Trying to lose weight whilst recovering from knee surgery

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cat22fish
cat22fish Posts: 3 Member
in Motivation and Support
Hi, I don't know if anyone has some advice for me?
I started my weight loss plan at the beginning of January and have managed to lose 8lbs so far. Two weeks ago I had knee surgery and unfortunately have to be completely non-weight bearing for a 6 week recovery period and then slight weight bearing for a further 6 weeks. I am staying true to my diet, only having 1300 calories a day, and in the first couple of weeks of sitting doing nothing I was still losing 1lb a week. Unfortunately I think this is now stopping and I appear to be stuck on my current weight. I have cut my calories even more, so now only having 1100 a day if I can. The problem I have is sitting around all day, I'm getting really low and I'm very worried that I will turn to food for comfort to fill up the long cold days. I keep myself busy with learning a language and DVD's etc but I was wondering if anyone knew of any exercises I could do in a seated position - this might help with keeping the weight off and might cheer me up a bit?
Thanks for your help.

Replies

  • beautifulbeast11
    beautifulbeast11 Posts: 202 Member
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    When my knee was recovering I started doing seated arm/shoulder/chest exercises with dumbbells... builds muscle and burns calories!
  • FinallyFindingLisa
    FinallyFindingLisa Posts: 222 Member
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    Do you have access to a pool? That was the first thing I started back up after my knee replacement(s).....
  • dpchristianson
    dpchristianson Posts: 1
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    If your arms are fine, get some light free weights and go to town! You can do the normal stuff like shoulder presses, bicep curls, chest presses, etc., and make up your own exercises. Make it a game - how can you exercise Muscle X in a new way?
    As you're learning the language, count reps in that language. As you repeat new sentences and phrases, use the cadence as a rhythm for your arm reps. If you don't have free weights, use a couple of soup cans or something similar.
  • coryp12
    coryp12 Posts: 11 Member
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    When I hurt my knee last year I used our old school Schwinn Airdyne with arm movement. I was able to rest my feet on the pegs and "pedal" with my arms only on the upright handles. By doing that I would sometimes ride 10 miles and was able to get my heart rate up still. Some gyms have seated hand bikes also. Well worth a try!
  • 12skipafew99100
    12skipafew99100 Posts: 1,669 Member
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    Anything anit-gravity.
    Yoga?

    Best wishes
  • tryshaantonelli
    tryshaantonelli Posts: 41 Member
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    Food intake becomes super important. I sprained my ankle last year and still managed to loose about 11lbs before i could start exersicing again. I focused on fresh fruits and veggies, I also started using Arbonne protien shakes, but any lean protien will do. And keeping a positive attitude it a big part. Its easy to get in a slump when your recovering from surgery.
    Move whenever you can. I discovered what I call 'chair zumba'. I would listen to music and do modfied zumba movements while sitting. when i was able to support my self better, I started doing it on a balance ball. But any movement is good. Even kickboxing can be modified for the upper body only.
  • DragonflyF15
    DragonflyF15 Posts: 437 Member
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    Feel free to add me as a friend, I had to go through waiting for the swelling to go down, then start pre-surgery PT, and having an upcoming meniscus repair as well as ACL reconstruction. It is possible to lose weight, though I gained some the first month when I could barely move cause it was so swollen. But you can lift upper body weights, alternating with doing lighter weights, more reps and less down time to get the cardio involved. If your gym has one of those bicycle things for your arms, that is great too. Standing with a slight bend in the legs and doing punches (regular, hooks, and upper cuts) gets the heart rate. For core, I did lots of planks and straight legged situps. I also did my DVD dance workouts, first sitting, then standing in place and only doing the upper body moves. After I could move around a bit, I got into doing modified moves (no twisting!) and discovered Leslie Sansone 5 day walking plan that is low impact, no fancy moves (I don't work up much of a sweat, but figured it's better than nothing!) I'm now able to go walking 30-45 minutes a day at a moderate pace, but originally I started with 10 minute walks on crutches a few times a day. I will be having to start all over with this process when recovering from surgery, and I've heard yoga can be very helpful, as well as pilates in the healing process.

    As for food, yes, it's more important than ever to watch how many calories you are consuming, and what you eat. Eat lots of foods that have anti-inflammatory properties. http://nutrition.about.com/od/dietsformedicaldisorders/a/antiinflamfood.htm is a site I found helpful in healing.

    You will get through this! :)
  • cat22fish
    cat22fish Posts: 3 Member
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    Thanks for the great ideas, I really like the idea of combining the two things...I guess I may as well start now as I have nothing else to do... now getting soup cans from kitchen to living room... my trusty plastic bag should do :) Thanks again for your reply, it has really cheered me up.:smile:
  • cat22fish
    cat22fish Posts: 3 Member
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    poor you, I can't imagine having to go through this again, I will be thinking of you however you seem like you are well prepared and know exactly what to expect and how to handle it. I hope your surgery goes well. I have been eating really well, lots of fresh veg and I have cut out all treats and alcohol, which I thought was going to be really hard but I seem to be managing okay. I have had home made popcorn every now and again though. Looking forward to getting back on my feet, it's nice to read that you were able to do this successfully and it has given me a better perspective of what is to come.
    Thanks for your advice DragonflyF15 x

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