10 Small Diet Changes To Get Rid Of That Pesky Lockdown Weight Gain

For those of us who were stuck at home during the lockdown, we’ve waited with bated breath for the rules to be eased. And now that they have been eased, we cannot wait to go out and visit our favorite parks and beaches. But then we find ourselves in a conundrum when none of our clothes fit us perfectly anymore! Whether it’s that bomb bodycon dress or your favorite pair of skinny jeans, it is too relatable when we say that slipping into it was giving every sis a hard time. If you feel like you have packed on the pounds during the lockdown, we’ve got some tips that might genuinely help you drop at least some, if not all of that weight. Having said that, if you are comfortable with the weight you put on, that’s cool too! With that out of the way, here are ten changes that might end up fast-tracking your weight loss:

1. Chop Up That Salad

Don’t get us wrong. We are not asking you to stick to a salad-only diet by tooth or nail. Salads do not provide you with all the nutrients from the food pyramid. But regular salad intake as a side meal can go a long way in providing you some important nutrients. If you start adding salads to your meals, it will fill up your belly and stay for a long period of time. Hence, you won’t feel hungry repetitively. Salads can also help control your fat content and are considered some of the most low-calorie foods. Make sure that you add this small mantra to your diet.

2. Start Making Soup With Vegetables

Soups made out of vegetables are a lot healthier than having a soup that’s straight out of a readymade pack with preservatives. Not only will this provide you with a host of nutrition, but it will help improve your digestive system as well. Since vegetables are rich in fiber and antioxidants, your body will benefit tremendously from this intake. If you are regularly constipated, adding more vegetables to your diet will help get things moving.

3. Skip The Juice And Have The Fruit

Instead of going for packaged juices with plenty of calories, consider eating the original fruit. Fruits are packed with fiber, and this helps keep you full for longer. When you squeeze or press a fruit, it tends to lose a lot of nutritional value, as well as fiber and other water-soluble minerals. Fruit juice that has lost its nutritional value is basically just sugar water, and hence, it’s a better idea to eat your fruits instead of drinking them.

4. Switch To Sugar-Free Green Tea

Green tea is recommended across the world for its metabolic-boosting properties. So why not add some to your diet? Green tea is enriched with catechins that are known for being high in antioxidants and will leave you feeling much more energetic despite all the difficult workouts. It also keeps your thirst quenched and helps you work out for an extended amount of time. Side note – Green tea is also known for preventing cancer (1).

5. Avoid Oil Overflow In Your Diet

You should definitely use less oil to prepare your meals. It’s a good idea to stick to using three to four teaspoons of the oil for one person in a day. Of course, cutting oil out of your diet overall isn’t that great an idea, but eating too much of it, especially if it’s saturated or refined, can lead to cardiovascular diseases and large amounts of cholesterol. This will also cause a hindrance to your weight loss goals.

6. Snack On Dried Fruits And Nuts

Eating dried fruits and nuts is excellent as they make for a wonderful “in-between” snack. They don’t just fill you up but can also be healthy and fun to binge on. Nuts and dried fruits contain high-quality protein, vitamins and minerals, and a good amount of healthy fats.

7. Cut White Sugar From Your Diet As Much As You Can

Cutting white sugar from your diet is a sure-fire way to lose weight. To satisfy your sugar cravings, you should consume natural sugars as they will keep the cravings away. You should also avoid soft drinks as they have no nutritional value and have added sugar. In the end, water is one of the best things you can drink to stay hydrated.

8. Stay Hydrated

Like we stated earlier, drinking water is essential to losing weight. As you start to work out harder and harder to lose weight and increase your protein intake, your body releases a large number of toxins. Hence, flushing these toxins out is essential. Also, make sure that you drink up to eight or ten glasses of water in a day to get rid of toxic waste building up in your system. Keeping yourself hydrated is an excellent way for you to burn off stubborn fat from your body.

9. Eat Whole Grains

It’s essential to break up your meals. Although you might get tempted to try something new and low-calorie, it is the last thing you should do to your body. Such a diet will do nothing but make your metabolism slack off and add to the pounds. Instead, start eating lower-calorie meals once every three hours to keep your metabolism at its finest.

10. Have Dinner By 8 pm

This is one of the hardest of the changes to enforce. However, it is definitely worth the effort. Your metabolism is at its most sluggish at night, and even consuming bland food can take a toll on your body. You also tend to move a lot after you’ve had an early dinner, which helps digest the food. If it’s absolutely impossible to change the timings of your dinner for the whole family, try and eat dinner by yourself. You can leave a small salad or a bowl of curd to eat with your family later. This way, you will still be able to join them at the dinner table. If you start to feel hunger pangs at night, consider drinking a glass of milk or green tea to satiate your late-night hunger pangs.

Making these simple dietary changes in your routine will be highly beneficial when it comes to getting rid of pesky weight problems. Do let us know all of your thoughts on this article in the comment section below!

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Niharika NayakBA (Media & Communication)

 

Niharika has a passion for all things art, music, and travel and has over 4 years of experience in writing for social media. During her spare time, she likes experimenting in the kitchen, playing video games, and hanging out with stray animals. She has a bachelor's degree in media and communication from the Manipal Institute of Communication and aspires to...more