Average Weight Gain During COVID-19
What the experts say:
With so many Americans isolated and "locked down" during the pandemic COVID-19 virus of 2019-2020, it seemed inevitable that those Americans' health would be affected, even if they didn't get the virus.
There were a number of reasons for that inevitability.
(1) a less active life style
(2) stress eating
(3) readier access to foods in the residence
(4) irregular sleep patterns.
With computers in so many American homes, and a desire for making contacts with others, and breaking boredom by playing video games or reading on the computer, Americans were sitting in front of their computers or televisions for even larger portions of their "locked down" days.
With the fears that arose for so many amidst the uncertainties of their daily lives, including lost incomes, lost savings, and restricted or confined associations, many Americans resorted to their "comfort foods"....not generally their most healthy choices of nutrition.
While most "locked down" Americans struggled to maintain a household supply of what would have been called an emergency food supply, their eventual hurried trips to the stores that remained open often yielded to impulse shopping for foods they had desired while sitting and waiting to shop again. Thus, their selection were not always based on the wisest of choices from a health standpoint. Once they were home again, those choices were what was available to them.
As could be expected, the disruptions in their daily lives led to disruptions in their sleep patterns, from too much sleeping out of boredom, to too little sleep from worry and new distractions limiting truly restful sleep their bodies needed in order to cope with their new, daily chalenges.
The Result
As a result, it is estimated that the average "locked down" American had the potential of gaining 2.5 to 5 pounds per month while living through these factors.
Some reacted to their fears and concerns by losing weight, while the majority simply reacted by being even more sedentary than before the pandemic, more impulsive in their eating habits, and less regulated in their daily living circumstances.
Would that added weight be burned off when their disrupted, but "new normal" lives were restored?
That result is yet to be determined.
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© 2020 Demas W Jasper
