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How does Covid-19 affect Obesity epidemic?
wmd1979
Posts: 469 Member
in Debate Club
So my gym closed due to the pandemic which I pretty much expected, and obviously the first question in my head was what I was going to do to supplement lack of gym time. I have stayed active by playing basketball in the driveway with my daughters, and kickboxing in the basement, however when we are being told to literally "sit on our butts" and people are stocking up with food and other supplies, my first inclination is that others aren't going to be as active. I feel like those who make it a priority to be active will still find ways to do that...however, I feel like those who sometimes struggle to stay motivated can easily find the pandemic as an excuse to literally just "sit on the couch". I'm not judging anyone one way or the other and I don't want to turn this into an excuse to shame people for following directions, but I guess the question that first popped into my head when we were all told to sit on the couch was, is this going to just make us unhealthy in other ways? I know this is a sensitive topic, and I truly hope that each and every one of you stays safe and healthy. Its a crazy time and its having a dramatic affect on a lot of people. To summarize, I know this pandemic is affecting us all in ways that we may not even realize right now. Do you think that it will also negatively affect the obesity epidemic(as I feel it will), or am I not having enough faith in humanity?
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Replies
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Considering that if I was able to outrun my fork I'd not be overweight to begin with, being unable to go to a gym'd then matter. Thereby my weight's only controllable, by nutrition instead of fitness.9
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You just described me. Only exercise I’m getting is climbing the walls.19
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DecadeDuchess wrote: »Considering that if I was able to outrun my fork I'd not be overweight to begin with, being unable to go to a gym'd then matter.
Your response doesn't really address the point of my post. Of course the fork matters, however, are people going to be less active now because of this pandemic than they were before? The calories being delivered by the fork can stay the same, but if activity level decreases then CO does as well which affects weight.
[edited by MFP Mods]18 -
corinasue1143 wrote: »You just described me. Only exercise I’m getting is climbing the walls.
I have three daughters within the ages of 3-7 and they are out of school for at least 4 weeks and I am forced to work remote. I feel your pain, and feel like this last six days has seemed like months. Climb the walls. Dance to stupid music. Do whatever you have to to entertain yourself. I watched Gonoodle with my ladies this morning and did the most unattractive dance ever to "peanut butter in a cup, we sing this song to pump us up!" and that seemed to entertain them until they were ready for lunch. Fortunately, its now spring in Iowa, and we can go outside and play basketball and softball in the yard. Still, the fact that we are restricted to not go anywhere literally makes me want to go everywhere. I feel like we are in a good place though with a large yard and plenty of activities and I just really feel for those people cooped up in small apartments with few options. Thats part of why I think this whole thing is going to be so hard for people...not everyone is as fortunate as I am, and if you are lacking of space, its going to take a concerted effort for you to maintain the same activity level.20 -
corinasue1143 wrote: »You just described me. Only exercise I’m getting is climbing the walls.
I have three daughters within the ages of 3-7 and they are out of school for at least 4 weeks and I am forced to work remote. I feel your pain, and feel like this last six days has seemed like months. Climb the walls. Dance to stupid music. Do whatever you have to to entertain yourself. I watched Gonoodle with my ladies this morning and did the most unattractive dance ever to "peanut butter in a cup, we sing this song to pump us up!" and that seemed to entertain them until they were ready for lunch. Fortunately, its now spring in Iowa, and we can go outside and play basketball and softball in the yard. Still, the fact that we are restricted to not go anywhere literally makes me want to go everywhere. I feel like we are in a good place though with a large yard and plenty of activities and I just really feel for those people cooped up in small apartments with few options. Thats part of why I think this whole thing is going to be so hard for people...not everyone is as fortunate as I am, and if you are lacking of space, its going to take a concerted effort for you to maintain the same activity level.
It’s been just rainy enough to be nasty here. Cold enough to wear a jacket, but then you start walking, get warm, want to take it off, but it’s raining, so you leave it on.
Supposed to be like this for the next few days.
But you’re right. I need to turn on some good music and just start moving! My grandkids and I like the Macarena!9 -
I think for some people they will be less active - if their gym has closed or their regular sport is cancelled.
But maybe others who normally work long office hours will go on walks ( which are allowed as long as social distancing) do gardening, home projects etc and actually increase their activity level12 -
DecadeDuchess wrote: »Considering that if I was able to outrun my fork I'd not be overweight to begin with, being unable to go to a gym'd then matter.
Your response doesn't really address the point of my post. Of course the fork matters, however, are people going to be less active now because of this pandemic than they were before? The calories being delivered by the fork can stay the same, but if activity level decreases then CO does as well which affects weight.
[edited by MFP Mods]
yes of course theoretically we could all adjust our fork to our new activity level - that wasnt really the question though.
It occurs to me that another side effect of isolation, for some people, might be losing motivation for weight loss - especially if their motivation came from group settings as it does for many people.
Main reason WW is so popular IMO is the social support groups give people.
[edited by MFP Mods]
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Going the other direction, I was reading the news from New Orleans and they were saying that a lot of their population is obese which is one reason they are having poor outcomes. Obese people don’t tend to do well when they get it.
Stay safe y’all, do YouTube videos, take a walk or run outside, do body weight exercises, learn some new dance moves. Think of all the extra free time you have not commuting to work!
Speaking for myself I went for a 9 mile run today, but encountered too many people at the park so I’m going to be limited to running my neighborhood from now on, which is pretty dreary. But better than being on a ventilator.12 -
We're pretty much in lockdown here (although the government refuses to call it a lockdown) but we are being explicitly encouraged to keep on being active outdoors. Within certain conditions of course: alone, with members of our family (while maintaining 1,5m distance from eachother) or max. 1 person from outside of the family, and 1.5m distance from other people.
Personally I am having a hard time being as active: I usually get 5-6000 steps from walking to and from work, and now I just take one flight of stairs to sit behind my desk. And it's way harder not to indulge in snacks, having food so close by, as opposed to being in the office with only those foods I planned to eat.
It takes a lot more commitment to get those steps in and stay on track food-wise!
I'm pretty sure I'm fighting Covid19 myself right now. Nothing too severe, but definitely not a good idea to do serious exercise at this point. I'll be pleased when I can exercise again and have a bit more room in my calorie budget for a snack or two (I'm lucky to have a home gym).
Generally speaking, I think most people will indeed move less, but - more importantly - won't eat less (or will even eat more) and waistlines will expand.
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I think active, diet conscious folks will find ways to eat decent and move. People who don't care, won't. That's just the way it is. Where there is a will, there is a way.16
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judging by my local grocery stores, the #1 item besides TP that is sold out, is frozen pizza. Hmmm can't be good?8
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I see a lot of people of all weights saying they are eating up their stash of snacky foods and treats and disappointed about not going to the gym, but not taking advantage of bodyweight exercise, Youtube videos and fitness apps that are offering free workouts. But what can you do?
All I know is that I am committed to continuing to watching my weight and still staying active during these crazy times.
Stay safe!15 -
I'm trying my best to not ruin all of the great progress I've made in the past few months. Not going to the gym combined with stress and emotional eating AND my husband stocking up our pantry with Little Debbie Snackcakes and cookies (seriously, like 8 packagaes) AND me having to work from home (which makes me want to snack all day) is a recipe for weight-loss disaster. My instinct is to just hunker down every night with my spouse and eat ice cream and Netflix binge. This is how I fall off the wagon every single time around Christmas breaks and summer vacation. (A lot of sitting around and too much food.)
I'm trying so hard to resist!! Things I have been doing - logging into MFP like crazy. It really does help me as far as support and knowing that others are coping w/ the same stresses. I'm continuing to log all of my food down to the crumb. I did a Fitness Blender video in my garage last night. (my gym finally closed yesterday) The kids and us have been taking post-dinner family walks, too, just get out of the house. Bonus activity and some bonding time.
Your post is SPOT ON!14 -
psychod787 wrote: »I think active, diet conscious folks will find ways to eat decent and move. People who don't care, won't. That's just the way it is. Where there is a will, there is a way.
I don't think it is that simple. Habits are reinforced in repetition and if a person is just starting they may be substantially more vulnerable to a sudden upset in routine. I am fortunate to have 2 years under my belt. I have self-studied quite a bit and been able to put most of my old incorrect thinking aside. My dietary routine is almost rock solid. I face an occasional crack in the dam but it never lasts long.14 -
The current epidemic will substantially add to the obesity epidemic unfortunately.......lowered TDEE's for individuals whose only daily activity was their profession (some now remote, others unemployed now unfortunately) plus increased indulgence due to stress and other emotional factors, idle time, etc. I have a bench and squat set at home I am able to take advantage of, plus a nearby school track i am using to walk 4 miles daily.4
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So everything I've heard says that outdoor exercise is considered to be safe. I'm still running and walking outside, but these were habits I had established before. I do think that people who prefer indoor exercise activities may struggle during this time and lots of people are going to be moving a lot less.9
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janejellyroll wrote: »So everything I've heard says that outdoor exercise is considered to be safe. I'm still running and walking outside, but these were habits I had established before. I do think that people who prefer indoor exercise activities may struggle during this time and lots of people are going to be moving a lot less.
I agree. I can still walk or run to keep my calories out close to normal. But I am fortunate to live in an almost perfect climate in the highlands of southern Mexico. Every morning is sunny and cool right now. The afternoons get hot, high 80s to low 90s. So, I just get out in the morning. But for those in more difficult climates, I can't see how NEAT would not be affected and there wouldn't be some weight gain among some number of people.
Whether that results in obesity or not is a question. Weight gain maybe? Some that are on the line may push over it into obesity.
I'm more concerned with my muscle mass and conditioning as that came from weight training and, although I can do some resistance bands and body weight stuff, I'm sure I will detrain somewhat.5 -
I think it's a manner of the lesser of two evils right now.
People who are already into health and fitness will, for the most part, continue to find ways to stay active and not overeat.
Those who are not will likely end up gaining weight due to being a lot more sedentary, thereby attracting the negative consequences increased body weight brings.
But keeping people as safe as possible from COVID has to be the main priority right now. I guess the world will have to deal with the fallout of a population forced to be more sedentary at some point down the road. But honestly, right now, we've all got bigger fish to air fry.
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janejellyroll wrote: »So everything I've heard says that outdoor exercise is considered to be safe. I'm still running and walking outside, but these were habits I had established before. I do think that people who prefer indoor exercise activities may struggle during this time and lots of people are going to be moving a lot less.
I agree. I can still walk or run to keep my calories out close to normal. But I am fortunate to live in an almost perfect climate in the highlands of southern Mexico. Every morning is sunny and cool right now. The afternoons get hot, high 80s to low 90s. So, I just get out in the morning. But for those in more difficult climates, I can't see how NEAT would not be affected and there wouldn't be some weight gain among some number of people.
Whether that results in obesity or not is a question. Weight gain maybe? Some that are on the line may push over it into obesity.
I'm more concerned with my muscle mass and conditioning as that came from weight training and, although I can do some resistance bands and body weight stuff, I'm sure I will detrain somewhat.
Yes, since I'm counting calories already and understand how my energy use is tied to my activity, I can pro-actively cut my calories to make sure I'm consuming what I'm needing if I wind up moving less during this period (which I almost certainly will, just because I typically walk to and from work). For an "average" person, if their NEAT suddenly goes down, they're probably not going to automatically start eating less.5 -
fitnessguy266 wrote: »The current epidemic will substantially add to the obesity epidemic unfortunately.......lowered TDEE's for individuals whose only daily activity was their profession (some now remote, others unemployed now unfortunately) plus increased indulgence due to stress and other emotional factors, idle time, etc. I have a bench and squat set at home I am able to take advantage of, plus a nearby school track i am using to walk 4 miles daily.
Substantially? I think that is overstating.
While obesity affects more people and contributes to more deaths it is not something that just happens overnight. It takes time.
Considering that most weight loss efforts fail without a virus in play and we do not know how long this will go on before life is forced back to normal I think obesity will not be dramatically impacted one way or the other.
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psychod787 wrote: »I think active, diet conscious folks will find ways to eat decent and move. People who don't care, won't. That's just the way it is. Where there is a will, there is a way.
I don't think it is that simple. Habits are reinforced in repetition and if a person is just starting they may be substantially more vulnerable to a sudden upset in routine. I am fortunate to have 2 years under my belt. I have self-studied quite a bit and been able to put most of my old incorrect thinking aside. My dietary routine is almost rock solid. I face an occasional crack in the dam but it never lasts long.
Yes. Habits are important. That is why I tell people who ask me for advice, a clean food environment is one of the best things one can do. A quote I love about personal choice.
A King may move a man, a father may claim a son, but remember that even when those who move you be Kings, or men of power, your soul is in your keeping alone. When you stand before God, you cannot say, "But I was told by others to do thus." Or that, "Virtue was not convenient at the time." This will not suffice. Remember that.
We can't control what the weather, government, and others do. We can only decide what we do and how we choose to deal with obstacles..7 -
I'm one of those in an extremely small space. My condo is a one bedroom, just under 700 sq feet. If I push all the furniture in the living room as far back as it will go, I can fit a yoga mat in longways, but can't spread my arms fully out to the sides. I don't really know much about what's on YouTube, but I know that's not enough room for things I used to do in aerobics type classes back in the day. I thought this would be a good time to start C25K or something, but they're predicting 4-6" of snow tomorrow and Friday, so that option seems to have disappeared as well for the time being. Luckily, stress goes right to my stomach, so too many calories has not yet been a concern for me.6
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I'll be skiing on groomed Nordic trails for two weeks until they stop grooming, then on obscure logging roads until June. I'm an "earn your turns" skier, meaning I go up in my own muscle power in order to go down.
I feel pretty safe on my road bike, the streets and sidewalks are empty.5 -
DecadeDuchess wrote: »Considering that if I was able to outrun my fork I'd not be overweight to begin with, being unable to go to a gym'd then matter. Thereby my weight's only controllable, by nutrition instead of fitness.
Pretty much everybody who's hiked the PCT has lost tens of pounds doing it, some eating as much as possible. Any healthy person can out walk their fork, it's that most people choose not to.11 -
From the state of many UK supermarket shelves, many people seem to be intending to eat their way out of the present situation. so my opinion is there will be no downward change in the number of abese persons. I mean no offence to those who have medical causes of the plight, I'm one who has fortunately found my right answers after pushing at so many doors.2
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I'm mostly working from home as instructed by work and also because my boys don't have school. I'm more active right now than when I'm stuck in the office. We set up a daily plan for the boys to provide structure to their day that consists of academic time, creative time, quite time, and exercise/fresh air time. We start our mornings with an hour long walk at 9am which I rarely did when I was at the office. Then they have fresh air time for an hour in the afternoon and I will either join them on the trampoline or go for a bike ride for an hour.
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You guys can do it! I have been working from home for the last 4 years.
Make your work location not in your kitchen or bedroom if at all possible.
Eat only at meal times, only allow fruit as a snack in between. Have an afternoon tea at 3 pm.
At 5'9" and 175lbs I have been maintaining a caloric deficient diet of 1850 calories for years.
Resistance Band training, calisthenics (Pushups, Squats etc) exercise vids are all good. If you can, jump rope for Cardio. Try a FaceTime or Skype exercise class. If you can't find one connect with a friend and start one.
This is an opportunity to make your exercise regimen a personal motivation. Set some PB targets and get after it.9 -
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I would say it totally depends on where you live. Apartment dwellers who are unconcerned/unwilling to count calories: probably weight gain. House with a small yard: if conscious about actions could probably control weight in any direction desired. Rural/farmyard(as I am): easy to lose/maintain with thought put into it. My gym is closed, I will be out of a job as of Friday, but I have chores to do, 3-12miles I can walk/run without encountering a neighbour, and a house and yard to maintain. I will carry more bales and grain instead of using the toboggan or tractor, I will not assign the kids to scrape out pens with their dad, I will go help, I will shovel out the chicken coop after a long winter earlier than planned, I will deep clean the house, and get a reasonable if not preferred workout done in the corner of the living room with my body weight and some hand weights. I really think it is about the thought put into it more so than the situation.
All that said, when my brain goes to the point of mild depression/anxiety/stress I have learned the best thing for me to do is move. It keeps me sane, happy, less tired, and I can work out in a 6’ square space pretty easily if I have to.10 -
psychod787 wrote: »psychod787 wrote: »I think active, diet conscious folks will find ways to eat decent and move. People who don't care, won't. That's just the way it is. Where there is a will, there is a way.
I don't think it is that simple. Habits are reinforced in repetition and if a person is just starting they may be substantially more vulnerable to a sudden upset in routine. I am fortunate to have 2 years under my belt. I have self-studied quite a bit and been able to put most of my old incorrect thinking aside. My dietary routine is almost rock solid. I face an occasional crack in the dam but it never lasts long.
Yes. Habits are important. That is why I tell people who ask me for advice, a clean food environment is one of the best things one can do. A quote I love about personal choice.
A King may move a man, a father may claim a son, but remember that even when those who move you be Kings, or men of power, your soul is in your keeping alone. When you stand before God, you cannot say, "But I was told by others to do thus." Or that, "Virtue was not convenient at the time." This will not suffice. Remember that.
We can't control what the weather, government, and others do. We can only decide what we do and how we choose to deal with obstacles..
I agree in principle but my point was that you can't necessarily expect someone to deal with an obstacle for which they are not prepared.
An example might be a person who has no real skill in the kitchen. Being stuck at home more might make that person fall back on prepared foods that may not be as filling for their calorie count. I do believe a person can learn to do basic things in the kitchen but if that person is starting at square one it will take some time.
It is worth remembering that a lot of people were struggling to survive the first stages of weight loss before the virus came to town.
I hope anyone who is too overwhelmed to start or continue will be wise enough to try and maintain. No good can come from gaining more weight that will add to what will need to be lost at a later time.
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