How To Not Gain Weight While You’re Stuck Inside

As we continue to be in quarantine, one concern that many of my clients (and probably many of you) have expressed is gaining weight while we’re stuck at home. We’re sitting around even more than usual, and aren’t able to go to the gym, a class, or work out with friends. We’re craving comfort, and that often comes in the form of food. How do we avoid packing on pounds during this pandemic? Well, there are a number of ways. 

Let me first say, though, that your concerns are completely valid. We’re all experiencing some sort of body fluctuation right now, whether it’s our weight or, for me, body composition. We have to face facts and realize that this is a hard time—one that we’ve never experienced before. It’s not the time to judge ourselves or try to be in tiptop shape. All we can do is our best. Perfectionism and coronavirus just don’t mix. 

With that said, here’s my best advice for maintaining your weight right now. 

1. Be mindful of your alcohol intake. 

I get it—you’re in isolation, and you’re tempted to drink more. It’s a pretty common behavior and makes sense. Many people are used to going to happy hour or grabbing drinks with friends, and now that’s not an option. The difference is that when you go to happy hour, you typically move afterward. Maybe you walk home, around the city, or even to another bar—but you’re moving. Right now, you’re probably drinking and not moving, and that’s a recipe for drinking, and weighing, more. 

2. Watch your sugar and carbohydrate intake. 

When we’re stressed, frustrated, lonely, sad, or bored, we have a tendency to eat more food, and it’s usually of the sugar and carb variety. To keep your weight stable, try to not eat “just because,” and limit your intake of processed foods like white carbohydrates (think pastas, potato chips, fries, etc.) and sugars, both real and fake. Simple carbs and sugars don’t satiate us like protein and healthy fats do, so it’s incredibly easy to overeat them, especially when your emotions come into play.

3. Pick a specific time every day to exercise. 

Without a trainer, workout buddy, or class that you signed up for, you virtually have no external accountability, which means you have to hold yourself accountable. The best way to do that is to make exercising a regular occurrence, and not leave it up to chance or your mood. Choose a time that you can commit to no matter what, and make a habit of sticking to it. If the only time you have is after dinner, dedicate that post-meal time to going for a walk. Whatever time or exercise you choose, make it non-negotiable, and take that time for yourself every day. You’ll be happy when your jeans fit after all this. 

4. Get dressed in real clothes, not sweatpants. 

Speaking of jeans, if you spend all day in stretchy clothes (leggings, sweats, yoga pants, and the like), it’s hard to know if you’re gaining weight or if your body is changing. (I’m guilty of this myself.) You don’t have to wear tight clothes every day, but if you can try on your jeans every few days, you’ll be able to gauge where your weight is and make adjustments if needed. 

5. Get in touch with what you’re feeling—and start writing those feelings down. 

Our emotions impact our behavior, so getting to the bottom of why we’re feeling a certain way can help us see what we really need and create a path forward. Grab a journal and start asking yourself questions. What are you feeling right now? What has this pandemic meant to you? Has it brought up a lot of fears? Are you scared your career is going to suffer? Why are you eating more? Why are you drinking more? We often use behaviors to numb ourselves and not deal with how we’re feeling, but right now, we have the time to address our emotions. Eventually, we’ll have to come out of quarantine and life will go on. It’s best to start figuring out the “why” behind our tendencies now. 

6. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep. 

This should be a no-brainer, but sleep is the key to optimal health—and depending on how you’re handling the coronavirus and the media surrounding it, you might not be getting much of it. Sleep combats cortisol, the stress hormone, and keeps our brains and bodies balanced and stimulated. Do your best to clock eight hours, and if you’re having trouble sleeping, try reading or doing a short sleep meditation. Winding down without screens can make all the difference. 

7. Look at your calorie count versus your activity levels. 

Weight loss and weight gain are influenced by a number of factors, but fundamentally, it’s calories in, calories out. In other words, if you eat more calories than you burn, you’re going to gain weight. Given that we’re all sheltered in place, we’re moving much less than we would at our desk jobs (hard to imagine, I know). When we eat, we have to take our lack of exercise into account and make smarter choices—because what we’d normally eat won’t cut it if we’re moving less. To do so, make sure you’re not skimping on plants (when in doubt, grab something green, as I say), drink a ton of water, and eat vegetables and protein at every meal. So much is out of our control right now, but our diet doesn’t have to be. 

We’re all under a lot of stress, and our lives are lacking the structure they usually have. This can make it easy to slip into habits that feel good in the moment, but are detrimental in the long run, like overeating, eating unhealthy foods, or not exercising. Make sure you’re eating properly, getting enough sleep, drinking plenty of water, and creating a routine that includes daily physical activity. This doesn’t mean pressuring yourself to be in the best shape of your life, or not eating ice cream or watching your favorite shows. It does mean that we should be thoughtful and intentional about how we’re treating ourselves and our bodies. That, above all, will determine how we come out of this. 

xo 

Renata