Chronic Lung Disease: Maintaining a Healthy Weight
Chronic lung disease can affect your weight in 2 ways. Shortness of breath and lack of energy (fatigue) can make it hard to:
Being underweight can limit your energy. This makes it harder to be active. And it makes you more likely to get an infection. Being overweight can also increase shortness of breath. So you should try to stay at a healthy weight. Weighing yourself regularly helps you do this. If you gain or lose weight without trying to, you may need to make changes in your diet or your treatment plan.
Tips for weighing yourself
Here are suggestions to follow:
-
Weigh yourself at the same time each morning. Do this after using the bathroom and before eating.
-
It’s most accurate to weigh yourself without clothes. If this isn’t possible, wear the same clothes (such as pajamas) each time you weigh yourself.
-
Write your weight on a piece of paper. Keep this near the scale. This will help you see any changes in your weight over time.
-
Call your healthcare provider if you are steadily losing weight over time (without trying to).Or if you gain pounds in 1 week.
Work with your healthcare provider or a dietitian to set your goal weight. Then weigh yourself as often as directed by your provider or pulmonary rehab team. This may be once a day, once a week, or another time frame.
My goal weight: _____________
How often to weigh: 
Daily Weekly Other: _________________
Author: StayWell Custom Communications
Last Annual Review Date:
12/1/2019