Drew Barrymore posted this video of herself in the costume department of her talk show, and as you can see, she’s showing one of the “real” things about this f–ked up year: everyone is gaining weight. If you’re lucky enough to NOT catch coronavirus, chances are that you’ve gained some weight from a combination of not being able to work out like you did pre-pandemic, or just overeating/stress-eating because you’re home. Drew is the same. She says, to camera:
“Okay, so, we’re in the wardrobe closet and you know how normally we do these like, cute pictures and we’re like, ‘Oh my god, look at this amazing outfit and look!’ Well. Here. Let me keep it real with ya,” Barrymore, 45, said in a video on Instagram, as she showed the unzipped back of her pants. “Yeah, that happened.”
The mom of two said that the wardrobe team on the show had to make some adjustments to get the waistband to fit.
“I guess I’ve been eating my stress at little bit lately and I have to have like, a brassiere thing put in there,” she said, laughing. “So, I’m going to reevaluate my life this weekend, and for anyone who has to put an extender on your pants, well just know, I feel ya!”
First of all, those gaucho pants are super-unflattering, and even a really thin woman would look “wide” in those. Second of all, look… it’s happening to all of us. For months during the pandemic, I actually thought I was keeping up with staying active and not stress-eating too much, but as the election got closer, I really began to stress eat. Too much candy, too many Frappes, too many French fries. I never weigh myself, but I feel like I’ve probably put on 15-20 pounds over the pandemic (perhaps the “covid 19”). It sucks but I also feel like we just need to give ourselves a damn break. These are unprecedented times and if you’re lucky enough to survive the pandemic, you can go back to eating better and taking better care of yourself next June.
Photos courtesy of Drew’s Instagram.
*raises hand* 3 year old and newborn here and working from home on government pandemic response this year. I’ve forgiven myself for anxiously eating ALL of the bread and chocolate in the house.
Yep. The COVID 19 was real in my household, for the adults. Even my 10 year old has put on weight and I just feel so bad like I am failing her by not keeping her more active! But I’m self-employed and after the initial shutdown (and a bilateral mastectomy) I’ve been going 1000 mph at work and parenting + work+ household + pandemic = not enough Embee to go around!
Embee, you’re doing a great job. I guarantee you’ve put more effort into making your 10 year old feel happy and loved than yourself.
Seconded.
Thanks all!!
You need to give yourself a break. You’ve been through a lot. Your 10 year old will be fine.
No one should feel guilty for gaining weight during this time, or for drinking more than normal, etc. everyone handles it differently. I wish extreme stress affected me differently; my appetite is the first thing to go. I was anorexic about 20 years ago and I still wonder if that’s why.
My hot spot has been alcohol intake. And honestly, if I could safely get weed I’d be smoking it. But right now I can’t. So it’s alcohol. I’ve been really watching it and forcing myself to cut it down to weekends only. For a while it was near-nightly. I never had a problem with alcohol either.
I agree about the alcohol. I swear every time I have a drink I gain a pound. I know that isn’t possible, but the scale tells me otherwise. It’s probably a lot of bloat. It never happened when I was younger.
Nope. Opposite. The stress from this year has killed my appetite. And kick-started a Crohn’s flare up. I could actually stand to gain some weight now, but then I’d have to eat. Ick. And I think I’ve lost muscle from being less active, so my weight has definitely dropped.
I think the bottom line is that whether we’ve gained or lost weight, almost all of us are probably less healthy than we were at the start of the year, even if we’ve been lucky enough not to catch covid.
Same. I have IBS (irritable bowel…ick) and it has flared up numerous times…which causes weight loss because of, you know! The problem is that I want to eat terrible foods right now, I just crave fast food/comfort food and I can’t help it. I’m still exercising and all that, but my eating is BAD, BAD, BAD!!! I just want all the comforting carby foods and it makes me sick 🙁
My gastroenterologist actually said eating heavily processed foods when the disease is active is not the worst thing for us. She said that processed foods require very little work for your digestive system to break down, because they’re already so broken down by virtue of being so processed. Sure, they’re not healthy, but it causes A LOT less cramping when your digestive system works on them than to break down healthier foods. Things like whole grains, raw fruits and veggies, nuts, seeds, and leafy greens are very good for you, but they require a lot of work for your system to break down, and therefore can cause a lot of cramping for patients with digestive issues. I would highly recommend researching a low-residue diet. I was put on one after intestinal resectioning to lighten the workload on my digestive system while it was healing. It definitely excludes the most nutrient dense foods, but if it doesn’t make your stomach hurt so badly that you avoid eating altogether, then that’s probably a net gain.
That’s a long way of saying, “go ahead and eat the garbage and don’t worry about it.” 😊
I think what flared it up this time, was too many nuts, they really tear me up (so for some reason I keep eating lots of them!)….so your statement would make sense for sure. Then after that, all I wanted was fast food or things like chicken and dumplings! Trying to get back on track this week with some healthy but mild options for my poor gut that feels like it’s been through a war. Getting old isn’t easy….
No one needs to feel guilty for gaining weight, period. Drew doesn’t need to “reevaluate [her] life”, she just needs to buy some bigger pants.
Thank you so much for this. I lost 20+ lbs last year and I’m sure I put it all back. Too scared to get on the scale. Even my long daily walks don’t balance out the crap I’ve been eating. I can honestly feel myself calm down when I eat comfort food. I’m disappointed in myself but also trying to give myself a break. These aren’t normal times. I miss the gym.
Between COVID quarantine and 2 unfortunate recalls on my usual thyroid meds, I’ve gained 20lbs and am having a hell of a time losing it. Fortunately for me (or…unfortunately) I’ve discovered business appropriate stretchy jumpsuits that have covered up (and even encouraged) my expansion.
The problem with Drew’s outfit is not the fit.
I live alone. I actually lost 12 pounds. Not due to stress but from spending hours walking or walk/running in my local park as that is all there was to do.
I started off the year overeating…and suddenly woke up one day 10 pounds heavier. What the?! As a big fan of Intuitive Eating and body acceptance (and a big enemy of Diet Culture) I cultivated an attitude of being okay with the extra weight but at a certain point, I had to admit I wasn’t feeling so hot—digestive distress, sleeping on a full stomach uncomfortable if not impossible, pants not fitting, rings too tight…it got old. So I reevaluated & made some dietary adjustments that were sustainable for me: no alcohol (except special occasions), no snacking on fatty foods (cheese, nuts, chips), no seconds at meals, and fruit for dessert instead of chocolate or ice cream. It took about 2 months to get back down to my “fighting weight” as Jane Fonda calls it. I feel much better, but I’ll admit, the wine and cheese was nice, too! So it’s a trade-off. There’s no right or wrong when it comes to our body. What’s most important is to love ourselves.
I have put in a good 20 pounds and have gone up a size in clothes. Which, of course, gave me the ok to waste money in buying new clothes. Stress eating and stress shopping. Both unhealthy.
We started eating low carb. We call it Keto but it’s really more Sugar Busters. We eat a ton of veggies. I had a cheat day on Thanksgiving. I have lost about 4-5 pounds. It’s slow going. But that’s healthier. Right?
I haven’t worn pants with a button or zipper in over 6 months. I’m afraid to get on a scale after eating pie for breakfast 5 days in a row after thanksgiving… I even put whipped cream on it 😩
I’ve lost some weight from lack of social drinking – I’ll put em back at a party or on a fun night out, but solo excessive drinking is dull. I’m definitely less fit though, from crappier eating and much less exercise. Oh well, things could be far worse right now!
I actually lost 60 lbs this year. I did overeat during the March/April quarantine though so no judgement on anyone else.
Very cool – congratulations!