Eat maintenance calories when sick?

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Wingg_
Wingg_ Posts: 395 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I'm feeling kind of sick right now so I'm asking this just in case I really fall ill. When you guys are sick do you still stick to eating your maintenance calories? Or do you just eat whatever you want? But when we are sick we tend to eat a lot lesser, do you eat those calories back once you have recovered?
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  • alechua
    alechua Posts: 224 Member
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    I asked this a week ago when I was having a fever and wasn't able to do workout for 5 days. I ate at maintenance since most of the opinion says that the body needs enough nutrients to fight the viruses. You would want to recover soon to get back on track. get well soon :)
  • Wingg_
    Wingg_ Posts: 395 Member
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    I asked this a week ago when I was having a fever and wasn't able to do workout for 5 days. I ate at maintenance since most of the opinion says that the body needs enough nutrients to fight the viruses. You would want to recover soon to get back on track. get well soon :)

    But I have no appetite to eat... Should I just stuff food into my stomach then?...
  • alechua
    alechua Posts: 224 Member
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    Yes, you should eat, make sure it is healthy. I ate fruits, vegetables, eggs for protein and drank 2 liters of water or higher even though I don't have much appetite. I wanted to recover fast and get back on track as soon as I can since I'm used to doing daily workouts. Also I needed to eat since I am taking my medicine every 3 hrs. Go to your doctor. Get well soon.
  • Fuzzipeg
    Fuzzipeg Posts: 2,298 Member
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    Given the day it is, are you sure you have not over indulged in over rich foods?

    Other than that, ensure you stay hydrated, Going without food in general is no good for anyone. If you are down with something, for the first little while hours this might be different. Depending on how you feel, try starting with a slice of dry toast, or a little fresh boiled rice then as you start to pick up, plain chicken or steamed fish, or if you are vegetarian a gentle protein of your choice. Keep it light and simple. Avoiding milk could also be wise. All being well you should pick up.

    Should you not be able to face these first steps in the next hours and it hangs around, please get some formal advice.

    for most other things maintenance for a while seems like a good idea.

    Take care
  • MissMormie
    MissMormie Posts: 359 Member
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    Listen to your body. Often if you are sick you do not feel hungry for the first day or two. Your body has plenty of fuel to go a few days without food. Digesting food also takes effort and your body would rather work on getting better.

    Yes make sure you drink enough, and you definitely don't want to go a very long period without eating. But if your body is saying, "I don't want food right now" why would you stuff yourself?
  • Wingg_
    Wingg_ Posts: 395 Member
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    I'm trying to find out my maintenance calories now so I thought that it would be better if i consistently eat the same calories... If I were to listen to my body and end up eating very little calories do I eat those calories back when I have recovered from the fever? Thank you for all your advices! (:
  • mygrl4meee
    mygrl4meee Posts: 943 Member
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    I have been sick since Sunday with cold, cough, fever and headache. Been drinking water and only eating about a 1000 calories a day. I been hungry but only for small amounts. Feel better soon.
  • Wingg_
    Wingg_ Posts: 395 Member
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    I have been sick since Sunday with cold, cough, fever and headache. Been drinking water and only eating about a 1000 calories a day. I been hungry but only for small amounts. Feel better soon.

    Get well soon.Take care!
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
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    You don't have to force yourself to eat , and no you don't need to eat the cals once you are better
  • GingerLolita
    GingerLolita Posts: 738 Member
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    I sometimes eat at maintenance calories when I'm sick to give myself more energy to recover, but I don't force myself if I'm not hungry. My usual calorie budget is 1580 to lose 1 lb/week, which is very close to my BMR, so I'll eat that or somewhere in between rather than stuffing myself.

    Also, just like you can't make up sleep, there's no point in eating more calories once you're already better. But if you find yourself hungrier because you haven't been eating, I suppose you could make up the deficit without gaining weight.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    I have never bothered logging when I was truly ill. I generally don't have much of an appetite when I'm ill. I just do the best I can...it's not like I'm sick all of the time. Don't worry about eating those calories back later or whatever...don't get so wrapped up in the minutia here...think bigger picture. A couple of days of being sick or whatever are pretty irrelevant to the bigger picture that is your life.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    When I' m sick I eat plain healthy food. I don't worry about calories but always log and am always under because, well, it's plain healthy food.

    Drink water and take care of yourself.
  • angellabc
    angellabc Posts: 8
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    When I do not have an appetite, I try to get my calories in liquid form. It seems to help me. I've always been able to drink more than I can eat. You may want to try a nutritional homemade shake/smoothie, ensure or juice.
  • angellabc
    angellabc Posts: 8
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    I hope you feel better soon. Praying for a speedy recovering.
  • Athena53
    Athena53 Posts: 717 Member
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    Listen to your body. Often if you are sick you do not feel hungry for the first day or two. Your body has plenty of fuel to go a few days without food. Digesting food also takes effort and your body would rather work on getting better.

    Yes make sure you drink enough, and you definitely don't want to go a very long period without eating. But if your body is saying, "I don't want food right now" why would you stuff yourself?

    This. On the infrequent occasions when I get a stomach bug, I don't want anything. Sometimes I can't even keep down water. I just figure that's a good sign that my body really doesn't want to deal with digesting anything. It never lasts more than a couple of days. If it's a bad cold and I'm congested, I just try to stay hydrated and eat healthy- no more, no less than usual.
  • HelensBeads
    HelensBeads Posts: 79 Member
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    The old adage 'starve a cold, feed a fever' is not an instruction but a warning! If you don't eat when you have a cold you will find yourself getting worse rather than better, heading for a fever or secondary infection, the same is true for most illnesses. But your appetite is still likely to be depressed, for when you do feel ok to eat make sure you get 'good' foods which are going to give you the vitamins and minerals that your body needs, don't get hung up on protein/fat/carb calories, go with the flow there. In the grand scheme of things if you're ill and don't feel like eating for say a week and then when you do only manage about 1000 calories a day or something, with the extra sitting around you'll be doing as you won't fancy a 6 mile run either you probably won't lose too much weight, only a pound or so, this will probably go back on when you start eating again so I wouldn't go all out to eat back any left over calories, a chocolate bar would probably do it.
  • Wingg_
    Wingg_ Posts: 395 Member
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    So I should just listen to my body and eat healthy, and not eat back those left over calories? It's a great idea to drink the calories, it's so much easier than having to eat. Thank you you guys for the advices! Really appreciate it!
  • MaryJane_8810002
    MaryJane_8810002 Posts: 2,082 Member
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    When you are sick your focus should be on getting well. Eat what you can and drink lots of fluids, don't forget to rest.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    If I were to listen to my body and end up eating very little calories do I eat those calories back when I have recovered from the fever?

    No.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,134 Member
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    When I'm really sick (like can't get out of bed and just want to sleep/die), I go with what I feel like eating. A couple years ago, I was down for a week and lived on Wheat Thins, broth, water, and cough drops. My basic following is to go with what I'm wanting to eat. It's usually crackers of some kind and broth.

    If you're not hungry or don't have the urge to eat, then don't. Keep your fluid intake up with whatever you can keep down (coffee, juice, milk, water).

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