How to Keep Your Weight In Check During the Pandemic

Many people have been telling me that they’ve been putting on a bit of weight here during this time of social distancing because of the COVID pandemic. They’re spending more time at home cooking and baking and eating well. Here’s a few tips to keep your weight in check, not just during this pandemic, but these are good habits to incorporate.

Number one, avoid the fast food drive-thrus. Fast food is a fast way to gain weight and undermine your health and it’s better to order a takeout meal from your favorite restaurant if you don’t feel like cooking.

Number two, drink plenty of water. Don’t drink your calories. So soft drinks, fruit juice, chocolate milk. These things should be avoided, but choose water or coffee or tea instead. Keep in mind that artificial sweeteners as well will only encourage your sweet tooth, so they should also be avoided.

Number three, eat plenty of salads. Enjoy a mixed green salad, loaded with some additional nutrition as ingredients on a daily basis. Throw in lots of color, I like radishes, bell peppers, mushrooms, avocado, fruits like strawberries or blueberries, some roasted pine nuts or roasted almond slivers. Then top your salad with a tablespoon or two of olive oil.

Number four, exercise daily. This is one of my number one pieces of anti-aging advice. Try to get at least an hour of relatively vigorous activity per day. You could go out for a brisk walk or do some skipping in your driveway. Start with about 20 minutes and gradually work up aiming for about an hour, five or six days a week.

Number five, get enough sleep. Adults generally consistently need about eight hours per sleep of sleep per night. This is helpful to control your appetite and gives you enough energy to exercise in the day. Look up some tips on good sleep hygiene if this is a problem for you

Number six, mind your mouth. Avoid mindless eating while you’re doing something else. Eat only at meal times when eating is the primary activity

Number seven, eat foods in their natural state. Avoid processed foods with ingredients you can’t pronounce.

Number eight, plan your eating. Eat only what you intend to eat and when you intend to eat it. Plan your meals and your snack times. Don’t wait until you’re famished, and stop when you’ve had enough.

Number nine, tell others. Let your friends and family know about your health goals so that they can help you stick to them.

Number ten, choose what you chew. I recommend preparing some wholesome snacks that you can have throughout the day, such as a handful of nuts or some berries.

These tips will help you to control your weight much better in the kitchen than you ever could in the gym.