Information on Nutrition

The Battle of the Bulge:
Understanding Post-Injury Weight Gain
By Cindy Gray, Registered Dietitian
January 1996

Ellen eased herself into her favorite chair and began to tear open her treat for the afternoon. Ever since her accident in the spring, she began eating chocolate, though never having really craved it before. “It helps me!” she explains “It makes me feel good, and takes my mind off the pain, at least for a little while, then I try and do some house work.”

This treat has become an almost daily ritual for Ellen, as she seeks a way to deal with the discomfort of her back injury. She knows that she shouldn’t be “indulging” so often, but the limitations of her injury have left her with few pleasures. Meanwhile, Ellen is becoming increasingly frustrated by the weight that she has gained since her injury. “I try to eat right, but before I know it I’m munching again!”

Ellen’s case is a familiar one in dealing with injured workers. Eating habits often remain the same as when they were active on the job site, though the activity level has been markedly reduced through restraints of the injury.

The Battle of the Bulge...

 

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