Will this extra fat make a difference?

[Confusedasusual78]

I’m starting to read lots about Covid19 and weight. I’d say I’m 2-3 stone over what I should be after having my baby. My blood pressure is sometimes a little high when it’s been tested but I’m told not ‘High high’ by the doctors/nurses-I’ve never been labeled as having high blood pressure or given medication.
I had insulin during pregnancy, but don’t have diabetes.
This has given me the kick up the bum to get back to my old weight, but I obviously get back to that immediately, does this have an impact on recovery if I were unlucky enough to get ill with the virus?
I also regularly get kidney stones too?

*Labelled

*Can’t get back to that immediately

2-3 stone overweight will likely have a small negatibe effect. The likelihood is that you will be absolutely fine anyway. The individual risk to each of us unless we have significant health issues is low. The reason the virus is a danger is that integrated over an entire population the small percentage points of risk add up to more people than the healthcare system can cope with.

So yes it's healthy to lose the extra weight but it shouldn't be a reason to panic right now.

You'd be better all round to lose it, yes.

Being 3 stone overweight will affect your risk yes

I think it impossible to say with any certainty, really. I'm a couple of stone overweight post-baby but I'm also an incredibly healthy person generally. I've never had a chest infection or even a cough, I've never had flu, I don't get sickness or stomach bugs, I have perfect blood pressure, etc. so the extra bit of weight doesn't really concern me as I don't think it will be particularly relevant for me. If I was a couple of stone overweight on top of some other health issues or was prone to getting chest infections badly etc. then I might be more concerned about it adding to the mix. But on its own, it doesn't really concern me at all.

But obviously losing excess weight is always a good idea! I just wouldn't panic about it.

I’d say 2 stone really, I’d just in an ideal world be back down to 9 stone, so to lose 3 stone.
I’m generally healthy aside from kidney stones (which I’ve had for years, also when slim)
Just scary to read some reports on extra weight.

Definitely don't panic. Being overweight may slightly increase your risk of complications/serious illness with covid, as well as some other unpleasant/debilitating health conditions, but at your age your risk is very very low anyway, you are probably more likely to be seriously injured in a car accident driving to the supermarket or knocked down crossing the road than you are to get seriously ill from covid and you can't spend your life worrying about that kind of thing, we do just have to live with a certain level of risk (although as PP says this isn't a reason to ignore lockdown, tiny risks aggregated across the entire population add up to a big problem for the nation as a whole).

So 100% do try and lose the weight and adopt healthier lifestyle practices as this will have a whole range of benefits to you including better quality of life, but don't let covid panic weigh you down (sorry for pun!)!

I'm more or less recovered from it now and am about 2 stone overweight. I didn't have any great difficulties though the fatigue is lingering.

However I have lost six stone already and as such am very highly trained aerobicly - very low resting heart rate, and excellent lung capacity.

Losing the weight is a good idea, but you don't have to be excessively concerned.

Anecdotally, by the way, I've found that especially since I started a running program (having done various weights based ones), I can shake off coughs in particular much more quickly.

I listened to a really good interview about ‘increased risk’ ages ago which eased my mind.

The one thing that stuck with me was this - if you buy 25 lottery tickets you are statistically TWENTY FIVES times more likely to win the lottery. You’re still incredibly unlikely to win though.

You might be ‘more’ at risk, health wise, due to your weight - but in the grand scheme of things, the risk is very small.

It’s worth losing weight but not worth worrying about.

@thecatsthecats what did you start out doing exercise wise as an aside? I used to shred but at 2 stone overweight I can’t face it.

I’m sure it’s verbally a good idea to be a healthy weight and that’s about it . The media do love a nice scare story.

If you're the age to have a baby and don't have any other health conditions you are extremely low risk of getting anything other than a very mild case of this illness.

Lay posters can’t advise on your personal covid risks, but obesity, blood pressure and diabetes are risk factors.

Losing weight to get BMI to 25 or below would be likely to have a range of health benefits.