Did people just gain a ton of weight over the last 2 years?

[Anonymous]

I'm 46 and while I haven't gained weight, it's all moved to my middle. Everything is just rounder and more bloated. Ugh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Holy Toledo. We went out for the first time in a long time for a st paddy's day beer. Everyone just seemed so......fat. Like really obese, not just overweight. I know Americans are fat, but either we haven't been around people in a reallyong time, or people have just gotten massive. It is crazy how much weight Americans pack onto their frames. I mean there were women there who were probably 5'1" -5'3" and easily over 170 lbs. Nearly every dude seemed to be well over 200 lbs. How did everyone get so fat? Was it COVID that made it worse? It is truly shocking to see the size of people if you watch movies from the 1970s and 80s. People were way healthier back then.

I lost weight and now weigh 165. I am 5 ft tall. Thanks OP

[Anonymous]

I’m 5’7” and 240 OP. You might have simply fainted in shock if I was there, phew!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I gained weight from depression and PTSD, but at least I didn't become as ugly as OP is.

me too, and it was more like 50 lbs. i am so self conscious a
bout going to work in person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I saw a small study that said that millennials gained 38 lbs on average. Absolutely wild. A bunch of young celebs got surprisingly fat too.

Wow.

for real?! that's about my gain (young Gen x) and i am so worried and embarrassed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Holy Toledo. We went out for the first time in a long time for a st paddy's day beer. Everyone just seemed so......fat. Like really obese, not just overweight. I know Americans are fat, but either we haven't been around people in a reallyong time, or people have just gotten massive. It is crazy how much weight Americans pack onto their frames. I mean there were women there who were probably 5'1" -5'3" and easily over 170 lbs. Nearly every dude seemed to be well over 200 lbs. How did everyone get so fat? Was it COVID that made it worse? It is truly shocking to see the size of people if you watch movies from the 1970s and 80s. People were way healthier back then.

I lost weight and now weigh 165. I am 5 ft tall. Thanks OP

Great job!!

[Anonymous]

Covid gain of 20 pounds, bringing me up to 205. Am 5’5” female.

Sucks but I have recently cut out added sugar and white flour. I have so much more energy and feel so good. Picked up a high activity sport.

[Anonymous]

Not me! However, my shirts all mysteriously shrunk. Go figure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I gained weight from depression and PTSD, but at least I didn't become as ugly as OP is.

me too, and it was more like 50 lbs. i am so self conscious a
bout going to work in person.

I truly genuinely want to understand. To gain 50lbs in 2 years, what changed for you? Stress eating? Alcohol? How did it happen?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I gained weight from depression and PTSD, but at least I didn't become as ugly as OP is.

me too, and it was more like 50 lbs. i am so self conscious a
bout going to work in person.

I truly genuinely want to understand. To gain 50lbs in 2 years, what changed for you? Stress eating? Alcohol? How did it happen?

I know I am so embarrassed. I stopped exercising completely - it was the thing that I cut out. Under massive stress due to critically Ill child. Triggered ptsd from childhood. Went on huge doses of antidepressants. Atr crap because I was just trying to survivor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did people become more judgmental, cruel, and self important ….or just you OP?

Maybe. But then again we constantly read article after article about men and women can't find anyone attractive, are dating less, and are having less sex. Maybe Americans are so unattractive these days because they are so grotesquely overweight and their diets are horrible? Americans are literally too fat to even have sex now. Good grief. I'm tired of the excuses and positivity crap with accepting obesity. It needs to be called out for what it is, not accepted. It kills people far too early. It is truly shocking to see the sizes of Americans when you travel abroad.

Totally agree! About 10 years ago, I was hosting two coworkers from the London office of my company. It was the first time they had been to the USA. I asked them their first impression and they said, “why are the portions so big here? We can’t possibly eat all of this!”

Oh please, as if British people aren’t fat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did people become more judgmental, cruel, and self important ….or just you OP?

Maybe. But then again we constantly read article after article about men and women can't find anyone attractive, are dating less, and are having less sex. Maybe Americans are so unattractive these days because they are so grotesquely overweight and their diets are horrible? Americans are literally too fat to even have sex now. Good grief. I'm tired of the excuses and positivity crap with accepting obesity. It needs to be called out for what it is, not accepted. It kills people far too early. It is truly shocking to see the sizes of Americans when you travel abroad.

Totally agree! About 10 years ago, I was hosting two coworkers from the London office of my company. It was the first time they had been to the USA. I asked them their first impression and they said, “why are the portions so big here? We can’t possibly eat all of this!”

Oh please, as if British people aren’t fat.

I'm British-American. yes, there are fat UK people but absolutely nothing like here. This place gets all the fat awards.

[Anonymous]

I gained weight, but more distressingly (since I am in my 60’s), is how much stamina I lost. I get winded really easily, my knees get stiff, etc.

I think the pandemic aged me several years (from teleworking, which was much less active than going into the office). Hope it did not take years off my life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is not a secret. Stress eating and drinking, gyms closed, all that sourdough ... Yes, people gained weight. Part of the RTO conversation is having to buy new clothes. I'm surprised you missed it.

Gyms were only closed for 3 months. They've been open since June 2020.

They have been open as indoor spaces that experts told us were higher risk for contracting COVID, which means that for the overweight and obese, these are high-risk spaces.

Also, keep in mind that there was a vocal faction during that first summer and beyond, that was furious that community pools opened and were regularly on this forum damning the selfish privileged people who dared to use these spaces under severely curtained capacity.

Maybe, but that doesn't explain normal weight people gaining 20, 30, 40 lbs.

And regarding obesity - we've know it's been a risk factor for nearly 2 years. If someone really cared about their health and not having a hard time with covid, they would have lost weight. You can lose a significant amount of weight in 2 years, from outdoor or at-home workouts. If you're obese and *still* complaining about your risk situation, then you have no one to blame but yourself.

well, I'm about to blow your mind. I'm obese and I work out and lift weights multiple times a week--with a trainer. I eat well. I don't drink alcohol or sugary sodas. My biggest weakness is chips and I don't eat them every day. I've worked with nutritionists. Guess what? I'm still obese. I lost about 10 lbs in the beginning of covid because I was eating super expensive premade food (from a local place, not frozen or any of that garbage advertised on tv.) Some people are just fat. It's genetics. It's hormones, It's middle age. It's a lot of things, but shaming and blaming isn't going to change it. Eating less isn't going to change it for most people. It will just f$%k your metabolism and make you weak and tired so you don't want to workout. When I lost the 10 lbs, the nutritionist had me down to 1200 colories a day--as a weightlifter. It's not sustainable long term. No one looks at a St. Bernard and tells them they should look more like a greyhound. Dogs come in different shapes and sizes and so do humans. Some people are naturally thin and people praise them for their good genes--lucky them they can eat whatever they want and stay thin. But god help the fat person--it's 100% their personal moral failing. Not genetics. Not other health conditions. Not being busy. It's just pure gluttony.

Every single person is different and will respond to various stimuli differently. I am proof of that as are millions of other people doing things right but still failing to meet certain societal beauty standards. There are billions of dollars to be made by making people feel bad about themselves---too fat, too thin, boobs too big or too small, eyes too big or too small, lashes too short, legs too short or too long. Everyone wants to sell you something, but I'm done buying. I'm going to go lift my weights, ride my bike, do my interval runs with the peloton app, eat what my body tells me it needs and not worry about how I or anyone else looks. I suggest you do the same.

[Anonymous]

I lost 105 lbs.