I have strep throat - my throat is on fire and I sound like a seal when I cough. I don't want to eat anything at all. I have been living on low sodium chicken broth and V8 juice for two days now. Interestingly, I've gained a pound! I'm guessing from sodium, or from my metabolism getting screwy? I don't know, but I am sick and frustrated, and don't know how to get through this healthfully. Because all I reeeeeally want is ice cream - but I am resisting.

I actually went to the gym yesterday to see if that would help any, but I barely made it through weight lifting, and then I tried the treadmill and immediately began hacking and decided to clean the machine and leave before I was asked to! I feel even worse today, and I know I can't go today.

How do you guys deal with this?

Oh yeah, and I've been drinking tons of water and green tea as well.

You're sick, and worn down. Take it easy. Keep up with the broth, water, tea. Don't push your to workout too much, you can get back to it when your well. If you can't stand not doing anything, take a walk or something else low key.

Hope you feel better soon!

Do NOT weigh yourself when you're sick. Your body is too focused on fighting infection to concern itself with anything else. If you have strep throat, you most definitely should not be at the gym where you could infect other people.

Focus on your fluids. Take your antibiotics. Get some sugar free popsicles to soothe your throat.

When you're better, resume your normal activities.

Just rest and let your body take care of itself. Feel better!

Thanks, everyone. I think I'm going to take this opportunity to go take a nap. Then maybe another one...

By all means, yes, take it easy! Not as an excuse to eat ice-cream, of course. But what your body needs is clearly to recover--not to be thrown through diet-exercise-diet stuff now.

What I've found works well for me when I have a sore throat is sage herbal tea. Well, it makes you burp a lot afterwards, but it's less "aggressive" than tea IMHO. And it's not ice-cream.

I recommend skinny cow 50 calorie fudgesicles for the sore throat! Keep taking lots of fluids and ignore the scale for a few days. I hope you feel better soon!

I just came through a flu/sinus infection, and like you, I was wondering how I would get through it. I think that being sick means the number one thing is that you have to take it easy and give your body a chance to heal itself. If you push yourself too hard, too soon, you run the risk of running yourself down even further...and who wants that?

That's not to say that you've got free rein to let yourself go completely to **** with the dietary choices, but be kind to yourself. And as others have said -- ignore the scale for a few days. You'll probably feel "bad" about not being able to exercise anyway, and seeing the natural weight fluctuations that are normal will make you feel worse now than if you were able to exercise.

Feel better soon! <3