I kicked cancer's butt and now I'm starting over.

First off, congrats on all of your recent life successes up to this point.

Secondly, you're in luck because weight loss isn't about being able to lift, or even really be active. Sure, those most definitely help, but what really matters is your calorie consumption. If you eat more calories than you burn each day, you'll gain weight. If you eat less calories than you burn each day, you'll lose weight. So, in the end, weight loss is all about food. That should be great news for now since you can't get around all that much just yet.

Go here:

http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

Input your details, and you'll get a BMR as well as a TDEE. BMR is the amount of calories your body burns just by being alive. TDEE is your BMR + whatever you burn by your daily activity. You shouldn't really eat below your BMR because you're taking energy away from what your body needs to sustain itself, but eating below your TDEE is how you lose weight.

3500 cals is roughly equal to 1lb of fat, so being at a 500 cal deficit according to your TDEE daily is equal to about 1lb weight lost per week.

I'd generally say that you'd want higher protein foods because they're low calorie as well as filling, but you should experiment to see what works best for you.

Once you're cleared to exercise, you can add those calories to your overall TDEE, and actually eat more while keeping the same deficit. Exercise is for health/fitness. Calorie consumption is for weightloss.

I would also highly recommend investing in a food scale so that you can weigh all of your solid foods. You'd be amazed at how inaccurate food labels are when estimating cups-to-weight conversions.

So, weigh all solid food, measure all liquid food, log it, stay under your calorie goal, and lose weight. It seems like a lot at first, but it becomes second nature really fast.

Hi Lastchance51,
Thanks for sharing your story. I do hope you are making good progress on your recovery from surgery. I had a hysterectomy last year, but just to warn you, I gained 10 kilos in about 8 months! I was very unwell before the surgery and consequently very unfit, so exercise post op just wasn't on the agenda. However, my advice is walk, walk, walk. Gently at first, then try to go a little further each time, listening to your body always. Please avoid anything that puts any pressure on your pelvic floor (certain yoga positions and Pilates apparently, as well as jogging and sit ups etc). My surgeon says it takes about a year for your body to heal if you were in good health to begin with, so you are still early days in your recovery. However, as Peachyfuzzle says, it is important not to eat more calories than you are able to burn, and right now, you are no doubt burning less calories than you were before surgery. So try to log your intake and stay withing your allowance or just under if possible.
Unfortunately I didn't know about this site or logging food until recently, otherwise I would have known not to stuff my face with all delicious chocolates that my visitors brought me...I would have shared them with my family
Google Michelle Kenway, she has some great safe exercise tips for women post Hysterectomy. Meanwhile, put your safe recovery first before worrying about loosing weight, when you are stronger you will be able to do so much more. All the best.

I would start by making healthy food choices and giving your body the best nutrients/building blocks you can so it can heal. I don't think that a deficit is recommended when recovering from major surgery. I'd probably wait until you're cleared for exercise to eat under your maintenance calories. You could still calculate your TDEE and track calories/eat at that level until you feel like your body is ready for some minor stress and then drop your calories into a deficit at that point.

Best of luck to you! Cancer is a nasty beast. It's affected too many people I love. Good job kicking it's butt!

Short words for you but I'm true I what I say

You are truly and inspiration to all people !