Is it possible to still lose weight on bedrest?

Draglinedrummer

So, I've been good so far and have lost about 11 pounds in 6 weeks. I have really been eating well and exercising consistently. I have to have a procedure that will pretty much have me on bedrest for about 5 days. I also doubt I will be able to exercise for maybe even up to 2 weeks. I don't want to lose the progress I have made so far. How many calories should I eat per day while on bedrest? Should I go by my BMR and subtract 500-1000 calories for weight loss?

gurgi22

I had H1N1 last year and it really messed up my lungs for a couple of months walking more than a couple of feet made me feel like I was having an asthma attack. I ended up losing weight just with eating correctly alone. **I only had the flu for three days.** Remeber that MFP sets it up so that you will lose 1 pound a week without exercising by reducing your maintanence calories by 500 per day if you are set to lose one pound a week. Theoretically, you would be able to lose all your weight just by following the eating guidelines.

ChRiStA_1983

I know that you're probably totally familiar with Basal Metabolic Rate, but here's a site that I just looked up to figure out EXACTLY how many calories you will need, while on bed rest, essentially!

Your Basal Metabolism
You don't have to make guesses about these factors to determine your caloric needs, however, as the Harris-Benedict Equation pins down your basal metabolic rate -- the amount of calories your body requires to maintain itself at rest. Start calculating your BMR by converting your weight from pounds to kilograms by dividing it by 2.2, and converting your height in inches to centimeters by multiplying it by 2.54, and plugging those numbers into the equation relevant to your sex. For men: BMR = (13.75 x weight in kilograms) + (5.003 x height in centimeters) + 66.5 For women: BMR = (9.563 x weight in kilograms) + (1.850 x height in centimeters) + 655.1 These formulas calculate the bare-minimum calories your body needs to maintain itself at bed rest.

I would think that you would continue to lose weight if you subscribed to that formula! Albeit, I certainly do not profess to be an expert, but it seems to make sense!

ian191

If you stay at or within the calorie limit set by MFP, you will continue to make progress towards your weight goal.

jmmtaylor

I would just follow the calories that MFP has set for you. Eat healthy foods, don't lay there and snack on cookies and chips and you should be fine. They set it up so you lose your weight by eating right, not by your exercise calories.

Draglinedrummer

Thank you all for your help! I really appreciate it. I'll stick with what MFP has and I've just got to stay focused and make sure I keep eating healthy and don't lose track.

mkrafick

I just went through this, had surgery and was out 2 months - just coming back 2 weeks ago.

While out, I continued to eat 5-6x a day to keep my metabolism up and stayed high in protien so the muscles I built over the year didn't atrophy (which takes a long time to happen so don't panic, I was out longer than you will be).

I did lower my calorie count from roughly 2000 (when I work out regularly) to slightly over the the base number that MFP gives me w/o exercise calories.

While I was out, I continued to lose weight at about .5-1lb a week just because my metabolism was still high (and I kept it by eating 5-6x a day) and there was minimal muscle loss.

Keep in mind though - after you are out, our body has refocused ALL energy to healing itself, period. So if you starve it or don't eat enough you will heal slower (I learned this the hard way). So don't skimp on calories. Better to gain a pound or two over a month and get back quickly than drag out your recovery.

I will warn you though, start slow exercising when you come back you will be suprised how much stamina was lost.

Good luck!