You feel wretched. You ache all over and can barely drag yourself out of bed. To add to your literal headaches, you know you couldn't possibly handle your normal workout, so you fear that your weight-loss efforts are all but scotched until you get back on your feet. Or perhaps you suffer from a long-term condition that seems to have permanently derailed your weight-loss campaign. Being sick doesn't mean you can't continue to lose weight. With or without exercise, you lose weight by sticking to tried-and-true weight-loss principles.
The Down Side
Whatever affliction you have, whether it's a cold, the flu, a stomach virus or some other transient condition, your body is in the midst of a fight. Your body needs rest, and you assist your recovery by backing off vigorous physical activities. Listen to your body and rest. Don't worry about the calories you won't be burning during your brief recovery.
Chronic Conditions
If you have a long-term condition that sabotages your exercise efforts, you face a greater challenge. Consult with your doctor to see what kind of exercise and activity can help you cope with your particular affliction. People with various conditions, including autoimmune, cardiovascular, metabolic diseases, chronic migraine headaches and many more, benefit from exercise, and particularly from cardio exercise. Minimally, exercise can help you deal with the anxiety and stress that often accompanies long-term illness, the February 2010 "Archives of Internal Medicine" reports. If your condition prevents you from exercising, you will have to focus exclusively on managing your caloric intake to lose weight.
The Up Side
Depending on the nature of your illness, you might get a boost to your weight-loss efforts. Often, illnesses are accompanied with a loss of appetite. Don't starve yourself, however. Whether you have an acute or a chronic illness, maintain a balanced diet to supply your body with the nutrients it needs restore your health. If you have a fever, there is no reason to celebrate, but on the up side, you burn more calories. For every 1/2 degree centigrade increase in your internal temperature, your basal metabolic rate -- the number of calories you burn maintaining your body weight -- increases by 7 percent, according to ShapeFit.com. For example, a 5 foot 7 inch tall woman who weighs 170 lbs. has a BMR of 1,521 calories, according to BMI-Calculator.net. A 24-hour fever of 37.5 degrees centigrade, equivalent to a fever of 101 degrees Fahrenheit, would burn 220 calories.
Diet
You lose weight by eating fewer calories than you burn. If you are sedentary because of illness, you must reduce your calorie intake to lose weight. Restrict yourself to nutritious foods and avoid empty-calories foods -- foods that have a lot of calories but offer few nutrients. Find comfort in soup, not cookies. Don't let boredom unhinge your diet. Entertain and distract yourself with TV, reading, the Internet, hobbies and quiet activities, not food. Eat for your specific condition. Consult with your physician, the library or the Internet to find foods that help heal your particular illness. Use online calculators to estimate your BMR and keep your calorie intake to below your BMR. Whether or not you lose weight while you're ill depends chiefly on how well you stick to a healthy, calorie-wise diet.
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