The Quarantine Fifteen: Combating Weight Gain in Times of Stress

Dr. Will has gained the “Quarantine Fifteen”!  In his latest blog post he shares his thoughts and experience on what many of us have been going through.  And most importantly what he is going to do to better his health and well being and lose the weight. Read on for an invitation and special offer to join him “live” on his journey.

Over the past few months, many of us have found ourselves at home in self-quarantine. While some people were deemed essential and continued working most were not. My practice, McKenna Family Chiropractic was closed for six weeks and only recently re-opened by appointment only. Some of us were home with families while others were home alone. Some of us experienced the loss of family members and friends while some were spared. Many of us found ourselves in a dark place, suffering from depression, anxiety, and panic. Our lives changed drastically overnight and some of us have developed unhealthy coping mechanisms such as drinking, smoking, or turning to drugs while some of us turned to unhealthy eating to make ourselves feel better momentarily.

Combating Stress Eating While Stuck At Home

Stress eating also referred to as emotional eating is essentially consuming food in response to one’s feelings. This happens even when we are not even hungry. Our emotions, not our biological needs dictate when we eat, what we eat, and how much. The Mayo Clinic has listed different suggestions for combating emotional eating:

• Keep a food diary – Track what, when, and how much we eat.
• Tame your stress – Yoga, meditation, and exercise are all helpful at reducing stress.
• Have a hunger reality check – Is my hunger physical or emotional?
• Get support – Reach out to a therapist or support group.
• Fight boredom – Take a walk, play music, or read a book.
• Take away temptation – Don’t keep unhealthy snacks in the house.
• Snack Healthy – Have fruits and vegetables on hand and within easy reach.
• Learn from setbacks – Forgive yourself if you overeat.

These are all great suggestions but in the current state of the world, they are not all easily attainable. Gyms, yoga studios, and even support groups are all closed and for some of us, online sessions are just not the same. Going to the supermarket for groceries is scary so we stock up on what lasts: canned goods and boxes of processed food such as pasta and cereal. Even for those who are more comfortable and do go out; lean meats, poultry, and many fruits and vegetables are hard to come by as people panic buy, the supply chain is disrupted and meat and poultry plants close.

Trying not to get bored is difficult when we find ourselves home 24/7. Controlling our emotions is difficult after watching and reading all the distressing bad news we are inundated with. There is only so much television we can watch, so many home projects we can complete. This is not the life we are used to. How can we feel better quickly? Many of us eat.

Even Chiropractors Like Carbs

After the shock of the first few days of quarantine, I found myself in a funk. I began to get down but was lucky enough to catch myself. I decided to keep myself busy and began doing things around the house: clean out the garage, tackle that painting project, even do a little gardening. But even though I was doing these things I was still emotional, stressed, and bored. And so I ate, a lot.

My go-to comfort foods were carbs in the form of bread, processed food, and beer. Sandwiches, cereal, and a six-pack in no particular order. It was easy to rationalize my choices since I was stuck in the house. However, this led to the quarantine fifteen! Fifteen unwanted pounds gained in such a short time.

Now I’m left feeling bloated, lethargic, and a little down about my weight. However, after many times stating “the diet starts Monday” and never committing to it, I have come to realize that I have to. Monday is now.

Keys To Successful Weight Loss: Planning and Preparation

The key for me to losing weight is going to be planning and preparation. I have mapped out a plan: exercise and diet. I can no longer use the excuse that the gym is closed. A set of exercise bands and a little space is all I really need. As far as a reasonable and healthy diet plan, I offer several successful plans in my office that I can take advantage of. The one I am choosing for myself is the Designs for Health VegeCleanse and VegeMeal Plus Program.

For the first two weeks, I will follow the VegeCleanse Plus detoxification program to get rid of toxins stored in my body from eating unhealthy processed foods. This will help ramp up my metabolism and give me some much-needed nutrients and energy. After that, I will follow the VegeMeal Plus program for two weeks at a time until I reach my desired weight.

The VegeMeal Plus program consists of two shakes daily and supplements. I only have to plan and shop for one healthy meal and a few snacks per day. That is a lot easier for me than having to plan and shop for three meals for 14 days. If I have an easy to work with plan and don’t try to wing it, I know have a better chance of succeeding and losing the quarantine fifteen. For me the diet will not start on Monday, it will actually start on the Tuesday after Memorial Day!

Join Dr. Will On Facebook & Lose Weight Together

I will be updating my progress and sharing meal ideas via my blog and social media Follow me on Facebook) to keep me honest for the next few weeks. For anyone interested in joining me and having a weight loss buddy I’ve created a special introductory offer through my e-store at https://drwillmck.ehealthpro.com/

Sign up and order one box of VegeCleanse Plus and one box of VegeMeal Plus (available in Vanilla and Chocolate), and enter code FIRST25 during checkout to receive 25% of your first order.

If you have any questions, please call the office at (914) 738-4460 or contact me here.