Dieting when sick. What are your thoughts?

  • I have the most awful head cold. It is lingering and I can't seem to get rid of it. When I'm sick, the last thing I want to do is run, or exercise in any way.(Mostly cause I can't breath.) What do you all do to keep the weight loss going when you are sick? Any suggestions?
  • I find that I feel much better after I exercise, even when sick. When I have a head cold, the only thing I enjoy eating is soup and drinking extra hot liquids. So, I don't eat very practical and I'm sure its not a great way to do it.
  • If you feel bad, it's fine to put the diet on "pause" and resume when you are well.

    But if you are on the mend, and feeling like doing something -- maybe something gentle like stretches, yoga, or easy wii games?

    A.
  • I usually keep going with my weightloss.. I still count my calories, even if they are coming from honey-tea and chicken & stars, lol. I also don't do heavy cardio or anything drastic, I do stretches and I walk on the treadmill for an hour or so.

  • I'm always in awe when people say they feel better when they exercise when they are sick. I don't - at all. And it seems counter intuitive to push your body hard when it is battling an illness. If it feels good - great. Then go for it. If it feels bad and you feel like you are trudging through mud, then stop.

    For me, I take it easy, watch my calories and do light exercise - yoga, walking, stretching. Even some light resistance training, but I skip heavy duty cardio as I can't handle it.

    ETA:::: should say, I have a cold now and I've done yoga and resistance training and worked around the house and skipped all heavy cadio this week.
  • When I have a cold I try to do a short exercise activity that's not too vigorous like walking, slow jogging, elliptical, or some sort of 20-30 min medium cardio. As far as food goes try to make sure you're eating a little bit of fruit and veggies but also my fav sick foods are oatmeal/porridge, light soup/miso/chicken broth, crackers, light things get well soon!
  • Lots of liquids and track as best you can. I agree with berryblonde - I dont like to excercise when I'm not feeling well. I feel like my body is working hard enough to get me better, I don't want to prolong my sickness with the additional stress.
  • I don't like to exercise when sick either. I usually like to drink tea, have soup, and sleep all day. I always lose weight because I'm hardly eating and I'm usually not hungry. I don't worry about it and I don't count calories, because I already know that my soups are 100-175 calories/cup and tea is hardly anything, even if I add some honey.
  • Thanks everyone for the great advice. I've decided to just keep trudging thru. Less exercise, but still trying to watch the calorie intake. Soon the sun shall rise and my head will clear.... or something like that. LOL Thanks again.
  • I pretty much don't exercise. I do eat healthy foods with lots of hot tea and lots of soup. It's not an excuse to binge on chocolate but I am lenient with myself and try to get extra sleep.
  • How are you feeling? I like to sweat out systemic impurities and get my heart rate up when feeling icky. The vasodilation in my nose also helps with breathing when slightly congested. I don't subject other gym members to any contagions but like to go if I am up to it.
  • If you want to keep the same weight loss rate going, just reduce your calorie intake by whatever you were burning off exercising.
  • I don't usually exercise with a cold, because I usually have so much sinus congestion in my head, that any extra effort makes my head feel like it's going to explode.

    I don't usually exceed my calorie limit (or if I do, not by much), but I do tend to relax some of my diet restrictions a little bit. For example, I double my fruit alottment so that I can incorporate more fruit and fruit juice, and I usually omit my dairy (dairy just doesn't sound good to me when I'm sick, it makes me feel like I have more gunk in my throat).

    Usually I don't drink fruit juice (because whole fruit is more filling) but I will drink diluted fruit juice when I'm sick because it feels good on my throat. I'll also usually send my hubby out for frozen fruit or fruit juice bars and sugar free popsicles. Or I'll have him make me a frozen vigin strawberry daquiri (frozen strawberries and Crystal Light lemonade or diet Sprite made into a slushy drink using a personal blender, like the Magic Bullet or the one I have - a Rocket blender by Sonoma Cucina).

    I also have a hawaiian ice shaver and will shave ice and add sugar free snow cone syrup, Torani syrup, or a syrup I make my mixing one package of Crystal Light (meant for 2 quarts of water) with only 2 cups of water (which I store in the fridge in a squirt-top water bottle).

    As long as I have plenty of low-calorie slushy and cold beverages, I usually am well able to stay within my calorie limit. When I go over, is when hubby brings home full-calorie versions of the foods I crave (wanting me to feel better) things like full-sugar popsicles or sherbet, or his own home-made high-fat chicken soup (super yummy, but way more calories than a soup needs to be). I had to convince him that I did want comfort foods, but I didn't need them to be high calorie comfort foods.
  • i dont understand people who work out when theyre sick either your body is under enough stress ... lets work out so we can feel sweaty and weaker by morning?

    anyho ... evreyone is different but when i get sick i only have taste for two things soups and citrus fruits .... its not many calories anyways . so i dont bother counting it i usually loose a bunch of weight for the week if im sick.

    id say if this dosent affect your appetite just watch your calories your body is fighting a battle from inside. dont stress it out further,