Are you overeating your way through lockdown?

(over) Eating your way through lockdown

OMG...having 24 hour access to a kitchen is not good if you're trying to avoid overeating!

I’m embarrassed to say that I ‘handled’ (or not!) the initial emotion, uncertainty and anxiety of coronavirus by finding myself rummaging through the food cupboards at random times of the day and evening.

I’m not sure I even know how I got there?! I was so on automatic pilot and wanting to shut out the feelings. 

Nut butter by the spoonful out of the jar, bread and chocolate were my go-to items to try to make myself feel better. 

And initially I did feel better but then the guilt and shame just made me feel even worse! 

I’m much better now after a couple of weeks in a tailspin (I tell you what I did a bit further down).

So, if this is you, don’t go beating yourself up if you go off the rails. It’s one thing to have stuff you know you don’t REALLY want to be eating but it makes it 10 times worse if you load it with guilt and shame. And there’s a very real reason for craving carbs and stodgy foods at the moment.

Why are we overeating during lockdown?

On-going stress, like many of us are experiencing at the moment, leads to the stress hormone, cortisol, being higher in the body. 

In ancient times, stress would have been around things like running away from a sabre-toothed tiger or a woolly mammoth. This requires quick energy and so the body asks for quick carbs and sugar to give us this energy boost. 

But today we’re under chronic stress. Depending on your individual circumstance, this could be as a result of homeschooling children, looking after older relatives (from a distance), coming to grips with how long work takes doing everything remotely and via online meetings, or maybe concerns about jobs and money.

On-going chronic stress leads to too-high levels of cortisol circulating in the body. And this is associated with poor sleep, brain fog, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and can even lower immunity, which we definitely don’t want to do. That’s in addition to increasing belly fat!

Also, we’re not sure how long we’re going to be in lockdown. And this can cause further anxiety. Overeating or eating junk food can give us a temporary reprieve from the strange situation we find ourselves in. It can dampen that fluttering anxiety in our stomachs. 

Or it could be boredom and eating is just a distraction from working out what to do instead. 

And this fits in with a bit of psychological theory:

If we look at Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the most basic needs are food and warmth followed by safety. These needs have to be met before we can move up the pyramid towards accomplishment and trying to reach our full potential. 

I would argue that the lockdown situation is meaning our safety needs are not being met and therefore we need to look more at the physiological needs and making sure we’re being nourished there. 

I don’t know about you, but I’m wanting to wear warm jumpers still, fluffy socks and slippers which I think is a basic need to feel warm and comforted. That’s why I based my food around warm meals to create that same nurtured feeling inside too. 

So what can you do to stop overeating in lockdown?

If you think it will help you get motivated then do grab my free Getting Started Guide below or following the ideas that follow...

What I did was I firstly got my husband to hide all my trigger foods for me!

Then I wrote out my meals for the week that focussed on hot food, rather than cold salads that didn’t ‘nurture me’.

And I started eating smaller meals but with snacks in between so that I didn’t go too long without eating. This isn’t something I’d usually recommend, but these aren’t usual times.

Now, I’m not suggesting that’s what you need to do, but here are a few things to try this week if you’re struggling with endless trips to the kitchen. 

Meals - try eating regularly so that your blood sugar levels don’t drop. Low blood sugar levels can make you feel more anxious or get you grabbing something sugary to get your energy levels back up quick. Plan small meals with snacks in between initially. And focus on warm foods first.

Breakfast - Get off to a good start! Swap toast and/or cereal for protein and fats instead to stop energy dips and cravings during the day. Try having eggs, or full fat Greek yoghurt and berries or a protein powder shake and see if you stay fuller for longer.

Snacks - try to have protein and fat rather than a carby snacks. Carbs burn quickly and will make you hungry again sooner. Try hard boiled eggs with cucumber; some prawns or cooked meat/tofu; olives and a small piece of feta instead.

Drinks - don’t try to cut out coffee and alcohol as that won’t help your stress levels but try to make some changes. Try a turmeric latte, matcha latte or tea instead of coffee; stick to dry red wines rather than spirits and mixers and try to have a couple of alcohol free evenings per week.

Diversions - if you’re struggling to reign in the overeating, try doing something mentally challenging. Get the crossword puzzles out or listen to a Radio 4 programme you have to concentrate on. Challenge your kids to a game of something or do one of the pub quizzes online. 

Be kind if you're overeating during lockdown

And finally, remember that it’s OK to be feeling a rollercoaster of emotions at the moment, cut yourself some slack - you’re human and these are unprecedented times.

I get it! 

Losing weight or eating healthily might not be top of your priority list right now. But don’t make yourself feel worse by overeating crap and then telling yourself you’re useless….that definitely won’t help! 

Do something to look after yourself - just start with one small thing, like what you’re having for breakfast and do that as often as you can before you start adding in something else.

What are you struggling with at the moment with your eating? Hit reply and tell me and I’ll see if I can help over the next few weeks with different content. 

Stay safe and look after your loved ones, even if it’s only by phone. 

Keep well

Do grab my free Getting Started Guide if you think it will give you the extra push you need...

Content Disclaimer

The information contained above is provided for information purposes only. The contents of this blog are not intended to amount to advice and you should not rely on any of the contents of this blog. Professional advice should be obtained before taking or refraining from taking any action as a result of the contents of this blog. Midlife Menu Ltd disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on any of the contents of this blog.

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