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Original poster

To wonder why people blame lockdown when talking about weight gain

251 replies

Apple41 · 23/08/2023 22:20

Always been overweight however I lost weight during lockdown due to having time to excerise and cook well. I keep seeing people blame lockdown for their weight being higher and don't get it. Obviously gyms were closed but so were restuarants.

OP posts:
CharlotteBog · 24/08/2023 00:18

Goady.

Are you actually wondering this? I mean, don't you know that everyone is different?

Usernamen · 24/08/2023 00:19

brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr · 23/08/2023 22:25

Got depressed and comfort ate.

This.

Drank red wine every day in lockdown 1.

Pulled it together and had a dry lockdown 2 and an almost dry lockdown 3.

But overall lockdown was absolutely dreadful for my health.

CharlotteBog · 24/08/2023 00:19

@Apple41
I am now wondering why it took something so drastic as lockdown to get you to lose weight? I am wondering why you were always overweight.

happyasaseagullstealingchips · 24/08/2023 00:21

I thought it was our one crap local shop that was take it or leave it or the fact I could never get a supermarket delivery slot turns out it was more a fibroid which is now watermelon sized that I'm in a huge waiting list to have removed because of COVID.

Gooshka1 · 24/08/2023 00:22

I did put on weight during the first lockdown because I was bored, greedy and lazy - no excuse whatsoever.

During the second lockdown though, I wised up - started exercising and counting calories and lost the weight I'd gained plus a stone more.

Who knows what impact Covid had on different people - some comfort ate, some stress ate, others (like me) just ate!

JenWillsiam · 24/08/2023 00:29

We ate and drank our way through lockdown. No regrets.

JanesBlond · 24/08/2023 00:31

I gained weight because I was working overtime from home so my activity levels plummeted (I usually get a lot of walking in as part of my commute) and I lost all interest in food from stress so basically lived off plain white rice for months

verdantverdure · 24/08/2023 00:35

It makes a change from people saying things like

"Calories in < Calories out. Simples."

FedUpWithEverything123 · 24/08/2023 00:37

I put on a stone during lockdown,
and haven't been able to shift it

Everyone had such different experiences during lockdown - we were homeschooling and working full-time in shifts from 5am to midnight or later, there was no time for exercise. It was hellish

Nevermind31 · 24/08/2023 00:38

Juggling homeschooling a reception child, a toddler, a job, a household meant I was super stressed, no time to exercise or meal plan or batch cook or make banana bread or all the other things people harp on about that were great during lockdown. I was failing as a parent, in my job, as a teacher, had to make up time before and after work… so yeah, I stress ate

call911 · 24/08/2023 00:40

Trying not to out myself but for every reason going, lockdown was the first time I had to work hard to maintain being slim. My metabolism started slowing. My body became less toned and I got cellulite for the first time. It wasn’t even that I was eating more, it’s that I was exercising less as I no longer had my daily commute to work/the train station. This meant that my normal food intake was enough for me to gain weight.

Palindrone · 24/08/2023 00:45

I worked more than ever during lockdown, juggling this with a stir-crazy child, so didn't have the time to eat and exercise well. I was also super stressed because I couldn't see my parents, both of whom were rapidly declining with dementia. I subsequently drank gallons of wine and ordered too many takeaways. Do you get it now, OP?

ALongHardWinter · 24/08/2023 00:47

Comfort eating? Boredom? Stress and anxiety?

OnlyFannys · 24/08/2023 00:49

I gained weight initially through boredom and depression being a single mum trying to wfh and homeschool. Not seeing another adult in person for weeks at a time was awful and it was very stressful. I then tried to put on some jeans instead of sweatpants and realised how badly I'd been comfort eating (and wine drinking). I then put my focus onto learning about nutrition and weight loss as my outlet and managed to lose 2 stone. I can entirely see both sides for why lockdown could add to weight loss or weight gain, it was a rough bloody time and we all did what we could to survive

MumblesParty · 24/08/2023 01:02

I worked throughout lockdown, leaving my 14 and 10 year olds home alone for 12 hours at a time, it was a nightmare. And I wasn’t allowed to see my partner, so I missed him terribly. But I managed to lose 1.5 stone. I think it was a control thing. The only thing I could control in my life was what I ate, and I was determined that something good would come out of the horrible time.

Put it all back on since then though!

PinkyPork · 24/08/2023 01:17

Agree OP, I took a long walk or run everyday
for my exercise and reached my lowest ever weight in October 2020

Joeylove88 · 24/08/2023 01:26

I exercised like a beast during the first lockdown almost obsessively so I lost weight even though I was already small. Looking back I realise it was a release from the anxiety of the covid situation and being home alone on furlough. I still ate loads but the amount of exercise meant that my metabolism was through the roof. I did 2/3 intense home workouts a week, loads of long bike rides and 5/6 online live yoga sessions a week, walks, and even 1 x 5k run (the first and last run!). We were lucky living in the country we got to go out for hours at a time as well. Putting weight on wasn't an option for me because of how anxious I was.

call911 · 24/08/2023 01:36

I envy the people who managed to exercise during lockdown. I set my Apple Watch to a 700-1000 move goal and I had to really put effort in to close my rings daily. I live in a built up area so social distancing for a walk or run was practically impossible and people would definitely notice me leaving multiple times of the day. I had to walk like 30k steps following a train line or something equally ridiculous. I definitely didn’t have the space for home workout equipment. Then you know, Sarah everard and other women disappeared which made me want to leave the house less!

theGooHasGone · 24/08/2023 03:54

I lost weight during lockdown/Covid too OP. Everyone had a bit of a different experience.

BarbaraofSeville · 24/08/2023 04:15

I still don't understand why people thought they could only go out once a day for only an hour because that was never the rule at all.

We went out for walks and bike rides, took both our DMs dogs for walks, kept an eye on them, did shopping for them because they were shielding, went to supermarkets, all within the rules, we were often in and out all day when we weren't working (I was WFH and DP went out to work M-F because he was in construction so outside and operating fairly normally) and as long as we didn't come into close contact with other people then fairly risk free.

hylian · 24/08/2023 04:50

People had very different experiences. I lost weight like you OP, I was in a privileged position of not having kids to worry about and being able to spend some time on myself. But I can understand why some people gained, it was an awful time for some people.

piscesangel · 24/08/2023 05:12

My office based job moved to home working so I was expected to do my normal hours, plus looking after a 2 year old and home schooling a primary age child. I hardly slept. It's nice that you had extra time to exercise. I know that was the experience for some others because I take some interest in what is going on around me Hmm

iloveeverykindofcat · 24/08/2023 05:30

Well OP I lost weight too. Except I'm already underweight. Because I'm autistic and I couldn't access safe foods.

Lockdown was absolute hell to me and I get quite triggered thinking about it. Glad you enjoyed it guess. Funnily enough even as an autistic I can understand that different people had different experiences of lockdown.

CharlotteBog · 24/08/2023 05:31

I still don't understand why people thought they could only go out once a day for only an hour because that was never the rule at all.

I understand the rule was only to go out for essential reasons and to limit exercise to once a day in your local area.

fairycakesandtea7 · 24/08/2023 06:12

I was working on covid wards full time and have a chronic health condition so by the time I came home I was knackered and didn't have the energy to cook properly...