Maintaining weight while recovering from surgery?

bfanny

I lost 45 lbs sloooowly and I've been maintaining succesfully for a while (years) however I lost 5 vanity lbs (recently) and I exercise Cardio/weights 6 days a week...Now having to rest to recover for 2-4 weeks, how do you "handle" your cals??? I eat 1,500 5 days and Sat/Sun I let loose, so I have NO idea what my level should be Any Ideas???

sijomial

You haven't said how you were you accounting for your activity and exercise before your surgery.

bfanny

I use a Fitbit, I burn around 2,000 cals a day but when I take a DOR about 1,600 Is that what I'm suppose to eat everyday while I'm recovering to maintain?

sijomial

bfanny wrote: »

I use a Fitbit, I burn around 2,000 cals a day but when I take a DOR about 1,600 Is that what I'm suppose to eat everyday while I'm recovering to maintain?

If your FitBit numbers work then use them - but you are complicating it with

Sat/Sun I let loose

so you will have to undercut your FitBit numbers Monday - Friday to compensate for going over at the weekend.

LivingtheLeanDream

Fitbit will keep you right, its pretty accurate imo.
If you eat more on weekends you need to eat at deficit during the week to bank cals for the weekend.

bfanny

Thank you, got it!
Letting loose won't be a good idea for now

mitch16

Calculate your maintenance TDEE and eat at that. Assume that your activity level is going to be fairly sedentary.

Post-surgery your body needs nutrition to heal properly so you probably don't want to be in a deficit.

bfanny

mitch16 wrote: »

Calculate your maintenance TDEE and eat at that. Assume that your activity level is going to be fairly sedentary.

Post-surgery your body needs nutrition to heal properly so you probably don't want to be in a deficit.

Yes, Thank you!
Besides I'm done losing

ARGriffy

hey dude, i managed to maintain for 3 months after a very bad injury where i couldn't exercise after. You just need to eat at maintenance but for fully sedentary. example, my daily maintain cals are 1800 at active, they dropped to 1500 when sat on my backside. I did gain 1 lb in those months, visually i lost shed loads of muscle and gained a lot of jiggle too. But you're talking about a far smaller time frame than me!! Message me if you want any more info x

bfanny

ARGriffy wrote: »

hey dude, i managed to maintain for 3 months after a very bad injury where i couldn't exercise after. You just need to eat at maintenance but for fully sedentary. example, my daily maintain cals are 1800 at active, they dropped to 1500 when sat on my backside. I did gain 1 lb in those months, visually i lost shed loads of muscle and gained a lot of jiggle too. But you're talking about a far smaller time frame than me!! Message me if you want any more info x

Thank you! You give me hope and look great btw

bfanny

Update!
I'm 16 days post op and the next day I was 8 lbs heavier ( anesthesia, fluids etc) 4 days later I lost what I gained, started eating a little more and gained 3 lbs, I'm walking 40 minutes a day now, took control of my eating and I'm only 1 lb heavier than the day before
My conclusion: Yes you can maintain if you really try, no crazy amounts of exercise or 1,200 cals a day required...
So happy to be ALIVE and ready to get to 125!!!!

bfanny

I know, I know that I said that I was done losing but 5 lbs less? Why not

srecupid

Are you me right now? I had surgery 2 weeks and don't go back to work for 2 more weeks. You have any idea how hard it is to not have a few beers and go overboard on food while every day is the damn same sitting around the house?

bfanny

srecupid wrote: »

Are you me right now? I had surgery 2 weeks and don't go back to work for 2 more weeks. You have any idea how hard it is to not have a few beers and go overboard on food while every day is the damn same sitting around the house?

Oh I know, but I was lucky that I was "encouraged" to walk daily from the beginning and it made a difference, only 2 more weeks and I can run and lift again!
Get better soon

sadinplaid

I was so happy to see your post! I'm 2 weeks post-op from a tummy tuck after losing 50 pounds this past year (and a total of 130 pounds since my heaviest weight). I used iifym.com (if it fits your macros) to get my maintenance calories for sedentary, and it was actually more than what I was eating. I think it said something around 2000-2300 calories a day, and I had previously just decided to stay at the 1700 calories a day where I was pre-surgery when I was working out and lifting weights regularly. I've only weighed myself a couple of times since my surgery - still dealing with some swelling, but my first weigh-in was down 3 pounds from pre-op, and my next weigh-in was up 3 pounds, so I'm planning to wait another week or 2 to start weighing again regularly. I was so happy to be cleared to start walking or riding a stationary bike again this week!

Thanks for sharing and hope you're doing well!

bfanny

@sadinplaid Aww you are welcome!
I'm doing great thanks for asking and I hope that you get better soon