2 Even if you do not have bulimia but you think you'll knock a few pounds off if you get a stomach virus, you will likely be disappointed to find that the weight will return shortly after you recover. This is because when you are vomiting, you aren't losing fat.
Gaining back after illness weight takes time, especially if you continue to struggle with digestive issues, loss of appetite or hormonal imbalances. You need 3500 calories for 1 lb or 7700 for 1 kg of weight gain – and that's on top of the calories your body burns on a daily basis.
Even if you stayed well hydrated, you may find that you did drop a significant number of pounds. But is the weight loss permanent? Probably not -- unless you use the opportunity to start eating better and exercising more.
Any weight loss is from water loss and will be regained once you rehydrate. Using laxatives this way can also put you at risk of gastrointestinal discomfort and can lead to serious complications, such as dehydration or electrolyte imbalances.
Healthy foods to help you gain weight
Instead, look for foods that are good sources of protein as well as higher in calories, such as dairy products, nuts, seeds and oily fish. Use whole milk and dairy products until your weight is within a healthy range, then switch to lower-fat choices.
While the body typically clears an infection within a few days, sometimes there can be lasting effects. Gastroenteritis can modify the microbiome balance, leading to a decrease in the diversity and quantity of good bacteria in the gut, which can cause health complications in the long-term.
Gastroenteritis can be very unpleasant, but it usually clears up by itself within a week. You can normally look after yourself or your child at home until you're feeling better. Try to avoid going to your GP, as gastroenteritis can spread to others very easily.
Diarrhea and weight gain may result from ascites from cirrhosis or heart failure, or an intra-abdominal malignancy causing ascites. Irritable bowel syndrome may also be the culprit.
When you have diarrhea, important nutrients such as calories, protein, vitamins, water, sodium and potassium are lost. This loss can be serious if you are already ill or trying to recover from an illness.
The BRAT diet—bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast—and other bland, low-fat foods may be ideal when you have diarrhea. As you start to feel better, you will want to add other foods back in slowly. The goal is to ensure you get enough nutrients, without further aggravating your digestive tract.
When you do physical activity, it stimulates the muscles of the digestive tract which, in turn, helps the food and air bubbles pass through your GI tract more easily. – Recovery from a stomach bug. Many people experience bloating after having a stomach virus or bug.
So, once your digestion has settled a little, you may benefit from some beneficial bacteria-boosting foods such as live natural yogurt, kefir and sauerkraut. Taking a probiotic which is well tested for supporting immunity or more specifically recovering from gastric illnesses may also help.
A vomit can only remove up to about half of the calories eaten - which means that, realistically, between half to two thirds of what is eaten is absorbed by the body.
When you are sick, it is normal to lose a bit of weight as you'll generally consume fewer calories, and less fluid, than you would normally consume to maintain your weight. If you are ill for more than a few days, this can be a marked weight loss. Sick for a week, it might be as much as 4-5 pounds.
Diarrhoea can lead to dehydration and weight loss if left untreated.
Diarrhea contributes to malnutrition through reduction in food intake, decrease in absorption of nutrients, and increase in catabolism of nutrient reserves.
"Gastrointestinal and digestive issues can definitely have a large effect on the way we eat and how our bodies absorb and digest foods, causing us to gain or lose weight," says Kenneth Brown, M.D., a board-certified gastroenterologist.
A prolonged bout of diarrhea or vomiting can cause the body to lose more fluid than it can take in. The result is dehydration, which occurs when your body doesn't have the fluid it needs to function properly. Severe dehydration can cause your kidneys to shut down.
In the short-term, you will probably weigh a few hundred grams more if you are constipated because your bowel is full of digested food. Just remember that this is rather insignificant because it hardly impacts your overall body weight.
If you have ever had a stomach bug for more than a few hours, you may have noticed that you drop a few pounds. Not eating and vomiting everything you have eaten for the past day or so will do that.
Once the person's body has removed the virus, post-viral syndrome may make them feel drained of energy and generally unwell. This feeling may linger for days to months after a viral infection.
Gastroenteritis symptoms usually last for 1 to 2 days, but occasionally they may persist for as long as 10 days. CHECK YOUR SYMPTOMS — Use the diarrhoea and vomiting Symptom Checker and find out if you need to seek medical help.