Weight Gain During COVID-19: Eating Disorders and the Effect of the “Quarantine 15”
Written by ‘Ai Pono Hawaii Staff Writer
You’ve probably heard of the “Freshman 15.” It refers to the (predicted) amount of weight gain during students’ freshman year of college due to changes in food choices and activity levels, as well as heightened stress levels. The “Quarantine 15” is the COVID-19 weight gain equivalent. While the phrase started out as a joke, it quickly took on a life of its own.
Everywhere you look, you will find conversations about COVID-19 and weight gain. News outlets, social media influencers, medical professionals — they all have something to say about the “Quarantine 15.”
Read on for:
An in-depth look at how the “Quarantine 15” concept came to be
How people talk about weight changes during and after the pandemic
Why “losing the Quarantine 15” is not important, and potentially dangerous
Eating disorders during COVID-19
How to maintain eating disorder recovery during COVID-19 and after
The pandemic is a global trauma that no one is even close to really processing. Try not to worry about whether you went up a few sizes while coping with worldwide and personal disasters. And try not to worry about what anyone else says or thinks about weight gain, weight loss, or fatness. You survived. And that’s more than enough.
Related: Fear of the "Freshman 15" is not the only reason college students develop eating disorders.
What is the “Quarantine 15”? How was this idea formed?
As stay-at-home orders stretched from days, to months, to a year, people from all walks of life:
Had less access to recreational facilities such as gyms and pools
Were mostly unable to play team sports, compete in sporting events, etc.
Did less physical activity in general, as there was nowhere to go
Had increased levels of stress and anxiety
Experienced increased cravings for dense, sugary foods (mostly due to stress)
Had (for the most part) more constant access to food in the kitchen
Lost jobs and financial stability, causing food insecurity, which is associated is with eating disorders
Experienced boredom and lack of structure
Stress, boredom, and lack of structure may dysregulate the body's hunger and fullness cues, which can lead to overeating. And as physical activity levels decrease, the body doesn't expend as much fuel in day-to-day life as it once did.
Related: You are not "weak" if you have episodes of binge eating. This is how to break free from the binge-restrict cycle.
Anyone who was using exercise as a way to suppress their weight before quarantine most likely found themselves gaining weight during COVID shutdowns. That is, unless they continued or increased their exercise regime at home.
Related: Do you know the difference between healthy movement and disordered exercise habits?
Fatphobia in the Age of COVID-19
The idea that weight gain is the biggest thing to fear in the age of COVID-19 — not a deadly virus that makes it so hard to breathe that people have died — speaks volumes about how fatphobic society is right now.
"Quarantine 15" fears reinforce the overwhelmingly common idea that weight gain is:
Always a bad thing
Something to be ashamed of
Something that needs to be "fixed" (by losing weight, of course)
These ideas are all untrue. To project those ideas is damaging to people’s mental health. Fearing fatness is also an insult to those in larger bodies, as people see their body types as something to be terrified and ashamed of.
COVID-19, Obesity, and Fatphobia
Those who don't believe that you can be healthy at any size often talk about the "dangers of obesity." This has, of course, been the case during COVID-19. Medical professionals have labeled obesity as something that maybe puts people at a greater risk for increased illness due to COVID-19. Professionals have labeled obesity as a "risk factor" along with illnesses like kidney disease, COPD, and asthma. This portrays obesity as an "illness" equal in severity to life-threatening diseases, which is not automatically true. But there are several problems with "linking" obesity and health problems:
Obesity is measured using the BMI scale, which has long been proven an inaccurate and misleading measure of health.
The BMI scale and "obesity standards" are racist and sexist in history and current application.
Medical professionals consider obesity a "disease," and prescribe weight loss even if a person shows no signs of diagnosable health problems.
Obesity has been "linked" to health problems in studies, but there are zero studies to show that obesity directly causes any issues.
Ideas surrounding BMI, obesity, and the "obesity epidemic" promote weight stigma in healthcare and the general public.
Related: This is what to do if you face weight stigma in eating disorder treatment and recovery.
"Quarantine Diets": Misinformed at Best, Malicious at Worst
In all forms of media, people who are just trying to survive are bombarded with fear-inducing messages about "what quarantine has done to your body," how to "burn off the Quarantine 15," and — of course — diet and supplement plans to "get rid of your quarantine body."
Right now, the diet industry is selling:
"Clean eating" meal plans
"Beat the Quarantine 15" at-home workouts
Vitamins, supplements, and "detoxes" that supposedly make you lose weight
Some companies are even selling products that "make you immune to COVID-19"
The Dangers of Diets, During the Pandemic and In General
First, know that dieting doesn't work for the majority of people — 95% of dieters gain all the weight they lost and more.
Dieting can also:
Lower your base metabolic rate
Reduce muscle mass
Cause heart strain
Result in yo-yo dieting
Increase stress levels, which can cause even more health problems
Throw off your electrolyte balance
Lower your concentration levels
Cause fatigue and brain fog
Cause disordered eating and malnutrition
Cause mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, and eating disorders
The pandemic has already caused a lot of stress. Add on the strain of dieting, and you have a recipe for physical and mental health related disasters.
The Quarantine 15 And Eating Disorders
People with eating disorders often get fixated on numbers. So hearing that "you will absolutely gain 15 pounds unless you diet and exercise" is triggering for those with an active eating disorder and those in recovery. Even individuals who haven't struggled with disordered eating for years have been affected.
From all around, there's pressure to diet, to lose weight, to fear fatness — this is naturally a threat to eating disorder recovery. Fatphobia and fears of pandemic related weight gain are only a few contributors of heightened eating disorder thoughts and behaviors during COVID-19.
Strategies for Coping with Eating Disorders During COVID-19
Even with the distress of the pandemic and diet culture, you can maintain your recovery.
This is how to do it:
1. Silence or block any fatphobic, diet culture obsessed people, news, or ads.
There is no need for you to hear about anyone's diet, weight loss, weight loss products, or even jokes about the "Quarantine 15." You don't have to completely stop talking to anyone who promotes diet culture. If they are someone you know and love, consider talking to them about how their words affect your mental health — and how their words affect everyone else.
2. Lean on your supports.
Talk to your supports if you're struggling with eating disorder thoughts and urges. Let them be your voice of reason. Remind yourself (and have them remind you) that you are living in one of the most difficult periods in human history. It's normal to gain weight during the pandemic and in general. It says nothing about you as a person.
3. Use your coping skills in times of distress.
If you do end up getting triggered by damaging weight loss talk, useyour coping skills to get through heightened periods of stress. Coping skills could include journaling, positive affirmations, and deep breathing. Or, use distractions like watching TV, coloring, or reading. Use whatever positive coping skills work for you.
Related: Use these DBT skills to cope with distress and anxiety in eating disorder recovery.
4. Forgive yourself for slip ups. Then get back on track.
Recovery is not perfect. There will be moments where you give in to the eating disorder voice, especially when you're trying to cope with the effects of COVID-19 on your life. Forgive yourself for the slip ups. Then commit to your next meal or snack. Commit to not using purging behaviors. Commit to your recovery, because you're worth it.
You might need to ask a loved one for support, follow a meal plan, or ease up on eating disorder challenges like eating takeout — just until your recovery is not in immediate risk anymore.
Related: When you're ready to challenge your eating disorder, do exposures with the help of an eating disorder professional.
5. Talk to a professional if and when you struggle.
You might not be able to see a treatment professional in person. But that doesn't mean you can't access help. If you have a treatment team, be honest about your slip ups and challenges during COVID-19 (and in general.) If you don't have a treatment team, find an eating disorder therapist or contact a treatment center and get help now.
Recognize your own resilience.
You survived the worst of lockdowns, uncertainty, and isolation. Be proud of yourself — we are. Now all there's left to do is maintain healthy eating and movement habits, and follow CDC guidelines about COVID-19, while we all get closer to pre-pandemic life.
Related: The continued impact of COVID-19 on eating disorders disorders isn't all bad. Here's why.
If you or someone you love is suffering from an eating disorder, take the first step today and talk to someone about recovery, or simply learn more about the holistic eating disorder recovery programs we offer.