Why are people gaining weight during corona?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stress.

I stress eat. And Corona is stressful, especially when managing school and activities for a young kid. More time to work out? Ha. Not when I’m full time teacher, mom, and employee....

Not being rude, but how do you find time to eat if you’re really busy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some people stress-eat. Some people cannot resist snacking all day when they are steps from the kitchen. Some people feel like they need gyms to work out/don’t have a home gym/can’t take the heat to go outside. Some people no longer have childcare available. Really OP, you can’t think of any reasons?

Good point. I guess school-age kids are the main thing. My husband and I don’t have kids yet, and I know my sister has her hands full chasing after her 4 year old so she hasn’t gained weight. I guess I’m less tempted by the fridge than by all the restaurant options by my work office. And I don’t stress eat, but I am more likely to eat unhealthy when I’m really busy, and these days without commuting or social engagements I am anything but busy.

Oh, you’re cute. Talking down to people about weight gain on a parenting board when you’re not even a parent and therefore have no effing clue what parents are going through.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stress.

I stress eat. And Corona is stressful, especially when managing school and activities for a young kid. More time to work out? Ha. Not when I’m full time teacher, mom, and employee....

Not being rude, but how do you find time to eat if you’re really busy?

DP. You can’t imagine how someone might eat a handful of chips while draft a document for work? Graze while they’re cooking dinner or finish the kids’ leftovers while cleaning up? Swap out their usual seltzer for a full-sugar soda as a treat? I mean, I get you’re a fat-shaming troll, but try harder so you don’t sound so stupid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some people stress-eat. Some people cannot resist snacking all day when they are steps from the kitchen. Some people feel like they need gyms to work out/don’t have a home gym/can’t take the heat to go outside. Some people no longer have childcare available. Really OP, you can’t think of any reasons?

Good point. I guess school-age kids are the main thing. My husband and I don’t have kids yet, and I know my sister has her hands full chasing after her 4 year old so she hasn’t gained weight. I guess I’m less tempted by the fridge than by all the restaurant options by my work office. And I don’t stress eat, but I am more likely to eat unhealthy when I’m really busy, and these days without commuting or social engagements I am anything but busy.

Oh, you’re cute. Talking down to people about weight gain on a parenting board when you’re not even a parent and therefore have no effing clue what parents are going through.

Agree. Life pre-children vs with kids is entirely different. Add in depressed spouse and utter lack of free time. I’d probably be finishing extra coursework and logging miles as a single child free person. Instead I had chicken nuggets for dinner.

[Anonymous]

1) less walking 2) less being too busy to eat. Under normal conditions I regularly forget to eat breakfast and frequently skip lunch too. That’s no more...

[Anonymous]

It takes 75 minutes fast walking on a treadmill to equal the steps I would get in an average workday going to and from metro, kid school, the office, and meetings. Some of my mainstay food items for lunch at the office are harder to find now with changed grocery shopping habits (some canned soups, salads) so I wind up eating what the kids request for lunch. With working full time and helping with kid school work I just don’t have the time on an average weekday to up my workouts.

[Anonymous]

a prior PP here. Also, my DH used to wear suits and dry cleaning items, and now he's in casual or business casual and adding to my laundry pile.

And everyone but me is exercising like fiends and in fantastic shape, and just shedding clothing for my laundry pile in droves. Sometimes three outfits a day. I'm awash in laundry

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:a prior PP here. Also, my DH used to wear suits and dry cleaning items, and now he's in casual or business casual and adding to my laundry pile.

And everyone but me is exercising like fiends and in fantastic shape, and just shedding clothing for my laundry pile in droves. Sometimes three outfits a day. I'm awash in laundry

Tell your family to stop putting their clothes in the laundry after one wear!

[Anonymous]

I’m far less mobile now. I may work out for 1-2 hours, but the rest of the day I am entirely sedentary.

Plus, lots of time to cook/bake.

[Anonymous]

No motivation not to eat. Used to be events I’d have to wear something cute to now nothing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some people stress-eat. Some people cannot resist snacking all day when they are steps from the kitchen. Some people feel like they need gyms to work out/don’t have a home gym/can’t take the heat to go outside. Some people no longer have childcare available. Really OP, you can’t think of any reasons?

Good point. I guess school-age kids are the main thing. My husband and I don’t have kids yet, and I know my sister has her hands full chasing after her 4 year old so she hasn’t gained weight. I guess I’m less tempted by the fridge than by all the restaurant options by my work office. And I don’t stress eat, but I am more likely to eat unhealthy when I’m really busy, and these days without commuting or social engagements I am anything but busy.

Oh, you’re cute. Talking down to people about weight gain on a parenting board when you’re not even a parent and therefore have no effing clue what parents are going through.

Seriously this. Are you nuts, op? Schools are closed, camps are cancelled, my kids aren’t leaving the house. Everyone has to get fed, laundry done. My 10yo is so depressed from the loneliness he curls up in a ball crying on a regular basis. My 8 yo is bouncing off the walls. I’m trying to take care of everyone’s emotional and physical needs. I’m at the bottom of my list. I’m eating too much. I’m drinking too much. I have deadlines at work. I’m on the PTO board. I’m up at 3 am juggling it all. Yea for you, you’re not busy. Come on over, I have 12 loads of laundry that need folding.

[Anonymous]

Most people I know walked to the gym or Soulcycle or Pilates after work.

Not only are those locations closed, their homes aren’t anywhere near them.

[Anonymous]

I think my cortisol levels are through the roof and my hormones are wacky from not sleeping from stress. I used to work out at a gym with a trainer and do weights. I actually think I exercise just as much time-wise, but it’s not weight bearing or as vigorous, and I think that made a big difference. Also, I got COVID in March (no test, but unmistakeable symptoms), so fully quarantined for weeks and when I emerged, could no longer run. I literally didn’t have the lung capacity. Not wheezing, just...impossible to take a deep enough breath to fill my lungs. So hard to explain. Before March, I ran 40 miles a week. As of August, I can run 2 miles max and then have to walk, and I’m thrilled I can do that. I was worried I’d never run at all again. Let’s see, what else? Oh, we finally could sit down for family meals nightly, which was great, except that meant I was eating a big dinner every night, when that was probably my smallest meal before if we weren’t all together. And there you have it. I gained about eight pounds since this all started. But I honestly don’t give a crap as long as I stay healthy. Perspective is everything. Plus, no one is making me wear pants with buttons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stress.

I stress eat. And Corona is stressful, especially when managing school and activities for a young kid. More time to work out? Ha. Not when I’m full time teacher, mom, and employee....

Not being rude, but how do you find time to eat if you’re really busy?

Well, it’s 4:15 am, and I’m up trying to work before my young kids get up.

[Anonymous]

Interesting to read the reasons when you remove the "time" excuse. People will still use that, though. "I still have to work", but, then aren't you too busy to mindlessly overeat?