Health expert discusses pandemic weight gain heading into holiday season
SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Health experts at Marian Regional Medical Center say they're seeing an increase in the number of patients gaining weight during the pandemic.
Bariatric surgeon Dr. Julietta Chang says COVID-19 has been associated with increased weight gain for several reasons.
She says many are working from home, so there is increased screen time.
There is also a component of "emotional eating" as this has been a difficult time for most people.
She says the combination of these factors has lead to an increase into how much people weigh.
"Definitely with our patient population we have noticed an increase in weight. A lot of that has to do with staying at home more often and emotional eating which is very understandable during this time period," said Chang.
During the holiday season, Chang says it's common for people to gain weight.
On average, she says people gain one to two pounds between Halloween and New Years.
She says one of the main reasons people gain weight during the holiday season is everything is delicious.
She recommends doing frequent weight checks.
"At least twice a week, but it's easier if you do it daily. This way you can make sure your weight is stable ... and you're not slowly gaining weight over the two month period," said Chang.
Chang says when you're going to a holiday party, don't just choose everything that's available at the table.
"Identify what foods are truly special to you, and which ones you can pass on, because they're not as meaningful," said Chang.
She recommends keeping in mind how much it will take to burn off the calories of your chosen treat.
For example, if you enjoy a peppermint mocha, it's close to 500 hundred calories.
"Which is something like an hour of kaiaking ... and something like a pecan pie is almost over 500 calories which is over an hour on the stationary bike," said Chang.
In short, Chang says monitoring your weight, doing frequent physical activity and paying attention to your diet will lead to weight loss instead of weight gain.
