Who has experienced weight gain over the last several months? Not unlike the Freshman Fifteen (or Fresher Spread, as its known in Australia and New Zealand), the pounds have crept up while we have been holed up at home, either working remotely or maybe not working at all. You have gained the Covid-15!
Do you think it has anything to do with reducing our activities to walks back and forth to the fridge? How about the stress of everything that has happened since March with the pandemic, Black Lives Matter and a myriad of other stressors, such as layoffs, furloughs or downright losing your job or business? Add teaching and managing your kids while trying to work, and yes, you have a stress cocktail that coupled with unhealthy habits has caused you to gain unwanted and unhealthy weight.
Let's look at what has been happening:
Basically it's all about "fight or flight" meaning that when you are stressed your body releases adrenaline and cortisol, which in turn triggers glucose into your bloodstream. You know, extra energy when you need it. Only you don't.
Then the adrenaline wears off and your blood sugar spikes. Here comes cortisol ready to replenish your energy supply with sugar. Yep, when stressed we reach for the "good stuff" - it's really a combination of fast energy supply and emotional eating. So when we reach for the cookies, chocolate, ice cream, etc. it is quickly stored as fat, because we don't need all that sugar right now. Most of this get stored as belly fat.
Okay, let's say you don't reach for the sugary or highly processed food. That's good, however be aware that cortisol also slows your metabolism. Being stressed over long periods of time can lead to weight gain because of this slowdown. Double-whammy.
Do any of these behaviors or triggers look familiar to you?
Stress
Unhealthy eating habits
Exercising less
Skipping meals
Ordering Takeout
I thought so. Yes, I am going to blame the addition of unwanted weight on COVID. Damn right.
And yes, I am going to do something about it. Won't you join me on August 26 at 11am for my Introduction to Intermittent Fasting webinar. It will be a fact & fun - filled hour, introducing the concept of intermittent fasting as a viable way to lose unwanted pounds and what is the best approach for success. I am really excited about this one as intermittent fasting has been proven to be effective as a weight loss tool, rather than just another diet fad to try.
In the meantime, why don't you try a few of these tips to get things under control:
Pay attention to what you are putting in your mouth
Drink more water
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And don't forget to check out the Healthy, Sexy, Strong podcast episode #22, if you missed it this past Tuesday. I am the featured guest sharing wellness tips for hormonal health.
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