We’ve all heard about it, the extra pounds that have accompanied months of lockdown measures put into place to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
When gyms, workplaces and businesses closed, people began to joke about the inevitable weight gain that would result from months of being confined to their homes with little opportunity to exercise.
A variety of pandemic-themed terms were coined, such as “Quarantine 15,” a spin on the dreaded “Freshman 15” that many first-year college students experience, and “COVID curves,” for the body positivity-minded among us.
In my case, not even my commitment to near daily exercise — which was made possible after I was somehow able to transport an old exercise bike to my apartment by car — could spare me from falling victim to that weight gain as well, which I’ve decided to refer to as “pandemic pounds.”
Despite the humorous virus-themed terminology, realizing how much weight I had gained during the stay-at-home measures was no laughing matter. Judging from the boom in home exercise equipment sales over the past several months, I’d hazard a guess many others feel the same way.
The strangest thing about it was that I did not even realize the weight had been creeping on since I had been wearing comfortable non-fitted clothes, such as workout leggings and loose-fitting tops, for much of the time I had been working from home.
However, those pandemic pounds became painfully obvious after I went to put on some jeans I had been wearing all last year, about a month and a half ago, and came to the self-esteem-crushing realization that they no longer fit, or at least without looking like I was squeezing into them.
Unfortunately, it was worse than I thought.
I had gained nearly 2½ inches on my waist, which amounted to about two jeans sizes, which I ascertained from the body tape measure I use to keep track of my weight instead of keeping a scale at home.
It’s amazing how fast your perspective can change. I went from not seeing much of a difference in the mirror to only being able to see the extra weight, which was especially discouraging as I had worked so hard to take off a lot of weight a few years ago.
After the initial panic and harsh thoughts I directed at myself, I tried to look at the situation with a different perspective. I had worked out nearly every day since April, sure, but I had also been inactive for the rest of the day and had not decreased my calorie intake to compensate for the more sedentary lifestyle.
After searching out articles from people who had also experienced the “Quarantine 15” and those that featured different types of diets, I came upon an old one that has fallen out of vogue in recent years, but that came with an appealing promise that dieters could drop a jeans size in two weeks.
It seemed too good to be true, but the explanation behind why it would work — creating a calorie deficit by burning off more calories than you take in — seemed too logical to ignore.
What I’m referring to is the old Special K, or cereal, diet, which consists of eating a bowl of healthy, non-sugary cereal for breakfast and lunch, while still being able to have a normal dinner.
Since I wanted to maximize results, I’ve opted to eat salad with some kind of protein for most nights, while having chicken, rice and vegetables for others. Instead of snacking on granola bars, I’ve opted for fruit.
In addition, I boosted my exercise regimen by increasing my cardio from 45 minutes to an hour and 15 minutes, along with lifting weights for another 15-20 minutes.
Instead of having a bowl of cereal and the occasional glass of wine after working out, I’ve been eating a greek yogurt and drinking a glass of V8.
I had my doubts, but I’m never hungry throughout the day and that enticing promise turned out to be true. In the past three weeks, since starting the diet, I’ve shaved off about 1½ inches from my waist, as of last Saturday.
I may still have a few pandemic pounds to shed, but it’s looking a lot more promising now than it did a few weeks ago.
While gaining some weight can seem insignificant to some during such turbulent times, it is a little ironic that lockdown measures that were put in place to protect people from a deadly virus have exacerbated so many other health concerns in the process.
What a world we’re living in at the moment. I guess we’ll all have to embrace our “COVID curves,” and hope 2021 brings some relief.
Gayla Cawley is a staff reporter with the Daily Item.