Down for surgery...HELP!

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shannonjhagerman
shannonjhagerman Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm going to be having surgery in two weeks and am very scared that I will gain weight! I've been doing heavy lifting with my husband for about a month and am seeing results (very small, but still). I know at this point I will be completely sedentary and am frightened that I will eat not because I'm hungry but from boredom. Has anyone been down this road and what did you do???

Replies

  • smeklc
    smeklc Posts: 94 Member
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    I have never been in your situation, and I do not envy you.

    Do you have a hobby or interest that you have been meaning to try? Maybe it will be mentally stimulating and make you forget to eat.

    Would your doctor allow any kind of stretching or arm chair exercising? Not the same, but something is better than nothing.

    Good luck!
  • BigGuy47
    BigGuy47 Posts: 1,768 Member
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    Take your time with recovery and get back on track as soon as your doctor allows for physical activity. Don't cut back on calories. Your body needs the calories to heal the wounds from surgery.
  • icimani
    icimani Posts: 1,454 Member
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    Take a breath and relax.

    I had both knees replaced last winter, 5 weeks apart. I sort watched what I ate, I didn't go crazy with snacks, and I tried to eat healthy. People kept bringing me comfort food packed with carbs so I wouldn't have to cook since I was fairly immobile for about 8 weeks. And I lost 35 pounds!

    Your body uses an incredible amount of energy to heal. Let it do it's job. Eat fairly healthy and get enough protein, drink lots of fluids, and get enough sleep. You'll be fine.
  • PJ64
    PJ64 Posts: 866 Member
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    I'm having surgery this month too. I asked my Doc what I could safely do. Talk to your Doc let them know your concerns
  • dragonladywendy
    dragonladywendy Posts: 71
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    I had spinal surgery last year and had to learn to walk again...and I lost weight!

    Your body NEEDS fuel to heal, keep your choices healthy, stay as mobile as you are allowed and can cope with and keep mentally active.

    You will lose muscle mass, but you will gain it back again once you're healthy enough to lift again. Don't worry, you body won't forget.

    Feel free to add me and best of luck :flowerforyou:
  • ChaseAlder
    ChaseAlder Posts: 804 Member
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    <
    4 days post-op, non-weight bearing left knee for 6 weeks.

    Don't worry about eating too much; the crippling nausea from your narcotic pain medication will keep your appetite in check.

    :P
  • Danni3ll3
    Danni3ll3 Posts: 365 Member
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    Depending on the surgery, you may not want to eat afterwards, or that is what happened to me. Keep tracking your calories and be sure to eat very healthily as your body is going to need those nutrients to heal.
  • FlaxMilk
    FlaxMilk Posts: 3,452 Member
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    You will likely sleep a lot, which will help with boredom eating. How long will you be down for the count? Depending on how long, you will probably lose some of that muscle, especially depending on how immobile you have to be.
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
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    I'm going to be having surgery in two weeks and am very scared that I will gain weight! I've been doing heavy lifting with my husband for about a month and am seeing results (very small, but still). I know at this point I will be completely sedentary and am frightened that I will eat not because I'm hungry but from boredom. Has anyone been down this road and what did you do???

    Why are you very scared and frightened, are you projecting your fears about the surgery itself? Otherwise you have it really out of proportion, it's just a little body fat, it just sits there until you lose it again. It's not permanent affecting your whole life like getting sacked or failing your degree or divorcing your husband.

    Don't let yourself get bored, start planning all the things you can do - DVDs, books, research on the internet. Depending how long you are sat around you could learn a ton about fitness and nutrition from textbooks and quality websites. Maybe cook ahead and put a ton of homemade meals in the freezer, write meal plans and shopping lists for your husband and let relatives know you would love to receive flowers, hugs, fruit or company but not junk food.
  • sweetnlow30
    sweetnlow30 Posts: 497 Member
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    I am actually in this situation right now. I had major spinal surgery weeks ago and I haven't been very mobile. I was walking with a walker for the longest time and now I can walk on my own but I can't do much more that that. For the first couple weeks I didn't worry about my food intake and I ate what I wanted but it really wasn't much due to pain. Now that I am losing again, I just set my food diary to my BMR (1370) and I eat at that level. Any additional walking that I can manage, I consider it a bonus so I don't log it. The boredom eating has been a bit of a challenge but I have managed not to gain any weight. It seems to level itself out due to the healing process. It will be awhile before I can do any aerobic exercise but anything I can manage is to my benefit. I wish you the best and just try to focus on healing. Your body needs proper food and lots of time :wink:

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