Women should be eating 500 fewer calories a day during the coronavirus lockdown, a nutritionist has told ED!.
With many Brits confined to their homes, those wanting to maintain a healthy weight should step away from the biscuit tin.
Because we’re only allowed outside to exercise for an hour a day, experts have warned the pounds could soon pile on.
Nutritionist Georgie Murphy of Vitl.com told us a “sedentary” adult woman on lockdown should be consuming between 1,600 and 1,800 a day.
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This is “likely around 500 calories less than they would typically consume if they were working out regularly or generally keeping active”, she said.
Avoid chocolate and wine
A regular four-finger KitKat contains 209 calories. So eating just two of those a day would put you in danger of piling on the pounds.
In times of stress, not to mention boredom, many turn to junk food as a form of comfort.
Alcohol, too, is calorific, with many using it to relax at the moment.
The average bottle of dry white wine contains 600 calories – so if you’re consuming that regularly you may need to buy bigger jeans once we’re out of lockdown!
Men, too, need to be wary.
Georgie suggests that sedentary males should be consuming between 2,000 and 2,400 calories.
This is between 500 and 1,000 less than usually advised.
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Georgie added: “Getting a balance with what we eat and how we exercise is just as important now, if not more important.”
She continued: “Being on lockdown doesn’t necessarily mean our routine is completely out of sync, it may just mean we have adapted to new ones.”
It’s important to keep active
Georgie said that, even if we consume less calories during lockdown, it’s still important that we try to exercise and keep active.
“There are still plenty of options available to us even in lockdown. Simply running up and down the stairs for a few minutes, taking the time to do some star jumps or jog on the spot can assist in keeping the weight off while in isolation,” she added.
You are likely to gain some weight over the lockdown period as you’re not burning those extra calories you used to.
“If you do have weights or other workout equipment, look up some indoor home workouts as many apps are now offering them for free. Or, if the great outdoors is more appealing, pop on your trainers and do a few miles keeping your distance from others,” she said.
However, she did have some good news.
She said: “If you are still managing to exercise frequently, you can still look to consume a diet similar to the one you were enjoying prior to lockdown.”
Nutritionist Leighton Kearns of the Exante Diet also had a few lockdown slimming survival tips.
She said: “The number of calories you should consume depends on many factors, but the main consideration during lockdown is – are you keeping up with your exercise?”
How to burn 500 calories
She revealed that 30 minutes of weight lifting followed by 30 minutes of jogging on a treadmill would burn around 500 calories.
She said: “Many of us would complete this style of workout at the gym a few times a week but with gyms shut and events cancelled for the foreseeable future, we are likely to let the exercise regime slip.”
Leighton advised: “If this is the case for you, and you’re eating a similar diet to before lockdown, you are likely to gain some weight over the lockdown period as you’re not burning those extra calories you used to.”
She concluded: “It might be worth trying quick at-home workouts like 15 minutes of HIIT, 30 minutes of yoga or 45 minute walk each day.”
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