Survey proves that pandemic weight gain is a thing!

It wasn't surprising to see an article today on the BBC (linked below) about weight gain during the last 16 months.

It elaborated on the survey of 5,000 people by Public Health England (PHE) which showed that more than 40% of adults in England have gained an average of half a stone (3kg) during the pandemic.

Stress, boredom, poor sleep and less physical activity will all have contributed to weight gain since the start of the pandemic.

Snacking is of course cited as a contributing factor, but did you know that when we are stressed or anxious our body processes food differently?

Instead of using the calories ingested immediately as energy, our brain can send a signal to our body to store the calories as fat (usually around the abdomen) instead.

The brain thinks this fat store will be useful for future use in hard times!

The brain is trying to be helpful, it's trying to look after you! Once the process is kicked off, it's generally more powerful than any conscious willpower you try to apply to eating less.

Layer on top of that process the compulsion to eat more as a means of getting feel good chemicals to counter feelings of stress, and it's no wonder getting back in control feels like a losing battle.

I'm pretty passionate about this subject, so if you have any questions about the mental processes behind eating, weight gain and loss, feel free to ask me via DM or arrange a phone chat. I can help you understand how you can get back in control. Solution Focused Hypnotherapy is effective at helping people break unwanted patterns to do with eating and food and I successfully work with a lot of clients on emotional, binge and general over-eating. I help people towards their eating, weight and general lifestyle goals.

BBC Article: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-57968651