Antibiotics and Calorie Count

Angelym08
Angelym08 Posts: 3
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi,

Visited the dentist yesterday and had my upper wisdom tooth extracted. The dentist prescribed 3 cephalexin caps and 3 mefenamic acid caps 3 times a day for 7 days, plus 3 tranexamic caps every 4 hours. No lifting, no exercise for 7 days.
The problem is I always keep getting hungry probably because of the antibiotics (at least dad told me that) and I can't exercise! It's getting hard to stick to the 1200 calories/day.
Someone also told me some time ago that I should have heavy meals with the meds i'm taking since I have history of gastric problems and that antibiotics burn the food i eat fast.

Here are a few of my questions:
1. Do antibiotics really burn the food i eat fast?? (I actually believe it doesn't work that way but I just need clarification)
2. How can I prevent myself from always getting hungry?
3. What do i do not to gain weight after seven days or at least stay with my current weight while taking the meds?

I really need your advice and opinions :)
Thanks so much! any answers and perhaps suggestions on the type of food I should take would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again! :)

Replies

  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    Hi,

    Visited the dentist yesterday and had my upper wisdom tooth extracted. The dentist prescribed 3 cephalexin caps and 3 mefenamic acid caps 3 times a day for 7 days, plus 3 tranexamic caps every 4 hours. No lifting, no exercise for 7 days.
    The problem is I always keep getting hungry probably because of the antibiotics (at least dad told me that) and I can't exercise! It's getting hard to stick to the 1200 calories/day.
    Someone also told me some time ago that I should have heavy meals with the meds i'm taking since I have history of gastric problems and that antibiotics burn the food i eat fast.

    Here are a few of my questions:
    1. Do antibiotics really burn the food i eat fast?? (I actually believe it doesn't work that way but I just need clarification)
    2. How can I prevent myself from always getting hungry?
    3. What do i do not to gain weight after seven days or at least stay with my current weight while taking the meds?

    I really need your advice and opinions :)
    Thanks so much! any answers and perhaps suggestions on the type of food I should take would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks again! :)

    1. No, antibiotics do not "burn" food. I'm not sure what gave you that notion. If anything stringent antibiotic treatment will kill your communal bacteria in your gut and cause digestive issues that will mean you get less calorically from your food than you otherwise would since we rely on those bacteria to properly digest our food.
    2. You can eat more than 1200 calories which is a very tiny amount even for someone who is completely sedentary, in the later stage of their life and 4 feet tall. Personally I am losing over a pound a week eating 2200 calories a day. I very highly doubt 1200 calories is necessary for weight loss for you and you can likely lose weight healthily by eating considerably more than that. Would need to know your exact stats to be able to estimate what you could eat and still lose at though.
    3. What you do to not gain weight is eat at a moderate caloric deficit to your daily caloric needs.
  • Angelym08
    Angelym08 Posts: 3
    1. Thanks for the clarification!
    2. 1200 is actually my net cal. (Sorry If I labeled it wrong in my previous post).
    I consume more than that daily but I also exercise just to stick to the 1200 net cal.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    1. Thanks for the clarification!
    2. 1200 is actually my net cal. (Sorry If I labeled it wrong in my previous post).
    I consume more than that daily but I also exercise just to stick to the 1200 net cal.

    Ah okay, 1200 net is better for sure.

    Just to clarify on antibiotics. Antibiotics are drugs designed to kill bacteria. That is all that they are. Inside your gut live bacteria that aid in your digestion. When you get a nasty infection you may be perscribed antibiotics to kill the bacteria that are infecting you. Unfortunately this also has the side-effect that it kills the bacteria that live in your gut that aid in your digestion. As a result of this long term treatment with antibiotics can lead to digestion issues and cause you to actually get considerably less calorically out of your food simply because you are unable to digest it properly.

    Therefore if anything antibiotics will do the exact opposite of "burning" food, it will prevent you from "burning" your food properly.
  • PetulantOne
    PetulantOne Posts: 2,131 Member
    Keep in mind too that it's only 7 days. Even a week won't really affect your progress long term. :flowerforyou:
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    Keep in mind too that it's only 7 days. Even a week won't really affect your progress long term. :flowerforyou:

    Yeah true, I guess I got so focused on answering the question I forgot the obvious point that 7 days isn't going to matter in the long run.

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