CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — If you’ve put on a few pandemic pounds, you’re not alone.
A small study published by JAMA Network Open followed 270 men and women across the country from February to June of 2020 and found participants gained about 1.5 pounds per month.
If that trend continued to June of 2021, that would be a 25-pound weight gain.
Melodi Peters, a registered dietician with Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital, told WBBM Newsradio the coronavirus pandemic created a perfect storm for unwanted weight.
“When you have anxiety coupled with change, people reach for comfort foods,” said Peters. “And then coupled with that was the lack of exercise.”
She offered three tips to combat pandemic weight gain.
1. Face it.
If you don’t have a scale at home, you should get one and weigh yourself about once a week.
“You need to look at what was the damage, you know, did you gain five pounds, 10 pounds? I have had people gain 20 or 30 pounds," she said.
Peters added regular weigh-ins will keep small gains from adding up.
2. Track it.
“This is where dieticians come in,” said Peters. “We can help people determine what their calorie needs are for weight loss and it's a formula that we use based on BMI and calories per kilogram, but you need to know how many calories you can spend to facilitate weight loss.”
Another way of tracking caloric intake is through apps like MyFitnessPal and LoseIt!
3. Create a Safe House.
The concept was created by the American Academy of Pediatrics, which suggests keeping junk food out of your home.
“So when you open your refrigerator, instead of whole milk and baloney and sausage, it's skim milk, it's string cheese or Greek yogurt, it's fresh fruit and vegetables,” said Peters. “When you open your pantry, instead of chips and cookies and pop tarts, it's Triscuits, Wheat Thins and regular Cheerios.”
Peters said it’s still okay to indulge in fast food and sugary treats occasionally, but the majority of food decisions should be healthy and made at home.
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