Getting injured while you are trying to lose weight can derail your weight loss goals. Besides the fact that an injury is stressful, scary, unexpected, and unpleasant, the good news is, it doesn’t have to sideline your progress. Here’s 5 tips on how to lose weight while injured.

1. Seek Medical Attention – to evaluate the extent of your injury. Whether it’s pulled muscles or something more serious, the proper diagnosis will help you know the recommended course of action, limitations, and what to expect regarding length of recovery time.
2. Evaluate your goals – this is an appropriate time to re-adjust your weight loss goals. Being injured is an unforeseen fork in the road and can really impact your weight loss efforts. By re-adjusting your goals, considering that your level of activity may decrease slightly or significantly, these goals will be more realistic and attainable while you recover. My goal is to maintain my weight. I’m not trying to lose weight and for sure, I don’t want to gain either! I have a doctor’s appointment next week where I will be weighed so I’ll keep you posted on those results. Stay tuned………
3. Adjust your activity level – this will be based on the type of injury you have and the physical limitations it places on your body. Select from the alternative activities and exercises that are recommended by your doctor. You may be able to do minimal impact aerobic exercise such as water aerobics, elliptical machine, bicycle, yoga or stretching. Perhaps you’ll be able to do strength training and core for your lower body if your injury is upper body. Take it slow, listen to your body for signals as to when you are pushing it too hard or too fast. Be patient and don’t rush to get back to your previous workout regimen as this can cause re-injury or another more severe injury. Right now, I’ve been doing more aerobic exercise and less strength and resistance training. I plan to add some additional core and lower body strength training next week so I don’t lose too much muscle.
4. Be diligent about what you eat and your meal plan. Since your activity level will change while injured, it will be even more important to pay close attention to what you eat. If you don’t already journal or track your eating, I highly recommend doing so especially while you are injured This way you will know your exact calorie count and be able to monitor and adjust it before added weight sets in. This is the time to focus on healthy foods, such as lean protein, fresh vegetables and fruits, high fiber, good carbohydrates, low-fat, and less processed selections. By eating well while injured, you will do your body good by having great nutrients to aid and repair the injury which could also help speed up your recovery time. There are many free apps and calorie trackers available. I use MyFitnessPal, but there’s Lose It and a host of other apps to choose from. My normal eating range is 1250 – 1500 calories per day.  While I’m recovering from my injury, I’ve made a commitment to 1250 calories per day, plus have my meal plan set up with lower calorie meals and snacks to help me stay on track.
5. Keep in touch with your circle – if you belong to a gym, walking club, or routinely meet up with others to exercise, let your group know about your injury. Sometimes when we are injured, it changes our frame of mind. We may feel down about being injured and isolate ourselves due to the physical limitations. By keeping in touch with your group, having support from others will help you get through the troubling time, while giving you the chance to gain insight and advice from those who’ve been in your position. They may be able to offer tips on what worked for them through their injury. This is a fantastic way to keep the situation in perspective and maintain a more positive outlook. You may still be able to attend your favorite classes or join your group by modifying the exercise around your injury. Just remember to follow the guidelines as prescribed by your doctor.