More than 15% of Aragonese people have obesity: this is how the pandemic has influenced

I have a family history of obesity. My mother ended up in a wheelchair because she was overweight and she was clear that she did not want the same thing to happen to me. At 40 years old and of average height, I weighed 102 kilos.. After doing all kinds of diets and following treatment with an endocrinologist I decided to take the plunge and undergo a gastric reduction."This is the story of Pilar - fictitious name -, which could well be that of any of the dozens of people who have undergone surgery for obesity in recent months, increased compared to 2019 by 30%. 

"It's not that we operate more, it's that when the pandemic began these interventions stopped being done. Now We are at pre-coronavirus levels, but it is true that confinement, sedentary lifestyle and bad eating habits have been increasing since March 2019"says Dr. Jorge Solano, head of the Service of the Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery Unit of the Quirónsalud Zaragoza Hospital. 

"The numbers even continue to increase two years after the start of the pandemic"

A before and after - confinement - which, according to a study by the Spanish Obesity Association, meant that a 44% of Spaniards will gain weight. "These numbers even continue to increase. two years after the start of the pandemic," explains Beatriz Lardiés, endocrinologist at Obispo Polanco Hospital of Teruel and member of the Aragonese Society of Endocrinology on Obesity.

Overweight, obesity and morbid obesity

"When a person gains weight, without reaching obesity levels, they have to Consult with a specialist to lose the extra kilos, with diets and treatments appropriate to each patient. The current situation, with the sedentary lifestyle associated with the pandemic and teleworking, added to the fact that during the three months of confinement we cooked more elaborate dishes and ate more, has meant an increase in weight in a significant part of the population and this is noticeable in the consultations"says Ana Illundain, endocrinologist at the HC Miraflores Clinic in Zaragoza. 

"Without forget the anxiety generated by a situation, that of the covid, which we do not know when it will end. In the end, the food is pleasant and if healthy habits are not followed, being overweight can become a problem," says the doctor.

This is what happened to Pilar, who admits that she likes "both to eat and to do little to exercise", two issues that finally led her to being overweight that no longer made her feel "good" after the pandemic. "I was clear that I wanted to change my life and gain health," says the Aragonese, who had surgery in August 2021.. "I have lost 25 kilos and now I want to take care of myself more than ever. I can go out to dinner without gaining the kilos that I previously managed to lose in two weeks. I feel happy and above all I know that I did well for my future and my well-being.", says Pilar.