Weight Loss After Injury: Safe Rehab-Based Fitness Plan

Introduction

Are you willing to lose weight following an injury?

Following a spinal cord injury, weight gain is a common problem. Weight gain can occur quickly in people with restricted mobility. The scary fact about weight gain with wheelchair use is that it can make everything more challenging, including dressing and transfers, and it can be harmful to your health by creating pressure sores, chafing, and other conditions.

Injuries can seriously interfere with your routine and be discouraging. In addition, a lot of people are really concerned about gaining excessive weight. We must consume meals that reduce pain and rebuild strength during the healing process to recover from an accident. Eating a balanced diet rich in protein, fibre, vitamins, and healthy fats should be our main priority.

Fitness enthusiasts consequently experience increased stress and weight gain. The nutritionist is offering some useful advice in this article for those people who want to lose weight quickly and easily.

Yes, it may be a frustrating experience. Rehabilitation workouts, however, are here to help! Consider these as your personal toolkit to prevent further injuries, increase strength, and heal more quickly.

Additionally, these techniques are supported by science, so you’re not winging it—rather, you’re adhering to a strategy that works.

Even if your doctor prescribes weight management for those with spinal cord injuries, maintaining your weight can be challenging. All individuals with spinal cord injuries should follow this suggestion, which is to cut back on calories. However, this approach isn’t effective for everyone. In actuality, there are multiple approaches to weight loss following an accident. For those who are paralysed, we have listed some of the best techniques below.

Consult Your Nutritionist and dietitian

Any type of injury requires consultation with a nutritionist or dietitian regarding a post-injury food plan. They will assist you in determining the present status of your injuries and creating a nutritious diet plan to support your weight-loss goals. You will discover the best team of dietitians to assist you in securely losing weight. A patient’s customised treatment plan does not in any way interfere with their daily schedule.

The Rehab Exercises: What Are They Basically?

The purpose of rehab exercises is to help your body heal and return to its full potential following an accident. They are a VIP treatment for your muscles and joints because they are gentle, efficient, and grounded in research to increase blood flow, develop strength, and restore flexibility.

These exercises will help you feel better quickly, regardless of whether you’ve twisted your ankle, twisted your knee, or are simply coping with some persistent pain.

Fitness Plan For Weight Loss After Injury

Pay Attention to Nutrition

Most people who are trying to lose weight skip meals in order to get their ideal body. However, the expert nutritionist does not advise this, and if you have already suffered from trauma or injury, you should follow a nutritious diet to gain weight healthily.

Lean proteins, healthy grains, and fresh veggies are always preferred. Eliminating processed and sugary meals that negatively affect the body is crucial for long-term improvements.

Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting is one of the most well-liked weight-loss strategies, and it’s also well-liked by those with spinal cord injuries. This method’s popularity can be attributed to its effectiveness and ease of usage. You just eat within a brief window of the day and wait till that window opens up again.

There is often a 16-hour “fast” during the dining window, which runs from 1:00 pm to 8:00 pm. For those with spinal cord injuries, restricting meals to a smaller window has been shown to help the body healthily lose weight, and many people swear by it, particularly if they have had trouble with other strategies.

Keto

The ketogenic diet, which allows you to consume a lot of meat and cheese but no carbohydrates or anything high in protein and fat, is another diet that many patients with spinal cord injuries adhere to.

If you’re a meat lover, this is a wonderful diet that will help you lose weight fast—as long as you avoid foods like grains, bread, and potatoes. One thing to keep in mind is that this diet may interfere with your bowel routine, so watch how your body reacts.

Reduce Your Calorie Intake

One of the most effective strategies for weight loss is the tried-and-true practice of calorie tracking, or more accurately, decreasing calories. This approach is also recommended by several physicians. It is generally advised that people with spinal cord injuries take no more than 1500 calories daily, and significantly fewer if they have severe quadriplegia. This is because walking does not involve leg movement.

Even while this might seem like a very modest quantity of calories, if you stick to these guidelines, it will undoubtedly help you lose weight because it is a healthy daily amount for the body. When beginning this diet, cutting out any calories from your beverages, desserts, and superfluous items like high-calorie condiments is a simple method to reduce calories.

Exercise with weights

One of the best ways to reduce weight is to lift weights. The science is straightforward: gaining more muscle mass will increase the amount of calories burned during the day. Another excellent method of burning calories is lifting weights. However, because they are unable to use so many muscles, people with spinal cord injuries may find weight training intimidating. Don’t think about the latter; instead, try to concentrate on what you can move and train.

Velcro arm weights are popular among people with low-level quadriplegia because they are simple to put on and take off without help. Additionally, since there is typically plenty of space in the pulley region, universal gyms with weight pulleys are an excellent option for weight training from a wheelchair.

Avoid Processed Foods

Removing processed foods from your diet is a wonderful place to start if you have a spinal cord injury and want to lose weight. This is a challenging undertaking because processed food is everywhere. However, if you can, prepare all of your meals at home or with the assistance of a family member or carer, and only eat whole foods, such as fresh meats, raw fruits and veggies, simple bread loaves, and sides.

It also works to buy “clean” pre-made foods. The idea behind cutting out processed meals is that you are consuming more nutritious food and fewer chemicals and empty calories, which all contribute to weight loss.

Cardio

Cardio is still a popular weight-loss exercise approach for many individuals with spinal cord injuries since it works so well. However, getting a solid cardio workout can be challenging for those with spinal cord injuries because movement can be challenging. Zumba, aerobics, hand cycling, pushing a wheelchair, and adaptive sports like wheelchair basketball, rugby, swimming, or dancing are common cardiac exercises.

Increasing your heart rate and exercising your body are the main goals of cardio. A higher heart rate causes the body to burn calories and lose weight. For cardio to be beneficial, it is advised that you perform 20-minute workouts three to four times a week.

Just Water to Drink

As was already noted, one of the simplest ways to lose weight is to stop consuming calories, which entails eliminating soda and any other high-calorie beverages you may regularly consume. High-calorie beverages, including frozen sweet coffee drinks from the coffee shop, which can have up to 700 or 800 calories, can be easily consumed without even realizing it. Additionally, alcohol, particularly beer and sugary mixed drinks, can be heavy in calories.

Increased Smaller Meals

Eating multiple times a day, usually five or six times a day in smaller portions, is another common strategy for weight loss. The premise behind this approach is that the body is always searching for its next food fix. The body is prevented from experiencing famine by eating tiny portions frequently throughout the day rather than consuming a large quantity of food all at once.

No Sugar

Despite the fact that many of us enjoy sugary treats, white granulated sugar can lead to a number of health issues because it is not a food that the body was designed to regularly ingest. The accumulation of body fat in the stomach region and weight increase are among the worst.

Eating a lot of sugar is bad for the body and will cause the stomach to accumulate more fat. A good place to start is with organic honey instead of sugar. We advise getting in touch with your doctor for more guidance if you’re still having trouble losing weight after attempting multiple weight reduction strategies, because there might be a medical problem.

FAQs

References:

• Baner, S. O. & P. C. I. (2023, August 18). The Pain-Proof Diet: A Step-by-Step guide to losing weight after an injury. Drsumitz. https://www.drsumitz.com/blogs/the-pain-proof-diet-a-step-by-step-guide-to-losing-weight-after-an-injury
• Team, S. (2020, December 3). Warning signs of a serious spinal contusion. Spinal Cord, Inc. https://www.spinalcord.com/blog/best-methods-to-lose-weight-after-spinal-cord-injury
• Jaiswal, A. (2024, November 11). Rehabilitation Exercises: Guide for Recovery and Prevention. https://fitelo.co/fitness/rehabilitation-exercises/