Crutches, barbells and a yoga mat. Lose Weight with an Injury

Daring to Lose Weight with an Injury

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Well everyone, on Thursday I had an accident. I took it too fast going down a ski hill and when I wiped out, my ski didn’t break off and twisted my knee with it. For now, my life is getting put on hold. My job, activities, and any errands I need done are completely out of my capabilities. I can’t drive or even get downstairs to do laundry. So, what about my blog? Can I still lose weight with an injury?

With my current situation, I was inspired to find out.

3 Month Update: I was referred for an MRI which confirmed an ACL tear, a lateral meniscus tear, and a few other minor tears and sprains. I needed surgery to graft in a new ACL and stitch up the meniscus. This will put me on crutches for 6 weeks, then my rehab begins. A word of advice: if you go skiing, make sure you’re listening to your body! Mine was telling me it was worn out and I ignored it. At any rate, I’ll be off work for a total of 5 months.

Is it Possible to Lose Weight with an Injury?

Of course, it’s possible! I may need crutches to walk, but that doesn’t mean I need to eat crap all day. The old me would use this as an excuse to give up making progress until things are back to normal again. Well, not anymore! I’ll be making an effort to continue my progress the next few weeks while I recover.

During recovery, I’ll still be sticking to my “Don’t Diet” Diet. This food plan mainly consists of being mindful about what you’re eating while avoiding restrictions. As long as I choose not to fall into a binge/restrict cycle again, I should have no problem keeping my weight where it’s at or even losing weight slowly.

I may not be speeding through my weight loss anymore, but I will be allowing myself to heal properly, which is the most important part. I’ll be taking it easy, along with making sure I get good nutrition in my diet. This will help my body recover and keep my weight dropping to a healthy range.

“Life isn’t finding shelter in the storm. It’s about learning to dance in the rain.” – Sherrilyn Kenyon Click To Tweet

Upper Body Workouts with a Knee Injury

For exercise, someone in recovery should remember to take it easy. I’m going to try modified cardio, or do only the upper body portion of my favorite workout videos. Think shadow boxing and strength training with resistance bands and free weights. I can perform these upper body workouts sitting down and without compromising my knee.

During recovery, muscle mass will probably be lost, which will lower the metabolism and make weight loss slower. If you’re working around an injury, remember to keep your goals realistic to avoid disappointment. Without a doubt, slow progress is better than none.

Get your doctor’s approval before carrying on with exercising. There are exercises for different injuries, and they can point you in the right direction. If you are unsure where to start, you could also work with a personal trainer to get yourself back into working out again.

Keep in touch with your doctor throughout your recovery. They’ll be able to let you know if you’re working too hard or if you can take more steps toward improvement. Sometimes we feel the need to rush our recovery, and our doctor will bring us back to reality.

Working Out While Listening to Your Body

Plan for recovery and weight loss to take longer than expected. This will keep you from being disappointed and help prevent you from injuring yourself further. Here are a few tips to follow when working out with an injury:

  • Take it slower than you think you can. Better safe than sorry.
  • Don’t work through the pain. If you’re hurting, stop.
  • Pay attention to what your body is telling you. If you’re experiencing extra swelling or soreness, you’re probably overdoing it.
  • Keep your doctor and physiotherapist updated on any changes you’ve experienced. This can include swelling, pain, range of motion, etc.
  • If you had surgery, follow your recovery protocol. It should lay out exactly what you should be doing week-by-week.
  • Take things one step at a time. Aim to go a little farther each week.
  • Keep track of your workouts. Write down what you did, and the intensity. This way, you can provide your doctor with accurate information about your activities.

I Can Still Lose Weight with an Injury

For me, working around a knee injury will be a major learning curve. I’m used to running around all day, busy with multiple jobs and errands. Now, I’ve come to a full stop. I have to put my body first. This involves sticking to upper body workouts, and taking things slow while I recover. This also means I should expect slower weight loss.

If you’re like me and have an injury to nurse, only do what you know you can. Don’t push yourself to do anything if you’re unsure how your body will respond. Allow the injury to heal. You’ll be fine as long as you’re listening to your body and your doctor’s advice. Nevertheless, you can still lose weight with an injury, and I’ll prove it in my next progress post.

What about you? Have you had an injury that you struggled with while losing weight or trying to stay fit? Let me know by leaving a comment!

That’s it for now everyone. If you’ve found some value in this post, please share it to inspire others too! Thanks!

The Name Ang in cursive black text. There is a magenta heart next to it. Ang Signoff Heart

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References:

One Final Note from Ang:

Are you looking to stop overeating and finally get your life back? I have the perfect recommendation for you! Never Binge Again by Dr. Glenn Livingston is a book that effectively teaches readers how to take control of their eating. This book gives you the power to stick to any eating plan you choose and lose excess weight. Even if you have an injury that prevents exercise.

The Never Binge Again method has helped me finally stop binge eating and move on with a healthy life. Glenn himself reads the audiobook, so you hear it the way it’s meant to sound. If you’d like to learn more about Never Binge Again, I wrote an in-depth and honest review here.

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35 thoughts on “Daring to Lose Weight with an Injury”

  1. Hey well soon!! This might actually end up being an awesome break that helps you shock your body a little when you get back at it! Silver linings 😉

  2. Actually, I have had to exercise with an injury before! Certainly not as bad as yours, but while I was doing the CT yearly 2-week workout challenge for 2020, I bruised my tailbone running with my friends. Lesson learned: Be more careful with the backside! 😆 I think it’s totally possible to lose weight, even while being sedentary, if you have a good diet. I wish you all the resolve in the world, and I hope you get well soon!!

  3. Get well soon, Ang! Hope you’re feeling better.

    I had injured my back two years back in the gym. I got too engrossed in the football match playing on the gym TV and fell off the treadmill while running at a very high speed. *insert all the face palm emojis you can* My doctor actually asked me to try yoga for the two weeks of rest I was recommended and while it didn’t help me lose weight – I felt like it helped me keep off putting on weight. Also it was great for my back which was anyway messed up thanks to my (sitting in front of a computer all day) job!

    Rest yourself and take care <3 <3

    1. Thanks girl! I’ll look into yoga and see what I can do without straining my leg. I’m sure most of it can be modified if necessary 🙂

  4. Thank you so much for your beautiful comment! And yes, I’m looking forward to hitting the hills once again! Maybe not until next season though.

  5. It can be hard to understand eating disorders, even when you’re the person who suffers with one. Honestly, I would probably be over 300 pounds if I ate everything I wanted too!

  6. I’m so sorry to hear about your injury but I love your positivity and motivation to continue on your journey in spite of it! So inspiring!

    I have had a back injury for a while so my exercise is limited as well but I’m just trying to listen to my body and take it easy. I’ve definitely placed more focus on eating better whilst I recover.

    1. Great idea! I’m sticking to only doing the exercises that my physiotherapist has given me for my legs. I don’t want to aggravate the injury. But for my upper body I’m still working as much as I used to.

  7. Great advice about the shopping list! Sadly, (meal for meal), it costs more to eat healthy. (I do agree that binge eating will jack up the cost of a grocery bill regardless, though). Personally I have a pinterest board with a zillion recipes. I note maybe 4 recipes each week on my phone (so I don’t forget the menu!). Then, I make our shopping list. That makes our dinners and lunches for the week. I find it really helpful!

    1. Thanks! I’m glad you found the shopping list helpful! It is disappointing that eating fresh, healthy food is costly, but it is definitely worth the cost when exchanged for quality of life!

  8. thesojourningwolf

    I push myself a lot!! My body reprimands me though lol… I do try to listen though.. mostly.

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