protein supplements during your time of quarantine. Your extra weight will result in dwindling muscle mass and it can be difficult to rebuild this muscle after the quarantine period. By building up your body with exercise and healthy foods, it may help prevent some of the weight gain that you may experience during quarantine.
You can also try to make adjustments to your daily activities to combat the weight gain that you are experiencing at home during lockdown. Using an online calculator such as this calorie burn rate calculator can help. By inputting your weight and adding more information about the exercise, you may be able to estimate how much you can burn with various exercises. There are calculators who will also give you recommendations on the amount of calories that you should consume in order to reduce weight gain. Using the calories in/calories out ideology, you can ensure you're in a calorie deficit by burning more than you are consuming while still getting enough. By following this advice, or some similar method, it can help prevent the unexpected weight gain that can occur when your body is under restriction for such a long time period.
Calculating your ideal weight is a great first start. I like this calculator, which uses both a BMI calculator and a lean muscle mass calculator. As you already know, extra weight gained in the form of fat is much more detrimental than the extra weight gained in the form of muscle. Once you realize your ideal weight, using a calculator such as this will help track your calories burned with your calorie and exercise routine calculators. Whittling away at the extra weight that you didn't realize you had means that your body is doing what it can to expedite your weight loss. Maintaining a healthy weight can be so much easier when you are equipped with tools like these and many more available online. What have you done to maintain or lose weight gained during lockdown?