If your belt hasn’t already told you, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) reports 60% of Americans have experienced an “undesirable” weight change, thanks to stress from the pandemic.
Although a minority of people, just 18%, said they lost weight due to COVID-19 stress, 42% experienced meant weight gain. In fact, the average American reported a weight gain of 29 pounds.
The APA notes that 39% of men in this country saw weight gain, packing on an average 37 pounds. Forty-five percent of females reported they gained weight during the pandemic, with 22 pounds on average.
The APA’s “Stress in America” study shows such gains were universal: Blacks, whites, Hispanics and Asians all packed on the pounds, from Gen X to Gen Z, mllennials to baby boomers.
Millennials put on the most weight on average, gaining 41 pounds. By comparison, those Gen Xers who put on weight gained an average 21 pounds, while Gen Z gained an average 28. Boomers were the least indulgent, apparently, only putting on an average 16 pounds.
Forty-two percent of white adults gained weight, an average of 30 pounds, while 46% of Hispanics gained an average of 28 pounds. Forty-two percent of Black respondents say they gained an average 35 extra pounds, with 38% of Asians gaining an average of 16.