August 12, 2020

“Quarantine 15”

QUARANTINE 15

Have you heard of the quarantine 15? The quarantine 15 is the new phrase going around for the 15 pound weight gain while quarantined at home during Covid-19. The phrase comes from the old rumor of the freshman 15; the 15 pounds you gain during your first year in college eating whatever you want,eating late and exercise very little. With the quarantine 15 you also eat whatever you want because you’re stressed and what better way to combat stress than with a bowl of ice cream topped with every topping you have available.  You might be working from home with your children for extended periods of time, so you eat a whole bag of Doritos and then top it off with a bag of Hersey nuggets. Some data show that people are eating more foods that may contribute to weight gain. Website Lose It! reported a 266% increase in candy eating in the last 2 weeks of March, compared to February, among its 1.4 million monthly active members, along with an increase in eating carb-heavy foods like bread (54%) and noodles (36%). Data provided by WW (formerly Weight Watchers) shows their members are using the app to record they’re using and consuming almost 40% more baking ingredients like flour than they did before the lockdown. It doesn’t have to be this way, you can still maintain or lose weight during this crazy quarantine. Make a schedule, prepare breakfast; do a teams meeting or other work; exercise at noon; grab a healthy snack; some more work; make dinner; watch TV/movie, read, then sleep. Studies have shown that when people don’t get enough sleep they: Have increased levels of a hunger hormone called ghrelin and decreased levels of the satiety/fullness hormone called leptin, which could lead to overeating and weight gain. Keep your mind busy, between meetings and meals play a word game or start that project you’ve been putting off.

We will get through this!