Goodbye lockdown weight!

thelastnightingale · June 2020

I have now re-lost 12.5lb and am back to where I was before I started putting on the pounds in lockdown.

I mean, yes, I'm still a fattie and I still have a long way to go (I need to lose another 45 lb to hit goal), but this was my first real milestone and I've hit it.

It took me about a month to gain the 12.5lb and about a month to lose it by rigidly sticking to my calorie limit. That's it. No exercise (I'm staying indoors), but I gained weight through eating, so it makes sense I lost weight through eating too.

I just wanted to give a bit of hope to others who might be in a bad place due to lockdown and have let the pounds creep on - it can be undone. I've just undone it.

Thank you to everyone who was kind to me when I originally posted about the quarantine blues and encouraged me to get back on the wagon and sort myself out. I have more to go, but I'm keeping going.

FunUsername · June 2020

Thank you. I needed to see this today.

got2bjb · June 2020

Ya lockdown sucked for me too! went from 15,000 steps a day a 6 Days in the gym. to 1,500 steps a day with no gym.

thelastnightingale · June 2020

My step count has also dropped to no more than 10% of my pre-lockdown activity.

However, that hasn't prevented me from losing weight, and if I lose enough weight, the pressure on my joints will be less, and I'm hoping getting back into running will be easier in the long term.

I'm kind of excited to try, actually - my running time has increased as I've become heavier, so I wonder what sort of time I'll manage when I reach goal.

jadelyndsey · June 2020

Great work!! Lock down has been tough, it's great you've used this time to work on you and your goals.

jawriglesworth · June 2020

Yes me too, I really needed to see this post today.
Back to work on Monday and am struggling to find some clothes that fit. I was really doing well on this site until Lockdown, then i re -discovered baking and the pounds piled on not to mention the indigestion !
So its over for me ( in the UK ) , back to work, back to routine, back to my old self ( i.e no more cake for breakfast ).
Good wishes to everyone

thelastnightingale · June 2020

jawriglesworth wrote: »

Yes me too, I really needed to see this post today.
Back to work on Monday and am struggling to find some clothes that fit. I was really doing well on this site until Lockdown, then i re -discovered baking and the pounds piled on not to mention the indigestion !
So its over for me ( in the UK ) , back to work, back to routine, back to my old self ( i.e no more cake for breakfast ).
Good wishes to everyone

I promise, you can undo all the lockdown weight if you get back into your healthy habits and log honestly and accurately. It's not out of your reach. Are you going back to your physical place of work, or will you be working remotely?

If you're commuting, at least that will make you more active - it's insane how many steps you rack up just from travelling to/from work and wandering around in your workplace.

I am rooting for each and every one of you who has put on weight during lockdown and is now ready to lose it.

tapwaters · June 2020

Way to go!! I've just started to lose my lock-down weight. I could kick myself for regaining, but I suppose it's more productive to go kick a ball or run around a field.

tapwaters · June 2020

jawriglesworth wrote: »

Yes me too, I really needed to see this post today.
Back to work on Monday and am struggling to find some clothes that fit. I was really doing well on this site until Lockdown, then i re -discovered baking and the pounds piled on not to mention the indigestion !
So its over for me ( in the UK ) , back to work, back to routine, back to my old self ( i.e no more cake for breakfast ).
Good wishes to everyone

I tell ya what, lock down and baking is REAL. My husband has been baking bread every week and I baked special breakfasts two or three times a week, take out twice a week to support local restaurants I feared would close.

It is absolutely insane. BUT it is never too late to try again and continue working toward your goals.

steveko89 · June 2020

Just because you're staying home doesn't automatically mean you're destined to gain unwanted weight. I worked from home 3/18 to 6/1 and over that time I lost dropped over 3 lbs on my average weight and my TDEE was higher than I typically average as I was more consistent with my home workouts and didn't feel so chained to my desk. I was even able to set some lifting PRs. I know 3 lbs doesn't sound like much but I'm fairly close to "ideal" weight for my height and my goal is really only to improve my body composition, not necessarily see the scale plummet.

For me being at home all the time means I have more control over my food choices with fewer external factors (family functions, work trips, lunch meetings, etc.) Take control of your circumstances, like OP did, rather than allowing them to dictate success.

Babygeezer · June 2020

I'm a recent convert to MyFitness Pal. Started on the 31st May. I'm currently 4lb down. I've always been on weightwatchers before but it allowed too much flexibility. Why did I never count calories before? Makes perfect sense, what goes in needs to come out!

Well done on losing your lockdown weight, its given me the incentive to carry on. Thank you!

elisa123gal · June 2020

Timely uplifting post. I'm halfway into losing my lockdown weight. I wonder how more unhealthy the lockdown made the world population? Was it worth it? I just don't know. But I plan to have mine off by the first week of July. In the meantime.. I'm still on semi lockdown and not around anyone to see that I've regained some of my lost weight. yikes.

teeenabeana · June 2020

I needed to see this! I am so disappointed in myself for regaining, but it helps to see that I'm not the only one.

georgiamarsh1 · June 2020

Great job

KeriA · June 2020

Stay at home is a challenge. Congrats! I actually started to lose more but it is exercise that has been my issue. This week I am getting some everyday starting with Tuesday last. I have knee issues so always went to Aquafit classes which are closed.

Sand_TIger · June 2020

Congratulations on dropping that weight! I was about to say I was one of the "lucky ones" who didn't gain, but it wasn't luck. It was stubbornness, ha ha. I did more cooking and baking too but also explored healthy recipes. I feel bad for my folks though - their grocery stores had a lack of produce so it was harder for them to eat well. My grocery stores had good food and produce if I looked in the right places.

It's motivating to know that you can fix a temporary mistake and turn things around!

thelastnightingale · June 2020

Gosh, I didn't expect to hit such a chord with so many people!

Yes, you absolutely can turn things around. Lockdown has been, what, three months tops for most people so far? That's not long enough to gain any weight that you cannot reverse.

If you can exercise, that's brilliant, but if you're not able to for any reason, you can still re-lose the weight through diet alone. I wasn't sure I could do it myself either, but then a few kind words from strangers gave me the motivation to just try, and it worked.

Lockdown doesn't have to be the thing that derailed our diets - there are opportunities if you look for them. For example, pre-lockdown, I was always struggling to find 10 minutes to nip out of the office and visit the nearest Pret - that was 600 empty calories gone straight away, on something was only okay (I never could find time to go when all the tasty and low-calorie choices were still available) and that would leave me putting money into a vending machine later (long hours and long commute). Now I'm at home, I can spread my calories over the day in a way that makes more sense to me, and make sure that I enjoy each and every one of those calories. I'm not grabbing the last of the reject sandwiches, I'm making the lunch that I choose to make and eat, because my lunch break is now at home, and so I can.

Emotionally, there are a lot of things that have been tough, but it cheers me up to know that there's this one thing that is within my control - and that's getting my BMI to a healthy number. I can't magically make Covid-19 disappear, but I can get my BMI back down to a point where if I contract the virus, I've given myself the best possible odds at fighting it. It's actually a lot more motivating to think that I'm losing weight for my health, rather than to fit into an old dress again. (But when I lose all of the weight, I shall be wearing that dress, don't worry!)

I believe in all of you, and I know you can do this too. Don't beat yourself up about whatever weight you may have gained during lockdown, just decide that enough is enough and you're now going to lose it again. I promise you, this is within your power.

tena1028 · June 2020

Great job! I gained 7 lbs and lost 2 of that so I am trying to lose the 5 lbs I gained pre-lockdown (then 10 more to get to my goal weight). I am hoping the gyms in NC can open soon so I can get back at it! I am bad about exercising at home. I do a few squats here and there but that is it.....

carriestrine · June 2020

@thelastnightingale everything you said is so true. I have been embracing my mornings without a rush to work so that I can make a healthy breakfast I enjoy, and the same for lunch!

I'm thankful I can workout at home, and without my commute it is much easier/less stressful to fit in exercise. I'm getting so much stronger!

I've been very motivated to get healthy to try to improve my own odds in case I contract Covid. It has given me perspective to really celebrate the hard work instead of dreading it the way I did other times I tried to lose weight and exercise.

donidaily · June 2020

Great thread! I was stranded abroad at the beginning of lockdown and in two months I gained 12.5lb. I was eating anything I wanted whenever I wanted but still, when I made it home and stepped on the scale I was staggered. I got back on plan the very next day and have lost that weight in a month (actually a month exactly—I got home on May 13!) I mostly kept up my exercise (walking and daily yoga) even during the chaos.

I am still mostly stay at home (NYC) and I find it great for eating mindfully and healthily. For me life “before” was a constant state of resisting temptations: in social settings, free food in work environments, just walking past the pizza joint! I love to bake and do make cake or cookies about once a week but I have room for them in my eating when my other meals are totally within my control. Now to apply what I have learned as things re-open...

thelastnightingale · June 2020

donidaily wrote: »

Great thread! I was stranded abroad at the beginning of lockdown and in two months I gained 12.5lb. I was eating anything I wanted whenever I wanted but still, when I made it home and stepped on the scale I was staggered. I got back on plan the very next day and have lost that weight in a month (actually a month exactly—I got home on May 13!) I mostly kept up my exercise (walking and daily yoga) even during the chaos.

I am still mostly stay at home (NYC) and I find it great for eating mindfully and healthily. For me life “before” was a constant state of resisting temptations: in social settings, free food in work environments, just walking past the pizza joint! I love to bake and do make cake or cookies about once a week but I have room for them in my eating when my other meals are totally within my control. Now to apply what I have learned as things re-open...

So you gained the same weight and lost it in roughly the same time - just more proof that it is possible!

Well done to you for taking back control.

I agree, resisting temptation is hard. UberEATS keep sending me discount codes for half off, and messaging me every time one of my favourite takeaways reopens. For now, it's just not an option for me. I'll consider reintroducing takeaways etc once I'm closer to my goal, but for now, I need to work on making good habits feel like second nature. That way when I do start eating take out again, it will feel like a treat rather than a return to the norm...

Goodbye lockdown weight!

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