I need help

lilliasbell

I’m an 18 year old female and after having two surgery’s I am struggling to lose weight and I don’t know what to do. If anyone has any suggestions I would appreciate it a lot. I am up to 208 pounds and am trying to get down to 170 in order to wrestle in college again.

AnnPT77

What is making it a struggle for you, specifically? (I'm not questioning that it is a struggle - it has been for most of us in one way or another - but the strategies that could be helpful will vary depending on the details.)

Fundamentally, what's required is getting calorie intake from eating down below the number of calories we burn through a combination of just being alive, daily life stuff (job, chores, etc.), and intentional exercise. A lot of people here accomplish that by counting calories via food logging, because after all this is a calorie counting site. But that's not the only way that can potentially work.

You mention surgeries, and being an athlete (wrestler).

For several years, I was closely associated with a successful US NCAA Div I college sports team (rowing), and stayed in touch with some of the alumni. For a fair fraction of them, once they stopped training as intensely as they did during collegiate career, there was weight gain. They were used to eating a lot - needing to eat a lot to fuel themselves! - and kept up some of the same eating habits once their training load (in adult life) got lighter. Those who managed weight, staying at a slim weight, either tended to continue an intense training schedule (whether rowing or something else), have a very physical career, and/or consciously adjust their eating habits.

So, I wonder whether some of that might be in the picture for you, if surgeries limited your activity level, but some of your eating habits didn't adjust downward alongside that reduced activity level.

If you're still healing from your surgeries, it would be a good idea not to try to lose weight fast: You need to let your body prioritize healing as job 1, and healing requires calories and nutrition. At some point in the process, gradual loss may be OK, and eventually a loss rate that would be healthy for anyone else your size. Please consult your doctor about what's reasonable in your case, in terms of pursuing weight loss, if you haven't done so already. I hear your eagerness to lose the weight, but I'm sure you don't want to risk sacrificing health and long-term performance along the way.

If and as you're able to resume some level of athletic activity - as approved by your medical team - that will help with both healing and weight management, too.

Sending healing rays in your direction!