I gained some weight during covid. I am still not sure why , because I don't recall being that much less active or eating that much more but I guess I was. This motivated me over a 2-year period to lose 55+ lbs and get to healthy BMI.
Such articles should try to distinguish between the direct effects of covid and the indirect effects of covid responses such as lockdowns. Too bad the words "lockdown" and "closure" do not appear in the article.
