A year in, and many of us are struggling mightily with our weight. Even if you’ve been coming in to the club and getting some exercise, consider the activities you are NOT doing. The lack of community activities like sports attendance, theatre, concerts, fairs and other gatherings mean less activity and more isolation. We are avoiding stores as we can, so we aren’t even walking/standing doing our shopping. This has caused unprecedented depression, which also leads to less activity. Now there is hope on the horizon, so let’s start a program that gets you back on track. Here are some pandemic weight loss tips.
TODAY or TOMORROW– no putting this off!
Step 1: Starting point
You need to get on a scale. I’m sorry. We have to have a starting point. If you don’t want to lose weight, but do want in on the suggestions and recipes, you can opt out of this step 🙂 You don’t need to report this to your personal trainer or make it public, but you do need to write or record this.
Step 2: Logging
With your beginning weight, you will log what your activity is daily, and also what you’re eating. I don’t expect you to do anything with this information quite yet. First just find out what you’re doing. You’ll begin to see patterns in your behavior – like times you grab for an extra snack, or how many days a week you exercise, and what you do on those days.
My suggestions for logging:
Myfitnesspal, Loseit, or, if you decide you need to take the fluffy carbs down, Atkins. These are apps that will download free to your phone or other device, making it easier for you to track. If none of these suit your preferences, you can check out our blog on other free habit-tracking apps.
Dietary Changes
We are all different. I know my body gets puffy and painful when I’m eating too much fluff/sugar/white starches. So I’ll be opting for the Atkins, so I can track that. But you may find that you need to add more vegetables, or that you’re eating too much in the way of sweets, or that your portions are just too big. That’s what the first week is about – figuring out what’s wrong so we can change it!
Coconut Flour Buns Recipe
These are coconut flour buns that I make. They taste pretty good, not like coconut (as you might think), and they turn out soft and airy inside, and lightly browned and firm outside.
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 3/4 cup water (I do hot water)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp yeast (not for rising, only for flavor)
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 TBSP psyllium husk
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
I mix the dry ingredients together – lightly combine. Put the coconut oil in, and then add hot water (this helps the oil to melt, particularly this time of year). Mix to combine, just to get the coconut oil working into the dough, and then add the 4 eggs. Mix well, and turn out onto a lightly “floured” surface. I actually use my cookie sheet, covered with my Silpat. Separate the dough into 6 pieces, and make 6 round pieces of dough. Bake at 350, for 35 minutes. Use for a sandwich, or as a dinner roll, but I’ll warn you– these are filling!
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Written by Melissa Abramovich, ACE CPT, NASM CGT, AAHFRP Medical Exercise Specialist at Elite Sports Club-River Glen
Melissa Abramovich went into Personal Training and Group Exercise instruction after successfully losing 140 pounds through healthy diet and exercise. Her desire to help others drove her forward into a career helping others to make healthier choices. She is an ACE certified personal trainer and now also a Medical Exercise Specialist (AAHFRP), helping clients with a myriad of health issues at Elite Sports Clubs. She holds a Bachelor’s degree, and many group exercise related certifications as well.