How To Lose Weight Working From Home
Due to the COVID pandemic, many of us gained what was dubbed quarantine weight– this is caused by several factors, including stress and being stuck at home with no outlet for physical activity.
For those who work from home, gaining weight is also an issue because they are finding it harder to lose the weight again. After all, without any sort of commute, the employees are finding that they are sitting stagnant at their homes, without much opportunity during the day to get up and move their bodies.
However, it is not impossible for those who are working from home to lose the weight! There are several lifestyle changes a person can make to help them along the path to their weight loss goals.
State What Youre Noticing
Any heavy-handed attempt to diagnose a clients problem and prescribe a solution? Itll likely backfire.
But you may already know that.
Instead, think of yourself as a mirror that reflects what youve noticed. Ask your client for thoughts. Then pause and see if your client can connect the dots.
For example, you might say:
- Based on your food logs, it looks like you hit the freezer around 7 pm every single night, like clockwork. What do you make of that?
- Lately, Ive noticed that youve been taking on so much: side gig, baby-duty every night, your in-laws living with you. Wow, that sounds like a heavy load.
- So I hear you saying that youre training for a marathon, gunning for a promotion at work, and experimenting with intermittent fasting. Thats a lot to tackle all at once. How does this affect youif at all?
For some clients, this may be all you need. They may take it and run with it, telling you, Yeah, I guess my load is kind of heavy. If you get that answer, move onto step 2.
Other clients might deflect, saying something like, Nah, its really not that bad. I can handle it.
In this case, back off and redirect your energy toward something else. Maybe you pivot to a conversation about starting a journaling habit, for example.
No matter what you eventually settle on, dont worry too much. Just by broaching the conversation, you planted a seedand thats enough.
Questions are now buzzing in the back of your clients mind. Eventually the seed will take root.
How Do I Keep From Gaining Weight When I Cant Exercise
If getting out and exercising isnt quite as easy or as possible as you would hope, there are still some things that you can do to try and lose weight. Eat plenty of fiber and protein, as well as being mindful of portion control after all, if you are eating healthy, but eating way too much, that will still not help you shed the pounds.
You can also drink lots of water and slow down while you eat to prevent overeating or over snacking. Of course, the most effective way to lose weight is still a combination of exercise, a healthy amount of quality sleep, and a nutritious diet.
If you want to lose more weight and do so faster, this will always be the best way to do so.
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Eat 1 Or 2 Meals A Day
Remember, not eating is the same as fasting. Eating 1 or 2 meals a day is one of the best ways to accomplish a fast. The whole idea of fasting is to make your body not have food ingested for a longer period of time. Today, we eat way to often. We eat 3 meals a day with snacks in between meals. This is too much. Your body never gets time to detox and burn fat if youre always giving it food to digest and store as fat.
A typical person eats at maybe 10 at night and again at like 8 in the morning. Thats only 10 hours of your body not eating . Your body will be burning some fat while you sleep, but if you prolong the amount of time without food in your body, you will be burning more fat and losing way more weight this way.
Plus, eating just once or twice a day gets your body used to not eating as much. Also, a lot of people find it easier to eat a reduced amount of calories overall when they eat less. Its easy to eat 1000 calories in one sitting when youre having McDonalds. But try doing that with chicken and broccoli.
If you eat 2 meals a day within a 6 hour time period, and you eat healthy nutrient dense foods, youre likely going to lose a ton of weight and probably fast too.
Sign #: Only Someone With Superpowers Could Do Their Life
Your client might, in passing, mention that they have a full-time job as well as a side hustle. A little later, the same person reveals theyre raising three beautiful childrenall under age 5.
And one of them has a chronic health condition.
Oh, and their in-laws just moved in.
Such people might wear stress like a badge of honor. But youre left wondering: How are they still walking around?
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The Link Between Stress And Cortisol
Researchers have long known that rises in the stress hormone cortisol can lead to weight gain. Every time you’re stressed, your adrenal glands release adrenaline and cortisol, and as a result, glucose is released into your bloodstream. All of this is done to give you the energy you need to escape from a risky situation .
Once the threat has subsided, your adrenaline high wears off and your blood sugar spike drops. This is when cortisol kicks into high gear to replenish your energy supply quickly.
When Someone Struggles To Lose Fat It Can Tell You A Lot
Its like a dashboard indicator that alerts you to problems.
Except, unlike your cars dashboard, this warning sign doesnt come with an owners manual that helps you pinpoint the precise problem.
The issue, of course, could be lots of things.
Maybe someone is unintentionally eating more than theyre tracking. Theyre not realizing, for example, the true size of their portions.
Or, for people whove been dieting for a long time, perhaps their metabolism has adapted and a reverse diet could be in order.
But what if the problem doesnt start with food?
Lets say it stems not from what someones eating, but rather from how theyre coping with any number of stressors, from anxiety to anger to unhappiness to lack of sleep.
For example:
- Theyre pounding soda all day because of a high-pressure job.
- Theyre skipping exercise because of the challenges of new parenthood.
- Theyre binging at night because of some deep-seated resentment, smoldering just beneath the surface.
Theres almost no way to fix the secondary problem until youve addressed the root issue. In fact, lifestyle stressors not only make fat loss harder, they can make it darn near impossible for some.
So much so, they can be the X-factor for fat loss: the one variable that matters most for success.
Many nutrition coaches understand this, of course.
But our clients?
So how do you help clients go there? Without accidentally offending them? Or having them say something like, Youre a nutrition coach, not a shrink?
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How To Manage Prolonged Stress Or Anxious Thoughts
The frustrating part about prolonged stress is that you often don’t know when the issues causing the stress will end. Because of this, it’s important to learn two things: acceptance for things you cannot control and healthy stress management skills. Common effective stress management skills include:
- Deep breathing. Concentrate on calming your mind as you take deep breaths in and out.
- Light cardio exercise. Going for a brisk walk can help you manage stress more effectively without further depleting your body’s needed stores of energy.
- Track specific events or situations that trigger your anxiety. Keep a record of meals and caloric intake to better understand the connection.
- Artistic expression. Drawing, painting, singing or playing an instrument can help you release some of that nervous energy.
- Relaxing hobbies. Whether it’s crocheting, hiking or singing karaoke, doing something you enjoy can help you calm your mind and quiet your nerves.
- Maintaining self-care. If necessary, put a reminder in your phone to tell you when it’s time to eat, bathe, or sleep. Above all, exercise basic “sleep hygiene” to ensure your body gets the rest it needs.
When Youre Stressed Nothing Else Really Mattersnot According To Your Body
If youre trying to lose weight while youre chronically stressed, its like trying to run a marathon while giving someone a piggyback ride. Sure, you might make it across the finish line, but you made it a lot harder than it needed to be.
I see patients all the time who have high stress levels, and they struggle with weight loss, says Rachel Goldman, Ph.D., FTOS, a licensed psychologist specializing in health and wellness. Theres a reason for this: When your sympathetic nervous system is stuck in on mode, its like your bodys smoke alarm is constantly going off. In this state, its hard to pay attention to anything else, and its hard to determine when something is truly alarming.
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Using Green Tea As A Medicine
Drinking green tea daily is highly beneficial for you. Green tea is not only known for its cancer-fighting benefits, it is also a well-known drink that increases your metabolism rate.
Even if you are not exercising or resting, it is proven that taking three cups of green tea daily can increase 4 percent of your metabolism rate which helps you reduce fats.
How To Get Rid Of Stress Belly
Need to know how to get rid of a stress belly? Here youll discover what causes a stress belly and what really works for getting rid of it. Most people wrongly assume that just losing more weight is going to lose their stress belly fat but it doesnt work like this.
Constant stress can wreak havoc on your body and fat-burning metabolism. So much so it can make it nearly impossible to lose your stomach fat. Its no secret getting rid of stubborn belly fat can be one of the most troublesome spots on the body. And one of the major reasons for this is stress.
Many people with a stressed-out belly might not have ever stored fat there before. Women with a natural pear-shaped body can find stomach fat building up there after having high-stress levels. This can make it confusing how to approach getting rid of the stress belly. Youd think just more to lose weight would be the answer but it rarely is.
If youre worried and self-conscious that your gut sticks out like youre pregnant then this is for you. Once you start doing the best ways to get rid of your abdominal fat then you can quickly start to get that flat stomach even if youve never had one before.
A potbelly from stress can be frustratingly hard to lose. But once youre able to correct your out-of-whack hormones and stress levels then you can start getting her results you want.
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Your Bodys Fight Or Flight Response Can Speed Up Your Metabolism
When youre stressed, your body goes into fight or flight mode. Also known as the acute stress response, this physiological mechanism tells your body it must respond to a perceived threat.
Your body readies itself by releasing hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. Adrenaline prepares your body for vigorous activity, but it can also minimize your desire to eat.
Meanwhile, cortisol signals for your body to temporarily suppress functions that are nonessential during a crisis. This includes your digestive, immune, and reproductive system responses.
You Might Be Sitting All
If you’re sitting all day, you’re not expending as much energy as you would if you were moving around, and “that in itself can contribute to not losing as much weight,” Chao says.
There’s a difference between being sedentary and being physically inactive. For example, if you sit all day for work, but also meet the recommended 150 minutes of weekly physical activity, you’re still considered sedentary.
Obese people are more likely to be seated for 2.5 more hours per day than their normal-weight counterparts, according to a 2006 study. The study suggests spending 2.5 more hours separate from exercise standing and walking per day to help fight obesity. This could include holding work meetings or watching TV while standing.
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Stress Makes It Harder To Get Good Sleep
Cortisol is a hormone related to alertness, so one of its most important jobs is to help keep us motivated, awake, and responsive to our environment. Cortisol levels are typically highest in the morning, decreasing throughout the day, and then dropping to their lowest at night, around the time we should be headed to bed.
When levels of cortisol, and other stress hormones like adrenaline, are abnormally elevated throughout the day, it can be difficult to fall or stay asleep, or you may wake up very early feeling wired but still groggy. This lack of sleep can directly impact weight maintenance, as a lack of sleep affects levels of leptin and ghrelin, the hunger hormones that dictateappetite and feelings of fullness after eating.
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Puro 5-HTP contains an amino acid found in protein rich foods which acts a precursor of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Serotonin is a chemical within the brain that is associated with improved mood and feelings of well being. Incorporating this supplement can help boost mood during those stressful January days where you may feel overwhelmed.
Avoid Fad Diets
Many people assume that new habits mean drastic results and unrealistic goals when in reality, this is very difficult to sustain long-term. Fad diets may promise to help you lose a significant amount of body fat in a short period of time but we would ask everyone to be wary of extreme diets that could compromise your overall health.
Food is intended to fuel your body and severely restricting your food intake can have unwanted mood and health implications. It can lead to binging, low energy, a poor relationship with food and in extreme cases, disordered eating. Why not swap fad diets for a healthy, balanced diet with lots of fresh fruit and veg? You can eat healthier foods and still eat enough to prove the energy you need for an active lifestyle.
Try Meditation
References
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Alteration Of The Hpa Axis
The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis controls the bodys response to stress, which affects cortisol levels.
When the body is under stress, the pituitary gland signals to the adrenal glands to release cortisol. This hormone increases the bodys fuel for energy by releasing fatty acids and glucose from the liver.
Cortisol also helps regulate the bodys immune response and reduces inflammation.
Chronic stress impairs the functioning of the HPA axis, causing changes in metabolism and eating habits.
How To Manage New Year Stress
The start of a New Year is synonymous with the creation of new habits, drastic self-improvement and the famous New Years resolutions. Many people see the 1st of January as a fresh start and the opportunity to make significant changes to their lifestyle and wellbeing.
While making healthy lifestyle changes is a positive thing, the pressure of the New Year, New Me narrative can be overwhelming for some people. Some people may set unrealistic goals and expectations for themselves, resulting in disappointment and feelings of failure when they are not able to achieve them right away.
Below are some ideas to help manage this stress and avoid feeling overwhelmed, disappointed or burned out as you head into the new year.
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Get The Right Amount Of Sleep
Sleep is also crucial to your happiness, mental health, and yes, you guessed it!– weight loss. It is important that you are getting the correct amount of quality sleep. You dont want to only get the right amount of sleep, you want to be sure that you are getting good sleep, too.
It can be tricky to get enough sleep when your home is also your workspace, as it can make it difficult to shut off at the end of the day. Many employees who work from home say that they have trouble setting boundaries between work and home life, and can find themselves working longer hours into the night to finish tasks or projects.
Try to set boundaries for yourself so that you can get a good nights sleep. Pick a time when you will turn off your e-mails or company phone after work ideally, as close to the end of the workday as you can and be sure to actually stick to this boundary.
If you make allowances, you will not end up adhering to this self-imposed rule in the future. By doing this, it will help you wind down. You can also dim the lights in your home, light candles, or read a book, rather than watching tv and spending more time in front of the screen. Another great tip is to download a meditation app to help you relax before bed and slip off to sleep faster and easier.
