Blog

Covid-19 brought about a lot of changes in our lives this past year.  We learned how to hunker down in our homes, how to greet one another with a masked smile and how to practice social distancing.  Another change has to do with our bodies.  Several people, maybe even you, gained a few pounds during this time of a national lock-down.  You may think you have no hope of seeing those pounds leave your body, but I’ve got good news for you, Imagine Not as Much can help.

How, you might say? I’m so glad you asked! If you have gained the COVID 19 pounds or more this past year, you can lose them before the next year begins by starting all over again.

Stress causes us to eat large portions of unhealthy food, which we call comfort food, and to drift into a state of inactivity due to depression or sadness.  Some of you participated in a weight loss journey before March 2020, while some of you have just begun to think about trying to lose the extra pounds you picked up during the pandemic.  In either case, Tammy and I would like to help you.  It’s all about getting back to the basics.

Basic number one: control what and how much you eat.  The comfort food that you have dived into this past year has made your clothes feel very uncomfortable.  Also, the junk food and foods high in saturated fat have left you feeling sluggish and lethargic.  You can change all of that by choosing to eat healthy food in the right amount.

Start by purging your home of all unhealthy food.  I know that it might sound crazy to throw away or give away perfectly good food, but to quote Tammy, “It is better to waste it then to waist it.” Get rid of everything in your house that you know does not treat your body good.  That includes foods high in saturated fat, foods high in calories, foods high in carbohydrates, and foods high in (you fill in the blank).

Next, fill your cupboards, your fridge and your freezer with nutritious and delicious food.  Take advantage of this time to experiment with healthy food, expanding your palate.  Try food high in protein, high in vitamins and high in minerals.  Try a new vegetable and/or a new fruit a week until you have exhausted your grocery store’s selection.  Prepare your food in healthy ways.

Basic number two: move your body more.  I know that many people found it difficult to exercise when the gyms closed down and experts encouraged us to avoid people.  Much of that has changed now with the number of vaccines rising and the number of Covid-19 cases dropping.

Find an exercise plan that you can live with and stick to it.  A lot of people stopped moving during the shut-down and have not really started up again due to depression and lack of motivation.  You can change that.  Decide today that you will move your body five minutes longer than yesterday.  Try increasing that amount by five minutes at a rate that will challenge you but not injure you.  

You can begin by walking around your chair during commercials, doing crunches while lying on the floor or doing deep knee bends while washing the dishes.  Now that the weather has become more comfortable, you can spend time outdoors doing physical activities that you enjoy.

Basic number three: find ways to motivate yourself to eat right and exercise.  Many people fail at living a healthy lifestyle because they cannot find anything that will motivate them.  Don’t let that happen to you.  Choose something, then picture it coming true to motivate you to do the right thing by your body.

Two things have kept me motivated on my weight loss journey since 2013.  I want to answer yes when my grandkids ask, “Papaw, can you play with us?”  And I want to serve my Lord for as long as can in a healthy body that gives Him glory.  When somebody asks me, “Do you want a cookie?” I usually respond with, “No, thank you.”  It’s not that I don’t want a cookie, it’s just that I want more to stay healthy in order to serve Jesus for as long as I can.

Choose something that will keep you motivated to stay on track as you return to your weight loss journey.  That may include to get off of medication, to feel better or to want to get more active with your friends and family.

Basic number four: remember that whatever you do, you do it for the Lord.  Quite honestly, this previous statement keeps me going in my weight loss journey.  I got cooped up like everyone else during the pandemic. I partook in a little bit of comfort food from time to time, but I did not make it a staple of my dietary intake.  I had to find ways to exercise that involved solitary confinement.  I kept a consistent thought in the back of my mind during this past year of COVID-19; “stay focused on honoring God with what I eat and what I do.”

The pandemic has changed your life just as it has changed everyone else’s.  You may have gotten a little out of shape and unmotivated to do anything about it.  But you can change that today.  Decide that you will get back on track on your weight loss journey.  Decide that you will lose those extra COVID-19 plus pounds that you have put on this past year.  Decide that you will do this as a way of honoring God with your body.

Once you have made up your mind that you will shed those extra pandemic pounds, invite a friend to join you on the journey.  A friend can help you stay on track.  You can help each other if either of you feel like giving up, and you can serve as a source of encouragement and inspiration for each other.

You can do this. You can get healthier again.  You can shed those unwanted shut-down, sedentary pounds.  Now just get started.  I love how Mark Twain put it, “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”  Today, choose to get ahead of your weight gain by simply getting started in losing weight.  And remember, if you need help with anything contact us at nathanandtammyw@gmail.com or find us on Facebook.