Loosening your belt after lockdown

After months of working from home, some people have found they are weighing in heavier than before multiple lockdowns began in March 2020.  

Last December, the province entered a second major lockdown where most places of recreation as well as fitness centers were closed and residents were asked to stay home to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Many were also forced to work from home again. Regular visits to the gym could have been replaced by evenings with a snack bowl, binge watching television, and a regular walk to work could have turned into simply opening up a laptop. 

Colin Bannon, 19, St. Clair College student said he noticed quite a difference in his weight after the last stay-at-home order. 

“I did gain a substantial amount of weight. Around 30-40 pounds,” ( during the pandemic) Bannon said. 

At the time of the pandemic, the weight he was gaining was the last of his worries and has plans to get healthier. 

“I could cut out certain eating habits and pick up healthy habits such as working out or going for a run,” said Bannon.  

A small study published in a research letter by JAMA Network Open, an online medical journal published by American Medical Association analyzed more than 7,400 self-reported weight measurements from 269 middle-aged men and women from February to June 2020. The results translated into over half of a kilogram of weight gain every month. If that continued from June 2020 to September 2020, it would mean over 2.5 kgs weight difference. This can take a toll on a person’s self-image. 

Victoria Mikhail, local dietitian, said that there are many reasons why people have gained weight during the pandemic, from financial reasons to personal reasons. 

“We have had to develop a new way of living. Being at home or limited in our travels means finding other hobbies to keep us busy. Eating is not just for nutritional fulfillment, but for entertaining, emotionally filling a void, or accessibility to quick/convenient comfort snacks.  No wonder everyone who has had to compromise their lifestyle would look back after a year and a half and say, ‘I can’t lose weight.” 

“If people had their income compromised, food issues and paying bills would play a big part in their health, eating choices, and emotional eating. Gyms, and recreational facilities have been closed, limited availability, or restrictions on who can be welcomed also affect staying physically healthy.” said Mikhail in an email. 

Extra pounds can lead to health problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes, but dropping a few pandemic-influenced pounds is possible through regular exercise and healthy eating.