Dietary changes while recovering from surgery

I am having a large lipoma removed from my thigh and will be in the hospital for two days. Assuming the amount of calories consumed and the distribution was appropriate for my training, what modifications should I make to my diet for the 6-8 week recovery period?

I am 65 and have been lifting almost 50 years. In order to maintain a weight of about 210 pounds, I consume about 3500 calories per day. I don't normally track my diet macros, but my protein is normally close to 300g and carbs are close to 400g per day.

I would cut your carbs back 25% and keep the protein and fat more or less the same. You'll have to play this by ear as you recover. Take a multi vitamin with mineral, zinc sulfate, vitamin C and fish oil to help facilitate healing.

Thank you very much! Even in general terms, making recovery plans keeps me from focusing on the risks of the surgery and how unpleasant the next few months will be. Like many others, I appreciate that you have taken the time to offer advice to others in this forum.

Anytime. Always happy to help

I dislike when people ask questions, get advice and never come back so I wanted to provide an update. Although the operation took longer and was more complex than I had imagined, I ended up with no nerve damage or muscle loss and the biopsy was benign, so I am thrilled with the outcome. As someone who could eat at least 6000 calories as a high school and college athlete while only gaining minimal weight, I have never had problems eating large and mostly appropriate amounts of food for my age and weight. Still, even with the large amount of energy my recovery requires, for the first time I am finding eating enough carbs hard. Since my surgery was only 10 days ago, I expect that once I progress from waddling around my neighborhood several times a day to strength and conditioning work I assume I will be back to normal. Thankyou for taking the time to provide nutrition advice to me.

You are welcome and thanks for the update. It is quite fascinating how sitting on your ass and taking light strolls changes your appetite the way it does. It will come back in due time

To a point, it's a good thing when one's appetite changes with activity levels. Some of the athletes I competed against or dated in college didn't adjust their diets sufficiently to reflect the change in activity after their college carriers ended. It doesn't take many months of consuming 1000 plus per day more than a individual's body currently requires to dramatically change one's appearance.

Other than the volume of food at dinner and no alcohol until I can stop the pills for nerve pain, I have been able to keep my diet roughly the same. Overnight oats and fruit for breakfast, eggs and an English muffin for 2nd breakfast or hardboiled eggs as an afternoon snack, a blended drink (one cup of Greek yogurt, one cup of frozen fruit, a banana, 2 scoops of protein powder, and 5 grams of creatine) for lunch, grilled chicken or fish plus whatever sides that my wife chooses. The principal change is that I normally eat about 1 1/2 pounds of meat with dinner and more sides along with wine or beer.

I plan to restart upper body work this week, some moderate conditioning and single leg work in two weeks and hopefully return to normal training and eating in four weeks. Thank you for the advice and encouragement.