"When the quarantine is over, I'm going to leave the house rolling." This has been one of the common feelings that many of us have had during confinement (yes, I also include myself). It is not for less: the physical inactivity and the emotional feeding have played us some that another bad trick during the confinement. Whoever has not had an extra beer or refilled the bowl of potato chips more than necessary during those virtual appetizers with family and friends, raise your hand, because of course "the situation is dodgy enough to take away those whims" .
Quarantine has revealed a very important factor related to weight and which, until recently, has been given little importance: psychological. We have all been subjected, to a greater or lesser extent, to great emotional and psychological pressure during confinement. Stress, anxiety, fear, uncertainty: food has served as an escape route for many, something that is absolutely understandable given the situation in which we find ourselves. But just being understandable and, to a certain extent, justifiable, doesn't mean that we don't have to do anything to, first, avoid getting carried away by emotional nutrition and, second, regain control over what we eat now that we know that the virus remains with us, at least until a vaccine is found.
Poor diet and physical inactivity, a cocktail you shouldn't try
Confinement has had an impact on our lives on many levels, and staying home without being able to leave has been one of the most important. Now is when we value that freedom of movement that we had before: not in vain, as soon as the de-escalation began, runners came out from under the stones. The same ones that have hidden as soon as the bars have opened.
But has this lack of mobility had an impact on physical health? According to Javier Butragueño, PhD in Physical Activity and Sports Sciences, "people did not move before confinement, they have not been in such a different situation from when they could move." Sadly, this is not just an expert perception, because, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least 60% of the world population does not carry out the physical activity necessary to obtain health benefits.
This lack of movement, together with a lack of control in meals, has been the perfect combination for us to put on a few extra kilos. Bárbara Sánchez, dietitian-nutritionist specialized in clinical and sports nutrition, highlights the impact that the psychological dimension has had during confinement: " the days faded and control of meals was lost, as well as sleep ." On the other hand, continues the dietitian-nutritionist, "the psychological downturn often results in eating what you want."
Up to 5 kilos more
According to Butragueño's estimates, the population could have gained between three and six kilos. "If you interact with what people buy, with what doesn't move and with different mathematical formulas, it turns out that they could be gaining between three and six kilos."
Butragueño is not very misguided. We do not yet have official data, but according to a survey carried out by the Spanish Society for the Study of Obesity (SEEDO), Spanish citizens have increased their body weight by between two and five kilos. As explained by Dr. Francisco Tinahones, president of SEEDO, “50% of those surveyed admit having gained weight. Of those who have gained weight, 90% admit to having gained between one and three kilos and 10% between three and five kilos ”. And it is that the compulsive purchase of toilet paper, flour and yeast, gave way to beer and snacks: since they have us at home, unless it is as easy as possible, some thought.
For the people with whom Bárbara Sánchez works, the effect has been different: " many worried the first few weeks that they were losing weight because they could not train." And it is that, for those who are athletes, whether amateurs or professionals, not having been able to train under normal conditions has caused their muscle mass to have decreased, with the consequent loss of weight and change in body composition.
Regaining a healthy weight involves improving body composition
Although the issue of weight continues to generate much debate, health professionals do not like to talk about the concept of “ideal weight”. There is no ideal weight, but a healthy weight range that is determined by how much of the weight is made up of fat and how much muscle - the more fat we have and the less muscle, the worse - where in the body that fat is distributed: watch out for abdominal fat; and if there are health problems associated with excess weight (attention to hypertension, diabetes or joint problems, to name a few).
For this reason, more and more professionals are talking not only about losing weight when they gain a few kilos, but about improving body composition, as Javier Butragueño indicates, “let's not talk about losing weight, but about preventing. Let's talk about improving body composition after confinement. "
For those who have gained little weight, because they previously cared for themselves and have managed to more or less manage their diet and physical activity during confinement, returning to normal and healthy habits will be enough to lose it in a relatively short time, such and as Sánchez comments. "If it is more weight, on five kilos that I have heard that they have been able to be taken on average" points out the dietitian-nutritionist, "then you have to get down to work and follow some more specific instructions with a professional, without haste". It specifies that, as first measures, "return to the routine, set schedules, eliminate ultraprocessed from the pantry if any has been strained and plan the weekly menu" are some of the things that you can start with.
10 things you can do to improve your body composition and, at the same time, regain a healthy weight
Following the front that my colleague Bárbara Sánchez has left open, here are some ideas that you can begin to put into practice if you want to start a change in your body composition and lose those pounds of fat that were attached to you during confinement.
I put you on notice: below you will not see any miraculous remedy, or any secret recipe. The advice is the same as always, move more, eat less and that what you eat is of good nutritional quality. What I am going to do, or at least try, is give you these ideas with practical and concrete actions that you can start right now,
Set yourself a goal to walk more , every day. You can put this recommendation into practice now that you can go outside. Try to walk between an hour and 90 minutes a day (if you do more, well, that is what you take). You can do the walk at once or distribute it throughout the day: for example, you can take the commute to work on foot, rather than by public transport. Or, depending on the phase in which the place where you live is, go for a walk after one of the main meals, not for anything special, but because it is easier to acquire routines if we relate them to others that we already have incorporated .
For those who want to start taking this physical activity a little more seriously, strength exercise is essential to keep muscle mass in tune. My suggestion is that you consult with a professional in physical and sports education. You can go to a gym and join a training group, or work with a personal trainer. You do not need to hire her every week, you can do a few sessions to guide you and then train on your own, doing reviews from time to time to assess your progress and change exercise routines.
Control the portions of what you eat. Apply the rule of the hand to avoid overdoing what you put on the plate. The rule of the hand what it does is to equate the size or volume of your hands to the quantity or volume of different foods. The advantage is that it personalizes a lot, because the hand of a person of 1.60 m is not the same as that of a person of 1.90 m: a) The amount of vegetables, both raw and cooked, that fit in both hands together, like a bowl. b) The amount of protein food -legume, eggs, meat, fish, tofu ... - that covers the area of the palm of our hand. c) The amount of oil equivalent to the phalanx of our index finger. d) The amount of dried fruit that fits in your closed hand. e) The amount of rice, pasta, potato that equals the size of your fist.
If you think you're going to be hungry, put more vegetables on your plate . The advantage of the vegetable is that you can add enough volume with few calories. In this way, you visually satiate yourself by seeing more food on your plate, but you also physiologically satiate yourself by eating more. You can include a cold soup or a first class salad, or assemble your dishes following the model of the Harvard Dish, which we have talked about so much, filling half the plate with vegetables, a quarter of good quality protein (chicken, fish, eggs, legumes) and the other quarter with cereals, grains and integral derivatives (rice, pasta, oats, spelled, quinoa, etc.)
Substitute one serving of meat or fish a week for legumes. In general, we consume too much animal food and too few vegetables, and legumes are very satiating and nutritious foods. If you are one of those with a slice at every meal, start by combining animal and vegetable protein in the same plate, cooking legume recipes with some meat or fish. Here are the best vegetable salads from El Comidista and other ideas to start putting into practice: black bean and chicken stew, veggies with shrimp and bacon veil, and sautéed cockle beans.
Plan what you eat. Don't get overwhelmed, you don't have to abandon culinary improvisation, but, when you have organized what you are going to eat, it is much easier to eat healthy, you save money, time and gain peace of mind. Try to leave organized midweek dinners, for example, which is the moment when we are most lazy thinking about what to cook. Here we also give you ideas to get organized, such as the famous batch cooking .
For the umpteenth time, flee from the ultraprocessed and replace them with fresh and seasonal food. We will never tire of telling you: do not have food that you do not want to eat at home. Here we give you some ideas of light and summery dishes that are simple to prepare, nutritious and rich, and will get you out of the torpor that any cajon diet gives: endive, burrata and sardine salad, tomato and mango salad with onion sprouts, cold carrot, coconut and ginger soup, bonito burger with avocado mayonnaise or these chicken and eggplant skewers with tomato and basil vinaigrette.
After more than two months locked up at home, I will not be the one to tell you to avoid the bar and the terraces; But I will tell you that when you go, do not get carried away by the madness of tapas and beer. Try to choose tapas and portions that do not have an excess of sauces, avoid the bread and the dodgy fry: try the anchovies, olives, mollusks -mussels, clams, razor clams, octopus, squid, salpicón-, vegetables (ratatouille, mushrooms garlic, salads, scrambled) or skewers of chicken or fish, for example. A well-done fish fry may also be an option. Reduce alcohol consumption as much as possible: you can choose 0.0 beer or alternate alcoholic beverages -which are few and low-strength- with water, sparkling water or some unsweetened soft drink.
Avoid any weight loss plan that promises you speed, little effort, makes you starve, eat foods you don't like, or substitute meals for various shakes. Right now we are the meat of scammers and various smart people who will want to make their particular August of this situation, so be careful. I feel terrible saying this, but losing weight and getting fit is slow and laborious, especially if you've never done it before. But the good news is that you do not have to stop eating delicious things, or go hungry and that is why the next point is so important.
Improve your relationship with food and, for this, seek professional help from dietitians-nutritionists, educators of physical activity and sports and certified psychologists who set realistic goals for you, do not promise you miracles and help you manage stress and emotions. so that you don't use food as an escape route.
