How does Covid-19 affect Obesity epidemic?

wmd1979 · March 2020

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?

DecadeDuchess · March 2020

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.

corinasue1143 · March 2020

You just described me. Only exercise I’m getting is climbing the walls.

wmd1979 · March 2020

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]

wmd1979 · March 2020

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.

corinasue1143 · March 2020

wmd1979 wrote: »

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!

paperpudding · March 2020

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 level

paperpudding · March 2020

wmd1979 wrote: »

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]

rheddmobile · March 2020

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.

Lietchi · March 2020

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.

psychod787 · March 2020

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.

nighthawk584 · March 2020

judging by my local grocery stores, the #1 item besides TP that is sold out, is frozen pizza. Hmmm can't be good?

rainbow198 · March 2020

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!

midlomel1971 · March 2020

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!

NovusDies · March 2020

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.

fitnessguy266 · March 2020

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.

janejellyroll · March 2020

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.

mmapags · March 2020

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.

snickerscharlie · March 2020

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.

janejellyroll · March 2020

mmapags wrote: »

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.

NovusDies · March 2020

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.

How does Covid-19 affect Obesity epidemic?

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