Forty-five of the 50 U.S. state governments issued shelter orders on the site from March 19 to April 6, 2020, to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.
“On average, they earned about 0.6 pounds every 10 days or 1.8 pounds a month during shelter applications,” said cardiologist Dr. Gregory Marcus, one of the research authors and professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.
This weight gain was independent of geographic location or comorbidities, the research found. The study authors said that implementing shelter orders at the site also corresponded to a decrease in daily step count and an increase in excessive self-report intake.
These two corresponding factors accompany what experts believe is behind an increase in weight gain during the pandemic. CNN’s contributor to health and nutrition, Lisa Drayer, considers food comfort, specifically, a problem during this stressful period.
During confinement, many opted for high-calorie foods, like sweets or pizza, to relieve stress when there was nothing left to do or crave, and working at home allows the kitchen to be within reach all day.
Just as the pandemic changed eating habits, it also had an impact on exercise habits, according to Dr. Caroline Apovian, co-director of the Weight Management and Wellness Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
With the gyms that many depended on closed and people losing basic daily physical activity – like walking from the parking lot to the office – some people are simply not doing the same level of exercise they did before the shutdown.
If you are reading this and are thinking about your own less than ideal habits you acquired last year, Drayer said this is no time to blame yourself.
“Definitely give yourself a break,” said Drayer. “Eating is one of the pleasures of life, and the pandemic has been so stressful that it is understandable that we eat more of our favorite comfort foods – and more often and in large quantities.”
However, it is important to recognize the unintended health consequences of on-site shelter requests, said the study’s authors. They noted that their results show that there is a need for strategies to mitigate weight gain as local governments consider their responses to Covid-19 and future pandemics.
If that weight gain is significant and permanent, there may be wider implications for society, according to Drayer.
“This means that there are other unintended health consequences associated with a pandemic that can complicate an already risky situation,” she said.
This is because being obese or being overweight can increase the risk of serious illnesses caused by Covid-19, with obesity potentially tripling the risk of hospitalization due to Covid-19, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. .
How to view these results to deal with weight gain
This study had its limitations. The sample size of the study was small and not diverse: Of the 269 participants, 77% were White.
“The fact that they are (for the most part) white means only that if you look at a population with racial diversity, the results will be worse,” said Apovian. This is because we know that obesity is more prevalent in different races.
From the study reliance on Bluetooth scales and weight measurements leads to a reduction in the overall sample size, which is another limitation, the study authors said.
They also point out that the characteristics of the people who own these scales – who are already monitoring their weight and paying attention to their health – may limit the extent to which the results of the study can be applied to other environments, but they say they follow the individuals over time, assessing weight changes during shelter applications at the site lessens the threat to internal validity.
“It may be that what we observe is actually an underestimation of the magnitude of weight gain that most people have experienced – because, at the very least, these people are especially interested in health and research,” said Marcus.
With all that in mind, Drayer said there are steps you can take to boost metabolism, correct bad habits and lose a few pounds – even during a pandemic:
- Consume small and frequent meals. Eat three meals and three snacks a day, with intervals of three to four hours. Never skip meals; keep portable snacks on hand for when you are too busy to stop and eat. Try to be consistent with meal and snack times.
- Include protein in your plate. Try to include at least 85 grams of protein per meal. For the correct portioning, visualize the size of a computer mouse or a deck of cards.
- Gradually, start lifting weights. Light weight lifting will help you preserve muscle mass, increase metabolism and tone up as you lose weight.
- Start walking. A brisk walk for at least 30 minutes a day will speed up your metabolism and help you burn extra calories.
- Find alternatives to relieve stress. Sometimes, you may want to satisfy your cravings for sweets, but often, a hot bath or a walk around the block can be equally stress relieving.
Apovian hopes that, at the very least, Americans will learn the importance of dealing with obesity.
“This brings up the question that your weight changes in a different environment. And it is not your fault, it is because (obesity is) a disease. And the disease of obesity is a dysfunction of the brain connections with the hormones that control your appetite and satiety, “said Apovian.
“(The study) shows that your illness can get worse if you have a lot of food around or don’t do a lot or stay at home. It speaks of the fact that it is not a matter of willpower. “