The Quarantine 10: The World Gains Weight During COVID-19 Pandemic

Nevin Barich

Nevin Barich

November 11, 2020

I stepped on the scale this morning, looked at the number, sighed and said silently to myself:

“The Quarantine 10.”

Ten pounds. That’s how much weight I’ve put on since the start of the coronavirus pandemic and being more or less stuck at home as a result. Sometimes the number is a little less. The Quarantine 9. The Quarantine 7. A week and a half ago it was the Quarantine 6, the lowest it had been in a while, and I was so proud of myself that I ate a breakfast burrito.

Breakfast burritos: That’s why I’ve been putting on weight. That and the other comfort food I’ve been eating more and more to help deal with the fact that there are so many restrictions right now. One day just rolls onto the next with no end in sight, so I eat yummy, fattening food to give me temporary pleasure. Peanut Butter. Ice cream. Extra butter and syrup on my Eggo waffles. Weekly Postmates deliveries from McDonald’s. And I’ll tell you this: The fact the Presidential Election dragged on a few days didn’t help things. That first night, I ate a stuffed crust pizza by myself right before bed.

Both in the United States and worldwide, I’m not alone in my battle against weight gain during this unprecedented time.

According to a recent survey from online shoe store RunRepeat, 35.8% of people globally reported gaining weight during the pandemic. Of those that gained weight, 71.3% gained more than 5 lbs. The U.S. has had the highest percentage of people gaining weight since the pandemic at 40.5%, and has also had the least number of people who have lost weight during the pandemic (27.7%). The survey also said that women were 14.2% more likely to gain weight compared to men and 16.8% less likely to lose weight.

Other findings from the survey:

---The UK and Canada are also the only countries that had more respondents report having lost weight than having gained.

 ---New York was both the state that had the most people report gaining weight overall (41.6%) as well as the state with the highest percentage of people reporting they gained more than 5 lbs. (31.4%). 

---Tennessee had the least people report gaining weight during the pandemic (29.95%) and the least amount of people reporting gaining more than 5lbs (20.29%).

---North Carolina had the most people manage to lose weight during the pandemic (35.7%) while Arizona had the least (28%). 

Nevin Barich is the Consumer Products Analyst for Industry Intelligence, which can help YOU better address your own industry challenges. To arm yourself with the latest market intelligence, contact ClientCare@IndustryIntel.com. Ask us about our interactive intelligence map and search bot on Microsoft Teams.

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