The ‘Quarantine 15’ is a weighty health concern
Many people have put on pounds during isolation, either through stress or lack of exercise.
Much of America may still be closed but it seems the fridge door is open in self-isolation.
Social media is filled of late with grousing about how pandemic lockdowns have turned the old college “Freshman 15” trope into “Quarantine 15” angst about weight gain.
Thus, memes are popping, tweets are dropping, and “Quarantine 15” groups are multiplying on Facebook.
On Instagram, already a competitive arena for posting perfection, people try to outdo each other in documenting their “stress baking.” On Twitter, they brag about their bread making, posting pictures of their creations.
“freshly baked I’ve been baking so
much focaccia during quarantine I think I may look like a loaf of bread soon,” tweeted a user calling herself honey bee.
Tweeters joke about “stress eating,” too.
“I’ve learned something under quarantine: stress eating of sugar and exercising at the level of this makes you gain weight!!,” said Ellen Seiter, a University of Southern California cinema professor, who resurrected an antique GIF to create a modern meme.
Others beg for a return to a pre-pandemic normal.
“I avoided the freshman 15 but think I’m comin up on the quarantine 15 gyms PLEASE OPEN,” tweeted mckenzie.
“When you see a full-length mirror after all the quarantine snacking... #quarantine15,” posted Lauren Holstein.
Kim Kardashian, queen of social media, had something to say about quarantine weight gain, posting a video on YouTube pushing back against claims she looked pregnant in one of
her online photos. Not so, she said.
“I commented back and said, ‘This is the shape of my body. I’ve definitely gained a few pounds over this quarantine time and I love my body and I’m proud of my shape,’ “Kardashian said.
Behind all the goofy gibes and the huffy essays about “fat-shaming” and “diet culture,” there’s a serious issue: Dietitians and other experts at such institutions as the American Heart Association and the Mayo Clinic confirm it’s true that many Americans have been gaining weight in quarantine – pounds they may find hard to drop later.
Boredom, anxiety and lack of exercise are driving people to their kitchens for mindless snacking on Twinkies, Froot Loops, Oreos and other delectable treats. A Cheeto here, a Dorito there and pretty soon you’re talking about real pounds.
“It’s not uncommon during periods of stress that people would reach for foods higher in sugar and fat – it’s comforting,” says Carli Liguori, a registered dietitian and instructor in the Department of Health and Physical Activity at the University of Pittsburgh.
This is the theory behind the “Freshman 15” hypothesis, Liguori says: Teens overwhelmed by intimidating college classes, new routines and “a brand new food environment” away from parental control tend to react by reaching unconsciously for “foods that are really familiar.”
“The definition of ‘comfort food’ is different for every person but it’s often defined as food that induces some kind of nostalgia, it reminds you of another time,” she says. “So you start your day with a bowl of Lucky Charms.”
As quarantined Americans juggle working from home, supervising kids’ online schooling, cooking, cleaning and walking the dog, they also have to worry about getting sick or even dying. It’s no wonder they’ve gotten into new habits of constant snacking, says Susan Wilson, a registered pediatric dietitian in Louisville, Kentucky.
It doesn’t help, she says, that grocery stores, especially in the early quarantine days, quickly ran out of many food items and shoppers were stuck with whatever was available. People used to picking up fresh food on the way home from work had to stop that.
“At work, you would eat whatever you purchased or packed, and at home it’s easy to grab a little something as you’re passing the kitchen,” Wilson says. “Your body adjusts to that pattern, and it’s an adjustment to go back and remind your body, is what we eat and when we eat it.”
When she returned to her office two weeks ago, it was a “rude awakening,” Wilson says. “I was packing my lunch again – and I was getting really hungry by 9.30 a.m. I know all this (healthy eating) stuff in theory and I still let myself fall prey to it.”
Of course, most people, including college freshmen, are not gaining 15 pounds. “It’s much lower than that, it’s closer to 3 to 5 pounds,” Liguori says.
Recent polls by WebMD confirm its readers reported an average weight gain of about 8 pounds. Among Americans, most (34%) said they gained 4 to 6 pounds. Only about one-fifth (21%) said they gained 10 to 20 pounds and only 4% said they gained 21 pounds or more.
The hardest part of achieving a healthful lifestyle is getting started – or returning to it after a relapse, says Wilson. “You can lose your level of fitness much faster than you can attain it. Once you get out of the habit (of exercise and healthful eating), it’s harder to get back into it again.”
There are some positives to come out of this situation, especially a new emphasis on home cooking. Dietitians applaud people re-learning skills such as advance meal- and snack- planning, preparing meals and freezing them, and “mindful” eating (think before you nosh).
“It’s fantastic people are learning to cook again, it’s one of the biggest things dietitians talk about, because eating at home is healthier,” says Wilson, who says she prefers looking at pictures on social media of what people made themselves rather than the usual brag posting of restaurant meals. You have ultimate control over every ingredient you put in (a home-cooked meal), it’s not like what you eat in a restaurant,” adds Liguori. “(Cooking) is a big stress reliever for me, it’s fun and it’s a way to introduce new foods to the family.”