Physio and calorie intake

blankiefinder

I'm in physio right now, and I'm trying to figure out if my calorie intake will affect my recovery.

I have patellofemoral syndrome (crappy mis-aligned knee) that has bothered me for years but has gotten worse now that I have started to add a weights routine to my exercise plan. I am doing daily physio exercises to try to build strength in my thighs and glutes. The therapist has also had me completely de-load my workout

I'm wondering if I need to be at maintenance, in a surplus, or if a deficit is okay? If I can't lift, I feel like I might as well go back to trying to lose the last few pounds, but I don't want a deficit to impact building muscle for recovery. Though I'm not sure if you can even build muscle with those isometric physio exercises!