Local Physician Encourages Healthy Loss of Pandemic Pounds

6/28/2021

Study finds average weight gains of 1.5 pounds a month during pandemic

Durant, Oklahoma – As the days get longer and more of our community is opening up, a local physician is encouraging his patients to reverse the extra pounds they may have added over the past year of the pandemic. Dr. Satish Bagdure, a family medicine doctor with AllianceHealth Durant Clinics says it’s a great time to get back on track with healthy habits and shed that extra weight.

“The pandemic has affected us all in different ways, but a large number of people were affected in the same way, with an unwanted weight gain. Stress, boredom, and sedentary lifestyle are all habits that lead to unintentional weight gain. Talk to your doctor about the weight gain and options for shedding those pounds,” said Dr. Bagdure.

A recent study by the University of California, San Francisco confirmed what many of our scales and wardrobes have already shown us – lower activity levels and increased snacking and overeating have added up, and not for the better. The study found significant increases in weight of roughly a pound and a half gained per month following the shelter in place orders of last spring.

Even before the pandemic, CDC data from 2017-2018 showed that 35% or more of the adults in Oklahoma had obesity. Overweight is defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or higher; obesity is defined as a BMI of 30 or higher.

Extra pounds can increase your risk for many serious diseases and health conditions that are some of the leading causes of preventable, premature death. Overweight can lead to high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes, high blood cholesterol, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, many types of cancer and other concerns.

According to the National Institutes of Health, strategies for weight loss and weight maintenance include dietary changes, physical activity, behavior therapy, pharmacotherapy and surgery. Your primary care physician can help you determine what course of action can support your health objectives.

Dr. Bagdure’s practice has put a number of precautions in place to ensure a safe environment for your appointment. These include masking of all patients and providers, checking the temperature of all clinic visitors, screening clinic staff multiple times during the shift, asking that that only the patient comes in, and enhanced cleaning of commonly touched surfaces.

If you need help finding a primary care physician, call (580) 924-3400 or visit alliancehealthdurantmadilldocs.com to be connected with one of AllianceHealth Durant clinics qualified family medicine, internal medicine or gynecologic physicians.

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