By Lori Skurbe, MPH, CDE, Bariatric Dietitian
Since COVID-19 has taken over our lives, the world we know has changed. Many of us started working from home or lost our jobs. Parents suddenly became homeschoolers, social events and sports have been cancelled, stores shuttered their doors or have limited operation, even food has been in short supply and rationed.
Our lives have been turned upside down.
This pandemic has caused most of us here in New Jersey to have higher levels of stress and anxiety, which, for some, has led to stress eating and unscheduled eating. As a result, many people have regained weight during this time.
Six Weight Loss Tips to Get Back on Track During COVID-19
- Put structure back into your day – Try to keep yourself on a schedule, get up each morning at the same time, take your meals and snacks in a scheduled fashion, avoid grazing and get enough sleep.
- Create a healthy environment – Although certain foods were limited or harder to find, it is still important to create a healthy food environment. Keep tempting foods out of the house or at least out of sight. We eat what we see and what is in our home environment – a healthy food environment usually leads to better food choices.
- Do not skip your physical activity – Take the time to get in your physical activity – we can go out and walk, hike, swim or bike ride and continue to socially distance. In addition to outside activities, there are also online videos, apps and some gyms are giving “live” fitness classes you can log into if you are a member. Finally, dust off the fitness equipment you already own and use it.
- Seek mental health counseling – If you are suffering with stress, anxiety and/or depression – get the help you need to get through this challenging time. If you are an emotional eater, speak to a therapist to help you develop better coping mechanisms to deal with your emotions rather than going to food. Many behavioral health practitioners can do phone calls and telemedicine visits.
- Reach out to people – Do not lose the human connection! We can still use phones, text messaging and Facetime (or similar platforms) to see our friends and loved ones. We also have our Prime Surgicare Support Group (that is currently a Zoom meeting). We meet the second and fourth Wednesday of each month from 6-7 pm. Zoom sign-in link for all sessions: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89803968814
- Take advantage of the time spent with family – Try to look at the silver lining and not the dark cloud! Time spent with your loved ones is invaluable: more family meals, family game nights, exercising together, making memories and strengthening your bonds.
The Best Nutrition Secrets for Weight Management
Watch my discussion with Dr. Seun Sowemimo for simple but effective every day tips to manage your weight:
Although we have been–and are still living in challenging times–it does not have to be a roadblock to our success. Set up your environment and attitude for success, reach out if you need help and take one day at a time.
If you need one-on-one support, Dr. Seun and I are both offering Prime Surgicare telehealth appointments, which can be scheduled this week! We have been meeting with new, pre-op and follow-up weight loss surgery patients since March, and are seeing great results.
If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to me at (732) 982-2002 and follow my page filled with nutrition and fitness tips, Dietitian’s Corner, here on primesurgicare.com.
I look forward to talking with you online soon!