There are two kinds of people in the world. There are those that’ll use quarantine as a time to take a vacation from their health and then there are those that’ll buckle down and use this time to change their life. Both ways of life are fine. Heck, I started quarantine as the first type of person and then then started to transition into the second type of person. Since being in quarantine I’ve lost 6 pounds…which doesn’t sound like a whole lot…but, it’s better than gaining 6 pounds. Here’s what’s been helping me.

Enter your number to get our free mobile app

1. I’ve been cooking every meal from home. It’s easy for me to stay away from temptation when french fries aren’t even a choice on my menu. My husband has been grilling a lot more and that’s been helping. Grilled chicken tastes amazing and is healthy.

2. I reach for water before snacks. It’s a lot easier to drink more water when you’re home all day. You’d be surprised how rarely you’re actually hungry, and instead just thirsty. I stick to water, the occasional sparkling water and sometimes a 100 calorie spiked seltzer with dinner on the weekends.

3. I make myself a lot of ‘alternative’ snacks. For example, yesterday I baked chocolate chip cookies for my family, but then I made myself a batch of dark chocolate chip protein balls. They taste like monster cookies but are packed with nutrition. I make chocolate chip banana bread for my family, but whipped up a batch of chocolate black bean muffins for myself. They’ve got zero flour, sugar and no guilt. Instead of chips before bed, I go for some freshly popped stove top popcorn. It tastes amazing. I put a little coconut oil in the pan to give the popcorn a hint of coconut flavor. It’s the best snack ever.

4. I go on daily walks. I think it’s important to get out of the house and breathe in some fresh air. So, every day after work, I leave my home office and go for a short 1.5 mile walk with my family. We all look forward to it.

5. I try to be consistent with my meal times and the food I eat. I have a 3 rotation breakfast, a 3 rotation lunch and a 3 rotation dinner. I try to keep it simple because then I know I’ll lose weight every day with these meals. It takes the guessing out of it. I don’t have to bother with a calorie tracking app, etc.

6. I’ve cut out bread completely out of my diet. However, I will occasionally have a slice of sprouted Ezekiel bread.

7. I eat 3 meals and 2 snacks a day. I usually do breakfast at 5:45 a.m., a snack at 9 a.m., lunch at noon, another snack at 3 p.m and then dinner at 5 p.m or 6 p.m. Sometimes, if my lunch and dinner were lighter, or I want to treat myself, I’ll do another snack before bed…always popcorn.

8. I made a pact with myself to stick with this plan no matter what. I didn’t have candy, dessert or my favorite rolls on Easter.

9. I get my groceries delivered. This doesn’t seem like it would matter a whole lot for weight loss but it does. When I order my groceries online, I’m not making impulse decisions about what to buy based on sugar cravings. I make a list of things I’d like to make, eat or try throughout the week and then put in one big grocery order–and that’s what I’ve got to work with until the next one. It’s fun because then I have things to look forward to. This week we’re making cauliflower crust veggie pizza  and grilled chicken wings. I’ve been looking forward to those things as my “treat” all week!

10. I try to make sure I’ve got some type of fully cooked meat or seafood available all times. Sometimes hunger hits me and I want a quick dinner because I can’t wait an hour and a half for your chicken to cook. That’s why I’ve got fully cooked shrimp and mock crab meat in the freezer as well as leftover Easter ham just in case I need to heat it up quickly with a veggie and brown rice side.

Granted over the last 5 weeks I’ve only lost 6 pounds…but, the first week and a half I wasn’t dieting at all. So, I’ve lost about one to two pounds a week which is what health experts recommend for healthy sustainable weight loss. I hope my tips help you!