Quarantine 15: Stop the weight gain with a few painless steps

What’s the difference between the “Freshman 15” and the “Quarantine 15”?

For college freshmen who played sports in high school, the dreaded weight gain might start when they no longer have that regularly scheduled exercise. Then there are the late-night pizza deliveries and fast food runs.

And, let’s face it — no matter how many times parents stress that the legal drinking age is 21 — there’s all that beer at all those house parties.

It’s a social thing.

The “Quarantine 15” also might spring from lack of movement — the fitness centers are closed, your workout buddies are self-distancing and you’re bored to tears walking the same route around your neighborhood day after day. You skip one day, one day becomes two and, before you know it, you’ve been on the couch for a week.

So it’s an anti-social thing.

You try to be a good citizen by grocery shopping once a week, once every 10 days or once every two weeks. But that means you really need to stock up — and not just on meals, but also on snacks. How many bags of chips do you need for two weeks? How many cookies?

The trouble is, those chips are calling your name as you sit on the couch bingeing one Netflix series after another. Before you know it, two weeks’ worth of chips are gone in two days.

Then all your friends are sharing grandma’s comfort food recipes and baking (if they can find flour) live on Facebook. Don’t you want to make that gooey butter cake, too?

No more mindless munching

If you were a stress eater in the best of times, how are you supposed to manage your appetite now? No wonder your pants feel a bit tight.

There’s science to show that stress can alter eating patterns. Blessed are those whose appetites wane when the going gets tough.

Stress eating isn’t confined to humans: a Yale University study showed that stressed-out grasshoppers switch from feeding on protein sources like grasses to sugar-rich goldenrod plants. They instinctively know that sugar provides energy for a quick fight or flight.

But we’re not grasshoppers mindlessly munching away. (Wait — that’s the problem, we have been mindlessly munching away…)

With mindfulness and discipline, we can avoid the “Quarantine 15” — or at least keep it to a “Quarantine 5.”

Here are some tips:

• Avoid the snacks and sweets aisles — Stock up on fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds. Try your hand at making your own kale or sweet potato chips.

• Break the cycle of mindless eating — Keep a regular schedule of meal times. Drink a glass of water instead of reaching for a snack. Distract yourself from cravings by doing five minutes of your preferred at-home exercise. Repeat as necessary.

• Control your portions — If you absolutely must have some Doritos, don’t sit down on the couch with the bag. Fill a small bowl and put the bag away. Savor each one slowly.

• Distract yourself — If your go-to stress reliever is a beer or a bowl of ice cream, think of a non-caloric replacement. Listen to three favorite songs. Take a hot bath. Spend a little time on a hobby. Play with your kids or pets.

• Exercise, exercise, exercise — Find an activity you enjoy that can be done at home or around the neighborhood. Set aside time each day to work out.

• Forgive yourself — Recognize that this is a tough time, and everyone is dealing with challenges and uncertainties. You can have some chocolate or cake or chips. Just don’t make repetitive hand-to-mouth motions your principal form of exercise.