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Aug 19

Quarantine Weight Gain: Causes and Tips for Keeping It Off – Healthline

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Life under lockdown comes with a whole new set of challenges and disrupts the daily routine of millions worldwide.

It affects many peoples mental and physical health and is a major cause of weight gain, contributing to whats been dubbed the Quarantine 15.

If youre concerned about your weight during the pandemic, youre not alone. Even in quarantine, you can take several steps to keep your weight within your target range.

This article explains some of the causes of quarantine weight gain and offers simple strategies to combat it.

Many factors may contribute to quarantine weight gain.

For starters, the health concerns, financial problems, and uncertainty spurred by the pandemic may contribute to increased stress levels.

In turn, stress may cause weight gain.

In fact, one study associated chronic stress and high levels of the stress hormone cortisol with increased food cravings and weight gain (1).

Furthermore, quarantine may hamper your mental health by amplifying certain issues like depression, anxiety, and loneliness (2, 3).

Research ties depression and anxiety to long-term weight gain (4, 5, 6).

Whats more, human and animal studies suggest that social isolation and loneliness may be linked to a higher risk of weight gain (7, 8, 9).

Changes in your daily routine may also contribute to weight gain.

Not only do many individuals struggle to prepare healthy meals and snacks on their own, but working from home may also increase your risk of overeating due to boredom or stress (10, 11).

Additionally, many gyms, parks, and sports facilities have been closed due to COVID-19, making it much harder to maintain a regular workout routine.

Because fitting physical activity into your day is more difficult, it can be very easy to slip into a sedentary lifestyle.

Quarantine weight gain may be caused by factors like stress, loneliness, depression, anxiety, decreased physical activity, and disruptions in your daily routine.

Here are a few easy strategies to stay within your target weight range during quarantine. Some of these techniques may even promote weight loss both during and after lockdown.

When it comes to weight loss, what you drink is often just as important as what you eat.

Soda, sweet tea, and sports drinks are typically loaded with added sugar and lack important nutrients like vitamins and minerals. These drinks not only raise your calorie intake but also your risk of weight gain (12).

Contrarily, drinking more water can help you feel full, thereby decreasing your daily calorie intake.

For example, a study in 24 older adults with excess weight and obesity showed that drinking 16.9 ounces (500 mL) of water before breakfast reduced the number of calories eaten at that meal by 13% (13).

While hitting the gym may not yet be an option, plenty of other ways exist to add physical activity to your routine.

Try taking a walk around your neighborhood, doing some bodyweight exercises like pushups, or finding a home workout routine online.

High intensity interval training (HIIT), yoga, aerobics, and Pilates are a few exercises that you can do almost anywhere with minimal or no equipment.

These activities not only burn extra calories to ward off weight gain but also help manage stress and anxiety (14, 15).

Eating healthy is much easier when you have a fridge full of nutritious produce like fresh fruits and veggies.

Conversely, keeping junk foods like chips, cookies, and cakes on hand may increase your risk of overeating.

Next time you go grocery shopping, load your cart with nutritious foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes. If youre in a supermarket, try to shop around the stores perimeter, which is typically where most of the fresh and healthy foods are located.

Cooking is a great way to improve your diet quality while experimenting with new foods and flavors.

Plus, preparing healthy meals at home puts you in control of what youre putting on your plate, making it easy to incorporate more high quality foods.

A large study in 11,396 people associated eating home-cooked meals more often with better overall diet quality (16).

Whats more, those who ate more than 5 home-cooked meals per week were 28% less likely to have excess weight and 24% less likely to have excess body fat, compared with those who ate home-cooked meals fewer than 3 times per week (16).

While its fine to order from your favorite restaurants on occasion, try finding a few new recipes to prepare at home each week.

When youre not leaving the house often, it can be easy to cast aside your daily routine.

Yet, establishing a schedule and sticking to it is a great way to build healthy habits while creating a sense of normalcy.

Try setting times to wake up and go to sleep, getting dressed even if youre working from home, and taking regular breaks throughout the day.

You can also try planning out your meals for the week and setting aside time for meal prep. Interestingly, studies link meal planning to improved diet quality, increased food variety, and an average body weight (17, 18).

Creating a routine can also ensure that youre able to exercise consistently, which can help promote weight loss (19, 20).

Drinking plenty of water, exercising regularly, stocking up on healthy foods, cooking at home, and sticking to a routine are all useful strategies for weight loss during and after quarantine.

As you adapt to social distancing, its likewise important to adjust the ways that you manage and maintain your health.

While modifying your daily routine may be more difficult due to new challenges brought on by the pandemic, taking a few small steps can set you on the track toward better long-term health.

If you have more free time, quarantine may lend you the opportunity to learn more about nutrition and healthy eating but jumping into a fad diet or restrictive eating plan isnt recommended.

Instead, making gradual changes to your diet and lifestyle is much more effective for promoting long-term health and sustainable weight loss (21).

Keep in mind that theres no need to cut out your favorite foods altogether, even if youre trying to lose weight. While its best not to load up on unhealthy snacks and treats, you can still enjoy these foods in moderation as part of a nutritious, well-rounded diet.

Making gradual changes to your diet and lifestyle can promote long-term health and sustainable weight loss.

Youre not alone if youre experiencing weight gain during quarantine. It could be caused by increased stress, loneliness, or anxiety, as well as decreased physical activity or disruptions to your daily routine.

Several basic, quarantine-friendly steps can help you stay within your target weight range or even lose weight. These include establishing a daily routine, drinking more water, and fitting in exercise.

Remember to go easy on yourself and make gradual changes to your diet or lifestyle.

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Quarantine Weight Gain: Causes and Tips for Keeping It Off - Healthline

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