Local Healthcare Provider Encourages Healthy Loss of Pandemic Pounds
6/28/2021
Study finds average weight gains of 1.5 pounds a month during pandemic
MILTON, Fla., - As summer in Northwest Florida gets underway, a local healthcare provider is encouraging his patients to take the steps needed to reverse the extra pounds they may have added during the pandemic. Charles Windfelder Jr., a family medicine PA with Santa Rosa Medical Group, says it’s a great time to get back on track with healthy habits and shed that extra weight.
“The pandemic was extremely difficult for a lot of people,” said Windfelder, DMSc, PA-C. “It required a lot of change and with that comes the need for comfort. For many people, food is a source of comfort. However, extra weight, due to an increase in calorie consumption, can have a long-term impact on someone’s health; much longer than a pandemic.”
A recent study by the University of California, San Francisco confirmed lower activity levels, increased snacking and overeating have added up this last year. The study found significant increases in weight of roughly a pound and a half gained per month following the shelter in place orders of last spring.
Even before the pandemic, CDC data from 2017-2018 showed at least 25% of the adults in Florida were considered to be obese. Overweight is defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or higher; obesity is defined as a BMI of 30 or higher.
Extra pounds can increase your risk for many serious diseases and health conditions that are some of the leading causes of preventable, premature death. Overweight can lead to high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, many types of cancer and other concerns.
“It’s important to remember that a balanced diet and exercise go hand in hand when managing weight,” Windfelder said. “A lot of people took advantage of the pandemic and focused on losing weight and getting more active. Just look at the number of exercise machine sales last year! However, part of that weight loss plan needs to be a discussion with your primary care provider about how to manage your health.”
Strategies for weight loss and weight management include dietary changes, physical activity, behavior therapy, pharmacotherapy and surgery, according to the National Institutes of Health. Your primary care physician can help you determine what course of action can support your health objectives.
For those struggling to lose weight and keep it off, Santa Rosa Medical Center has a Weight Loss Surgery Center that offers surgical and weight loss options when traditional dieting and exercising have failed. It has received recognition from The Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement and has Blue Distinction Center+ designation.
If you need help finding a primary care physician, visit SantaRosaMedicalGroup.com to be connected with one of Santa Rosa Medical Group’s qualified family medicine or specialty physicians.
SOURCES:
Back