The “quarantine 15” and “quaran-tinis” are all too real these days, and it’s easy to get caught up in the drama of life on lockdown. Since we’re spending more time at home and therefore less time on our feet, many of us are taking an extra visit to the fridge, or are simply not motivated to maintain an exercise routine. With (almost) nowhere to go and nothing to do, it’s important, now, more than ever, to practice a healthy lifestyle. While we can’t change whats already happened in 2020, we can make our physical, mental, social and emotional wellbeing a priority.
If you’re looking to slim down and lose weight, in addition to going on a run, going for a swim, hitting the yoga mat, or heading to the park (buh-bye to the gym and group sports), practicing portion control and eating in moderation will help to curb your boredom cravings. This is not about giving up your favorite treats or eating only veggies, it’s about tightening up your day-to-day meal routine. Here are our favorite tips to keep the work-from-home munchies in check.
- Sharing is caring: exchange a meal for a tapa from time to time
Rooted in Spanish cuisine and culture, a tapa is a type of appetizer or snack that can be served hot or cold. Considering their size and style, a couple of tapas can easily be combined to make a full meal. Perfect for sharing with others in your family and serving across the table, exchanging one for the other will lead to taking—and filling up on—a smaller number of bits and bites.
- Picking the plate: reduce the size of the plate to limit your intake
While this trick is a tad more mind over matter, changing the size of your plate will help you to practice portion control. This trick is especially helpful for dinner, which is often the biggest meal of the day. If you serve a meal on a small or medium-sized plate, cleaning your plate will signal fullness in the same way clearing a larger plate does. Over time, this practice will lead to a change in appetite.
- Add delivery to your to-do list: sign up for a meal kit delivery service
Meal kit delivery service HelloFresh gives friends and families the option to receive either two or four servings of each meal. With its well sized portion sizes, two servings per recipe is enough to feed three people. Plus, their meals are so delicious!
- Fast food with a twist: limit the hours of intake to control your consumption
While chomping down on fast food is a satisfying treat saved for the weekend, fasting on the regular will help to set boundaries, prevent cravings, and modify your eating habits. Depending on your lifestyle and schedule, select a daily time frame during which you can eat and stick to it. Fingers crossed you’ll see results sooner than later!