Gaining Weight During COVID-19?

by Melinda Burris

Doctors from around the world specializing in a range of fields are sounding the alarm on a consequence of the pandemic and the resulting lockdowns and self-isolating protocols—people experiencing weight gain as a result of the suppression of normal activity and the disruption of normal routines.

Humans are creatures of habit, and when we lose the ability to maintain our regular routine, it seems our best habits, those that constitute the choice to live a healthy lifestyle, are easily lost and it can prove difficult to find and renew the dedication one once had to wellness.

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A recent survey conducted in the United Kingdom finds that over half of all survey respondents acknowledged struggling to maintain their normal weight during the months of mandatory lockdowns. In reporting on this survey, Healthline.com noted the survey was conducted by Slimming World, a weight-loss company with a large following in the U.K. Despite what many warn is a conflict of interest in an organization that profits from weight loss programs running such an investigation, it has also been noted that the survey findings correspond with a trend physicians have observed as patients have recently returned to in-person visits and had their weight checked.1

Internist and pulmonologist, Dr. Len Horovitz, who practices at New York’s Lenox Hill Hospital, observes that in general, his patients have gained “anywhere from 3 to 15 pounds.”1 According to the doctor, it is a common problem and patients must “make an effort to not gain weight.”1 Unfortunately, the strange times we are now living in can make maintaining your weight difficult and many of us have experienced unprecedented challenges, with delivery backlogs due to COVID-19 making purchasing healthy foods more difficult and the lockdown blocking the ability to participate in group or communal exercise that has long been a mainstay in the fitness industry.

According to an online survey highlighted at this year’s virtual gathering of The European and International Congress on Obesity (ECOICO), over 63% percent of survey takers reported experiencing varying degrees of difficulty in maintaining their normal body weight while in lockdown.1

Researchers have attributed the struggle to four primary factors:1

• Lack of readily available healthy food sources in stores
• Mindless snacking caused by boredom
• Stress eating as a coping mechanism for dealing with increased levels of anxiety and stress
• Lack of exercise

The term “the Freshman 15” has become a common cultural reference to the propensity of college students to gain weight during their freshman year. The phenomenon of weight gain among so many during the pandemic has earned it the nickname, the “Quarantine 19”. 2

Make Maintaining Your Personal Routine a Priority

People of all ages, adults working from home, and school children doing online learning are living more sedentary lives, and that leads to weight gain and lack of motivation to exercise. Those yearning to return to their pre-pandemic routines, including trips to the gym and simply exerting the energy required to complete the tasks we normally undertake when we venture out into the world, are still facing lockdowns or strict restrictions on the number of people that can attend exercise classes. In some cities, including New York, curfews have recently been reinstated, limiting the hours businesses can be open.

Dr. John Morton, the medical director of bariatric surgery at Yale New Haven Health System advises the following:

• Develop a plan and create new wellness routines around what he describes as “the four pillars for weight loss: diet, exercise, sleep, and stress management.”3 Morton maintains that routines are fundamental to controlling weight and preserving overall well-being.3

It can be tempting when you know you will be working from home to skip the basics: showering, starting the day with a healthy breakfast, and making a concrete plan for a productive day. Morton sums his philosophy up in this way: “Purpose gives direction, and it helps when it comes to weight.”3

Weight Gain Puts You at a Higher Risk for Numerous Disease States, Including Increased Complications, Should You Contract COVID-19

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that patients who are overweight or obese are classified as high risk for numerous life-threatening diseases including heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and a host of other health conditions.1 The pandemic has increased concerns for obese patients because they have a tendency to suffer from these underlying conditions, which puts them in a high-risk group for serious complications if they are infected with COVID-19.1

Dr. Morton has expressed apprehension about whether the COVID-19 vaccine when it is approved and brought to market, will prove effective for obese individuals. Morton explains, “We’ve learned over the years that traditional flu vaccines do not work as well in people with obesity. This probably has a lot to do with the fact that the immune response is altered because of the weight and the inflammatory changes that occur.”3

Morton is a proponent of “[making] sure that patients with obesity are over-represented in the [vaccine] trial, because they are at high risk, and we need to have a vaccine that is going to work for them.”3

Exercise and Mental Health

Experts at the University of Missouri aptly point out that in times of extraordinary stress (and a global pandemic certainly qualifies), our bodies need exercise even more than usual. Exercise has been shown to alleviate stress and ease depression and anxiety symptoms.2

While many medical experts also claim exercise “boosts your immune system”2, Dr. Suzanne Cassel, an expert in immunology employed at Cedars-Sinai, refutes the idea of “boosting” the immune system, arguing that what we should really be striving for is a balanced immune system. According to Cassell, when the immune system over-reacts, the repercussions can be just as serious as when the immune system fails to respond adequately.4

How do you keep your immune system in balance? Cassell offers three suggestions:4

1. Exercise regularly
2. Eat a balanced, healthy diet
3. Make sure you get enough sleep

Dr. Scott Bea, a clinical psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic asserts it is well-known “that during vigorous aerobic exercise we’re releasing endorphins and pain-relieving substances.”5 Speaking to the potential mental health benefits of this type of exercise, Dr. Bea continues, “We suspect that other mood-regulating chemicals are being released as well, such as serotonin; and dopamine—the ‘feel-good’ chemical. And we think all of those can be byproducts of activity, and exercise in particular, so there are biological explanations for this.”5

Experts at the Cleveland Clinic point to the findings of a recent scientific study examining how combining aerobic exercise with muscle-strengthening workouts, such as weightlifting, may elevate mood levels. The study compiled and analyzed data on 17,839 adults living in the United States. The research findings showed a link between fewer signs of depression exhibited among individuals who do some form of aerobic exercise along with muscle-strengthening activities in comparison to individuals who are inactive.5

Depression Can Steal Your Motivation

As discussed above, depression can make it difficult to find the energy to do anything, even the most ordinary, daily tasks. Physically exerting yourself more than necessary can be a difficult hurdle for those struggling with mental health challenges. Paradoxically, the very thing depressed individuals find most challenging to do—get up and get moving—specifically partaking in aerobic exercise, even if you begin with a short walk to get your body moving, your blood pumping, and getting outside a bit and adding a simple routine of repetitions using hand weights can be very helpful in finding your way out of a slump.5

References:

1. Sweet, J. (16 September 2020). Worried About Weight Gain During COVID-19? You’re Not Alone.
2. MUHealthcare.org. (2020). Pandemic Weight Gain—It’s a Thing.
3. Katella, K. (1 July 2020). Quarantine 15? What to Do About Weight Gain During the Pandemic.
4. Cedars-Sinai Staff. (1 June 2020). Can You Really Boost Your Immune System?
5. Cleveland Clinic Newsroom. (26 April 2019). Study Shows Exercise is Effective in Lifting Mood.

 
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