Tips for Surgery...

ChancyW

Hey all,
I am having a big surgery tomorrow (don't want to get into all of the details). The recovery is going to be 6 weeks or longer so I was wondering ...
How do you cope with not being able to workout and still stay on track, especially through the holiday season. I have lost 100 lbs and I don't want to gain a single lb back if I can help it.

Anything you can contribute is appreciated :-)

- Chancy

NoAdditives

If it's possible to do some sort of exercise, like light walking, do it. If not, just watch what you eat. There's no reason you can't indulge in all the yummy holiday foods, just keep the portions small and remember to track everything.

ashlee954

As long as you log all of your calories and stay within your goal you should be fine. Of course exercise is good for a number of reasons, including weight loss, but caloric intake is the key to your success. Good luck with your surgery and I hope you get to feeling better/up and about soon!!!

megamom

My last surgery I actually lost weight , not right after surgery when I had all the IV fluid but by the time I went back to work. I have had several surgeries and I get myself moving as soon as possible. First just walking but adding more and more activity as soon as I can. And I do Isometrics which you can do anytime without messing up your surgery. I maybe push myself a little further then my docs like at times but I have achieved full recovery even when they didn't think I would be able to. So as long as you stay within your calorie range you should be fine. Don't use having surgery as an excuse to chow down like I did a couple of times, :drinker: Took me forever to get rid of those pounds. Good luck.

fxst78

Really watch your food intake and be strict with your calories.

If you can walk then do arm exercises while sitting, or swim or something.

THe more you can move the better but the main thing is the diet! Fresh healthy foods lots of vegetables and lean protein will mean you won't gain weight AND you will recover more quickly from the surgery!

Tabs_A

I agree with just watching what you eat, so long as you stay under your calorie goal you should be fine. If you are finding this hard and still have it set to loosing a set amount of weight, consider lowering the amount of lbs/week to loose or switch over to maintenance mode to ease the calorie counting a bit. Good luck with everything!

CGerman

It's possible to maintain your weight (or even lose) with diet alone. You'll just have to make sure everything is logged and you're staying in your calorie range. When your able, walking will help with weight loss, along with recovery. Remember having surgery will cause you to retain water - make sure you stay away from the scale until the swelling is gone so you don't get discouraged.

I hope everything goes smoothly and you have a quick recovery :flowerforyou:

maurierose

I'm in the recovery stagemyself - it's frustrating, as I can't exercise either.... I'm just trying to watch what I eat, drink lots of fluids, and rest like I'm supposed to so I can HEAL FASTER. Re-set your activity level to the lowest it will go, set it to maintenance instead of loss, and keep logging those calories..... I'm focusing on maintaining, as it's next to impossible for to lose right now. Be prepared for a big weight swing after your surgery, swelling and the iv fluids may add quite a bit (I was up 5-8 lbs the first week, it's starting to go away, slowly....) Keep healthy things on hand, and reach for carrots, celery, etc instead of chips and junk - every little bit helps!

Most of all, don't be too hard on yourself. I was in tears this weekend as we had an important family picture, and nothing fit me, and I had worked so hard and tossed all my "big" clothes..... hubby reminded me that it wasn't my fault, and that things would go back to where I worked so hard to be, and that even though I maybe felt like things didn't look so well on me right then (my comment was that I looked 4 mos pregnant :grumble: ), that I was still beautiful. (Yes, I bawled.) Keep that in mind, too.

Best of luck to you with your surgery and recovery, sending good thoughts your way!

:flowerforyou:

superwmn

This is about forever. In the scope of forever, gaining a few pounds while recovering from surgery is small potatoes. Just keep doing what you're doing (with less activity) and you can maintain in the long term.

Good luck and I wish you a speedy recovery!!!

Charmagne

ChancyW

Thanks everyone for the support and suggestions!

I am nervous about everything so I feel much better & I will totally avoid my scale for the first few weeks :-)

I hate the thought of not being able to do anything besides walk and I probably won't even be able to do much of that in the first week! As an avid exerciser, that scares the crap out of me!

Thanks again!

-Chancy

Jena_72

aww best wishes to you Chancy! :flowerforyou: Guess your calorie intake skills will be put to the test! If anyone can do it YOU can!! :bigsmile:

Jena_72

PS LOVE the new picture!!