Lose lockdown love handles

Lockdown may have kept most of us safe from the coronavirus, but it hasn’t been easy to part with loved ones or our “normal” lives. We have all had to adapt. No more socializing with family and friends. Work from home if we still have jobs, homeschool kids, only go out for food/medicine/exercise.

It has been hard. In our waists. More time at home has often meant more time to raid the fridge. We have fed our loneliness with comforting (and fattening) treats. We have also enjoyed a glass or three of something in the evenings. Sales of snacks and alcohol in supermarkets are at record levels.

More people turned to exercise during the lockdown, with running, walking and cycling popular. However, much of the extra exercise was done by people who were already in pretty good shape, while many of the couch potatoes stayed in their capes.

Now that the confinement measures begin to relax, we can participate in more interactions with other people, while observing social distancing and wearing a mask in stores and other places, of course. We are adventuring, visiting loved ones, taking holidays or even traveling abroad, going to restaurants and pubs, and enjoying fast food on the go again.

In May 2020, the daily mail reported that two-thirds of Britons had gained weight. In a recent study, King’s College London and Ipsos MORI surveyed 2,254 people, with almost half (48%) saying they had gained weight during lockdown and almost a third (29%) saying they had drunk more alcohol. Nearly half of those surveyed also reported feeling more anxious or depressed than usual. We are fatter and we are not happy about it.

So what do we do now?

We need to break the habit of rewarding ourselves with extra food (and drink). A couple of extra chocolate chip cookies a day could add over 1,000 calories to our weekly intake. Over a three week period, that would increase our weight by one pound, without any other change in our eating habits.

Getting outside to get some fresh air will help. Going for a walk or playing in the garden will not only take your mind off your food, it will also burn off some of those extra calories. And if we manage a more vigorous exercise, the effects are more noticeable. Exercise can also reduce your appetite, so grab your hiking boots!

Eating sensible portions will also reduce your caloric load. Aim for meals where at least half the plate is covered by fruits and/or vegetables; potatoes don’t count as they are classified as carbohydrates. For best results, cook from scratch. Limit or, ideally, stop snacking between meals. It is okay to feel hungry before the next meal and we will appreciate food more.

If you’re not sure where all your calories come from, keep a food diary.

Above all, don’t panic. We can lose lockdown love handles almost as easily as we gain them by eating sensibly and savoring, rather than devouring, our food.