Most Americans say the pandemic has been bad for their weight

Dealing with stress during the pandemic has caused physical changes for many Americans — some have gained undesired weight, and others have unintentionally lost weight. The American Psychological Association's Stress in America pandemic survey polled 3,013 adults in the U.S. and found that the majority, 61%, said they experienced undesired weight changes.

Forty-two percent of U.S. adults said they gained more weight than they intended, and of those, the amount they reported gaining averaged 29 pounds. Ten percent said they gained more than 50 pounds. Weight gain that leads to obesity can put people at higher risk for serious illness from coronavirus.  More women (45%) reported weight gain than men (39%) but men reported a higher average gain at 37 pounds, compared to the women's average of 22 pounds.