Coronavirus and Obesity

No one can tell you if you would have a worse case of corona based on how much you weigh. It is not that cut and dry. You may have already had it and never developed symptoms.

What is definitely unhealthy is watching the news too much if it stresses you. I don't watch it that much myself because I hate the fear format. I know that is how they keep people tuned in and ultimately how they make money but I can't deal with it.

It is better, imo, to focus on the positives of weight loss that will start to happen shortly after you start losing. The bigger I got the smaller my world became. As the weight started coming off and I got smaller my world kept getting larger. It is amazing.

As far as I know, obesity is indeed linked with development of more difficult symptoms. I sometimes worry about it too. But "is linked" does not equal "it happens to all obese people". There is a higher risk than being average weight but obesity is not the only factor playing a role here. You may also contract the virus and have flu-like symptoms.

I do the following as a precaution - staying on track to losing weight, exercise (helps with my anxiety), wear a mask outside (just in case), physically distance myself from others as much as I can (a few feet), wash my hands with soap for 20 seconds and don't touch my face (eyes, nose, mouth).

Also, I avoid taking for granted anything that is placed in the media. The media aims for sensationalism and fear. It's not reality, it's a portrayal of reality which needs to sell. Since I began reading less news, I see that I'm mentally more stable.

I did a “socially distanced” event with my small ladies group last night. It’s the first social thing I’ve done since March (unless you count the gym and yoga studio, which are in “wipe and avoid one another” mode).

I was surprised to see that most had put on noticeable amounts of weight. They were also talking about how chunky their grandkids have become since Covid.

This is all going to have such long lasting effects. I don’t think we can even fathom the ripples yet.

Theoldguy1 wrote: »

springlering62 wrote: »

I did a “socially distanced” event with my small ladies group last night. It’s the first social thing I’ve done since March (unless you count the gym and yoga studio, which are in “wipe and avoid one another” mode).

I was surprised to see that most had put on noticeable amounts of weight. They were also talking about how chunky their grandkids have become since Covid.

This is all going to have such long lasting effects. I don’t think we can even fathom the ripples yet.

The chunky grandkids issue is on the parents. I WFH and my office window faces the street. The neighborhood kids have been out being active all through this. Talking to the dad he said they put the kids on a schedule for school, movement, screen time, etc.

It was amazing to see all the active stuff the kids were coming up with.

Ya, the two families on my street with boys bought basketball hoops. One was outside close to midnight the other night until his mother came out and yelled at him, lol.

When you get to be as heavy as I did there is only risks. If I had been in a car crash I was at a higher risk. Certainly any surgery would be higher risk. Any recovery from surgery would be longer and more arduous for me than someone who weighed less. Add to that the normal killers like diabetes, high blood pressure, and strokes. I was not even moving enough to qualify for sedentary TDEE.

During all that my wife would get sick a couple of times a year. When she gave it to me I would most often just get a little body ache and that was it. She would be miserable sick and I was mostly unaffected.

While I was on the ground floor of other health problem like heart disease that would have progressed quickly in the state I was in, my health never got scary bad. My joints are probably my biggest issue at the moment.

I have heard it said that genetics accounts for about 30 percent of our health. I have certainly seen quite fit people with crippling health problems they inherited. This is why it is not cut and dry though. Obesity places people in higher risks but there are other factors like much you carry, how long you have carried it, and, of course, your genes. As far as I know genes will not protect joints from the added wear.

The interesting thing for me is that while I was large I wasn't as worried as I should have been about my very diminished quality of life. I was in denial about some which I assume was a self-defense mechanism to keep me from getting horribly depressed. The parts I was aware of I let go of because of my many defeats trying to lose weight.

I had to lose more than 250 pounds to leave the obesity classification and get to 'overweight' which is where I am now. I was mostly there at my second year weightlossaversery. If I recall correctly I missed it by .4 pounds. So for all that time I was in a higher risk BUT my life started improving after I lost 5 percent of my weight. It was small NSVs at first but as the percentage grew so did my freedom and quality of life. The more I got back the more determined I became to get more. It made it mentally easier. Around the 80 pounds lost mark I realized there was no stopping. There was a lifeline pulling me forward. I helped that lifeline by being kind to myself and trying to prioritize happiness each day along the way. It didn't always work. I had some miserable days but those were few.

One of the problems I had was that I stopped being able to imagine a better life. I was so defeated that I didn't allow myself to do it anymore because I assumed I would always be disappointed. After a time I lost it. What was an ordinary existence for some became too extraordinary for me to imagine anymore. There is a better life for you and if you are losing weight the layers are already starting to peel back.

If you have seen it there is a Peanuts scene where Snoopy keeps running into signs that say "No Dogs Allowed." My life, especially when I traveled was a montage of weight and size limits. Now none of them apply to me. I can ride roller coasters and do zip lines. I can hike and kayak. I can comfortably walk 5 miles and increasingly less comfortably walk 8 miles. As I have time I can now do physical volunteer work again AND be among the hardest workers. When my family needs me I am able to actually contribute more than money and supportive words. For a long time I woke up everyday and it felt like Christmas morning because my life was once again an amazing gift.

This is why I started my Larger Losers group. I wanted to help others achieve this very achievable miracle. If you have 75 or more pounds to lose or started with that much or more you are welcome to join. It is for people who wish to lose their weight in a sensible and sustainable fashion. The link:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/133315-larger-losers


If you don't want to come by please keep losing. Don't stop for any reason. If what you are doing is not sustainable then you need to adapt to something else. If you have a bad day and eat way too much food just wake up the next day and keep going. The weak moments matter so much less than we believe they do. I had plenty, trust me.

I’d like some kind of golden ticket so that once in a while I can check all the boxes: insightful/inspiring/like/hug.

I would use it judiciously, reserving it for posts like @NovusDies