Adults who live with a disability will find it more difficult to lose weight. With limited physical activities, their bodies often consume fewer calories. But, if you’re disabled and you are obese, there are a few changes you can make to reach a healthy weight.
We usually eat more calories than our bodies require, without doing adequate physical activity. This causes weight gain over time. It explains, for example, why nearly two-thirds of English adults are obese or overweight.
If you’re living with a disability, you’re at particular risk of weight gain. That’s partly because many people living within disability don’t use most of their body muscles. It means they use less energy in their everyday life. Besides, obesity makes you more susceptible to various grave health conditions, such as heart disease, some cancers and type 2 diabetes.
Weight Checking
Body mass index popularly known as BMI is a measure of whether a person’s weight is healthy for their height. Nonetheless, BMI may not always be sufficient to check your weight if you are disabled. The reason is that it will not give accurate results. For instance, BMI is not enough to draw a full weight picture if you have health complication that affects your height or weight.
Talk to your doctor whenever you’re uncertain about weight. They will advise you on whether BMI is the right measure for you and whether your current weight is healthy. Likewise, your physician can give a hand if you are unable to weigh yourself.
Knowing Why You Are Obese
Marion McLean is a trained and licensed dietitian with a history in assisting wheelchair users. She says that this disability profile finds it harder to estimate the number of calories to eat. This implies that they can consume more than they need, causing weight gain.
You can eat as before if you are new to using a wheelchair. Just remember that your body is burning fewer calories through physical activity. Therefore, you’re likely to put on weight.
Plus, disabled persons can also lose leg muscle with time. Your body uses less energy when we have less muscle.
How to Lose Weight in a Wheelchair
The healthy way to losing weight is by not being overweight in the first place. You’ll want to change both your diet and the intensity of physical activity. You need to regularly burn more calories than you eat via food and drink. To do this, you can choose to consume fewer calories while keeping an active lifestyle.
However, if your condition severely restricts your movement, then dieting will be your best weight loss option. Aim to lose from 0.5 kg to 1 kg weekly, until you achieve your target weight. And a healt
Losing weight in a wheelchair
The key to losing weight the healthy way is to adjust your diet and level of physical activity.
To lose weight, you need to regularly use more energy than you consume through food and drink. You can do this by a combination of eating fewer calories and being more active. However, if your ability to move around is severely restricted by your condition, then dieting will be the main way that you can lose weight. Also, a healthy balanced diet will keep you in a healthy weight down the line.
Let your physician help you identify a suitable community weight management service for you. These services assist people by:
· Losing weight and maintaining it
· Preventing further weight gain
· Incorporating a regular eating pattern
· Achieving a balanced diet
· Leading a physically active life
· Limiting overfeeding and portion sizes
· Adapting to new long-term skills for your lifestyle
Aim to lose between 1lb (0.5kg) and 2lb (1kg) a week until you reach your target weight. A healthy, balanced diet and regular physical activity will help you to maintain a healthy weight in the long term.
Conclusion
Having a disability does not imply you will forever stay overweight. Although a disability can dictate the physical activity you can undertake, still there are numerous ways you can shed off the weight. It begins by focusing on the things you can do, instead of your limits.