Staying on track while injured

SharksGirl4o8
SharksGirl4o8 Posts: 1 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I recently hurt my knee and have to be on crutches for quite some time. Might have surgery to repair damage from injury which will leave me quite sedentary for a long time. Do any of you have experience with trying to stay active and fit while injured?? I’ve been trying to go to the gym and do upper body/abs, but I’m already losing muscle and becoming more “soft”. I’ve also been turning to food on occasion for comfort because I spend a lot of time bored and sitting around. Advice is appreciated!!

Replies

  • mitch16
    mitch16 Posts: 2,113 Member
    You should attempt to eat at or maybe slightly below maintenance while injured to give your body the necessary nutrients for healing.

    I tore my ACL a couple of years ago. In the time leading up to my surgery I had physical therapy prescribed to build strength around my leg to help my healing time after the surgery. My PT is fantastic and also recommended some upper body work that I could still safely do as well.
  • BZAH10
    BZAH10 Posts: 5,710 Member
    Sorry to hear of the injury and possible surgery. Address your turning to food for comfort ASAP. Find other things to turn to that are not food related. That will just cause more issues down the road if you let that bad habit continue.

    Years ago I had hip surgery and was on crutches for 6 weeks and boy was that tough! I actually dropped way too much weight because I was still having to go to work full time and my son was in kindergarten so hauling myself around on crutches all day every day was physically exhausting.

    Keep going to the gym and working the body parts you can. Also, are you seeing a physical therapist? They'll be able to more accurately tell you what you can and can't do during this time. Most importantly, give yourself time to heal properly.
  • rundebs
    rundebs Posts: 1 Member
    Hi - I have also just injured myself, broke my ankle on the weekend. I guess it is about taking one day at a time. I am doing a lot of research on what will help to keep my weight the same or in fact slowly reduce. Hope you recover quickly :-)
  • bogwoppt1
    bogwoppt1 Posts: 159 Member
    I had a year of that when I broke my foot. Basically you need to eat less, and keep moving somehow. It is definitely challenging, maybe look at seat workouts?
  • lightenup2016
    lightenup2016 Posts: 1,055 Member
    There are machines that are like an exercise bike except for your arms. I'm sure that's a great work out, although I've never tried one. With your knee injury, is it at all possible to do pool exercises? If you search online for "upper body workout knee injury", you might find something you can do while in a chair or on a stool. Boxing drills was one that I saw.

    I was injured about a year ago while I was losing weight and working out a lot. I was able to do some workouts on my under-the-desk stationary bike, but I also reduced my calorie intake and that really helped me realize that I didn't have to do a lot of exercise to still lose weight. I also knew that I could even just stay at maintenance and be happy enough, and get back to losing once I had recovered. Good luck and good healing!

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