Hip Surgery in December - Calorie intake?

LipstickandIron
LipstickandIron Posts: 31 Member
edited January 3 in Health and Weight Loss
Hey all,

I am having surgery on my hip in December. Besides physical therapy exercising is out of the question for about a month and then I will have restricted movements for three and he said it will be a year before I will be cleared to do everything again. I want to continue losing weight during my "down" time. I am going to Hawaii in March and I want to be at my goal. I have 15-20lbs to go until then, my goal isn't set in stone because I don't know how I will look, feel, etc... Should I eat less while I am having to lay low or should I eat at a "maintainence" level?

Thanks!

Replies

  • FinallyFindingLisa
    FinallyFindingLisa Posts: 222 Member
    I had my knee replaced in March. I was all set to eat at maintenance and then found that with the pain meds, I couldn't eat much of anything. For a while I called it the Oxycotin diet:smokin:

    I'd suggest you play it by ear. Your body will burn a lot of fuel just trying to heal and that needs to be your focus. And don't discount how tough the PT will be
  • gauchogirl
    gauchogirl Posts: 467 Member
    I can't answer your specific question, but did want to say I had a complete hip replacement the first of January and was in Las Vegas mid-February shuttling my daughter around to all her volleyball tournaments. I think you will find yourself feeling better and being more mobile than the doctors try to tell you. I find they give very conservative estimates for recovery.

    Good luck!

    ETA: Yes, the first few days when you're on pain meds, you probably won't be eating much of anything.
  • miriamwithcats
    miriamwithcats Posts: 1,120 Member
    I had a hernia repair about two months ago. Like above, with the pain meds, I was too nauseated to eat for over a week. When I finally got to just ibuprofen for pain, I ate under the sedentary activity level calories and did lose weight. I did focus on lots of muscle building protein during that time. I am healing well and it is encouraging to not have an unsightly lump on one side of my belly, as well as losing enough that my pants are falling off!
  • katiedid1226
    katiedid1226 Posts: 231 Member
    Hey there!

    I had a hip replacement Dec. 1 and I was running slowly & at moderate amounts after four months. It really depends on the person, I think. I have since run a 5k and am very active....I tend to think my young age and prior condition had lots to do with it.

    I am thinking you are younger than I am, so hopefully it will all go smoothly for you!

    Best of luck with it!

    Kathy
  • LipstickandIron
    LipstickandIron Posts: 31 Member
    Thank you all for you input. I think I am definitely going to have to take it by ear. I tore the cartilage in a few places so they're going in to try and repair it. Apparently soft-tissue takes quite a while to fully heal. Also, they have to cut the joint capsule to get into the necessary areas which makes it take longer to heal than the full-replacement. I am guessing, however, that it is indeed a conservative guess on the surgeon's part as far as length of time for healing. I have a soft-tissue disorder to make it even more difficult on top of having Type 1 a.k.a. Juvenile Diabetes. I suppose I will start with "maintainence eating" and take it from there. Thanks again!
  • Smokey19
    Smokey19 Posts: 796 Member
    You will need to increase your protein intake in order to heal.
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