If you are injured, then it might be difficult for you to continue working out in the way you did before your accident or illness. It can also be hard to stay motivated when you are hurting and unwell. That doesn’t mean that you should stop trying to be healthy, however, and it doesn’t mean that you can no longer lose weight if you need and want to. There are ways and means for those who are injured and who can’t exercise well (if at all) to continue their weight loss journey.
Don’t Check Your Weight
When you are working out regularly, it’s a good idea to weigh yourself once a week or so. Doing this gives you an idea of the progress you are making and it can motivate you to keep going. When you are unable to work out as you once did then weighing yourself is not such a good idea. Your weight can fluctuate hugely depending what you have eaten (it is a combination of how much fat, carbs, and protein you have had), what you have had to drink, and even what time of day it is. Checking the scales can do more harm than good if you aren’t able to lose weight as quickly as you did before you were injured – a ‘bad’ result can even lead to comfort eating, which won’t help you lose weight at all.
Have A Reward
When you do lose weight, it’s important to reward yourself. Yes, the results might be slower in coming when you can’t go running or go to the gym as you once did, but that doesn’t mean they are any less worthy. Perhaps they are even more so since it was harder to reach your goals. The rewards that you give yourself should not be food related (considering how much harder it is to lose weight now that would be a big mistake) but should be something that means you are being kind to yourself. A new book, a piece of clothing, a manicure, or a long soak in a bubble bath are all great rewards.
Keep Moving
Speak to your doctor before doing any kind of activity after an injury. If they give you the go ahead, then you might be able to do a lighter form of the exercises you were doing before. Instead of running you might try swimming which is a much lower impact, for example. Instead of an hour in the gym on the weightlifting equipment, it may now need to be half an hour on the treadmill. If you can’t do anything of these things then keeping as active as you can is still a good idea. Just walking around the block will burn calories and get your muscles working. You could be more active when you are out of the house too; take the stairs and not the elevator. Walk instead of drive. When you do take the car park as far away from the entrance as possible.
Count Your Calories
When you are working out regularly you can eat more calories because you are burning them off. When you aren’t working out you will need to reduce your calorie intake if you want to continue to lose weight. You can do this by cutting your portion size and by substituting fruit and vegetables for unhealthy snacks. Always remember to ask yourself whether you are really hungry or whether you are just in the habit of eating before you put something in your mouth. If you’re not sure, drink a glass of water. Sometimes thirst can be confused with hunger. If you weren’t really hungry the pangs will soon disappear.
Try LeptAid
LeptAid is a formula that reduces how much leptin is present in our bodies. Leptin is known as the ‘starvation hormone,’ and it is this that triggers feelings of hunger. If there is less of it in our bodies, then we won’t feel so hungry, and that makes it much easier to lose weight. A three-month study showed that LeptAid contributed to weight loss, reduced leptin release, maintained a good blood sugar level, and prevent fatty tissue from forming. Go online to learn more about LeptAid and see whether it might help you.
Don’t Comfort Eat
Hunger is not the only culprit when it comes to our bodies thinking they need food, and more specifically comfort food that is full of fat and calories and not much else. Emotions play a major part in this, and if you are feeling down (perhaps about your injury, for example), bored, stressed, or anxious, you might turn to food to make you feel better. The problem is, although the food might make you happier in the short term, in the long term you will feel guilty and uncomfortable. You will feel, in other words, bad. You know you shouldn’t have indulged, and you wish you hadn’t – but you did.
It’s far better to do something else, to take your mind off the fact that you are craving something that is bad for you. Go outside for a walk, turn on the radio, answer an email, knit something, write a letter… Do what it takes for that craving to subside. Another good idea is to write a list of healthy alternatives to unhealthy snacks and stick it to the refrigerator. If possible, just don’t have those unhealthy items in the house at all (although this can be difficult if you share your home with other people).
Eat Slowly
If you eat more slowly, you will give your brain a chance to realize that you are full and tell you to stop eating. Eating quickly means you may well have finished the plate before that message gets through, at which point it is already too late. You may have fallen into the habit of eating quickly (many people find that when they have children they need to snatch a quick meal in between naps and diaper changes, and to get enough food they have to eat fast. Or it could come from the fact that you are busy and don’t have time to slowly eat a meal because there is always something else to be doing) but it is a habit that needs to be undone as soon as you can. If you’re having trouble try using smaller plates; you may still eat fast, but you won’t be eating as much.
