On the Road to Recovery V- Nutrition- Maintaining your Weight on a Lengthy Recovery Trail is Tricky

Maintaining your weight and form can be tricky when the recovery is long.  On the trail 10 weeks and counting …

Your first instinct is to reduce your calories but spending too much time in this zone will quickly slow down your metabolism.

At first you can maintain and even shed a few pounds on the scale but once the muscles atrophy you lose that lean muscle that keeps your metabolism faster.  As your metabolism slows down and you reduce your caloric intake this will add a second insult to your metabolism.  Every one is different and what it will take to maintain your system is different. Also, too many calories will easily put weight on,  and a reduction in exercise will also put your system out of wack.

Here’s the other side…

You must remember the body is healing and it requires energy to heel so restricting your complex carbohydrates or even your calories too drastically will rob your body of nutrients and  a much needed energy nutrient source, carbohydrates.

The best that you can do, is keep your protein intake high, the amino acids will work to help repair the body and maintain lean muscle as best you can. Watch your sugar and alcohol intake, eat clean complex carbohydrate sources but keep them at a minimal and to daylight hours.

It took me a little bit to figure out what I could get away with…As I soon found out, not much : (. I must have put on at least 5 lbs.  Really it’s not even about the pounds as much as the change in overall body composition, strength and balance. Lack of activity combined with loss of lean muscle mass.. Yuck !!!! This will take some work and yes hopefully all the work I’m doing throughout will help me get back in shape a lot faster.

So I’m counting on the lifetime of training, muscle memory and hard work to bring me back.

The journey is long, help keep the recovery strong…

DO WHAT YOU CAN WHILE YOU CAN’T DO!

GO for Life!

In peace, health & with much love,

Joycelyn Bejar
Certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer