Americans fear weight gain during quarantine, but give yourself a break, experts say
Self-isolation due to the coronavirus pandemic can do a lot to a person’s mental health and finances, but a new survey shows Americans are worried about other issues, including their growing waistlines.
The survey asked 2,000 Americans about their fitness and dieting habits and concerns while quarantining and the results are understandable, to say the least.
About 64% of respondents said they are starting to feel unhealthy because of their lack of exercise and poor eating choices, according to the survey conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Naked Nutrition, a company that sells protein supplements.
Similarly, half of them said they’ve “given up on their summer body goals for 2020” and about the same number acknowledged fear about never getting their “pre-quarantine” body back.
If this sounds anything like you, you’re simply reacting to an “ideal situation for weight gain,” Dr. William Dietz, chair of the Sumner M. Redstone Global Center for Prevention and Wellness at George Washington University in Virginia, told WebMD.
“When this all started, I thought, ‘Oh, maybe I’d better get some junk food because we’ll be bored and freaked out and it’s good to have comfort food,’” Rae Brager, 40, a pediatrician, told WebMD. “That ballooned, and now it’s around and available. None of my pants fit.”
Comfort foods such as chocolate, ice cream and potato chips make people feel good temporarily because they are high in fat, sugar and carbohydrates, all of which “activate the brain’s reward system,” Dr. Shahram Heshmat, an associate professor emeritus at the University of Illinois at Springfield, wrote in Psychology Today.
People are also drawn to unhealthy foods when feeling negative emotions as a way to cope, Heshmat added, an all too familiar feeling during a deadly pandemic while separated from friends and family.
Many individuals have much more time on their hands, too, now that they’re working from home or not at all, making snacking all the more common, experts say.
That’s why the average American has gained about five pounds since entering isolation, according to the survey, and why about half of respondents said they are eating more carbs such as “pastries, white bread and pasta.”
A third also said they’ve been drinking more alcohol, which explains the surge in sales when lockdown orders first went into place.
A Cleveland Clinic dietitian said alcohol contains “empty calories” and clouds judgment on healthy eating, leading people to gain weight, Kristin Kirkpatrick told WebMD.
“After two glasses of wine with dinner, healthy eating goes out the window,” she said.
Give yourself a break
In an effort to break the quarantine slump, 64% of Americans have tried at-home exercise routines such as outdoor walks and exercise apps and websites, but the majority still felt like their attempts weren’t as effective as workouts at the gym.
And scrolling through social media to see friends and family working out everyday using their kitchen chairs and dogs as weights only adds to the stress of feeling like you should be doing more.
But worrying about your “quarantine 15” will only make you more stressed, experts say.
Research has shown that monitoring food intake and cutting calories caused some people to produce more stress hormones called cortisol, a 2010 study published in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine said.
As well, all the food you need to make a well-balanced meal at home may not be available at grocery stores thanks to hoarders, Samantha Cassetty, a registered dietitian wrote for Today.
“This is an unprecedented time and it calls for a lot of compassion and grace,” Cassetty wrote. “Be proud of yourself that you’re doing the best you can.”
