losing muscle?!?!

acasey0123

Two weeks ago I was diagnosed with Mono, I have lost 12 pounds within two weeks. Even though I know it is not healthy to lose this amount of weight by basically not eating, is there anything I can do so when I consume regular eating patterns (1200 calories) that I dont gain weight or gain back all 12 pounds since im nervous that i will gain more than 12 pounds

hroush

I'm sorry, but a lot of that weight was probably water and digestive tract weight. When you start eating again, you will probably gain a lot of that back.

Ervie317

Make sure to keep your cardio and strength training up so you will build lean muscle back, you may gain more weight back but you will look slimmer because muscle weighs more than fat. Also, make sure you are getting enough lean protein in your diet to help repair you muscles.

Kirsty_UK

Sorry you've been ill I would expect to gain almost all of that back pretty quickly when you start eating properly again. You might want to talk to your doctor if you are still struggling to eat enough though. A friend of mine was fed steroid drinks through a straw she was so weak with it.

srp2011

No, unfortunately most of it will come back, but make sure the foods that you are eating are healthy and natural (proteins, fruits, vegetables), and avoid fast foods or high-sodium prepackaged foods as much as possible, and drink lots of liquids. And do whatever your doctor tells you to get better :-)

acasey0123

Make sure to keep your cardio and strength training up so you will build lean muscle back

I have mono so i cant do any exercises, if i do anything i could rupture my spleen

also they cant give me steroids because i am allergic to them, so i just have to wait it out

amelia_atlantic

You DO need to eat to get well! The scale will fluctuate of course but the important thing is to take care of your body. As soon as you're better you can get back into eating balanced foods and exercising.

Start drinking some protein shakes...

Feel better soon!

ajbeans

Do NOT keep up with strength training and cardio while you have mono. Rest. Eat if you can, but don't force the issue. Drink lots of water. And rest. Did I say rest? Talk to your doctor and he'll tell you the same. You'll lose some weight, and yes, you'll probably lose some muscle, but if you don't rest, you're going to get yourself in really bad shape really fast. You can work on your strength once you're well, but you won't get well if you try to exercise right now.

idream2bgwen

I had mono and it is truly awful. Be careful not to over do it. Your body needs time to rest. I would not jump into cardio...you won't have the energy for it. Don't be surprised if you gain weight back...but your body will need it after not eating. Don't get discouraged from this hiccup in the road. You can do it. Like another poster stated do not eat processed foods. Try to stay as natural as possible. That will help. Start slowly when you get back to exercising. If not, you may do more damage to your body. Mono sucks!!! Again, I am sorry...take care! :flowerforyou:

Spayrroe

I had Mono, strep, and tonsilitus all at the same time. I lost about 20 lbs in the six weeks I was really sick. Then, as soon I was healthy enough, because I'd been in the doc's office 7 times in six months with inflamed tonsils, they decided to take them out. I lost another 30 lbs in the six weeks it took me to recover (I was a considerably overweight 15 year old during all of this, so yeah higher metabolism than now). They tell you that you can have all of the ice cream you want when they remove your tonsils, but what everyone fails to tell you is that you don't want any damn ice cream! It hurts to breathe, let alone try to put any mass down your throat. I lived off of luke warm tomato soup and water.

In any case, I didn't gain any of that weight back (but in fact decided I liked not being 'heavy' and worked to lose more weight). You may put a bit back on as you rehydrate, but as long as you don't like go nuts and eat everything in sight because of how long you've been deprived, I don't think you'll guaranteed to put any of it back on.

Ervie317

Make sure to keep your cardio and strength training up so you will build lean muscle back, you may gain more weight back but you will look slimmer because muscle weighs more than fat. Also, make sure you are getting enough lean protein in your diet to help repair you muscles.

I didn't mean while you are sick, that would be silly, but when you get back to feeling better and are eating normally again.