I remember starting my freshman year at Arkansas State University. Everyone had pieces of advice they wanted to give.
“Study more than you party.” “Enjoy it.” “These are the best years of your life.”
At the very top of the list: “BEWARE OF THAT FRESHMAN FIFTEEN.”
You know… the weight that you gain when you go to college because you eat what you want when you want and its probably something extremely unhealthy and cheap (because who has money in college?)
Well… This blog is dedicated to that COVID 15. No, I’m not talking specifically about the virus, but the effects that it had on our eating habits. When the world shut down, all of a sudden, everyone was stuck at home and with the majority of restaurants shut down or extremely restricted, we resorted to eating at home. A LOT. And of course with all the gyms being closed, the stress that that was the perfect recipe to gain that COVID 15.
According to a survey done by the American Psychological Association, 61% of adults reported experiencing undesired weight changes since the start of the pandemic, with more than 2 in 5 (42%) saying they gained more weight than they intended. Of this group, adults reported gaining an average of 29 pounds (with a typical gain of 15 pounds).
So if you gained weight during COVID, you’re in good company. COVID has been stressfull! What started out as a 2-week sacrifice to slow the spread of a virus that we knew nothing about is still influencing our lives an entire year later!
So what we NOT gone do is….
BEAT OURSELVES UP. That won’t change anything. As a matter of fact, it may cause you to stress eat.
Instead focus on how much weight you would like to lose, set a goal, and create a plan with small actionable steps that will help you get to where you are trying to go.
Personally, I gained about 7 pounds and then went on to lose about 18 pounds in about 60 days!
How you ask?
Read my next blog post to find out….
Until next time,
thefitmediamama.com 