By Mitch Rice
If you can’t wear half your closet favourites, it’s probably not the outcome you imagined from a pandemic. A survey revealed that one-third of respondents among 22,000 people across 30 countries had gained weight due to Covid.
Contributing factors revolved around stress and working from home. With the post-lockdown comes freedom of movement, and with it, you will lose some of that extra weight effortlessly, but for the pre-lockdown weight, you may have to do a little bit extra.
Harness your inner ‘fat brake’
We all tend to maintain a certain weight, with a few deviations or the addition of a few kilos along the way. Supporting this claim is a scientific ‘set point’ theory, in which our bodies develop defence mechanisms that return us to base.
Some of the physiological responses or ‘fat brake’ include:
- Swapping the appetite hormones to reduce the hunger feeling and amount of food needed.
- The increased propensity for physical activity. This can be conscious activities like walking or subconscious ones like fidgeting.
- Increased metabolic rate, which can be higher for some people than others.
What happens when you overeat for months?
Staying at home more means more snacking without doing your regular activities to help burn off the extra calories afterwards. The most recent lockdown in Sydney was 107 days, or simply put, four months, with Melbourne’s serving the same duration but more fragmented.
Unfortunately, we can’t establish how the body reacts to prolonged periods of overeating, because as of now, experiments have only gone as far as two months or slightly longer. One of the most extended is a classic survey of 100 days involving ‘slender young men,’ who were fed an overabundance of 4,200kJ every day. It was well-established that their rate of metabolism after the experiment was significantly higher than initially. And in four months, they lost 82% of the KG’s and 74% of fat gained. We all like where this is headed as it makes the ‘fat brake’ a living force even several months later.
The bad news is that all nice things come to an end, similar to the ‘fat brake.’ In the case of animal studies, its effects have been proven to relent as time goes by. Although the same has not been confirmed for humans, we are sure that genes influence how our bodies react to too much eating.
Another fact is that excess weight loss is likely to be more permanent for young people and children, which we may attribute from a flexible weight set point.
When genes and age don’t back up your weight loss endeavour, it’s time for some action. The full intention and proactivity to shed that post-lockdown weight with support from the window of opportunity that our’ fat brake’ can offer will provide a path of least resistance if you view it from a physiological point.
How to lose Covid kilos
Start by paying attention and listening to your body’s signals. As such, only eat when you are hungry and stop once you feel satisfied.
At the same time, when hunger strikes, opt for smaller portions and light edibles. During mealtimes, prioritise clearing the vegetable end of your plate before any other. Then, with your ‘fat brake’ activated, you’d be surprised that only a few bites are enough to achieve a satisfying feeling.
If you own an iPhone, why not utilise the free app Wink by Amanda Salis? It may align your eating habits with your body signals.
Additionally, the Australian Dietary Guidelines provide an insight on the foods to eat and how much, with evidence-based information. To break it down using your personalised details, try this free quiz to get a faster assessment of your diet and customised ideas on factors you can improve on.
It’s also beneficial to avoid eating whenever you are not hungry by engaging in exciting activities. Utilise all the things you couldn’t count on during lockdown; dance, participate in team sports, gym sessions, and any other you can think of.
Finally, get rid of snacks and other temptations to reduce ‘mindless’ and ‘meaningless’ eating.
Conclusion
Age and our genetic properties influence how we lose weight. But despite these factors, the ‘fat brake’ and proactivity may bring back the pre-lockdown weight. So, get active, and if you are talking of more than a few kilos gained, it is advisable to get professional help.
