what to do when you're sick?

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pointkoala
pointkoala Posts: 66 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Should you still exercise when you're sick? How do you ensure you're eating healthy when you're sick?

Obviously if you're actually sick, don't exercise. But what about when you're getting over the flu? Or when you just have a cold?

I'm on like the bare minimum calories... 1200/day. When I'm having noodle soup and orange juice, I go over my calories when I'm sick.

I don't care about losing weight when I'm sick but I don't want to gain back the weight I've just lost, if that makes sense.

Opinions I guess?
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Replies

  • _The_Lone_Wolf_
    _The_Lone_Wolf_ Posts: 160 Member
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    If you are going to stick with that stupid 1200cals/day (with all due respect ;) ) i guarantee you will gain at some point.
    As working out with flue, i've done a couple times with some aspirenes and i still felt great :)
  • anglyn1
    anglyn1 Posts: 1,803 Member
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    I would feel completely comfortable eating at maintenance when I'm sick. You might not lose but you won't gain.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    Depends on how sick. Typically I'm hungry when I'm sick unfortunately, but if I'm not feeling dizzy I'll at least go for a walk or hop on the stationary bike. But I try to stick to my goal and my diet really doesn't change much.

    To be honest, Cold-Eeze and the like have kept me away from getting full blown colds for a while now. I just have 3 or 4 a day as soon as I show symptoms, and it's gone in 2 days. It really works.
  • jaga13
    jaga13 Posts: 1,149 Member
    edited August 2015
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    If I'm too sick to exercise, I don't have much of an appetite. But if that's not how you feel, just do whatever you need to do to get through the illness.

    The common cold usually doesn't prevent me from sticking to my goals. The flu? That may be a different story.

    Word of caution: the scale sometimes shows weight gain after I'm sick, even if I had no appetite and eat very little. This is likely water retention as the scale goes down a few days later.
  • allbarrett
    allbarrett Posts: 159 Member
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    Don't work out at the gym or pool (or anywhere else in public, really) when you are sick....for the people around you if not for yourself. Just because you can drug up and repress the symptoms doesn't mean you aren't contagious (there are people who do this, for work, the gym or whatever...if you aren't one of them, then thank you!). At home, meh, whatever you can manage I guess.

    As for calories, I'm one of those "I'm sick, bleh, not hungry, f-off" crawl away into a hole types. If you are able to eat then I would do so and as long as you don't take it as an invitation to EAT ALL THE THINGS just pick up where you left off when you feel better.
  • dubird
    dubird Posts: 1,849 Member
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    I wouldn't exercise when I'm sick, it can make some symptoms worse. I'd focus on getting better and not worry as much about calories. Myself, when I'm sick, I don't want to eat. So even though I make the effort to log, I don't even pay attention to the calorie total, I"m just doing it to keep the habit up.
  • pointkoala
    pointkoala Posts: 66 Member
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    Exactly, when I'm sick, I don't want to eat. The only thing I can eat is soup and noodle soup can have a lot of calories. And drinking calories too like orange juice, I never drink calories.

    Ah I definitely just meant working out at home. Would never want to get others sick. I do go into work but Lysol wipe everything lol.

    Interesting about water retention, I'm hoping that's what it is. I just started doing strength exercises again today and will start cardio again in a couple days I think.

    And as a 5 foot tall female, I tend to eat between 1200 and 1400 calories per day and that doesn't even seem to help me lose weight as quickly as I'd think. But that is what the doctor advised so I just keep trying. :-P
  • ASKyle
    ASKyle Posts: 1,475 Member
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    Please don't go to the gym when you're sick.

    There's nothing like being on a machine next to someone coughing and spitting up phlegm *gag*.

    Normally when I'm sick, my lack of calorie intake offsets my lack of movement, so I don't worry about it. But what are you eating that makes you go over? When I have chicken noodle, orange juice and sprite I'm always way way under in calories.
  • dubird
    dubird Posts: 1,849 Member
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    pointkoala wrote: »
    Exactly, when I'm sick, I don't want to eat. The only thing I can eat is soup and noodle soup can have a lot of calories. And drinking calories too like orange juice, I never drink calories.

    Ah I definitely just meant working out at home. Would never want to get others sick. I do go into work but Lysol wipe everything lol.

    Interesting about water retention, I'm hoping that's what it is. I just started doing strength exercises again today and will start cardio again in a couple days I think.

    And as a 5 foot tall female, I tend to eat between 1200 and 1400 calories per day and that doesn't even seem to help me lose weight as quickly as I'd think. But that is what the doctor advised so I just keep trying. :-P

    I honestly wouldn't worry about it. A couple off days because you're sick isn't going to derail your progress. Obviously, you don't want to pig out on things, but don't stress if you end up over. Your body needs that nutrition to heal itself, and if it's a little extra, it's not the end of the world. Chances are, if you do gain anything, it'll only be like a pound or two, which is within a normal variation anyways. Well, unless it's a very long illness, in which case I'd think you'd have more to worry about!

    Losing weight slowly is actually better for you in the long term. By changing how you eat, you build the foundation for KEEPING the weight off. Besides, you didn't gain the weight over a couple of weeks, it's not healthy to lose it fast either.
  • threeappleshigh
    threeappleshigh Posts: 4 Member
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    Listen to your body.
    If you need a rest, take one.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,910 Member
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    When I'm sick I drink lots and lots of tea, eat Thai noodle soup, and don't worry about exercise other than gentle yoga.

    If you are drinking the OJ for the vitamin C, you'd be better off taking a supplement so as not to get all the extra calories from the juice.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
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    When you're sick your priority is to get healthy, so eat at maintenance or slight deficit, and drink plenty of fluids.

    Sick is pretty general, but get plenty of rest, move around when you can, but take it easy. Stretch out and focus on recovery.

    Get better - get back to it!
  • pointkoala
    pointkoala Posts: 66 Member
    edited August 2015
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    I more just drink OJ because it is really nice on a sore throat. Everything else is so hard to drink.
    Noodle soup (vegan) can get pretty high calorie if you have like three in a day. And if that's all you're eating + orange juice then it can get up there. I'm great for vitamin C as I have an orange every day lol.

    And still, I only exercise at home, and I'd obviously not consider going to the gym with the flu.

    I like the idea of doing some yoga when you're sick. That is a good idea and I never thought about that. :)

    It's just when you're recovering, how do you know when you're good enough to start again? Like I had the flu... probably 2 days I was out for good. One day I didn't even go into work. But it is about seven days that you actually feel under the weather even if it's not exactly the flu. It's hard to work back when you're still feeling not great and you've just gotten over the flu (so you're weaker than normal).

    I just mean that, with the calories I'm eating, I'd expect to lose 1-2 lbs/per week and I'm not. I'm not expecting anything miraculous as I know it takes a while but just kinda annoying when it takes you like a month to lose 3 lbs when you're eating the right number of calories. Oh well. Being sick definitely doesn't help though lol
  • klrenn
    klrenn Posts: 245 Member
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    the guideline I've always followed when running is "symptoms neck down, skip the workout; symptoms neck up, you're good to go, but adjust effort based upon how you feel." Sometimes I only feel like a walk around the block and that's ok. You don't want to make the illness linger and derail you further...better to take the time and heal.

  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    For me, when I get sick, which isn't often, I bag the workouts and focus on feeling better. Logging is just like any other day, but generally, I wouldn't have much of an appetite when feeling ill.
  • HikeCyclist
    HikeCyclist Posts: 153 Member
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    Rest your body.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,483 Member
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    I curl up in a ball, watch a backlog of shows on tv, sleep a lot, drink a lot, so pee a lot, and eat as much as I can.
    No work outs.
    Thanks everyone for not going to the gym when poorly.

    Cheers, h.
  • dubird
    dubird Posts: 1,849 Member
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    pointkoala wrote: »
    I more just drink OJ because it is really nice on a sore throat. Everything else is so hard to drink.

    Really? I always find it hard on a sore throat because it's got a high acid content. I usually drink tea, mostly the Arizona green tea with ginsing and honey. I know they don't actually do anything, but I love the taste and find it soothing on a sore throat. Despite the extra calories it provides!

    Something else I do for a sore throat is drink warm Jello. Make some, pour a mug and put the rest in the fridge. The gelatin coats the throat for a short time, the warmth is soothing, it's low calorie and comes in lots of flavors. And you'll have a snack for later.
  • Sammie2015
    Sammie2015 Posts: 4 Member
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    Gosh when I get sick I get so hungry. I really don't know why, but I eat a lot. So this is definitely tricky for me and usually gain some weight :(.
  • pointkoala
    pointkoala Posts: 66 Member
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    dubird wrote: »
    pointkoala wrote: »
    I more just drink OJ because it is really nice on a sore throat. Everything else is so hard to drink.

    Really? I always find it hard on a sore throat because it's got a high acid content. I usually drink tea, mostly the Arizona green tea with ginsing and honey. I know they don't actually do anything, but I love the taste and find it soothing on a sore throat. Despite the extra calories it provides!

    Something else I do for a sore throat is drink warm Jello. Make some, pour a mug and put the rest in the fridge. The gelatin coats the throat for a short time, the warmth is soothing, it's low calorie and comes in lots of flavors. And you'll have a snack for later.

    I honestly thought everyone drank orange juice when sick. Lol. It just goes down your throat so smoothly.... (at least for me :-P).

    Ahhh yes I used to have jello when I was sick! But I am vegan so no jello now lol. That does remind me though, I eat pudding when I'm sick too! We make this homemade pudding out of avocado and it's really delicious but anyway that adds calories too. Forgot about that one! I didn't log when I was actually sick :-(

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