Did You Adopt a Sedentary Lifestyle Sheltering at Home?

If so, you are a prime candidate for muscle loss and fat gain. In medical terms, skinny fat refers to someone who is metabolically obese but falls within a normal weight range. The sedentary lifestyle that accompanied your sheltering in place may have resulted in a loss of muscle mass and an increase in body fat. If you were at a healthy weight when the COVID-19 pandemic started but are looking skinny fat in the mirror, eating a diet heavy in carbohydrates and skipping workouts, is a recipe for muscle loss and fat gain. So, avoid rapid weight loss programs and find a personalized weight loss plan that is customized for your needs. Unfortunately, neglecting resistance training or activities that use your muscles in favor of a cardio only routine is a surefire approach that will keep you looking skinny fat.

Tips to Eliminate a Skinny Fat Look

If your weight loss efforts came to a screeching halt with stay at home orders, right now is the best time for you to get back on track. Unfortunately, continuing what you were doing may not trigger the fat-burning your body needs now. Try these simple tweaks to jump start your pandemic weight loss plan, such as:

• Limit Take Out & Delivery - You don’t have to give up your favorite takeout foods altogether. However, creating at-home versions will give you complete control over what goes into your meals and what portion sizes you put on your plate. Sometimes preparing your own takes less time than waiting for a delivery.
• Develop Healthy Routines - Establishing routines helps you build healthy habits without struggling each day to figure out how and what to eat. The National Weight Control Registry says people who are most successful at keeping weight off, plan their day to ensure they stick to their routines.
• Watch Portion Sizes - Try to serve plates from the kitchen rather than following the traditional family style of eating. Second helpings are all too easy when the food is sitting in front of you. It is a hidden culprit that encourages mindless eating while negating food portion sizes.
• Set Realistic Goals - Long-term weight loss is best achieved through small changes to your existing lifestyle. Although fad diets may seem appealing, sustainable weight loss is a marathon not a sprint. Crash diets almost always fail in the long run.
• Embrace Physical Activities - Hoe your garden or weed the flower beds. Landscaping work burns lots of calories but make sure you use proper technique when bending at the knees, engaging your ab and lower back muscles to prevent injuries.

In general, someone who is skinny fat needs to follow the same guidelines as anyone else who is trying to lose body fat. If you are not eating right, you won’t get rid of excess body fat and too much cardio exercise won’t do anything to help with the problem.

Kickstart Your Recovery from Quarantine 15 at MRC

It doesn’t matter if you are a seasoned veteran of the battle of bulge, anyone can use help launching a weight loss journey. MRC offers remote support and encouragement to enhance your personalized menu plan. Distracted eating is never a good thing, so practice good eating habits while you’re sheltering in place. Metabolic Research Center offers remote weight loss support with personalized menu plans and plenty of tips to keep you mindful about your post-pandemic goals. To kickstart your recovery from Quarantine 15, put a sustainable plan in place that lets you avoid the unwanted appearance of being skinny fat. Cleaning the negative foods from your pantry and preparing healthy foods helps to reset your metabolism for sustainable weight loss. MRC’s remote weight loss programs provide the education, tips and tools to change your life.