How To Stop Overeating In Lockdown & Stay In Ketosis- COVID-19 Update

You are doing your part as a good citizen if you are staying at home during this quarantine period. Many people, however, find this isolation very stressful. This is especially true if you stay alone without people around to talk to.

Many youngsters these days stay away from their homes and the COVID-19 has left them feeling lonely and bored.

One of the first responses to stress and boredom is eating. A majority of the population is munching on snacks and keeps sipping on sodas while at home.

The quarantine period is only halfway through and by stress eating, you will ruin your months of workouts and diet regimes.

If you are on a keto diet, handling the diet and your need to constantly munch can be even more challenging. Here are few tips to follow for those on a keto diet to prevent stress eating while you are locked down.

Know your biological cycle

Many people resort to opening the fridge and grabbing food just because they have nothing else to do. Apart from your three major meals, if you are tempted to pick up food, stop the urge and think about it for a minute.

Do you usually eat during this time of the day if you are at work?

Is your body really craving for food or is your brain trying to compensate for the lack of work, boredom, and loneliness?

Reply honestly to the questions and then decide what to do.

Usually, this pause will prevent you from adding a lot of empty calories to your day’s macros.

Keep temptations away

For people on a keto diet, the biggest temptations are sugary/salty snacks, bread, gooey carbohydrates like pasta and junk foods like pizza and burger.

Are you finding it extremely difficult to keep your hands away from the pack of biscuits lying on the dining table? 

The easiest solution to this is to not see such foods around your vicinity.

Do not buy carb-loaded snacks and foods. This is quite an easy solution if you stay alone. When there are no temptations, you cannot move away from your diet. 

If you have children, siblings or a spouse who loves such food, then ask them to store these in a closed drawer or in their own room.

Surround yourself with healthy fats and low-carb snacks that keep you full, yet do not ruin your macros for the day.

Know the difference between physical and emotional hunger

There are two basic types of hunger you feel over the day – physical and emotional.

Here are some of the signs of physical hunger.

• You get hungry during the obvious biological periods - mornings, afternoon and late evenings
• Hunger develops gradually
• You feel satisfied after the meal
• You are not left behind feeling guilty
• You are perfectly happy eating a Low Carbohydrate High Fat (LCHF) meal

Below are the signs of emotional/stress eating:

• You almost always crave for sugary, gooey, and carb-loaded food
• You are not satisfied at the end of the meal
• The hunger appears randomly and in-between major meals
• You are always guilty after gorging on high carb snacks

Have a bottle of water near you

This age-old technique works amazingly even now. Every time you feel like grabbing a snack, take a long sip from your water bottle.

Water can help combat any signs of emotional hunger and you can distract your body from the momentary need.

It is also proven that dehydration can cause random mood swings and change your eating habits, making you sway away from your diet.

It is always a good idea to drink at least 3 liters of water every day when on a keto diet to ensure you are hydrated.

You can make water a fun beverage by adding a handful of crushed berries, a slice of lemon, or a twig of mint to the water bottle.

Find ways to not get bored

Researches show that people overeat when they have nothing else to do. If you are left with nothing much to do during the lockdown, you might get very bored and stressed after a few days.

Watching Netflix might be fun at the beginning but sitting on the sofa for hours together will make you constantly hungry.

Here are other tasks that can keep you busy during the lockdown.

• Upgrade your work-skills with courses and certifications.
• Take up an online hobby class.
• Try your hands at painting.
• Pick up seeds from your kitchen and start growing plants.
• Take a home improvement project.
• Try new keto recipes.
• Call up old friends and catch up with their lives.

Get creative in the kitchen

There are times when the inability to step outside the house can make you really anxious and sad.

If you feel that only good food is going to help you get out of this phase, do not deprive yourself.

Almost all delicacies you crave can be converted ‘keto style’.

There are some amazing keto websites that post recipes and video blogs on a regular basis. Try out those exciting recipes during your down time. It's a great feeling to know that you created something new from the scratch. 

There is now no reason to state a lack of time as an excuse. Try out these different food items and enjoy the lockdown period with yummy food. This will keep your soul happier.

Talk to other keto-enthusiasts

Are you finding it very challenging to stick to your diet during the lockdown?

Are you not finding high-fat ingredients to make your meals?

Connect with other keto friends and acquaintances online and find out how they are coping up and places where you can buy your ingredients from.

If motivation is all you need to keep away from stress-eating, these people can help.

Almost all social media platforms have dedicated groups for keto followers.

Other than that, there are many keto experts who are ready to guide people during this difficult period.

Take their help and find smart tips.

Do not punish yourself

Did you just end up having a slice of cake?

Are you feeling terribly guilty for ordering in that pizza last night?

It is ok.

Do not punish yourself and get into a shame mode which is only going to make you overeat more.

If you have a home gym, work out extra that day to burn off these calories. Else, you can always walk/jog on your terrace or in your parking area (just make sure you follow social distancing).

You can always get back to your original diet. Remember that and stay positive.

It is not impossible to follow an LCHF diet during this lockdown period. All you need is a creative mind to whip up meals and the strength to stay away from temptations.

Enjoy the break from constant traveling and work and use this period to get close to yourself and your family.

Practice social distancing and mindful living and let’s beat COVID-19!