Getting sick while on a diet.

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nuttynanners
nuttynanners Posts: 249 Member
edited March 2015 in Health and Weight Loss
Alright, so I woke up with an irritated, sore throat and some definite nasal drainage going on. Not sure if it's allergies or what, but I didn't get a lot of sleep last night and I am just not feeling well.

I went from working out 4-5 days a week to working out only once last week...and I wish I'd kept working out. I also had two beers last night, which always messes with my body (save the lectures people, I know), so I think it may have lowered my immune defenses. I feel like I brought this on myself, even though my diet has been pretty good :(

If you woke up feeling crappy, and you felt guilty about not exercising enough and going soft lately, would you...

1) Take a rest day and try to get better
2) Do light exercise, then rest
3) Do a rigorous workout, sore throat be damned!

I'm sipping on green tea with raw unfiltered honey, fresh squeezed lemon, and fresh ginger right now. I've also got cough drops, and I'm having soup for lunch. And I re-stocked on emergen-c, which I've been out of for a while. Sore throats are the worst!!! Any help would be much appreciated.

Replies

  • KatieLK14
    KatieLK14 Posts: 90 Member
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    i'd take a rest day and focus on getting better. So many times in the past i've pushed through an illness and just made myself worse, and having to take way more time off of working out than I would originally!
  • hapa11
    hapa11 Posts: 182 Member
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    I do work out through a cold/sore throat if I'm not too miserable. There's no way to compare whether it helps or not, but my family has gotten nailed with colds/flu this year while I have had basically a couple of day-long sore throats and then gotten better quickly.
  • JoRumbles
    JoRumbles Posts: 262 Member
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    I had a very sore throat and fluey symptoms a couple of weeks ago. I just rested, I couldn't do any exercise.

    On the plus side my appetite was down and I lost 4lb that week
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
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    I could have written this exact OP... I am feeling exactly this way today and I am taking a full rest day. I also don't want to get anyone else sick at the gym.
  • tinascar2015
    tinascar2015 Posts: 413 Member
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    Rest. Eat healthy. Sleep, and drink water. I came down with the flu on the third day of my diet. I pushed myself pretty hard one day (running errands, doing my normal routines), then I slept the next day, only ate 500 calories and had little water (because I slept 20 out of 24 hours) -- and then I got up at 5am the day after that -- and fainted on the patio while I was outside with the dogs. I was only out for a few seconds and don't remember falling to the ground, but it scared me a lot.

    Don't push yourself if you're feeling miserable or uncomfortable. And what randomtai says above about germs at the gym is SO true. Keep your germs to yourself.
  • ShellyBell999
    ShellyBell999 Posts: 1,482 Member
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    Please stay home and rest to get well.

    The gym isn't going anywhere and your body needs the energy to recover.

    Cheers :drinker:
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,398 MFP Moderator
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    Whenever I am sick (not allergies or sinus) I bump my calories up to maintenance to give my body the most available nutrients possible to recover. Although, I did get a stomach virus this year and couldn't eat for a week.. but that is a whole other story.
  • yogi323
    yogi323 Posts: 56 Member
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    It totally depends. I wouldn't do a really hard workout. If it isn't too bad, I'd do a light workout. If you are miserable, rest, or go for a short walk.
  • dubird
    dubird Posts: 1,849 Member
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    Rest at least a day. If you push through, you could turn a minor cold into something major. That's how I developed pneumonia last time. ><
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    I go with the coddling. Your tea sounds perfect!
  • wathjo1
    wathjo1 Posts: 106 Member
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    First of all, I LOVE that you mentioned the tea you're sipping on. That is what I was going to suggest!

    I would personally take a day of rest. I have some health issues that do flare up when I overdo it. Sometimes it's not worth it to push through early on, because you wind up worse off for a longer amount of time. That's just MY experience, though.

    You know your body better than anyone else; listen to it.
  • jkwolly
    jkwolly Posts: 3,049 Member
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    Also, no one judges for beer consumption here.

    MOAR BEER!
  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
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    That would depend on how well I can breathe (and if I have to go to work that day). If I'm going to work, I'll suck it up and get through the day, see how I feel after. Generally if I was gonna do cardio or strength training, I'll do yoga or pilates instead. Less strain everywhere. If I feel too worn out, though, the couch and I will be very good friends :) I'll switch calorie goal to maintenance if I feel like I'm being worn down too much being in a deficit, too.

    ~Lyssa

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