Dieting With a Spinal Cord Injury (SCI).

My Logic

I am writing about the importance of good dieting habits because several years ago I decided to lose weight. Especially around the midsection. I was highly motivated, and without considering my special situation, Dieting With A Spinal Cord Injury (SCI), I began. I wanted to lose the weight rapidly, and thought to have had some knowledge about good nutrition. Well, at least I thought I did... See my blog post on Motivation, and Goal Setting here, and here respectively.

I knew vegetables were good, and fat was bad, and if you eat less you’ll lose weight right? So, my mind set focused on eating less, with little consideration given to a complete balanced nutritional diet. I hadn’t even considered researching any of the proven diets out there, and the importance that protein plays in dieting. Nor did I consulting my doctor.

The Plan

Dieting With A Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) can be tricky. Over a period of about eight months I began an all out low calorie diet. The first four months I ate only fresh fruit and vegetables during the day. Then for dinner one four ounce portion of meat, fish, or chicken with 1/2 cup serving of vegetables.

I would eat a bowl of assorted fruit for breakfast then munch on a medley of fruit and vegetables all day long. Stuff like raw carrot and celery sticks, raw cauliflower, broccoli, oranges, apples, pears, plums, and grapefruit. Then for dinner, I’d have a four ounce portion of baked salmon, steak or chicken with cooked vegetables. Additionally, I used no butter or sauces. Talk about bland and boring!

Man, I was always hungry too, but I was motivated enough to push through. One thing that helped my constant hunger pains was during the day I was eating almost constantly.
I lost the excess weight, and my stomach, but I also lost muscle and fat in places where I needed to retain them for SCI reasons. Mainly my derriere or gluteus maximus. Obviously because of the increased sitting time required due to my SCI, I surely should have considered this area.

Additionally, I didn’t consult a doctor, or exercise until months into my diet. This was unwise to say the least. It wasn’t until later that I found out the mistakes I had made.

Conclusion

So I’m writing this in hope that no one else will make these same mistakes.
Having a spinal cord injury changes everything, including your diet. After a spinal cord injury your body requires fewer calories because of diminished body function. Therefore, the loss of body functionality, and inactivity results in loss of lean body mass.

Whether you’re a quadriplegic/tetraplegic, or paraplegic the amount of lean body mass you have is a determining factor in the amount of daily calories needed. To avoid future health complications you should adjust your diet accordingly to maintain a healthy weight, and immune system.

Dieting in general is tricky, but Dieting With A Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) requires not only monitoring your caloric intake, but also your intake of protein, dietary fiber, calcium, and vitamin D to name a few. Additionally, an effective diet requires discipline, making palatability one of the most important factors. If you don’t particularly like the food, you are not likely to continue with your diet program.

Other Considerations

Before choosing or developing an effective diet, learning the minimum daily caloric intake required for basic life sustaining body functions is a good thing to know. This is sometimes referred to as “Resting Metabolic Rate,” or “RMR.” When Dieting With A Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) this becomes very important. Your doctor, and dietitian can assist you in determining your RMR, and there are a number of websites that offer RMR calculators to help you find your approximate RMR.

I recommend asking your doctor about RMR, because he/she knows your health, and can make additional recommendation for developing a weight management program specific to your needs.

Remember, RMR is the approximate minimum number of calories your body needs to perform life sustaining functions. Functions like breathing, digestion, heart, kidney, and liver function make up your RMR. So that’s your starting point, or base for determining your body’s daily calorie use or requirement, and it will help you in determining the upper daily caloric target, or daily caloric intake for your diet.

Equally important to effective dieting and weight management is selecting high quality foods, and knowing their approximate calorie content. Knowing portion sizes and the nutritional content of foods will help you choose quantity,and the food with the most nutritional punch.

This will help control calories consumed, while benefiting your overall health.
A reference I find helpful in determining the number of calories per serving is http://www.calorieking.com/. There you can search specific foods for calorie amount, quantity, and much more. They even have calorie lists for many popular fast food restaurants.

Another helpful tool estimates calories burned while performing a specific exercise or activity. This will help in determining your metabolism during daily activities, and exercises.
There are many online tools that are useful in dieting, and these tools are just a search away. Of course, they weren’t developed with spinal cord injured folks in mind, but they can serve as a guide or reference in determining approximate calorie consumption for you.

Just another handy piece of information for good weight management.

Summary

Remember, with time, good eating habits become second nature. Sticking with a diet is always hardest in the beginning, but with a little perseverance you can discover a healthier you.

Hopefully, your newly discovered good eating routine will become a life long habit.
Happy Dieting!

James
Improved Life Academy

PS: Always consult your doctor before starting a diet, and exercise program.
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