Need help with maintaining weight loss after ACL surgery.

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Sylaethus
Sylaethus Posts: 4 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi there! My name is Sam, I am 27 years old, and I really need some help/advice.

A few years ago I was working on losing weight. I did such a fantastic job losing 25 pounds all on my own (and with the help of My Fitness Pal). However, that changed a little. I stopped watching what I ate, I changed to a new job, and I stopped going to the gym. Some of it was financial, and some of it was stress, but all that weight came back... and then some. :(

Several months ago I ended up tearing my ACL in my right knee. This was just before I was going back to a prior lifestyle and getting ready to change my eating habits again. I found out that I had a full tear of the ACL and need to have surgery in order to fix everything. Changing my eating habits isn't as hard as I thought, but I am still having a hard time staying under my calorie intake and maintaining comfort (or sanity, however you want to look at it). I want to exercise, but an currently unable to. My surgery is in a few days, and I will not be allowed to doing much for working out for several weeks.

Due to financial difficulty, I cannot afford getting a membership to a gym so that I can use a treadmill or stationary bike; and I live on the third floor of an apartment complex, so I can't purchase my own. If I am lucky, I can go to the gym with my boyfriend once I am cleared to do those things.

Long story short... how do I burn calories/work out when I am unable to do so due to surgery? Is there anyone out there who can help me and get me on the right path to losing my weight?

Thank you. <3

Replies

  • meritage4
    meritage4 Posts: 1,441 Member
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    There are videos for seated workouts-they would help while your knee recovers. You can use a couple of soup cans or small weights
  • takumar
    takumar Posts: 42
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    I've had two right knee ACL reconstructions (18 years apart) and what will be crucial is getting the range of motion that your surgeon expects on time. A physio therapist will get you started on tension band leg exercises. Just work on that until the PT says full body exercise is OK. If range of motion isn't there then the surgeon goes in again to remove scar tissue. Do the physio. Good luck.
  • kimiuzzell
    kimiuzzell Posts: 611 Member
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    Hi....I did my ACLalmost exactly 2 years ago and had surgery....I got boxing gloves and did some upper cardio work either seated, or if I was able to stand firm in my leg braces I could stand and do them....good for the core, good for the upper body, gets your heartbeat up and best of all got rid of some of the frustration of not being able to do everything I wanted!! After surgery my physio gave me some intense work and I did lots of cycling...gentle and painful to start hut got better with time. 12 months on an I was back skiing with leg braces. 2 years on and Im am in better shape than ever.

    take care....it does get better, honestly, but it is a long recovery process.
  • Sylaethus
    Sylaethus Posts: 4 Member
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    Thank you all so much for the advice! I've been so worried about trying to get myself to lose weight after surgery with trying to take it easy, but now I am seeing that there is hope. I will look up seated exercises, and I have some free weights somewhere, I could always use those for upper body stuff. Thank you again, everyone! It means a lot to have people help me out through this!

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