Restarting and refocusing during Pandemic - anyone else?

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emilyonthemove
emilyonthemove Posts: 2 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone I am an Australia, who has returned to MFP as struggling since gyms and fitness places shut down. I had in the past 12 months lost 15kilos (I think it is 33 lb roughly) whist going to CZ gym challenges but have since put 2kg in the last 3 weeks. I hoping by tracking exercise and food I can refocuse on my fitness journey, I have a long way to go. Is anyone in the same situation? Contact me if you need to as I would love to hear how others are trying to refocus

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  • jtechmart
    jtechmart Posts: 67 Member
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    When LA fitness closed I was right in the middle of just getting started again, was going to the gym 3-5 days per week, keeping to 1800 cals per day, for about 3 weeks in a row. But, then when the grocery stores were getting depleted and then the gyms closed, I didn't keep on with what I was doing. Strangely, I lost weight and shrank my waist. But, that was the weeks before catching up as it usually does for me.

    I wound up pulling my mountain bike and trainer out of storage, and now its in my living room. With that I have a mat, jump rope, and exercise bands. So, I have a circuit I'm doing mostly indoors. Just started doing 50 min walks again too, so I'm getting back on track now. But, the gyms closing and the media telling us to stock up for 2 weeks worth of food, that all took me off track. But, I'm getting back on track now.

    One other thing I'd say about MFP and tracking, I think it can be really, really helpful. I find stats to be motivating and I am reminded throughout the day that I am on track. That is so important to me when trying to stay on track each day. Stats matter!
  • youngmomtaz
    youngmomtaz Posts: 1,075 Member
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    I know many are struggling. But I am finding it far easier. I have fewer distractions. Less outings. No invitations. More control over my food choices. Drink options. More control over my routine. More time. I have always been an introvert/homebody type anyway. I go to the grocery once a week. I just had to order in(we live in a tiny town and the pharmacy has switched over to 100% prepayment and delivery for their own safety) some prescriptions and the are also our only option for liquor. So as a treat a few bottles of wine and cans of vodka mixes are coming too but those will be rationed until we need more meds. So 3+ months. Lol!
  • ankitamani30
    ankitamani30 Posts: 1 Member
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    Hey, I'm in your boat. I lost 15lbs between Christmas and mid-March, with about half of that progress coming in the last 5 weeks of that period. I had been in Buenos Aires for those 5 weeks, and I'd been walking 6-10miles daily and I'd started Crossfit and was going to the class 6 days a week. Getting sent back home with the gyms shut down made these barbell workouts and 4+ hours of walking no longer an option. Also, in Buenos Aires I just came home to sleep, but now I was always home and close to the kitchen.
    There are absolutely days where I can control my appetite and days where it's almost like my hands and my mouth are making choices without my mind's consent. Like youngmomtaz said, there is definitely a lot more control: you decide what food is in your house. What helps me to refocus is walking/jogging outside, scheduling/structuring my daily activities, and weighted training. Tracking exercise as a broad caloric output bucket is ineffective, in my opinion, in terms of weight loss. The jogging really helps take my mind out of the house and plan my day. I like putting work tasks and meals in blocks around workouts so that I am distancing myself from the kitchen and minimizing all-day snacking. I've changed up my eating to eat half my day's calories at breakfast, and upping my protein percentage, and that is helping with feeling sated. The weight training really helps me control my appetite, add active time, and retain the muscle I worked so hard to build. Try using furniture, bags of textbooks, sealed detergent bottles, etc -- the internet is full of creative ideas!
  • gwinhart17
    gwinhart17 Posts: 34 Member
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    I'm I homebody type as well, so when this all started I knew I would be okay. Thing is, it affected me more than I expected it to. In alot of ways. It's so easy to get off track, I have lost 50 lbs since August and there were some bumps and bruises, blood sweat and tears along the way for sure, but once I really established it as part of my life and routine, and found my consistency, it began to feel easy and natural again. I still have a ways to go. One thing that has really made a difference for me at this point in time is intermittent fasting. I do a 16:8 type fast. I found that only giving myself an 8 hour window to consume has really helped to keep my calories in check while being stuck at home all the time. Before this all started I was working out at least 3 hours a day 5/6 days a week, sometimes more. I realize now that I was probably overdoing it just a little bit, but I felt amazing, and had this great momentum and I didnt want to lose it, not to mention exercise is my best tool against anxiety and depression. Now I'm just doing what I can when I can, as long as I am doing at least the minimum amount of required exercise for an adult human (lol) I think I will be okay, especially if I keep an eye on my ci-co. Some days I dont work out at all. Somedays I eat a little more than I should, or have a snack that isn't the most healthy. And that's ok. Constant problem solving (figuring out what works for me) and consistency is what has gotten me this far, and I think it's really been a good lesson for me in sustainability. Life is always going to throw curveballs, after this it will be something else and then something else.
  • ReenieHJ
    ReenieHJ Posts: 9,724 Member
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    So glad I'm not the only one. :( I was so committed and motivated up until about 3 weeks ago, then started binge-eating just on weekends. That was bad enough but then it'd continue on into the week. End result was when I weighed in this a.m.(I got very brave) I found I'd gained 8 lbs. from my lowest weight of merely a month ago. :( It's not so much the weight that bothers me because I'm still well within my BMI(for whatever that's worth) BUT it's the trend and mindset that I'm having a terribly difficult time coming to grips with. So today is Day 1 of returning to my former mindset and healthier trend.
    It's truly amazing what stress, worry and all that this crisis has brought upon us, can do to undo what we worked so hard to accomplish before. :( And why does it seem SO much easier to let go and gain it back?? :/

    Stay strong everybody, and look forward to brighter days!!
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,996 Member
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    I'm an introvert, and my life hasn't changed much, but my anxiety has gone way up, and I am dealing with stress eating. Started working on that with a mental health professional via tele-health.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,996 Member
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    Oh, I've also been finding the Half Size Me podcast really helpful, especially episodes starting with the April 1 "How To Survive and Thrive During The Coronavirus Pandemic" https://www.halfsizeme.com/bonus-episode-how-to-survive-and-thrive-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic/

    She can be a little wordy in the beginning, so I do some 30 second jumping ahead then.
  • Bananabeats
    Bananabeats Posts: 73 Member
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    Thanks for sharing that @kshama2001

    Good luck @emilyonthemove with getting back into it. You are more than welcome to add me as a friend for support.

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