Counting calories while sick.

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hollyrayburn
hollyrayburn Posts: 905 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I've been pretty I'll since Monday, your typical crud, which has turned into some pretty annoyibg respiratory issues. I hate warm weather colds!

What is your take on continuing to eat at a deficit during stuff like this. My manager (an RN of 25 years), said that I should be eating more due to my immune system being a bit compromised now (I do know that a nurses specialty isn't nutrition [at least not this one, we work in a jail], and also my deficit isn't large; I've got a lot to lose, and am set at 1.5/wk).

So I come to my awesome seasoned gurus for advice. Should I be eating at maintenence this time to aid my healing? Also note I am taking emergen-c, which was a crap ton of vitamin c.

TIA!

Replies

  • fishshark
    fishshark Posts: 1,886 Member
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    to be honest you need to eat as much as your body will allow to give your body strength. A nurse knows better about what to do when sick then regular people on here or nutritionists (i have a masters in nutrition)
  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
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    I go with how I feel. I have had sick days where I've slept all day and wanted nothing but toast, and there have been sick days when I've eaten like a starving animal. In short, I pretty much throw that calorie counting *kitten* out the window when I'm down with the sickness.
  • hollyrayburn
    hollyrayburn Posts: 905 Member
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    fishshark wrote: »
    to be honest you need to eat as much as your body will allow to give your body strength. A nurse knows better about what to do when sick then regular people on here or nutritionists (i have a masters in nutrition)

    My manager is an incredibly intelligent person ;) I'm not wanting to go way over maintenence or anything, that's for sure; I have been less concerned with my food this week though. Like when I wanted a krystal yesterday, by George I got me a couple -- and some chili! Lol ;)
  • hollyrayburn
    hollyrayburn Posts: 905 Member
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    Alluminati wrote: »
    I go with how I feel. I have had sick days where I've slept all day and wanted nothing but toast, and there have been sick days when I've eaten like a starving animal. In short, I pretty much throw that calorie counting *kitten* out the window when I'm down with the sickness.

    Down with the sickness, ooooh ah ah ah ah! (Sorry!)

    Yeah, monday, I didn't want crap, and today I want to eat allthefoods. Doesn't help I started my TOM today, either! Oh well!
  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
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    I think eating allthefoods during sick times is a good thing, like the person said above, your body needs strength to mend.
  • fishshark
    fishshark Posts: 1,886 Member
    edited June 2016
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    hollyrayburn wrote: »
    fishshark wrote: »
    to be honest you need to eat as much as your body will allow to give your body strength. A nurse knows better about what to do when sick then regular people on here or nutritionists (i have a masters in nutrition)

    My manager is an incredibly intelligent person ;) I'm not wanting to go way over maintenence or anything, that's for sure; I have been less concerned with my food this week though. Like when I wanted a krystal yesterday, by George I got me a couple -- and some chili! Lol ;)

    for me when Im sick I don't really want to eat. I remember my childhood dr birth-18 always said eat whatever you crave when your sick. For me its always mcdonalds fries. I like to pretend its because i need the sodium and my electrolytes are low haha. feel better soon!
  • ziggy2006
    ziggy2006 Posts: 255 Member
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    hollyrayburn wrote: »
    What is your take on continuing to eat at a deficit during stuff like this.

    For just a cold, I would continue to follow my regular eating routine.

    For a stomach bug, I go by what my stomach will tolerate. As a child, my mother would give us Coca Cola syrup over crushed ice to help with nausea. I continue to use that (and, yes, the ice must be crushed). Once I'm able to eat solid foods, I stick with toast, saltines, and plain elbow macaroni. After a day or so, I start eating my regular diet, though I might skip the more spicy and adventuresome meals for a few days.

    For an illness that puts me in the hospital, I eat whatever I can tolerate. Last time I was hospitalized, I was in the ICU with breathing issues and on prednisone. I had little appetite and everything tasted bad to me (probably due to the prednisone). I lived off peanut butter chocolate chip Clif bars during my stay and for several days after returning home. Once my appetite came back, I resumed eating healthfully.
  • annette_15
    annette_15 Posts: 1,657 Member
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    I think trying to eat more is important when you are sick, but even more so is what you are eating. You wont feel better faster if you down all the chocolate and ice cream, but a lot of fruit, veggies and nutrient dense foods can absolutely help in recovering faster in my experience
  • scoii
    scoii Posts: 160 Member
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    When I have a common cold it's lemsip and high calorie. I feel so much better after some frosties or biscuits that it must be what the body is needing. If not I'm so lazy and pathetic.

    A proper flu where you can't even stand up is OJ and lucosade all the way for me. Definitely a fan or the flu jab after having a proper case of it a few years ago.
  • hollyrayburn
    hollyrayburn Posts: 905 Member
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    ziggy2006 wrote: »
    hollyrayburn wrote: »
    What is your take on continuing to eat at a deficit during stuff like this.

    For just a cold, I would continue to follow my regular eating routine.

    For a stomach bug, I go by what my stomach will tolerate. As a child, my mother would give us Coca Cola syrup over crushed ice to help with nausea. I continue to use that (and, yes, the ice must be crushed). Once I'm able to eat solid foods, I stick with toast, saltines, and plain elbow macaroni. After a day or so, I start eating my regular diet, though I might skip the more spicy and adventuresome meals for a few days.

    For an illness that puts me in the hospital, I eat whatever I can tolerate. Last time I was hospitalized, I was in the ICU with breathing issues and on prednisone. I had little appetite and everything tasted bad to me (probably due to the prednisone). I lived off peanut butter chocolate chip Clif bars during my stay and for several days after returning home. Once my appetite came back, I resumed eating healthfully.

    Man, prednisone makes me so ravenous lyrics hungry!

    I think I may potentially have bronchitis, I hear rales when I listen to my lungs. :/ if no improvement tomorrow, off to get an X ray I go!

    Luckily, I'm thinking I want everything, but I only eat a small portion of anything I fix. Logging is gonna be so inaccurate today, lol :/
  • STEVE142142
    STEVE142142 Posts: 867 Member
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    Listen tell your nurse. When your sick your body needs to recover that's more important then worrying about maintenance or going over your calories. Food is one of the fuels that your body uses to fix itself. Feel better
  • 85Cardinals
    85Cardinals Posts: 733 Member
    edited June 2016
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    Get well soon, original poster! I sure wouldn't be counting calories if I were ill. I'd be doing whatever I want to until my body heals a little.
  • bioklutz
    bioklutz Posts: 1,365 Member
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    When I am sick I don't worry about calories. I eat whatever makes me feel better and get plenty of rest.

    The last time I was sick I got a HUGE container of egg drop soup from the Chinese restaurant near our house. It was sooo good...I went back the next day and got another container. I also ate a lot of ice cream :smiley:
  • KiyaK
    KiyaK Posts: 519 Member
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    Why the hell would you bother counting while sick? Get well. Good gracious.
  • adoette
    adoette Posts: 181 Member
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    When sick, eat what you feel like eating. You won't have that cold forever, so eating too little or eating over your calories won't make a difference either way.

    Your body is quite capable of telling you that it needs more food, and it's quite capable of telling you it can't handle any.

    This is one situation where no one can really knock the intuitive eating thing!

    Feel better OP!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    I typically try to eat at goal, but I use TDEE and it includes exercise, so I probably just end up eating at maintenance during that time anyway.
    KiyaK wrote: »
    Why the hell would you bother counting while sick? Get well. Good gracious.

    If I didn't count, I'd gain weight every time I'm sick, lol.
  • lettucewraps4me
    lettucewraps4me Posts: 3 Member
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    well i have the creeping crud bronch cough wheezing allergies from hell day 6 ...not hungry from all the meds inhalers allergy pills but restless cant sleep drinking a lot of caffeine free herbal fruit tea when you log it in no carbs but it makes you feel better raspberry zinger blueberry peach...all yummy flavors and you can log in all your OTC and RX meds during your sick time on the meal sub categories LOL it looks funny to see BREAKFAST ADVAIL INHALER but if that is all i am doing for breakfast that's it... yes i logged in all the other meds i am taking it does show sodium count for cough meds and you need to drink lots of water...try broth when you feel better try chicken with stars soup mostly broth or vegan broth actually i stop wheezing when i drink a big o cup of coffee too and i have chibani yogurt on hand when i get hungry.;but this bronch flu is a bugger some times you want to eat anything that moves and sometimes you want to sip warm tea....good luck remember to drink lots and lots of water...
  • lettucewraps4me
    lettucewraps4me Posts: 3 Member
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    forgot to add i eat a small bite of candied ginger it settles my stomach and helps with inflamation

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