Pandemic 30

[House Cat]

I don't, not after the first two weeks. The first two weeks were hard. I do have "hungry" days and I think those are hormonal. I try to make it a point to have things with a good amount of fiber and protein though, for both meals and snacks, because otherwise, I will be hungry.

A fairly normal day for me looks like this:

B: 2% cottage cheese and if hungry for more, 1-2 hard boiled eggs

L: Usually leftovers from dinner, or soup, with Wasa crackers and laughing cow cheese, with turkey slices. If I am still hungry, I'll have some fruit and/or a serving of nuts or both.

D: Usually chicken or fish of some kind, plus lots of vegetables and maybe salad as well.

Snacks: depends on day, but pistachios, fruit, low fat cheese, wasa crackers, sliced deli turkey and chicken, cut up vegetables and hummus, fat free greek yogurt and berries, apple w/ natural peanut butter, one slice of whole grain bread with 1 TB of natural peanut butter, topped with bananas, etc.

It's a less "interesting" way of eating than I was doing before, but I feel better.

Thanks. This helps a lot. I actually love all of these foods and used to eat like this all of the time. I guess it’s just time to get back to it.

 

[elizat]

@House Cat oh! One of my favorite breakfasts for dinners or brunch items is eggs in purgatory. I just cut the olive oil down to 1 tsp usually to saute my onions and garlic, then I usually add some mushrooms too and then I do canned fire roasted tomato puree, plus my seasonings and chili powder, paprika, etc. I poach two eggs per person in it. I do "dippers" of cut up toast so it feels like you get more toast dippers v just the slices. Usually, when I weigh out the bread (from bakery because if I'm eating bread, it will not be the shelf stuff), and it comes out to the weight of usually 1.5 to 1.75 "slices" in the WW app. Things like that are super filling and really good. Other half now asks for these eggs at least once per week!

 

[elle_71125]

I definitely gained weight. I spent a good portion of the last year eating any damn thing I wanted. Little Debbie snacks, ramen, copious amounts of mac & cheese, chips, and every sugary thing I could get my hands on. Unsurprisingly, my pants have become uncomfortably tight and that’s my sign that I need to start cutting back.
The problem is…I love food.

Still, I’m trying. I started cutting back this week. Next week I plan to add in some exercise (My treadmill and maybe some Pilates videos). I have the FitOn app, which is great for people like me that get bored by doing the same videos over and over. Plus, it was free.

 

[Calliecake]

I went clothes shopping a few months ago and had no idea what size I even wore. The sales consultant was so nice and helpful. She said she heard 50 women a day making the same comments.

 

[April20]

Last December (so just over a year ago), I said no more. I downloaded the LoseIt app, bought a NordicTrac treadmill and decided this was it, once and for all. I stuck to 1200 calories a day and spent at least 70 minutes / 6 times a week at a very brisk pace on the treadmill. I lost about 30 lbs by July, which I've maintained. I don't track every bite now, but I eat the same things and have a pretty good handle on what my portions need to look like in maintenance. I weigh myself a few times a week to make sure things are still good.

I also did intermittent fasting. I stuck to "one meal a day" during the bulk of my weight loss. I'm not as strict now, but in general, I don't eat before 2pm and then i have a hard boiled egg or a string cheese.

I basically live(d) on spaghetti squash casseroles and side salads. It's the new cauliflower in my world. It can do almost anything. My favorite is a "million dollar spaghetti" squash casserole. Lean ground beef that I season with Italian seasonings and fennel seed (so it tastes like Italian sausage without all the fat) that I simmer in a jar of low sugar sauce. You layer cooked spaghetti squash, half the meat sauce, top it with a block of softened reduced fat cream cheese mixed with 1/2 cup sour cream, the other half of the squash and then the rest of the meat sauce. About a cup of shredded mozzarella on top. Cook until all bubbly. I usually seasoned the spaghetti squash with garlic powder, red pepper flakes, a little salt, whatever else sounded good. An 8 oz serving generally worked out to about 200 calories and was super filling. It tastes like super naughty lasagna without the guilt.

I also made enchilada versions and seafood versions of this casserole. I'd just switch up the meat/seasonings. I would make my own "cream of" whatever base with "light" butter, flour, chicken stock and a little milk and seasonings and use that instead of a jar of spaghetti sauce.

I recently made a ground beef casserole with chopped up roasted cauliflower that I mixed with my "cream of" base and seasonings (I did mexican leaning seasonings) and it was fantastic. It was also around 350 for a really good sized serving.

I'm currently obsessed with butternut squash soup (it's super low cal and delicious) and I also make tomoto basil and broccoli cheese soup regularly. I'm a big soup eater. I pair it with lean meats in a wrap or a salad or whatever other healthy option I have. I don't like brothy soup at all or noodles so all my soups are creamy unless they're chili. But chili isn't really soup in my world.

 

[BrownGinger]

I’ve definitely put on the pounds this year. I’m not a believer in focusing on the numbers so I don’t know how much because I don’t weigh myself but my clothes are uncomfortably tight or no longer fit. I’m definitely the heaviest I’ve ever been. Pre-Covid I was eating low carb-ish and riding my exercise bike and felt great. Didn’t lose a lot of pounds but went down in clothing size.

Then last year I sold my house, bought one that needed to be renovated and moved in with my mom for what was supposed 5 months but Covid supply problems have delayed everything and is now going on 11 months. There’s no room for my exercise bike at my mom’s and if she’s being kind enough to cook for me and my kids, I’m not going to be demanding and will eat what is served. And I’m an overworked nurse with two kids so time to go to a gym is limited. So I suppose I’m somewhat giving up and deciding to not let it bother me for now but am definitely looking forward to being in my own home again where I can have more control over my meals and exercise.

 

[lilmosun]

Contrary to what others experienced, working from home during the pandemic has helped me lose weight.

I have a glycemic problem and my blood sugar can quickly drop if I don't eat regularly and properly. Working in the office, I find myself adjusting when I eat around meetings/schedules, snacking or grabbing food to get to the next meal. And what I grab is often out of convenience. Not to mention late dinners because of my commute.

Added to that, I work in an office where people always have food around and being in the city where it was common to go out for lunch 2-3 times a week. Prior to the pandemic, I was heavier than I've ever been and at an unhealthy weight.

Switching to working from home, I immediately lost 10 pounds because I could eat when I needed to and eat healthy. Then when my mom was in the hospital, I only had myself to cook for - so I would make 1 meal and have 1/2 for dinner and 1/2 for lunch - drinking orange juice between meals. Lost another 10 pounds. With another 10-15 pounds to go, I was at least feeling good about my weight for the first time in years.

But alas, I've gained 5 back with my mom home and having food/snacks back in the house. I really want to lose those and a bit more. I know the big struggle will be keeping the rest off when we return to office.

 

[Obscura]

Contrary to what others experienced, working from home during the pandemic has helped me lose weight.

I have a glycemic problem and my blood sugar can quickly drop if I don't eat regularly and properly. Working in the office, I find myself adjusting when I eat around meetings/schedules, snacking or grabbing food to get to the next meal. And what I grab is often out of convenience. Not to mention late dinners because of my commute.

Added to that, I work in an office where people always have food around and being in the city where it was common to go out for lunch 2-3 times a week. Prior to the pandemic, I was heavier than I've ever been and at an unhealthy weight.

Switching to working from home, I immediately lost 10 pounds because I could eat when I needed to and eat healthy. Then when my mom was in the hospital, I only had myself to cook for - so I would make 1 meal and have 1/2 for dinner and 1/2 for lunch - drinking orange juice between meals. Lost another 10 pounds. With another 10-15 pounds to go, I was at least feeling good about my weight for the first time in years.

But alas, I've gained 5 back with my mom home and having food/snacks back in the house. I really want to lose those and a bit more. I know the big struggle will be keeping the rest off when we return to office.

Yep. My kid's tempting snacks are a real problem in our house.

 

[Paisley2628]

I've been doing the 16/8 intermittent fasting.

I'm definitely not the type of person who will count calories. I've cut back on pasta/bread/sweets. I have a treadmill and try and do 3 miles five times a week in addition to outdoor pleasure walks with my husband.

I find it is very easy to keep on the 16/8 fast and I do feel better since I've been following that routine.

 

[Piper70]

I’m up about 12 lbs. Menopause during a pandemic is not a good combination. I let my portion sizes go up and definitely have been enjoying too many at home happy hours complete with snacks. My activity level is still pretty high so it’s all about what I put in my mouth. There’s no magic answer except to get your head in the game and figure out what works for you. And if you are an emotional eater, be kind to yourself and try to indulge another way.

 

[FL_runner]

I gained about 15 lbs through the pandemic but also trained for and ran a few marathons so I’m in the best shape in ages, just fluffy. I think I’ve just been hungry and treating myself since I work in healthcare so work has been awful, I was so stressed about not being able to travel to see sick family, and I starting having a glass or two of wine at night.

I just got COVID despite being vaccinated and boosted and being diligent about PPE and currently feeling crummy. After recovery I’m planning on cleaning up my eating and of course cutting back on alcohol… but for now just getting through being sick.

 

[Piper70]

It's workable if you commit. The first two or so weeks are really hard.

Some swaps that I made to fit into the program are really easy. Switching to fat free Greek yogurt versus regular yogurt was easy. I do not eat as much rice or pasta or potatoes anymore, and I have found with eating more vegetables there's lots of things that I like, where I don't need the starchy items.

I do lots of dinners with a sauteed or baked lean protein, lots of different roasted vegetables. I have replaced spaghetti squash for lots of noodles and pasta, unless I really have to have the pasta.

The other thing is portion size. I had previously done WW before and so I had learned to weigh and measure my food, but I obviously stopped doing that. When you realize how much food you are eating, even if it is food that is healthy and good for you, it can be really eye-opening. I quickly learned that a lot of my portions on items like cheese, nuts, and even low-fat dairy or much larger than a normal portion.

If I'm being honest I had really gotten to the point where I was sick of cooking and a lot of my cooking consisted of heating up a bag of rice and doing a starchy vegetable like peas or lima beans with butter and whatever protein I made for dinner. Not the best choices.

The one thing that I think is probably helpful for anybody that wants to eat a little bit lighter is making soup. I always have a large pot of soup in the fridge.

The soup that I have on the stove today is simple but good. 1 tsp of olive oil, half an onion, garlic, about 5 carrots roughly chopped, two red peppers and saute for color. I add around 3 cups of butternut squash, an apple and a box of vegetable stock. I season with salt, pepper, thyme, a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg, let it all cook until soft then puree. It's really similar to the butternut squash bisques with basically no fat and tons of veg. You can can change the squash too or do all peppers and carrots. Roasted red pepper is good here too. It's a nice lunch or snack or good with a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner.

Making changes like that have been easier than I thought. I love butternut squash soup, but I don't need heavy cream and butter.

I just made this soup and it is fantastic! It was so easy! It took just over an hour to cook. Thanks so much for sharing!!

 

[stracci2000]

I gained 5 pounds from snacking during the day.
Chips, candy etc. DH likes his snacks, and I have been partaking.
Dammit!

 

[elizat]

I just made this soup and it is fantastic! It was so easy! It took just over an hour to cook. Thanks so much for sharing!!

I'm glad you liked it! It is super adaptable as well as a base for other squash types and seasonings. In my house other half calls it a "bowl of wonderfulness."