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    Having ACL surgery this week, how to lose weight?

    Posts: 2
    edited February 11 in Motivation and Support
    Hi team,

    I am having ACL reconstruction surgery this week and wanted some support/guidance about how to manage my caloric intake throughout the first 2 weeks (couch ridden for the first 5 days and then on crutches) and throughout the early phase of my rehab/physical therapy.

    I am 6', 200 and am trying to lose about 10 lbs over the next 4 months. I used to spin 4-5x a week and didn't do much weight training, but am looking to really change my lifestyle both at the gym and through my diet.

    Any thoughts for what to eat/snack on, and how to stay active during this tough recovery period?

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    Replies

    • Posts: 7,060 Member
      You lose weight by eating at a deficit. Exercise lets you eat more, but it's not required. Use your convalescence to work on logging everything you eat accurately & honestly. Find reliable database entries. (There's a lot of incorrect data in there.) Weigh your food.

      With such a small amount to lose, your goal should be .5 lb. per week. Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
    • Posts: 60 Member
      A friend I know just had ACL surgery and he's lost over 10lbs in 2 weeks. The medications he's been taking have made him extremely sleepy and he has lost his appetite completely. So, consuming less than your calorie goal will definitely do it. Although it's not the healthiest, this surgery may work out in your favor if you react to it the same way my friend did :)
    • Posts: 51 Member
      How about doing a "Reboot" or Juice Fast. Perfect while you are convalescing. Check this out http://www.rebootwithjoe.com
    • Posts: 7,060 Member
      How about doing a "Reboot" or Juice Fast.
      No, just no.
    • Posts: 34 Member
      your body will be working extra hard to heal itself. now is not the time for huge deficits at a cost to your recovery. eat accordingly.
    • Posts: 2
      any good snacks you'd recommend?

      i generally eat the bear naked fit granola during the afternoon after lunch to satisfy cravings.

      some fayeh 0% yogurt for breakfast + salad for lunch with protein (grilled chicken) and some sort of protein + quinoa/brown rice for dinner.

      thats a very basic formula but i want to eat healthy and SNACK healthy
    • Posts: 18,771 Member
      I wouldn't be trying to lose weight while recovering from surgery. I'd shoot for maintenance calories until you've at least healed up.
    • Posts: 107 Member
      Best of luck to you during your recovery. Everyone has a slightly different method that works for them and I support everyone in their journey and on their own plan.

      What has worked beautifully for me is to take my current BMR and subtract 300 and set my limit at that. Just Google "BMR Calculator" and figure out what your body needs to maintain the current weight. If you reduce by 300/day, that's a good deficit to produce a slow but steady loss even on days of low or no activity. It won't be fast, but it will be steady and you won't starve due to a drastic reduction.

      Best of luck!

      Col 2:20-23
    • Posts: 7,060 Member
      any good snacks you'd recommend?
      You don't have to change all the things at once. Work on logging & hitting your calorie goal. Once you have some data to analyze, then you can identify changes to make & maybe start playing w/ your macros.

      Aim to eat "good" or "clean" (whatever those words mean to you) 80% of the time. Work yummy, portion-controlled snacks into your calorie goal. Deprivation can lead to binges.
    • Posts: 409 Member
      Hey, good luck with the surgery.

      I did crossfit hard for 2 years and barely lost weight even though I felt strong. I was talking to a friend who said diet was 80% of weight loss.... I remembered it when I came here. I started tracking, ate to the recommended macros (not be a hero and be super low), the weight came off.

      I always want to "yeah but" but it was simple, eat less than I burn.

      Good luck
    • Posts: 7,060 Member
      What has worked beautifully for me is to take my current BMR and subtract 300 and set my limit at that. Just Google "BMR Calculator" and figure out what your body needs to maintain the current weight.
      NO! BMR (basal metabolic rate) is the calories you'd burn in a coma. You should eat at a deficit off your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure).

      Do not over complicate things. Use the MFP defaults & set your goal to .5 lb. per week. (Your calorie goal will have your deficit built in.) Give it a few weeks, then reevaluate.
    • Posts: 356 Member
      Your body will be working on recovery, be gentle to it, and don't try to cut your calories so much that you make your recovery harder. Physical therapy will be so much more challenging than you expect, and I would predict that will be a significant calorie burn (especially if you do the exercises at home as you are told).
    • Posts: 125 Member
      I will soon be in the same boat as you, next month I will have my 4th ACL reconstruction. I know you are bigger than I am so you can have more snacks but this is what I currently snack on and plan on continuing.

      Apples or carrots and almond butter
      glass of almond milk
      greek yogurt
      greek yogurt dip and veggies (this is the best stuff ever Yoguri - Greek Styley Yogurt Ranch Dip)
      smoothies
      kind bars (I make my own so I know what goes in them)
      perfect bars
      egg whites
      1/2 sweet potato with greek yogurt
      nutballs with protein powder added (unsweetened coconut shavings, almonds, cashews, cranberries, honey and protein powder blended and rolled out)

      Good luck in your recovery.
    • Posts: 104
      Diet is made in the kitchen, fitness in the gym. You definitely can lose weight just by being in a calorie deficit
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