Is your waist as large as Jeanne?

Your waistline can be a hurricane casualty, along with roof shingles and dry socks.

In fact, one storm can add up to 5 to 10 extra pounds -- or one or two new pork-rind-induced belt notches. Multiple hurricanes could doom even dieters with iron willpower, Dr. Denise Bruner, an obesity expert, said Wednesday.

“Whenever we are faced with an incredible amount of stress, we tend to fall back into our comfort zones,” she said. “Our moms made us cookies after a hard day. We go for those high-fat and high-sugar foods because they make us feel better. We’re using food to medicate our moods.”

Just ask Raid Bassoum, a worker at E Z Food Mart on Vineland Road. His shelves were picked bare by people laying in supplies for hurricanes Charley, Frances and Jeanne.

“We’ve completely sold out of chips and cookies, and the candy, it’s just gone,” he said. “That has never happened before.”

Meanwhile, fruits, dry goods and canned foods remained in good supply, he said.

Bruner, an Arlington, Va.-based doctor who has appeared on Dr. Phil and Maury, isn’t surprised. Bruner, in Orlando this week for a medical convention on obesity, said eating junk food triggers chemicals in our brains that make us feel good for a while -- then we crave more junk.

“It’s a cycle that just builds on itself,” she said.

You can still feel hungry after eating a day’s worth of calories in chocolate or fried chips, she said. “It’s like your body’s programming is working against you.”

And stress doesn’t come from just the storm itself, looming large on every TV channel, but from the aftermath.

“It’s the times where, ‘My goodness, when is the roof man going to be here?’ ” Bruner said.

But the situation isn’t hopeless.

“We can take control if we’re conscious of what we’re doing,” she said.

Getting enough rest and drinking plenty of water helps. She also recommended herbal teas and surrounding yourself with pleasant aromas such as lavender to soothe raw nerves.

“We can take control of it if we’re conscious of what we’re doing,” she said.

Rich McKay can be reached at 407-420-5470 or rmckay@orlandosentinel.com.