In our October 2020 report, Stress in AmericaTM 2020: A National Mental Health Crisis, the American Psychological Association issued a warning about the impact of these stressful events on long-term physical and mental health. They warned that Americans faced a second pandemic — one that would persist even after the physical threat of the virus has been addressed. Their most recent survey of U.S. adults, conducted in late February 2021 by The Harris Poll, indicates that this is coming to fruition". According to this survey, 2 in 5 of the 3,000 adults surveyed gained more weight than they intended over the last year, at an average of 29 pounds per person. Ten percent said they gained more than 50 pounds. Weight changes are a common symptom of coping with mental health challenges, according to the APA. Nearly half of parents (48%) said the level of stress in their life has increased compared with before the pandemic.
According to the National Institutes of Health, people who gain more than 11 pounds are at higher risk of developing Type II diabetes mellitus and coronary heart disease, and people who gain more than 24 pounds are at higher risk of developing ischemic stroke.
Stress and anxiety are two of the leading causes behind weight gain. “In times of stress, we often engage in unhealthy coping mechanisms, for example, overeating,” said Brittany LeMonda, PhD, senior neuropsychologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York. “Many people are ’emotional eaters’ and eat comfort food in the context of negative emotions.”
According to Dr. Michael Ford, internist and primary care physician with New York-Presbyterian Medical Group Hudson Valley, "the number of prescriptions for anxiety medications has also increased during the pandemic. Many anti-anxiety medications have weight gain as a side effect."
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), being obese & overweight is directly linked with serious health consequences including shortened life expectancy and premature death. If that was not alarming enough, Kaiser Permanente (one of the largest health care providers in US) has recently come out with a study (based on patient records) which essentially states that people who are obese and have contracted Covid-19 virus are at much higher risk of death. This study is very important as it is coming directly from their patient data.
It is now seen that many people who are staying and / or working from home are eating a lot more than they normally do and as a result gaining excess weight.
Is being overweight really that serious?
The answer is unequivocally and resoundingly YES and it's based on scientific data. It is not about body shaming anyone but being overweight/obese does come with a set a of health challenges that progressively grow over time. These challenges include increased risk of developing diabetes, heart diseases, non-alcoholic fatty liver, blood pressure etc. Looking at our family history or the culture that we have grown up in, we may think that reaching an age of 75 or even 80 is as good as it can get and becoming chronically sick is actually part of old age. However, it is NOT true. Looking at the "Blue Zones" that are scattered in different parts of the world we now know that human's life expectancy can be much longer and more importantly without serious / chronic diseases that is if we take care of our food and lifestyle habits.
Ideal height & weight:
Use the following guidelines to identify the ideal weight for your height.
Height Ideal Weight
5' 2" 109-120
5' 3" 113-124
5' 4" 117-128
5' 5" 120-132
5' 6" 124-136
5' 7" 128-140
5' 8" 132-145
5' 9" 135-149
5' 10" 139-153
5' 11" 143-158
6' 00" 147-162
Unfortunately, Corona virus is not the only thing we need to worry about when it comes to being overweight or obese. Dr. Michael Greger (board certified MD and author of "How Not To Diet") and his team has spent significant amount of time researching thousands of health studies that were done (all over the world) being overweight/obese and certain diseases. Based on these health studies, he has found at least 20 serious diseases that are linked to being overweight or obese.
Here is a very brief summary of some of these serious diseases:
Acid Reflux or GERD:
Being overweight or obese is linked with more ACID reflux and GERD attacks. Loosing the extra weight through diet and lifestyle modifications can significantly reduce or eliminate ACID reflux episodes.
Arthritis:
Being overweight can significantly increase the painful effects of both rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. When the extra weight is lost due to dietary and lifestyle changes, the symptoms also begin to improve significantly and in some cases are gone forever.
Back Pain:
One of the main risk factors for developing lower back pain, Sciatica and herniation is extra weight. These can all be improved significantly by losing extra weight and lowering the inflammation in the body with diet and lifestyle changes.
High Blood Pressure:
Extra FAT specially in our belly area can put a lot of pressure on the kidneys resulting in hyper tension or high blood pressure. Consistently high blood pressure can cause serious health complications. One of the best ways to bring blood pressure within range is by losing the extra weight through diet and lifestyle changes.
Cancer:
Based on studies, excess body fat increases the risk of many types of cancers including esophageal, stomach, liver, gallbladder, pancreatic, breast, ovarian, kidney, brain and thyroid. Significant decrease in body FAT due to diet and lifestyle changes is shown to significantly reduce the risk of either getting or dying from these cancers.
Diabetes:
Being overweight or obese is directly linked with diabetes. Diabetes can lead to kidney failure, blindness and lower-limb amputations. Many drugs sold in the market to treat diabetes including insulin can increase body weight. The best way to treat diabetes is through diet and lifestyle modifications.
Dementia:
Being overweight even when a person is very young is linked with getting brain diseases such as dementia in later years. Loosing excess weight by eating anti-inflammatory foods and regular exercise can help avoid these serious illnesses.
Infertility:
Couples who are carrying excess body FAT are more likely to struggle with getting pregnant. Carrying extra FAT in men can results in lower sperm count. Losing excess body FAT can boost the fertility chances for both men and women.
Gallstones:
Every year, over 700,000 people in US alone have their Gallbladder removed due to Gallstones. studies have now shown that carrying extra body FAT is now linked with higher chances of developing Gallstones.
Heart disease:
The largest killer of people on this planet is Heart Disease. It has been shown in studies that losing extra weight with diet and lifestyle significantly reduces the chances of either developing or dying from heart disease.
Lower Immunity:
People who are overweight or obese develop significantly lower immunity which in turn can cause many health challenges. Within few months of losing excess weight with the help of diet and lifestyle changes the immunity increases many folds.
Chronic Kidney Disease:
Increase FAT in the body puts more pressure on the kidneys which increases the risk of developing kidney disease.
Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease:
Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease is linked with having excess FAT in the liver. Being overweight / obese significantly increases the chances of getting fatty liver disease. It's the leading cause of liver transplants in women and men in US.
Decreased Lung Function:
Being overweight or obese significantly increases the chances of developing impaired lung function. This is extremely important under the current covid-19 crisis.
Take away:
Taking care of our physical and mental health should be our # 1 priority. If you find it hard to lose weight and keep it off you must take steps. On the mental level, do your best to lower your stress levels as stress is an underlying cause for many chronic diseases. Doing breathing exercises, meditation and yoga can all help. At a physical level, one can do many things such as exercising at a gym, running, walking, becoming a part of a healthy support group or working with a health coach who can create diet and lifestyle plan for you to regain healthy weight and overall health.
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