Was There an Obsession with Weight loss During Lockdown?

Was There an Obsession with Weight loss During Lockdown? When the world went into lockdown, life drastically changed. As families and friends were separated, mental health issues increased. With nowhere to go and a lot of uncertainty to deal with, fitness became a lifeline for many.

However, while the lockdown did give people the chance to focus more on themselves, did it lead to an obsession with weight loss? Here, we’ll look at how the lockdown affected our health and fitness.

How people responded to fitness in lockdown

People generally went one of two ways in lockdown. They either underwent a strict diet and exercise regime, or they let themselves go. You’ll find a pretty much equal amount of posts on social media about keeping fit as you will jokes about piling on the pounds in lockdown.

There did appear to be a weight loss obsession which made those who had gone the other way, feel worse about themselves. However, a select group made it their mission to ensure women didn’t feel bad about the way they handled the situation.

It was interesting to see the divide in the way people responded to the lockdown. However, it was also a little sad to see that so much focus was placed on weight loss.

Why did a pandemic highlight our obsession for being thin?

There are a number of reasons weight loss became a key topic during lockdown. Those in the fitness industry were suddenly out of work, so they needed to switch to providing online services, advertising more through social media.

People also needed some direction and something to focus on during the lockdown. In normal circumstances, many find it difficult to maintain a fitness regime due to a lack of time. So, with plenty of time suddenly available, they used it to finally get into shape. It also acted as a good coping strategy to distract the mind.

Then there’s the government’s tackle obesity campaign. As the coronavirus is known to be more deadly to those who are overweight, a national campaign was launched to get us fitter. People are more concerned with their health, looking into ways to lose weight through different methods.

However, it can be argued the main reason there was an obsession with being slim, was because of the importance we place on looks as a society. Being slimmer makes you feel good, something we all needed during lockdown.

While in some ways the obsessions with keeping fit helped a lot of people, it also made others feel terrible. If you put on weight during the lockdown, does it really matter? The answer is no. We all deal with things differently and whether you lost or gained weight, it’s perfectly OK.