Just when I thought I would never land into a forced quarantine, I landed into one. It was pretty hard to get my mind to accept that this was the rule that I had to live by and surpass it for the next 14 days.
A quick disclaimer, Not at any point was I a positive patient.
Fast forward to day 7 of my quarantine, I noticed a very huge difference in the way I looked physically. I was not able to figure out what it was up until I did a before and after comparison with a photo I had previously taken right before I got into the quarantine.
Shocked as I was? Yeah, I thought so.
So here is a full documentary of what I did to lose weight while in quarantine alongside tips & tricks I discovered that will last you a lifetime in your weight loss journey.
First, to make it easier for you to follow along, this post will be in categories:
- Food incorporated
- Workouts used
- Equipment used
- Bonus tips& tricks
1. Food Incorporated
Three meals a day was the order of the facility/hotel that I was quarantined in. Each meal would have all the food groups including a dessert during lunch & dinner hours.
Breakfast
The breakfast was the same pretty much every day and at some point, this really got to me and was always looking forward to the lunches and dinners.
The above is the sample breakfast. At times I would munch on everything and at times I would eat only the sausages, simit and cheese only.
I would love to emphasize that eating bread will not make you gain weight. I ate white bread for 14 days and it did not bring any weight gain whatsoever. And the biggest understanding while having these foods, is that portion is key.
Lunches.
Day 1-4
Due to lost footage, I was not able to post day 1 and 2 of both lunch and dinner but the meals were almost similar. Rice and some beans to be precise.
Day 3:
- Chickpeas
- White rice mixed with brown
- A piece of cake
- White bread( 3 small slices)
- Chillies
Day 4:
- Mixed veggies
- A serving spoon of yoghurt
- White rice
- Sliced bread (3pieces)
- A slice of cake
So, for the first week, I did not see the need for eating cake or white bread.
To be honest, I was sceptical about eating these carbs because I felt like it would ruin my weight loss progress. To my surprise, I actually lost more than when I would sacrifice myself from eating white bread or cake.
A simple message to anyone trying to lose weight, do not be afraid to indulge here and there with your favourite food. Just do not overdo it.
Day 5-8
Day 5:
- Potato stew with few pieces of beef
- Salad
- White bread
- White rice
- A slice of cake
Day 6:
- Brown rice
- Potato stew
- White bread
- Salad
Day 7:
- Burger
- Few slices of roasted potatoes.
Day 8:
- Potato and peas stew
- White rice
- White bread
- Chocolate cake
Day 9-12
Day 9:
- Lasagna
- Boiled mixed veggies
- Salad
- A slice of cake
- White bread
The lasagna did not sit well with my stomach. For my people out there with digestion problems you would want to opt-out on this one.
Day 10:
- Boiled spaghetti
- Fried fish
- Salad
- Lemon
- A slice of cake
- White bread
Day 11:
- White rice
- Potato stew
- White bread
- Slice of cake
Day 12:
- Meatball and potatoes
- White rice
- White bread
- Salad
- Chocolate cake
Day 13-14
Day 13:
- Brown and white rice mixed
- Green peas stew
- Salad
- Marble cake
Day 14:
- Due to lost footage, I inserted a prop meal.
- During this day I had fried fish with spaghetti and some salad.
Feel free to play around with food that makes you comfortable since most foods that are enlisted here are Turkish cuisine made.
Dinners
Day 1-4
Day 3:
- Chickpeas
- White rice
- Chocolate cake
- White bread
Day 4:
- Fried chicken
- Boiled spaghetti
- Salad
- White bread
- Cacao cake
Day 5-8
Day 5:
- Turkish chocolate cake
- Salad
- White bread
- Lasagna with no cheese
- Veggies
Day 6:
- White rice
- Shredded chicken
- White bread with sesame seeds
- Salads
- Coconut flavoured cake
Day 7:
- Brown rice
- Breast chicken
- Salad
- White bread
- Coconut inspired chocolate cake
Day 8:
- Meatball and potato stew
- Brown rice
- White bread
- Salad
- Turkish cake
Day 9-12
Day 9:
- White rice
- Fried chicken
- Yoghurt with cucumber
- White bread
- Cake
Day 10:
- Chocolate cake
- White rice
- Roasted chicken
- White rice
- White bread
Day 11:
- Brown rice
- Potato stew
- White bread
- Salad
- Turkish cake
Day 12:
- White rice
- Chicken slices
- Salad
- White bread
- Salad
- Turkish cake
Day 13-14
Day 13:
- Salad
- Roasted chicken
- Boiled spaghetti
- White bread
- Cinnamon cake
Day 14:
- Turkish dessert
- Meatball and potato stew
- Salad
- Brown rice
- White rice
2. Workouts used
For my fitness journey, I use a YouTube channel to work out. It goes by the name One work out a day. The owner, June, has a variety of workout playlists for every body type. I personally use her 365-day challenge and so far it’s been good to me. All her workouts are absolutely free!
3. Equipment used.
For my weight lifters, I’ve got you covered. Since one can not carry weights on a trip, at least not the heavy ones, your suitcases can be your weights.
Fill your suitcase with enough clothes that will fit the description of the amount of kg or pounds you require for the workout.
For the arms, you can use a 2litre water bottle, for each hand or according to your level of fitness, you can alter the number of litres on each hand.
4. Bonus tips & tricks.
What caused this drastic weight loss?
- Portion control
As you can see from the food that I ate during this time, they were all portioned. In a way that one will not eat more than is required.
Eating small portions of food throughout the day is more advisable than eating heavy meals all at once.
If you are looking to reduce in size and especially belly fat, you need to eat clean and in small portions with at least 6 servings of veggies.
Ideally, you can have 6 small meals a day rather than 3 whole meals a day.
- Move
Even though I was enclosed in one place, I made sure I was moving around. If your space is not big enough, you can follow a 2-week challenge from Youtube, it is absolutely free!
- Apple cider vinegar
I took ACV twice a day and at times once, trying to avoid a rise in acidity levels in my stomach.
I took it with warm water and sometimes added some lemon juice if that specific day they would serve a slice of lemon.
- Water intake
I took about 3 litres or more of water in a day, excluding teas and coffees which I often take when am bored or want to start binge eating.
That is pretty much it that I did to lose the weight drastically. I also enjoyed a slice of cake on the second week, because the temptations were just on my neck.
They served 3 meals a day, sometimes the meals would have soups which were basically less than 50 calories.
Happy weight loss journey!
Great documentation. I feel like people overestimate the restrictions on how to eat to lose weight. I was one of them! Lol. But I was able to maintain my weight loss throught quarantine.
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That is so good to hear. I am happy and proud of you. I hope you are feeling better about your weight loss maintenance. Keep up the good job.
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This is fabulous! Thank you for sharing. I hope you’re out of quarantine, covid free and continuing this awesomeness.
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Yes I am out. Thank you so much for your concern darling. I was a negative patient from the beginning up until now. It was just a formality I had to go through because I was visiting another country
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Thank goodness!!’
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This is a wonderful article! It’s so refreshing to read about portion control and carbs. You rock! I used to work for a weight loss company, the kind where you have to buy their boxed meals every week. This is not teaching anyone about portion control or eating well. I taught my clients how to cook healthy meals that tasted good, I told them to indulge in that piece of cake. When people try to lose weight they deprive their bodies of so much, including dessert. Moderation is key. My goal was to bring my clients to an independent level of of sustaining themselves and weaning them off the boxed food. Needless to say I was fired for doing this. At least I was able to help people before I was let go. You are doing an amazing job! OMG! The food looks so good. You are an inspiration.
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I am glad that you chose the right path on fitness because a lot of people out here are misguided by food labels, strict diets and lifestyle. I appreciate you for being an ambassador of balance over restriction. Your comment is truly heart-warming. Encouraged to blog more now.
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Wow the results are amazing!! Yes, portion control is so important while eating. I barely have time to grab breakfast in the morning but when I have time to do so, I make sure to portion it out so I don’t eat too much in the morning and don’t have enough space for lunch and dinner. Thanks for sharing xxx
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Thank you darling. I am happy that you also follow the portion control rule. I also don’t get time to grab breakfast so I take advantage of doing Intermittent Fasting.
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These are great tips! Portion control is so key! We always misjudge just how much food we can eat and still lose weight. We can lose without over restricting!
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Cheers to portion control. Yes for sure we can lose weight without following strict diets on what we should eat and should not eat to lose weight
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This ia such a good tips. Cannot believe how you write this in such so generous manner. Thank you so much.
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You are welcome. I happy to help everyone who is in need of a non-hectic weightlossjourney
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The best part, is that your meals actually look delicious. It’s the hardest part for me!
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They were made by Turkish chefs and yes they are really good and tasty as well
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But a tip of making your meals more tasty, use the TASTY app. Use this link or search on google as well. I hope this helps you. tasty.co
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You look amazing., I will need to try these moving forward.
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Thank you Kristal.
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My body functions SO much better throughout the day when I’m conscious about what I’m eating!
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Oh wow. That’s nice.
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Taking the weight loss lifestyle one step at a time is essential. DOn’t panic. I think you are doing pretty well but I guess I would reduce the carb portion, and add in more fruits, or veggies, or sprouts. Dark chocolate is good for the body too. Keep going and love your spirit! Luv @pickledlove365
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Yes, I absolutely agree with you. I wish I had the option of reducing carbs but while in quarantine unfortunately you can not choose what to eat and what not to eat. Thank you so much for your encouraging words and suggestions.
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Great post. I’m a fan of the meals you have posted because they’re so diversified. I find if I eat the same thing all the time I get bored of it.
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Thank you very much for your support. It can be boring for sure. But twitching and switching it up is the best idea.
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