13 yr old son has recently become paralyzed from the nipple line down. He has no trunk muscle use and is putting on a lot of weight. He has gained 20 lbs. He's a large boy, 5'8" and 210 lbs. What calorie count should I keep him at to help him loose weight? We have made some modifications, no salt, no fried foods, increased exercise with bands for his arms and upper body weight training...with major modifications, but how do we rid the weight in the stomach area where he has no muscle use? It's very difficult for him to even drag his own body weight across the floor like an army crawl. Can you help us?
Sorry to hear about your son's unfortunate circumstance. It sounds like you are doing the right thing regarding which foods to avoid. As far as keeping the weight off via diet, I would imagine that having him eat a calorie controlled and nutrient rich diet is best. In regard to physical exercise, it seems that he is limited to what he can do, but that you are implementing all options possible. Of course, consulting with his physician(s) on all of these aspects is imperative. Best of luck to you and him and hopefully this helps....
Thanks so much for your response. We have been working with rehab and his doctor. I appreciate the journals for exercise. They have helped us get more organised with our efforts. Thank for the site.
