[27 years old, female, overweight]
Most likely I will get surgery (with total anesthesia) in a few weeks. I’m currently fasting 20:4 for weight loss since the beginning of December last year. Before that, I did intermittent fasting for like 1 and a half years or so (14:10 at the beginning and working my way up to 18:6). It became a lifestyle for me and I have no struggle with that.
I was planning to do prolonged fasting for 7 days (I did my first prolonged fasting in February, for 3 days) and I was wondering if it is I good idea to do so after the surgery. If not I will keep doing 20:4 because I’m so used to it. I’ll definitely tell the doctors about it btw. Just wanted to hear some opinions on that.
(What is bothering me the most is my workout routine because I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to do it for a couple of days/weeks after surgery. Usually, I’m working out 3 times a week. I do rope skipping 500 times and after that, I do some light muscle or endurance training with the game RingFit Adventure on the Switch (I know it’s a game BUT I actually gained some muscles and lost weight by working out with it xD). I would try to continue to keep working out very carefully after surgery.)
Definitely do not fast while recovering!!! I’m not sure of the procedure, but your body is going to need nutrition and calories to heal and recover, and if you fast it’ll likely make your recovery time longer and less effective.
I wouldn’t. Your appetite will naturally be suppressed Also, it depends on the type of surgery - so just listen to your body.
Over a two week period I spent a total of 9 days in the hospital, first because of a burst appendix then I had to return the following week because of a bowl obstruction. Don’t stress out. Ease back into your fasting regiment. I lost 15 pounds in two weeks and have had a hard time gaining it back. For a couple weeks after I ate a bit more carbs,,, I do Keto and I was craving French Toast so bad, comfort food right. I didn’t over do it and eased back into Keto (also my taste buds were weird and very sensitive to smells or heavy foods for a while) but 6 weeks later i’ve only gained back a couple pounds
Fasting stresses the body and surgery does too, so just based on that, I would say be careful.
The important thing is to recover properly. If that means you gain a couple of pounds because you can’t work out, I think it’s a small price to pay to get better quickly.
I don’t think there are any studies about it, so who knows the real answer, but if it were me I’d focus on healthy foods and keep the fasting moderate if you do it at all.