Cold virus and weight gain

Talk about adding insult to injury. Many of us assume we'll lose weight when we're sick, but that's not always the case. Weight loss when you have the stomach flu, or gastroenteritis, is pretty common, and it's mainly caused by severe dehydration from vomiting and diarrhea via VeryWellFit. With a head cold, though, the symptoms typically are nasal congestion, headache, sore throat, and tiredness, and drinking lots of fluid is one of the best ways to feel better via WebMD. If you'd been trying to lose weight before you got sick, the healthy foods you ate, like salads and grilled chicken, may have been replaced by noodles, potatoes, and hot tea with honey, and people with colds may choose to sit out their workouts via LiveStrong.

All of these lifestyle changes can lead to an increase in the scale readout. Scientists believe a virus behind the common cold could have fuelled the obesity epidemic that has swept the developed world. The culprit? A contagious bug called adenovirus Obesity epidemic: Experts said the rise of obesity over the past 30 years has coincided with the discovery of the bug adenovirus But they pointed out that the rise of obesity over the past 30 years has coincided with the discovery of the bug adenovirus Highly infectious, it can cause mild coughs and colds.

And tests have shown that animals injected with the virus gained weight, even when their food intake stayed the same. The virus worms its way into fat cells, where it instructs them to store more fat than usual. It also tells stem cells, master cells with chameleon-like properties, to turn into fat cells. The Czech researchers discovered that overweight and obese teenagers were up to two-and-a-half times as likely to have been infected with the bug as their slimmer counterparts.

And another study has found that roughly a third of those classified as obese have evidence of the bug in their systems. Richard Atkinson, an American doctor who has devoted 15 years to the subject, believes the bug fuels weight gain for decades after someone catches it.

Findings: The Czech researchers discovered that overweight and obese teenagers were up to two-and-a-half times as likely to have been infected with the bug as their slimmer counterparts. A gene-based diet helped slimmers lose a third more weight, a study has shown. Diets were prepared for 87 obese people based on their genetic make-up. After two years they had lost 33 per cent more weight than those whose diets were not adjusted. Dr Atkinson has patented a formula for a vaccine to guard against adenovirus But the idea that obesity is contagious is so unusual that he has not been able to get funding to develop the jab.

In the meantime, he advises those who want to stay adenovirus-free to keep their immunity high by getting enough sleep, avoiding stress and washing their hands. It seems absurd and I can't help but feel I am doing something wrong; I have never seen such a huge jump in weight and I am feeling so discouraged. Also, how should I be changing my work out schedule when I am sick?

I rarely ever get sick so I am a little lost haha Should I not be exercising at all for the next couple of days? Is light weight training and cardio ok for say an hourish? Thanks so much! Welcome to my wolrd! I was sick all last month and my weight spiked like that and now I'm finally feeling better and it's finally coming down.

Happens to me all the time, but it always bothers me. Listen to your body. If you feel like total crap, then rest, and you don't need to spreading whatever it is you have.

Don't be discouraged, you're 5'5" and lbs. Thanks for the support. I just can't stand feeling this sick, and on top of that looking like a bag of garbage and seeing a 5 pound weight gain; and then not being able to exercise with the idea that I'm not doing enough since I gained 5 pounds That horrible psychological cycle you know? Originally Posted by ashleyxlaine. Gaining weight when you get sick is completely normal.

Unless you workout at home, I'd cool it for a few days. Nobody is going to want to use any of the equipment behind you with you spreading your germs around. Get better, then come back and hit some new PRs from the rest week.