Hi friends,
So, as the title says, I'm looking at having surgery at the end of August. (Not weight loss surgery.) I'll be unable to exercise beyond walking for 4-6 weeks after that, and unlikely to want to do that while healing (though I plan to try, within reason.)

Does anybody have any suggestions for how I can continue to lose weight (or at the very least not gain it back) through this surgery and recovery? Thanks!

Diet is the key for weight loss. What kind of surgery are you having? Can you do any upper body weights or non weight bearing?

As long as you eat at a caloric deficit, you'll lose weight. Exercise is great but there are lots of people here losing weight without it. Please take care.

Let me add a note of caution about restricting calories too tightly while you're healing. Your body will need to do some repair work, and you want it to have all the nutrients you need. That's not to say go crazy... but if anything, it's all the more reason to make healthy choices. For healing, try to up your protein a bit post-surgery, too.

Hysterectomy, if that makes a difference.

If I need to maintain for that 6 weeks instead of losing I can live with that, I just don't want to gain...

You'd have to double check with your doctor but you still may be able to do a number of exercises. Resistance bands are great and may be an option for strength training type exercises.

You probably won't feel like using resistance bands. I know a few people who have had hysterectomies and they were not even supposed to go sit at their desk at work all day, for 6 weeks.

I agree with Desiderata. Eat healthy, nutritious foods to let your body heal. If doing that is an improvement from your WOE now, then you might lose weight but for at least the first 3 to 4 weeks, don't try to restrict calories specifically.

Walking is going to be difficult for you for awhile. With that said, once you've passed the 4 week milestone (and your dr is okay with it), some mild walking will probably be really good for you. It might give you a pulling sensation. If it does, go easy and don't try to just jump right back into your current exercise routine.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery and a successful surgery!

Cook as many meals as you can and freeze them in single servings so that you don't need to do anything, but microwave to have a healthy meal in a few minutes. I do that every weekend now, but it would have been helpful if I had started when I was recovering from my surgery many years ago.