does having a head cold make you gain weight

newhabit
newhabit Posts: 426 Member
edited November 12 in Health and Weight Loss
so i gained weight somehow and i think maybe it could be from having a head cold. i'm not going to record it, just wondered if somethign like that has caused that problem for anyone else? do you retain water when you have a cold?

Replies

  • Fozzi43
    Fozzi43 Posts: 2,984 Member
    I wouldn't think so...it's eating that puts on weight?
    Why would a head cold affect your weight loss?
  • 30Purple
    30Purple Posts: 252 Member
    are you downing Ramen noodles? it's probably just water retention.
  • newhabit
    newhabit Posts: 426 Member
    no i dont' eat ramen noodles... just wondered if havnig a lot of gross stuff in your sinuses and stuff like that could cause a 2 lb weight gain... seems a little excessive to me since i didn't change anythign else.
  • KilikiMom
    KilikiMom Posts: 237 Member
    no typically i loose weight...cause i have no appetite and feeling awful makes me NOT want t eat
  • kimmiedunne
    kimmiedunne Posts: 82 Member
    I get really hungry when I have a cold - they do say "feed a cold" - so were you eating more when you had the cold? If not, then I'm guessing it was water retention...
  • newhabit
    newhabit Posts: 426 Member
    the eating is pretty much the same so i am not sure...
  • AmberJo1984
    AmberJo1984 Posts: 1,067 Member
    I've never heard of a head cold causing weight gain. I don't think it's ever happened for me. I wouldn't think it would. Because of the cold, maybe you just haven't felt like exercising as much or eating as well. Maybe that's causing it.
  • sharleengc
    sharleengc Posts: 792 Member
    I don't think it's the head cold itself but probably your actions.

    My husband and I both had head colds for 6 weeks (they are FINALLY gone). Neither of us exercised. I stuck to my calorie goal and was able to maintain my weight and even lose a lb. My husband, through his calorie goal to the wind and he gained a few lbs. But, he didn't even try because his theory is that when you're sick, you need the nutrients to help boost your immune system.

    If you are drinking more water/tea or things like that, it's probably water weight. Because I think that if you were sticking to your calories, you should be able to maintain, if not lose
  • Weezoh
    Weezoh Posts: 171 Member
    I suppose it makes sense somewhat - you're generating a lot of fluid so retaining water might happen. Also your body has to basically destroy areas of your throat and then heal the damage it caused getting rid of the cold if you are hacking and coughing.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
    Not sure if you've been exercising as much lately...if so, it could be that your calorie burns are lower than you think. I use an HRM and have found that when I'm under the weather or it's TOM, I can do comparable workouts and just not get as high of a burn as I would on a normal day.

    Are you eating more soup or drinking broths? Those are high in sodium so you could be retaining water.

    You should be upping your water intake while sick anyway since we all tend to be a bit dehydrated as our bodies are working hard to fight the bug. Could be that's part of the problem.

    Also, not sure if there's much fact behind it but I've heard cold meds can make you retain water..

    Either way, don't worry about it, just take care of yourself and I'm sure those 2 pounds will come right back off once you're well.
  • newhabit
    newhabit Posts: 426 Member
    I am doing nothing differently as far as my behavior. I am not eating differently. I continued to exercise the same as before. I continued to eat the same as before. Nothing I am doing is different. I just wondered if the congestion and swollen glands can cause a gain in weight. I have only had the cold for 2 days and all of a sudden a 2 lb weight gain.
  • perfectingpatti
    perfectingpatti Posts: 1,037 Member
    Uh, yeah....I don't really think snot weighs all that much.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    no i dont' eat ramen noodles... just wondered if havnig a lot of gross stuff in your sinuses and stuff like that could cause a 2 lb weight gain... seems a little excessive to me since i didn't change anythign else.

    I'm pretty sure one's sinuses are not large enough to contain 32 ounces of mucus.
  • therealangd
    therealangd Posts: 1,861 Member
    I've seen a weight gain due to water from all kinds of wacky things, so retaining fluid due to your body trying to fight a cold is not out of the realm of possibility.

    Water weight will disappear.
  • dsmpunk
    dsmpunk Posts: 262 Member
    As long as you aren't modifying your eating or exercise habits then it doesn't matter. I imagine your body has to change things up a bit when you are sick (i.e. retain water, slow down metabolism etc.)

    It will come back off when you kick the cold.

    2 lbs of snot is a LOT lol. I am pretty sure its not that.
  • gretchen1224
    gretchen1224 Posts: 7
    I have a head cold right now. I haven't exercised in 3 days. My eating has been the same, if not eating more and I lost 1.8 lbs this week.
  • tetracat
    tetracat Posts: 74 Member
    I had a really terrible cold at the beginning of august. My weight jumped 5 pounds. I still continued to work out the same and eat the same. My weight went back down after about 5 days, but it was still very frustrating!
  • LeighAnna115
    LeighAnna115 Posts: 149
    I'd chalk it up to your normal fluctuation. It happens. But a cold itself shouldn't cause weight gain. Normally when we're sick we alter small things in our day to day lives, exercise a little less intense, eat a little more comfort food. These could be minuscule changes you're not noticing, or it could be plain old water retention. Especially if you're eating chicken soup, in particular from a can, which can be very high in sodium.
  • Smushed
    Smushed Posts: 1
    Chances are you gain weight because you retain water, and you need to drink a LOT more water when you're ill anyway so your body will be retaining it to recover.
  • michelle_mclean81
    michelle_mclean81 Posts: 1 Member
    2lb is nothing to worry about. If you're doing nothing different then it will just be a slight fluctuation of your body while it processes the cold. In order to fight a cold the body needs water so it retains more in order to meet its survival needs.

    Mucous definitely won't weight that much! Also, your scales could be slightly out... scales are not 100% correct all the time, they fluctuate slightly as well.
  • misc11type
    misc11type Posts: 1 Member
    I was curious of the same thing, I just had a cold yesterday and I ate less calories barely anything and I still exercised. However I went up to 0.4 pounds which isn't much but making it seem like forever to get down even one more pound. even though I haven't had a lot of water in the last couple days so that's my guess.
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