THANKS BUT NO

Long Island Town Puts Residents on Diet to Lose the ‘Quarantine 15’

The town of Huntington is rolling out a new voluntary diet program to combat stress-induced “emotional eating” and “set a new lifestyle” amid the pandemic.

A town in Long Island is rolling out a new diet program aimed at helping residents lose the “quarantine 15,” or weight gain associated with being stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic. “Set a new lifestyle for yourself, take the necessary steps to turn things around,” Huntington Clerk Andrew Raia said while announcing the new program on Wednesday, “because this virus is going to be with us for some time.” The program, which is voluntary, is intended to help the 200,000 residents of the town of Huntington improve their health by encouraging better eating habits and more exercise. Huntington Hospital’s Director of Bariatric Surgery Dr. David Buchin said in a Facebook live video that stay-at-home orders can take a heavy toll on mental and physical health. “And as a result of that increased stress, we're seeing a lot of emotional eating,” said Dr. William Spencer, who is on the Suffolk County Health Committee.