The last year has been an incredibly stressful and disruptive time in many people’s lives. Staying home and working from home for many increased their sedentary time. Lockdowns, loss of child care, and the overhaul of most people’s routines changed the way we eat, exercise, and spend our time. Loss of commutes, reaching for comfort foods, and increased depression and anxiety rates also contributed. While some people lost weight during this time, Artur Viana, MD, clinical director of the Yale Metabolic Health & Weight Loss Program, says “Life has been disrupted in a major way” and COVID-19 caused a perfect storm for people who struggle with their weight. Across the nation, people have gained between 5 and 30 pounds during the pandemic. “Quarantine 15” is a reference to the “Freshman 15” when major life changes can cause weight gain in the first year of college.
The Pandemic and Weight Gain
There are several reasons why it was easier to gain weight during this time:
Stress
Stress can affect weight because it can trigger our “fight or flight” response or place us into survival mode. Hunger can increase due to chronic stress and cause us to overeat. Besides, our “stress hormone” cortisol, which is created in our adrenal glands triggers a variety of reactions including higher insulin levels, dropped blood sugar levels, and cause cravings for foods high in sugars and fats. This is why we reach for comfort foods instead of healthier foods when we are stressed, also eating these foods will help us calm down and lower the stress we feel. When stress is constant? This cycle is ongoing.
Inflammation
Inflammation and weight gain go hand in hand. Weight gain can cause inflammation especially if you are consuming a lot of processed foods. Chronic inflammation is our body’s response to a problem that lasts a long period. Unfortunately, inflammation has been linked to almost every major disease from diabetes to cancer to heart disease.
Inflammation can also be caused by a leaky gut, also known as intestinal permeability, leaky gut is when the cells in your gut spread apart and allow your gut to “leak” to larger molecules.
Sedentary lifestyle
Suddenly a lot of us went from living fairly active lives to a sedentary one, between working from home, homeschooling, choosing not to go back to the gym for safety reasons, and not moving around as much in general whether that is because of a lack of commute, walking around the office, or running errands. Honestly, you may not feel like exercising or you may go back and forth. All of this is normal and many other people are feeling the same way.
Sleep
Life changes and chronic stress can also cause sleep problems. Decreased sleep can increase hunger and appetite, along with carbohydrate cravings. Poor sleep has been associated with increased oxidative stress, glucose intolerance, insulin resistance, overeating (more hours awake to eat), and disrupts your sleep-wake-sleep cycle which can also cause weight gain. Stress, anxiety, and depression caused by the pandemic can disrupt sleep as well.
Eating habits
The biggest cause of quarantine 15 is a major change in our eating habits and dietary needs. According to a social media survey done by muhealth.com:
- 68% snacking more
- 74% cooking at home more
- 61% ordering our less
- 54% exercising less
- 54% gained weight
Ate the beginning of the pandemic in March of 2020, the country went on lockdown and everyone was forced to work from home without childcare, along with helping their children virtually school and learning a variety of new skills to digitally work while feeling the trauma of the pandemic and everything it meant. We all reached for comfort foods, that would soothe the emotional and mental whirlwind we found ourselves in. This is normal and expected. However, as the year went on our usual eating habits changed drastically. We had access to our kitchens all day long, snacking at work increased, and mindless eating also increased.
Our daily diets changed as well, more cooking from home, more baking (many stores couldn’t keep the flour or yeast supplied), and more binge-watching. Our portions got bigger, we ate things we normally wouldn’t, and our schedules changed in a way that encouraged an increase of processed foods in our diet.
What are the Benefits of Weight Loss?
Even losing 5 to 20 pounds can help reduce your risk of high blood pressure and balance blood sugar levels through diet.
Losing weight can also:
- Improve sleep
- Balance hormones
- Improve sex drive
- Support a better mood
- Relieve stress
- Boost brain power and memory
- Improve heart health
- improved joint health
How to Lose the Quarantine 15 Naturally
You didn’t gain weight in a day and it is important to keep in mind that you will not lose it in a day. Adopting new habits, routines, and making lifestyle changes (or returning to old healthier habits) can take time. Be kind to yourself and practice self-care as you embark on your fitness journey. Small changes can go a long way to a healthier you.
Exercise
Exercise has been shown to improve mood, boost energy, help control weight, promote better sleep, sharpen memory, reduce stress, support glucose metabolism, strengthen your lungs, and keep your heart healthy.
Exercise can be fun and adaptive to any lifestyle, some prefer to walk or run while others prefer a more intense workout like aerobics or weight training. Swimming, dancing, tennis, outdoor sports, and even gardening are all excellent summer exercises. Yoga, Tai-Chi, breathing exercises, and meditation can all help with increased flexibility, strength, and relaxation. Experimenting with different exercises can help to find the right one for you.
Sleep
Sleep and weight loss are connected, making it just as important as diet or exercise. Poor sleep is linked to weight gain and a higher BMI (body mass index). Studies show that lack of sleep increased the likelihood of obesity by 55% in adults and 89% in children.
Poor sleep may:
- Increase your appetite
- Increase food cravings
- Increase your calorie intake
- Decrease your resting metabolism
- Cause you to be less motivated to exercise
- Can cause cells to become insulin resistant
Getting enough sleep every night can do wonders for your health, at least seven hours a night. Sleep lowers stress, improves memory and focus, reduces cravings, and can help you live longer. Having trouble getting those zzz’s? Try unplugging an hour before bedtime or taking an herbal supplement, such as valerian which can relax you naturally.
Weight Loss and Diet
- Do you have a food sensitivity? Getting tested to see if your diet is causing inflammation that can alter your microbiome and slow down your metabolism. If your body is working too hard to digest the food you are sensitive to, it can interfere with weight loss and make you feel better.
- Don’t restrict yourself – your body needs calories to create energy. If you eat consistently over the day your body will move energy and regenerate, as opposed to trying to repair itself, bond amino acids, and make more tissues.
- Try fasting – this is when you are not eating and is a natural part of your body’s cycle. When you sleep you are fasting, that is why the first meal of the day is called breakfast. When you eat your body stores calories as body fat. When you fast your body uses those calories. Intermittent fasting is an effective and healthy way to lose weight. Eat dinner earlier (6 pm) and breakfast a little later (10 am) – then you have fasted for about 16 hours per day.
- Go low carb – you may have heard a lot about a ketogenic diet The reason people like it so much is it is effective, increases satiation, lowers feelings of hunger, and helps with mood. This kind of diet switches your body from a sugar-burning state for energy to a fat-burning state. This is better energy for boosting metabolism. It has also been found to lower inflammation of the body and support brain function.
- Get rid of inflammatory foods. Losing weight depends on your microbiome to change from processing sugars and fats to calories. Any foods that contain lectin should be omitted from your diet. These include potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, peanuts, cashews, sugars, high fructose corn syrup, and soybean oil among others.
- Don’t drink your calories. That glass of fruit juice may seem healthy but can be high in sugar and calories. Drink mostly water, and if you are in the mood for something more, try drinking sparkling water with fruit. Save cocktails for the weekend and you will start to see how many calories you didn’t realize you were consuming.
- Eat your vegetables. Your mother wasn’t wrong. Cook meals around your vegetables instead of meat or try a plant-based meal a few times a week. You will cut tons of calories and fats from your meals, and your gastrointestinal system will thank you for all the fiber.
- Eat whole grain. Love bread, pasta, and rice? Eat it in moderation and stick to the whole-grain versions.
- Swap your favorites out. Love chocolate? Go for the darker version – 70% cacao or up. Salsa is a low-calorie alternative and so is hummus. Mustard is a better choice than mayonnaise. Sweet potatoes are lower in calories and more nutritious than white potatoes. The salad is healthy, but the dressing is usually not - try to find alternatives.
Supplements and Herbs for Weight Loss
Diet and exercise certainly play a large role, but there are also an array of supplements and herbs that you can add to your diet to support weight management. While you can get many from your food, sometimes it is difficult to stick to a weight-loss routine and ensure you get all the nutrients you need to support it each day.
- Vitamin D – to help the body respond to insulin and burn glucose for energy
- Chromium Picolinate – to lower appetite and help cut body fat
- Green Coffee Bean Extract – to increase fat-burning and slow breakdown of carbohydrates
- Green Tea Extract – to increase fat-burning and cause fat loss
- Turmeric – to increase body heat and boost metabolism
- Cinnamon – to support normal blood sugar levels and curb cravings
