www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Disability/Pages/weight-loss-wheelchairs.aspx
Adults who use wheelchairs can find it harder to lose weight, because they tend to use fewer calories through physical activity. But if you’re a wheelchair user and you are overweight, there are still changes you can make to achieve a healthy weight.
If you're a wheelchair user, you're at particular risk of weight gain, partly because wheelchair users tend not to use the large muscles in their legs, and so use less energy in day-to-day life.
Helen Bond is a dietitian with experience of working with wheelchair users.
She says that wheelchair users can find it difficult to gauge how many calories they need to eat. This means they can eat more than they need, resulting in weight gain.
“Wheelchair users are in a very different situation from other adults when it comes to how many calories they need,” she says. “This can be hard to adapt to.
“If you are new to using a wheelchair, you might eat as you did before, but you are using less energy through physical activity, and so you begin to put on weight. If you live with other adults who need more calories than you, you may eat as much as them, and again this will result in weight gain.
“Wheelchair users can also lose muscle in their legs over time. When we have less muscle, we need fewer calories to maintain our bodyweight.”
Losing weight in a wheelchair
To lose weight, you need to regularly use more energy than you consume through food and drink. You can do this by a combination of eating fewer calories and being more active. However, if your ability to move around is severely restricted by your condition, then dieting will be the main way that you can lose weight.