How to Lose Weight and Stay Healthy With a Disability

This article presents a sensible look at the problem of gaining weight, in particular for people with health problems or disabilities that prevent them from following the normal methods of losing weight, such as exercising.

        Steps          

1  Gain control over your depression. Disability - particularly one that limits your movements in some way - can cause you to put on weight. If you are new to a wheelchair, you probably noticed that you actually lost a little weight to start with. This could be through losing muscle mass, as muscles weigh more than fat, this can result in an actual loss in your overall weight. Also, the trauma or depression felt when you first start to use a wheelchair can mean you eat very little, hence lose weight. For the most part though, people who find themselves confined to a wheelchair after years of healthy mobility can fall into a deep depression. Depression can affect your appetite in two ways. Some people find they lose their appetite, while others find they want to eat more. This is called "comfort food" and unfortunately you will heap on the kilos or pounds. So the first thing to attempt is to get control of the depression before it gets control of you. Your doctor may want to prescribe anti-depression medication, or you may need professional advice from a psychiatrist if the depression is really severe. Either way, you must strive to survive (as the saying goes). Do not give in to your urges to eat more - you will only regret it later.

2  Watch what you eat and when you eat. Anything with lots of fat, avoid like the plague and switch from eating sweets or lollies to eating fresh fruit. You may find that your hair and skin improve and your self-image increases greatly. You may be disabled, but you are still in control of your life.

3  If you have children, make a game of exercising with them by rolling on the floor with them. They will encourage you with their laughter and you will use muscles you didn't know you possessed. Of course, playing games takes your mind off eating and ends as a double bonus.

4  Having a good support base is important also. If you don't have a caretaker who can get you from your chair to the floor and back again, then try organizing physio visits. You will be amazed at the difference.

5   Eat what the family eats, but avoid potatoes, peas or pumpkin (the three P's). Plus, as mentioned earlier, do not eat anything containing lots of fat or that had been fried.

6   Learn to love vegetables and purchase a steamer to cook them in. Steamed vegetables that are not overcooked taste totally different from ones that are boiled and they are more nutritious

7  If you are able to use your upper body, then start lifting weights. Obviously light ones to start with. The action of operating a wheelchair can strengthen your arms but puts a terrible strain on your back. A regular massage can work wonders.

8  The main thing about losing weight if you suffer a disability is to make it a regular routine to exercise in a way that is best for your particular body limitations. Your physio or doctor will advise you on this.

         Tips