Obesity May Increase Your Risk for Severe Illness from COVID-19
Severe illness
According to the CDC, adults with obesity might have a higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
Hospitalization
Studies have shown that people younger than 60 are twice as likely to be admitted to the hospital due to illness from COVID-19 if they also have obesity.
Obstacles to care
Obesity may create additional obstacles for people being treated for COVID-19 in the hospital, such as difficulties with intubation, receiving certain diagnostic tests, and being positioned and transported by nursing staff.
Partner with a health care provider to keep weight off and reduce the risk of severe illness from COVID-19
Losing excess weight and maintaining it is hard because of how your body responds to weight loss. After weight loss, the body’s metabolism slows down and appetite hormones change—making you feel more hungry and less full. Healthy eating and physical activity are important, but they may not be enough. Work with your health care provider to find ways to overcome your body's response to weight loss. Together, you can develop a weight-management plan that works for you.
Why is it so hard to keep the pounds off? Well, there’s more to weight management than meets the eye. People may see results when they limit calories, by reducing the size of meals, for example. And find ways to increase physical activity, like taking regular walks around the block. But the body reacts to weight loss by trying to regain weight, making weight management a constant tug-of-war. Metabolism slows down and gets more efficient, requiring fewer calories to do its job. Hormonal signals can also change. The body increases a hunger hormone, called the ghrelin hormone, which tries to get you to eat more calories. And the hormones that tell the brain it's time to stop eating, the “feeling full” signals, decrease. These are just some of the factors that make weight regain so common.
The good news is that there are steps you can take to manage your body’s response to weight loss, even during a pandemic.
Talk to a health care provider today to find out new strategies for your weight-management plan.
Find an obesity care provider to talk about your weight and health today.
Get Your TrueWeight® Report
Sharing your story, from weight changes to weight-management strategies to your current goals, with your health care provider, is an important part of creating a plan. Complete your report today.
