weight management – Fitness Freak Lifestyle Blog

LOCKDOWN – YOUR GAIN OR LOSS

CLICK HERE to see how Mark can personally help you

During the global Covid-19 pandemic most populations have been or are in some form of lockdown, there has been a growing concern to manage nutrition properly and ensure health, proper weight management, as well as to stay in top shape.

There are several genuine and valid concerns.

Firstly, before lockdown occurred most people were leading consistently active lifestyles. Gym visits and outdoor activities such as running, and cycling were routine. Calorie burn rates were up nicely due to a higher and consistent volume of training.

Then, for many it came to a grinding halt. The minute your training intensity and volume drops so too should your calorie intake to fall in line. Eating more calories than you burn off will absolutely lead to weight gain.

Over and above this lockdown has left people more sedentary than their normal daily routines. Driving around, walking to meetings and general office run arounds such as shopping and walking around for longer periods of time which add to calorie burn rates have also dropped significantly.

There is way more lounging around and frequent kitchen visits have become part of the normal daily routine. Emotional stability has been thrown out of whack due to the uncertainty of what lies ahead. Stress levels are on the rise for many and in a lot of cases depression has started to emerge.

This has led to emotional eating for a lot of people. Easy kitchen access and comfort foods has exaggerated the situation even more. Sleeping problems and elevated stress levels also play a part in this emotional roller coaster ride many of the world’s population is currently on.

It’s not an easy situation by any means. However, there are some ways to manage it and emerge in a healthy state.

The Power of Exercise & Nutrition

EXERCISE:
No matter your circumstances whether indoor training equipment or not this is the time for adaption. Human movement including some strength training is vital from a health perspective. There are plenty of creative ways to mix it up from body weight strength and core exercises to simple intensity interval sessions.

If you have access to indoor training equipment such as treadmills, smart bike trainers and weights then there is no excuse for keeping it up. It does not take a lot to prevent muscle atrophy and just doing at least thirty minutes of exercise daily is sure to keep your body happy physically and mentally.

NUTRITION:
As mentioned earlier nutrition is numero uno in keeping in shape. Not just from a weight management point of view but to also fortify and strengthen the immune system. What you put into your mouth each day will ultimately determine how your overall health.

My 9 Top Tips for Managing your Nutrition

1. Avoid the Junk
Keep the processed / junk foods out the house. If its not in the kitchen it is not accessible.
2. Natural is Best
Stock natural whole foods to make wholesome valuable nutrient dense meals.

3. Higher Fibre Low Glycaemic Foods
Aim for higher fibre and lower glycaemic foods to ensure good satiation as well as lowered blood sugar and controlled insulin levels. Incorporate a decent amount of nutrient dense lower glycaemic plant-based foods mainly in the form of vegetables.

4. Plan your Plate
Do not wake up without an eating plan for the day. If you have a structure you will not go wrong. However, if you have not planned your eating for the day you will base your meals on emotion and will just go off the path.

5. Drop the Treats
Treats in the form of sweets or pastries needs to be controlled. Lockdown has left many experimenting and baking away in the kitchen. This will just boost the emotional need for more and lead to a decline in healthy eating potentially promoting weight gain. If you are looking at making treats there are plenty of healthy options out there which are sugar free and low in calories.

6. Overeating Health
Most do not understand how to construct a meal based on proper required macronutrients intake. It is possible to overeat health. Just because the ingredients are healthy does not make your overall meal healthy. Carbohydrates, proteins and fats play an important role in any nutrition planning. Get them wrong and you will land up gaining weight.

7. Portion Control
Instead of large meals at any one sitting. Rather eat smaller meal portions more frequently throughout the day. This is the best way of managing insulin levels and ensuring you do not overeat.

8. Healthy Fats
Fats come in different forms. Avoid all processed fats such as hydrogenated vegetable oils and trans fats. Eat natural healthy fats and try to ensure the majority are unsaturated fats which provide much better health benefits to the body.

9. No Out-Training Bad Nutrition
This will never work. If you can train a lot due to being in lockdown then it does not mean you can out train a bad diet. The opposite. The minute you increase stress on the body due to intense or volume exercise then proper quality food intake needs to come up to help support it. Hard training and poor eating will place your body at risk for injury or illness.

In short, this period has provided challenges to many of us and its by no means easy when curve balls are thrown at us in life. Routines are completely turned upside down and all it requires is adapting quickly. Sitting around thinking about what is wrong does not solve the problem.

When it comes to health quick decisive decisions must be made to preserve and strengthen it. My advice is do not let yourself down you are in complete control. What you do today and tomorrow will set you up nicely for many weeks and months to come. Just give it some planning and focus.

need Mark’s help? Click here

“In the Middle Ages, they had guillotines, stretch racks, whips and chains. Nowadays, we have a much more effective torture device called the BATHROOM SCALE.“ – Stephen Phillips

***Want to ask me live questions? Join in on my FREE weekly webinars.***

The following statements will probably mean a whole lot to most of you on an emotional level. When engaging with people I often hear so much about the bathroom scale, and I thought it was about time people out there actually became more knowledgeable about its use and how to change their bad bathroom habits.

“I gained a kilogram of weight this past week”, or

“I am 500 grams heavier today then I was yesterday”, or

”That bloody scale it’s my best friend and my worst enemy it just depends on the day”. And finally,

“Please don’t make me stand on that scale I can’t sleep at night just thinking about it”.

It’s amazing how some are so dependent on the scale and others dread it to a severe degree. After most workouts I see the guys in the gym change room lining up to weigh themselves. Some even do it with their clothes on as they exit to head towards work.
Ladies don’t you even think of laughing, you are far worse. Many of you love to weigh yourselves at least 2 to 10 times a day. It’s like some form of addiction, the nicotine craving of this century or are you just plain mad?
I think it is about time the record was set straight because grams, kilograms and pounds are enough to drive anyone insane.

Weight is often used as a reflection of general health.

The BMI (Body Mass Index) is a quick measure to determine your general health based on your height, whether you are overweight or not. However, it is not an accurate reflection of your true health status. There are various body types, and without going into too much technical detail, every human being is unique, everyone has different musculoskeletal structures. Some people are tall and thin some medium and muscular and some short and stocky, well known as ectomorph, mesomorph and endomorph classification.

Some of us are pure in our classifications, while a large percentage of us have combinations of body types. It is possible to be ectomorphic and with diet and exercise gain some more mesomorphic characteristics.

Basically, what I am trying to say is that the scale is not useful in determining an accurate picture of what your bodies status really is. Let’s be blunt about it, most of you are trying to achieve weight loss or gain, with no knowledge of your body’s composition.

For whom is a scale the most useful?

I find the scale is mostly useful for elite athletes or professionals that need to fit into a certain weight category for competition, such as powerlifting, boxing, and others. In cycling, a lot of preparation is geared around power to mass weight ratio, in other words how much power is required to propel a certain amount of weight to achieve maximum performance. You can understand that for a cyclist in the mountains, this is a key measurement.

The other use of the scale is a more scientific use of how much fluid should be taken in by an athlete during exercise, and this is usually a replenishment volume for fluid lost in the form of sweat. Some serious athletes will weigh themselves before and after exercise in various environments from hot to cold, to get a fairly accurate idea of the amount of fluid they lose and how much they need to take in to keep their hydration levels up during an event.

Are you Wasting your time weighing-in 10 times a day?

Now I have told you where the scale is most useful, and I bet very few of you fit into those categories. You are probably wondering if you are wasting your time weighing yourself ten times a day.

In short yes you are. It really is not a realistic reflection of your true body composition, and the most basic reason is, how much percentage of that weight comprises of muscle and fat? You have no clue, and I can tell you that many times I have monitored people who are fatter at a lighter than heavier weight.

Simply put, a simple bathroom scale cannot differentiate between muscle and fat. In terms of weight and health, I was once deemed to be a health risk, due to my weight being excessive at a medium height. This was however so far from the truth, as I had a higher percentage of lean muscle mass. I was a poor “health statistic” thanks to BMI ratings, but in more than excellent health.

Thinner does not always mean healthier.

A lot of women often say they don’t want to gain muscle. Well I have news for you ladies, this does not mean you will be muscular and bulky, the contrary, toned in shape and healthy.

A leaner muscle mass means you burn off more calories to move around as it requires more energy, you use a lot less energy to move fat, as fatty tissue is an already easily tapped energy source. Thinner does not always mean healthier, either. Extremely thin people often have a lower-than-desired lean muscle mass percentage which can lead to health risks.

When we do not ingest enough calories, not only do we lose a percentage of our fat, we also diminish the percentage of lean mass. Starvation studies have proven that losses of lean mass and fatty tissue leave people with the same percentage of body fat after weeks of starvation. So, in truth you are wasting your time and harming your health.

If You Want the Scale To Show You Are Losing Weight Then Focus On This!

A shocking fact is that fat takes up more than four times as much space as lean muscle mass but weighs far less. So, if you want to reduce your size, then reduce your percentage of body fat.

An obvious indicator is your waistline which is well known as a health measurement factor of visceral fat. If your pants are loosening around the waist and your weight is staying constant, then you are heading in the right direction.

So, what do I recommend?

Straightforward and simple, invest in two simple items, a skin fold calliper to measure body fat and a tape measure to measure body part circumference. If you can afford it, an impedance meter can also be used to measure body fat quite quickly and although not the most accurate it still can form a baseline if used correctly.

A skin fold calliper measurement is a good reflection of body fat measurement, and I would use at least a 7-point test for a more accurate measure. Also, when measuring, once every 2-3 weeks should be enough to monitor your progress, you won’t notice major difference daily. The second measuring device I mentioned earlier is the tape measure. You can use this to record your neck size, waistline, biceps, thighs calves and chest.

Always measure at the same time of the day to ensure less accuracy fluctuations. The other option is to go to professional to do these measurements for you.

Based in the Johannesburg area in South Africa? I can highly recommend contacting Zac van Heerden. He is vastly experienced and works will athletes all across the world.

Below is a table showing general body fat guidelines of course athletes drop even lower on the body fat scale.

*Health Rating*	*Male*	*Female*
Healthy	10% – 20%	15% – 25%
Moderately High	20% – 25%	25% – 30%
High	25% – 30%	30% – 35%
Obese	30%	35%

People who fall into the Moderately High category to higher have an increased risk with health problems such as diabetes, blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.

I hope this has set you on the right track, try quitting that adrenaline pumping scale routine for a while, which significantly affects your emotional health. Track your progress in a more beneficial way, and you will start to realise the scale is totally “overweighed”.

Want to ask me more questions? Join in on my FREE weekly webinars.

All the best,