Will I be able to lose weight after my hysterectomy? What is the best way for that? Go through the article below to know the answers and learn about some tips on the same.
Hysterectomy is a major operation that involves surgical removal of the uterus. This is a voluntarily opted surgery. It is done to remove any kind of solid growth that may be seen in the uterus. However, many women complain that the problems that are seen usually start after the surgery. Weight gain after hysterectomy is a common complaint for many women. Thus, these women are often left wondering what measures to take to lose weight after a hysterectomy. However, before we go onto learn ways to lose and keep any kind of excess weight, let us first see why there is weight gain after a hysterectomy.
Reasons for Weight Gain
Weight gain is one of the common side effects of hysterectomy. There are many reasons for this. Firstly, irrespective of what kind of a hysterectomy it is, whether an abdominal or a vaginal hysterectomy, the recovery period for this surgery is quite long. There are a lot of precautionary measures that women need to take in the first few weeks after a hysterectomy and their physical activity is quite restricted due to this. Thus, despite following a regular diet, women have a tendency to put on weight. Hormonal changes in the body also play a role, albeit a minor one.
Tips
There are many women that do not complain of any astronomical or excessive weight gain after hysterectomy, so they don’t really need to lose weight after this surgery. However, after the initial recovery period, where you’re not really allowed to do anything that is stressful, like work that requires bending or lifting heavy weights, you should ideally come back to routine life. Once you do manage to come back to regular exercising, it should reverse your weight gain process. However, for this to be a success, you also need to ensure that you do not end up overeating during the initial recovery period. This is the time when, due to hormonal changes in the body, women may suffer from hysterectomy side effects, like mood swings. They may end up turning to comfort food due to this. So, keep your eventual goal of maintaining healthy weight in mind and don’t opt for binge eating.
For those women who are suffering from weight gain or who have a tendency for weight gain, if they do not perform any active exercise, there are a few options that can help them to lose weight after a hysterectomy. Firstly, there are many different exercises after hysterectomy that you can do to ensure that you keep all of those unwanted pounds off. Many women claim that yoga and pilates work best to help in quick weight loss as well as to speed up recovery. It is also said to help women that are suffering from mood swings. You can also find a dietitian who can help chalk out your meals such that you get all the necessary nutrients, but at the same time, do not eat anything that is unhealthy.
A simple logic that many women employ to lose weight fast after hysterectomy is to try burning 500 calories in a day. Most women prefer to decrease their regular intake of calories by 300 and increase their regular activity to ensure that they burn 200 calories, or vice versa. This is a great way to kick start your weight loss plan, and if you stick to it, you’re bound to see a difference in your weight after a while.
As you can see, the protocol isn’t any different from the regular one that you need to follow for weight loss. However, you may need to try harder and be more patient, because you won’t see any results overnight. So instead of relying on the weight scale to tell you how healthy/unhealthy you are, it is best to try improving your lifestyle with the help of healthy eating and regular exercise. If you do this, then rest assured, you’re already on the road to recovery!
