Drinking and eating during lockdown

[GGMons]

Wondering if anyone else is drinking and eating much more (daily for me) than usual in view of the current state of things? I’m not usually a big drinker or someone to binge on junk food but at the moment I feel as though eating crap and having a few drinks at the end of the day (well, afternoon ) is one of the only things I have to keep me going. The news is utterly depressing, I’m bored of being stuck indoors and as someone who is used to socialising regularly and travelling a lot for work, alcohol and food are serving as a welcome distraction from all this madness at the moment. In an attempt to make myself feel less guilty about the state of my waistline and liver...Please tell me I’m not alone?!

I did in the first couple of weeks.
Then I decided to see if I could get myself under control, so have stopped snacking and upped fruit/veg in the house.
It's easier to eat the right things for me, because I'm not grabbing whatever I can get (like I would if I was at work).

Not lost any weight though!

Started off good, now descended into stuffing handfuls of chocolaty cereal into my mouth whilst cooking dinner.

I have been drinking more (usually have a glass of wine or two every couple of months) - I've gone through a bottle of baileys a bottle of wine and 1/3 bottle of gin in the last month (so partly pre lockdown but also isolation), not eating more (I am an over eater anyway), but just signed up for weight watchers again as I am obese and asthmatic and have frightened myself into sorting it out so will be eating less during lockdown!

Have eaten less, as I used to eat nearly every meal out of the house plus impulse bought chocolate every day

Also have been ill (think it was coronavirus) so no trips to the shop and lost my sense of smell/taste, which has only half returned, so not as tempted by food as usual.

Am down a couple of pounds but it might not last.

Not drinking much but eating a lot. My partner is a wonderful cook and now that he’s home all the time he can do things like make me a fancy grilled cheese for lunch whereas at uni I probably would have grabbed a soup and a roll. I’m also baking quite a bit with DD. Chocolate eases the soul!

Not really eating more food but drinking more wine however, I am now sticking to only drinking at the end of the week if I feel like some wine. I am using up more of my food and making dishes with food I would have ordinarily thrown out. I am however, spending more on food because everything seems to have increased in price. I haven't had a takeaway for about 5 weeks now so that has saved money.

@AmelieTaylor, I’m exactly the same as you. Control T2 with low carb and exercise. I always have pretty good control but knowing T2 is a risk factor for covid has made me even more strict.

Strangely I’ve found that I’ve not been hungry for breakfast and my glucose levels have been decent even though I’ve not eaten. Normally they keep rising in the morning until I eat

I did make some low carb biscuits last week as I was desperate for something sweet.

You're are so not alone OP.

I have been slowly gaining weight since about August last year, and am up over a stop on where I was last year.

Mainly due to excessive laziness..I used to run regularly which seemed to keep it in check, but lost my mojo.

We have been drinking a bottle of wine most evenings, but have decided to try and keep it to Fri/Sat and poss Sun or we risk sinking into low-level alcohol dependance.

I have also started running again which is hideous, but hoping that along with trying to eat better food will knock some lbs off..none of my nice spring/summer clothes fit me at the moment

a 'stone' not a 'stop'

Having said all that, it's my birthday on Friday so will probably use that as an excuse to crack open the bubbly mid-afternoon

Not doing too badly as I’m cooking from scratch much more & we’re not having takeaways etc. Apart from one bottle of wine, I haven’t had any alcohol since lockdown started & my tummy is definitely less bloated. Haven’t lost any weight though. I could do with losing at least 2 stone. It also helps that I only shop once a week so avoiding bars of chocolate, crisps etc. My downfall is going to be DH’s homemade bread which is some of the best I’ve ever tasted!

More drinking definitely! And more eating unhealthy stuff, because im always busy baking with the kids.
Bit i also have way more time to cook healthy, so i try to balance it out.

Yes, i am eating all day and drinking a bottle of Gordon's pink gin a week, I don't drink at home usually. It's not good but I'm bored and low and have absolutely nothing to look forward to any time soon!

Annoying Post Alert (sorry!)

I know I am hyper-aware of how much people drink, because I'm an alcoholic and I've been in recovery for over 7 years, but I'm REALLY worried about the amount of my friends and family who are drinking more and much earlier in the day than normal.

I was reading earlier that the average UK adult usually drinks 10 units a week, but that this has increased to 30 units pw since lock down began. I'm so worried that people are going to come out of this situation with alcohol issues, which - trust me - are really hard work to overcome.

I don't feel I can say anything to anyone about it IRL, as - like people above have said - we're all just doing what we can to get through the day at the moment, so I'm hijacking your thread @GGMons to get it off my chest, sorry!

I think if I did say anything to them at the moment, it would just be "For your own sake, be mindful of how much you're drinking - don't make it a part of your daily routine, and think about getting back to 'normal' life. If you cultivate an alcohol addiction during quarantine, you will likely never be able to have another drink again."

Sorry to be all 'holier than thou', I just needed somewhere to say what I've been thinking. As you were!

In terms of eating, I've had 2 Mars Bars and 4 Chocolate HobNobs today (so far...), and no longer fit in my jeans!

@ BetsyBigNose completely understandable for you to be worried about others now you can see it yourself .
I have never had issues with drinking but I did realise last week I was drinking more so haven’t had anything since sat night whereas I had a drink most nights last week .
Very valid post

@BetsyBigNose you are not being holier than thou. You went through it. If anyone's opinion counts, it is the opinion of people like you imo.

They're going to have to get the special ambulance out to hoist me out of the window by the time lockdown is over.

Thank you @Fluffybutter and @OmgThereAreNoPlanesAboveMeNow - I was dreading reading any responses in case I'd come across as a complete arsehole - I honestly wasn't trying to be, I just needed to say it!

I'm drinking way too much coffee but snacking less than I normally would outside of lockdown.
It's Ramadan in 16 days and I normally wean myself off the coffee by this time of the year so as not to get headaches during fasting.
Am going to have to switch to just water or hot chocolate soon

@BetsyBigNose I understand where you're coming from. I've been in AA for 12 years and the desire to drink has gone. However, in tonight's Zoom AA meeting 😀 one recurring theme was friends and family who are drinking more, generally out of boredom or frustration. I relate to the boredom eating. I've never worked from home before and it's strange having constant Skype meetings - I'm getting through huge amounts of tea and basically anything else in the cupboards. And I normally walk everywhere and I'm not going outside some days.

Also eating more - never far from the fridge, Baking with dc and after the weekly shop there's lots of food in the house, sp lots of temptation near. Usually at work I'm too busy to eat much but now have time to make 2 nice meals a day now. I also think that if there's no other things to do that meals become more special/ a way of marking the time in the day, rather than something rushed down when you feel peckish.

I reckon I've eaten more chocolate in the last 3 weeks than I have in the last 10 years.

Eating more certainly, but also eating better food (all home cooked, no grab-and-go lunch or skipped breakfast). Trying to compensate for that by getting more exercise given I don't have to spend time commuting.

Drinking is probably the same overall, but more steady: the weekend / weekend split isn't as dramatic so I'm more likely to say 'fuck it' and open a bottle of wine on a Monday, but less likely to go hog wild because no 'nights out' as such (virtual pub is fun and all, but its not the same).

No... strangely enough I have spent 40 years binge eating and turning to food when unhappy . I am pretty stressed and scared but have been eating quite well and not snacking at all. 2-3 meals a day ( depending on if I fancy breakfast or not) with almost nothing in between. I've lost a bit of weight in fact

I think I know instinctively how.much worse so will feel if I start bingeing or eating lots of junk . It is very strange because I have never felt less like overeating in my life.

@BetsyBigNose - thank you for your post. I’ve been struggling with alcohol over the past couple of years - huge binges at weekends and holidays. Knew I needed to cut back and be more in control. Since Covid-19, First week WFH I drank every night as no driving in the morning, bored, novelty etc. Was waking up rough most days and started thinking about a hair of the dog when I got up- real slippery slope. I’m a nurse and was in a non clinical role then got redeployed to front line care. Mainly early shifts - probably just as well as it’s given me the impetus to stop and I’ve had one glass of wine and half a lager in three weeks. Not going to drink anything for at least the next 2 weeks then re-evaluate. Also want to lose 2 stone so should help with that.
Most people on here will not develop a drink problem but some will. So if you do start “needing” a drink every day, just be aware of that and make sure a problem doesn’t creep up on you.