The start of 2020 brought with it a natural phenomenon that has changed the way we live and breathe (literally) completely. Being holed up at home all day, instead of going to school and work, has transformed our basic functioning and disrupted our routines.

As a result, people have been facing a whole new set of problems and challenges that they could never even imagine. Stress about job uncertainty, inability to go out, and that constant threat of COVID-19 looming in the air has been terrible for our mental as well as physical health.

You may have noticed a slight double chin or a bit of a belly poking out from under your shirt, as you cross the hallway mirror. Quarantine weight gain, also called Quarantine 15, is one of the most common results of the lockdown, experienced by people across the world. Yes, you aren’t alone.

Causes of Quarantine 15

We have all been spending most of our time at home; studying and working from our beds and self-isolating from most things we know and love. Comfort food recipes have been trending on Google for months now and shop markets can’t seem to keep flour in stock because of all that bread-baking. We’re all just trying to make it past this year.

Quarantine weight gain has affected over half of the U.S. population. In a recent poll of 1000 WebMD readers, almost 50{63e61849b71e886fb8992aa7d29abd2ad4a7d765bdc870d7e2d94e0b24fd11ce} of the women and 25{63e61849b71e886fb8992aa7d29abd2ad4a7d765bdc870d7e2d94e0b24fd11ce} of the men reported surges in their weight. This data is particularly worrying as weight gain is closely associated with many health risks including cardiovascular diseases, as per research.

So, what exactly is causing this weight gain and how to stop it? Let’s look at both of these questions in detail to better understand our bodies and the best ways to take care of our health, especially in quarantine.

Stress

The biggest factor of your weight gain issues is this pesky little thing we can’t seem to let go of. From stressing about the growing list of people affected by this virus to money problems and this uncertain atmosphere thrust upon us suddenly. Too much stress promotes weight gain, which only leads to more stress – quite the endless cycle right?

Notice how you always reach for food (particularly the unhealthy kind, yes we mean chocolates) whenever you’re under extreme stress. This is because the hormone released in such circumstances, called cortisol, is known to increase food cravings.

The New Sedentary Lifestyle

While changes in lifestyle tend to promote weight gain anyways, when you switch to spending 70{63e61849b71e886fb8992aa7d29abd2ad4a7d765bdc870d7e2d94e0b24fd11ce} of your active day sitting; it’s bound to have an even worse effect.

Most of us cannot prepare nutritious and healthy meals at home. Pair that with all the snacking and sitting that makes up our lives now and we have a serious problem. We’re taking in all this food and have little to no means of burning it since gyms and other sports facilities are closed.

Poor Mental Health

A lot of your normal bodily functions depend on your mental health. With the lockdown hampering that by increased feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and depression – our bodies stop metabolizing food at the usual rate.

This then results in increased weight even if you’re sticking to your normal diet. So frustrating, we agree.

Now that we have determined the factors which could be leading to your Quarantine 15, let’s figure out how to combat them for better physical and mental health.

Throw Away Rigid Diet Plans

Yes, we understand how appealing those 40-days challenge and crash diets are. We have fallen prey to them too. But, trust us when we tell you that they do nothing good for your body.

Firstly, they seldom reduce your weight and even in the rare case that they do, it’s all going to come back as soon as you resume eating normally again. Secondly, they are terrible for your physical and mental health since you’re depriving your body of the nutrients it needs to be able to function. This just induces additional stress that you don’t need right now.

Instead, consider these tips for healthy eating without going on strict diets.

Plan out your meals beforehand and eat at regular intervals every day.
Drink lots of water, at least 8 glasses a day.
Eat slowly and savor the food in front of you. Stop when you’re full instead of continuing to stuff yourself in a hurry.
Do some meal-prep beforehand and be sure to include lots of fruits, vegetables, and grains.

Work on Reducing your Stress

This is essential if you want to shed those quarantine pounds. We understand it is way easier said than don’t, but you have to try. A trick that works wonders for us is reminding ourselves that no matter how much I stress about something, it won’t make the problem go away. So, might as well do something productive to manage it better.

Likewise, worrying about your weight won’t make it go away. Instead, divert your attention to forming strategies on how to reduce it healthily.

Remember, over time stress can lead to serious health problems like high blood pressure and even heart disease. A few extra pounds aren’t worth all that now is it?

To help you manage your stress levels here’s an extremely useful guide to follow.

Make Some Time for a Physical Activity

Just because you’re indoors, doesn’t mean you can’t work out. Even just half an hour of following through a basic exercise tutorial on Youtube can do wonders for your body. It gets the blood pumping, warms your body up, and promotes metabolism.

30-minutes cardio, yoga, and even Pilates can be done practically anywhere with minimal or no equipment. We prefer doing it right before breakfast, but you should find a time that works for you and get started ASAP. Your body will thank you for it!

Final Words

We are fortunate in many things. Your quarantine weight gain shows that you at least have enough to spend on the food you love. While it may be worrying you, count it as a blessing and take things one day at a time. You’ll be back to your desired weight soon enough!

If you require more guidance, visit our website to figure out some healthy food practices for yourself.