How to avoid gaining weight when you’re stuck at home because of coronavirus
Some are calling it the Quarantine 15, as people have begun to gain weight while staying at home because of the coronavirus pandemic.
How can you make healthier decisions and avoid the Quarantine 15 while remaining in the comfort of your home?
It starts with your diet, says dietitian Tina Hreso of Charlotte’s Novant Health Bariatric Solutions. She said being closer to the refrigerator doesn’t have to be a bad thing.
Hreso recommends creating an eating pattern to avoid mindless snacking, portion out your snacks and drinking at least 64 ounces of water a day to stay hydrated as ways to get started.
A structure is important, said Jill Chodak, a clinical dietitian for URMC Center for Community Health and Prevention. She told WROC you should set a certain time for dinner each day.
“You’ll know that food is coming, so where is the craving come from?” she asks. “Did I not eat enough at lunch? Am I stressed out? Am I bored? It will help to eliminate variables that might confuse you.”
Planning out your grocery store trips and stocking up on nutritious foods is another way to avoid gaining weight, according to the American Society for Nutrition. The organization said bread, grains, sturdy fruits, hardy vegetables, sauces, soups and broths, juice, milk, eggs, cheese, beans, nuts and seeds, chicken, seafood, beef and flavorings will stay fresh for a week or longer.
“The healthiest meals emphasize whole grains, vegetables and fruits — serve them in the greatest amounts,” ASN said. “Meat portions should be smaller — this will save money and help keep dietary saturated fat in check.”
Staying active, whether going for a walk or run around your neighborhood, is always a sure-fire way to stay healthy, but that isn’t possible for everyone during the pandemic. Marcia Johnson of Livea Weight Control Center, told KNSI walking up and down stairs and doing squats while brushing your teeth are some ways to stay active indoors.
And you don’t need a gym to stay in shape, anyway. Planet Fitness is offering live workout videos every day on Facebook. Gold’s Gym has more than 600 audio and video workouts for free until the end of May. Peloton is offering its full library of yoga, meditation, strength, cycling and running tutorials free for 90 days.
Los Angeles personal trainer Matt Williams told Rolling Stone his go-tos for at-home workouts are squats, lunges, bicep curls, crunches and twists.
This story was originally published March 27, 2020 at 12:01 PM.