Weight loss while injured???

It's happened to everyone, some of us unfortunately get hit harder than others. You begin to see some progress ( in this case,weight loss) and BOOM......INJURED!!!!!

Now I'm not talking a bump on your elbow or something... no bruises, no scrapes, I'm talking some serious muscle tendon and ligament pulls.
I have client / girlfriend who as recently torn her MCL and ACL!

TALK ABOUT INJURY!!!!

Now the question is "Can she still workout.. and more importantly lose weight???"
Cardio is out of the question and exercise is minimal.

The immediate answer you will most often hear is to "take a break, rest, allow yourself to heal and come back at 100%"
I would tend to agree,  depriving your body of energy ( by using it for a workout) while you are in recovery will just lengthen your recovery time.

This is your opportunity to master your nutrition!!!!! Take it as a challenge!!!!
This will be your MAINTENANCE phase, preparing you for a healthy fat loss approach when you are back in the saddle.

It will be VERY important to play with the numbers and calculate your personal daily caloric requirements as well as your output, in order to make certain that you are not going over your calories, and there for due to your lack of movements, gaining weight!!!!!

My advice will be to limit your starchy carbohydrates to your first 2 meals in the day and nothing past lunch in the form of rice, wheat, pasta, breads, crackers, oats, potato, yam etc.

Stick to vegetables and fruits, seeds nuts and protein for the remainder of your day.

NO EATING PAST 7 pm ( the rule of thumb, is stop eating 3 hours before bed, this may be later for some) But keep in mind, if your evenings are lazy, keep your calories low.

*** NOT TOO LOW***
Our bodies are magical, and will do WHAT THEY NEED TO IN ORDER TO SURVIVE!!!!
If you aren't feeding it enough, it will go into whats called starvation mode and will literally HOLD onto everything you DO give it, so do yourself a favor, stop confusing your system,  feed it regularly and don't starve yourself in the hopes of weight loss.
- Thank you , sincerely your insides;)

You also want to be aware of which fats you are ingesting. You are wanting to keep your Omega's up (preferably the 3's) and your hydrogenated / trans fats DOWN down down.

(Avocados, nuts, seeds, fish oils coconut oil and flax are all great options) Yes coconut IS saturated, but it's a whole other blog( and also found in my FB notes) .... trust me its GREAT!!!!!

Here is a simple mathematical equation to help you find your numbers:
*First you need your BMR ( These are the calories you need in order to just LAY through your day)

Women: BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )
Men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.8 x age in year )


Once you have calculated your BMR, lets add your activity levels to get your requirements:

1. If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
2. If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
3. If you are moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
4. If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
5. If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

Now if you are TOTALLY unable to exercise, it will be safe to omit 250-500 calories each day ( NO MORE THAN THAT TO STAY HEALTHY)

****IMPORTANT NOTE****

Protein fuels muscle ( helps repair and growth)

Muscle or lean mass helps maintain a healthy and speedy metabolism, in other words your calorie burning machinery- All the more reason to KEEP your protein levels up, so you do not run the risk of losing your muscle mass, and thusly slowing your metabolism right down.

I KNOW this change in lifestyle and activity levels are going to be MORE than frustrating, but your recovery and health is your top priority right now, and your 100% focus on nutrition and rest is all you need to be concerned with.

Each injury will allow for more or less activity than the next, and if YOURS allows for lets say UPPER body work, than focus on your form, avoid any use of your injured area and keep the intensity at max. This doesn't mean your resistance weight is at its max, it means you are working to your max. I want HIIT style all the way!! You do what you can to get the most of your workouts with your limitations.

EXAMPLE :

Set your timer 30 seconds with 10 seconds rest:

DB press up (alternating) / Bicep curls ( together)

DB fly / Lateral raise

Stability ball crunch / Russian twist

Repeat through until you hit 20 minutes 

If you are suffering from a specific injury and losing ideas on staying as on track as you can, please feel free to email me, or leave a comment and I will get in touch with you directly.

Along with nutrition focus an injury is a wonderful tie for self reflection and goal setting. Take this as an opportunity to learn about yourself, and what works and maybe what doesn't. 

Stay positive, Dont falter, conquer

~Ky

xo