How to lose weight? diet suggestions

[PatientWhizbang]

Hello. My age is 23 and I have received a transplant on feb 2021. Fortunately donor was my father. I am currently working in IT virtually cuz of pandemic. So I'm gaining weight and I currently weight about 88kg. Can anyone tell me what exercises I can do (as we cannot perform strenuous ones) and also a balanced diet.( I am a pure vegetarian)?. Thanks in advance

[Denise-80]

Hi - Congrats on your gift! I have a stationary bicycle and a dog who likes to walk a lot. My diet could be better, so I will leave that for someone else to reply to. Congrats again. I’m so glad your father was a match!

[PatientWhizbang in reply to Denise-80]

Thank you so much Denise

[YorkyinNorfolk]

Congratulations on your successful transplant.

Below are a couple of links on returning to exercise & maintaining a healthy diet after a transplant. Maybe a conversation with your consultant/medical team would be wise as we’re all different, as is our recovery.

Start slowly on the exercise and build the intensity up over time. Walking, jogging, cycling and swimming are all good starting points as you can go at your own pace. If you catch the exercise bug you could join local sports clubs and kick on to the next level.

Try looking into the Transplant Games in your country, there are people out there taking part in and competing in national and world transplant games events. In the UK you have to wait 6 months after a transplant and be in good health before you can attend an event so you’re definitely beyond that.

If it helps, I had a successful kidney transplant over 20 years ago, and have played badminton & volleyball competitively throughout but I started gradually.

Listen to your body, take advice, research how to stay safe and don’t be limited … this is your second chance at life!

Good luck with your fitness and diet.

nhsbt.nhs.uk/organ-transpla....

nhs.uk/conditions/kidney-tr...

transplant.org.au/living-wi...

[PatientWhizbang in reply to YorkyinNorfolk]

Thank you so much . I'll try these

[PuggyWuggy]

Hi. Congtats. on your transplant! Like another respondent, I too have a dog that loves to walk, so I am lucky there. Walking or biking alone of with a friend or group are easy exerxise activities you might consider. Start out slowly and work your way up to longer sessions. The DASH diet is a healthy low fat, low sodium diet. If you can, make an appointment with a renal dietician to discuss any special needs or preferences you may have. Set goals, but be easy on yourself. If you fail one day, just start again. Best of luck. You can do it!

[PatientWhizbang in reply to PuggyWuggy]

thank you.. dash diet seems interesting..will try it. Again thanks a lot

[Bax509]

Hi - congratulations on your transplant! I’m having similar issues after mine. I started putting on weight pretty fast after transplant and I didn’t think I was doing anything differently. My doc told me I may be feeling better so appetite is bigger. The NKF here in the states says that it’s very common for kidney transplant patients to gain weight post-op. I never heard that from my doc - it would have saved some anxiety. Now I’m just trying to mindfully eat a balanced diet and increase my exercise as tolerated. “Diets” in the past haven’t been sustainable for me because I don’t want to eat the same things in the same way forever & so weight eventually returned. An RD I used to work with always told me make slow steady changes and don’t sweat the occasional splurge. Good luck to you!

[horsie63 in reply to Bax509]

If you are taking prednisone that will put cause weight gain...pretty much any steroid will.

[Bax509 in reply to horsie63]

Yes - but the weight gain happened months after I weaned down to 5 mg per day. Maybe any amount of steroid will do that?

[ThisAdventure]

Hi, I’m two years post transplant and also vegetarian. Chat to a dietitian if you can, so you know what your body needs and you can make the best healthy and balanced choices for you.

Also, I find a lot of it is down to portion size. If you use a smaller plate and bowl, then by default you’d put less on your plate, but your plate looks full so you don’t feel cheated. And do the opposite with the water glass - choose a big one. Sometimes we think we’re hungry before asking ourselves if we’re perhaps thirsty.

I’ve learnt that I need protein in the morning (for me that’s through nuts, seeds, hemp and chia, nut butter, etc. as part of breakfast), otherwise I’ll find myself wanting to snack before lunch!

All the best!

[Post-Op-Jogger]

Hi PatientWhizbang, I'm the same. Transplant April 21 and gained 20k since.

I've tried dealing with it myself. I joined the C25K running programme (after getting approval from my nephrologist) and have completed it twice and also a diet/lifestyle programme (which initially helped but in the long-term hasn't). I raised my weight gain at my last transplant clinic and the doc said it can be an issue partly because of the joy of being able to eat again, but we just have to be more careful about diet and exercise like everyone else.

She said at this stage I can join the gym, run, swim, use resistance bands etc. As long as it's not a high risk sport (ie.martial arts, boxing, or bungee jumping) anything should be fine. But check with your clinic in case your personal circumstances are different.

I tried a core workout and while most of it was ok, my lower ab muscles don't work at all. Probably cut through during transplant. I've ended up making an appointment with my gp to get referred to a personal trainer to help build up those muscles safely. He wanted me have had a blood test to check my thyroid which was fine and I have a follow-up telephone call next week to discuss it all.

[BabyTee]

Make sure you have good shoes. I am 8 weeks post-transplant. Last week I was up to walking 2 miles/day, I started having achy hips, and my knee from an old basketball injury started acting up. I couldn't figure out what was wrong until I realized my soles were worn from walking on concrete for the last 6 weeks.

My husband has had great success with intermittent fasting. There are different rules for this to work well if you are male or female. Most women don't tolerate longer fasting times as well as men do. Also, if you are eating prepared foods, those can cause weight gain, depending on the ingredients. Artificial sweeteners, that some dietitians push, can also lead to weight gain or hunger.

Regarding exercise, if you want to get started inside, see what you can find on youtube. There are quite a few good workouts you can try for free, and you don't need equipment for many of them. Building muscle will help you lose fat and make you feel a lot better.

Last week I got permission to exercise, so I have started doing the Sports Illustrated Super Shape Up program from the 80s (3 videos on youtube). I started just doing the arms. Next week I will be adding legs. I can't do the ab portions until I hit 6 months.

I had a SPK (pancreas kidney) transplant, so my incision is from the belly button down 8 inches. That means no ab work until 6 months, if all goes well.

[BabyTee in reply to BabyTee]

I want to update my response that was from my ignorant/cocky 8-week-post-transplant self. Now I am 4 months post-transplant. At 3 months I was told that walking 90 min at a time was too much for the first 6 months. I was doing it once or twice a day. Doc said walking more than 30 min at a time in the first 3 months (or 45 min from 3 to 6 months) causes inflammation and will cause me to heal more slowly. I can walk up to that much up to 3 times a day if it doesn't bother me. I also never added the legs to that workout, because I tried part of it and ended up hurt/sore for a week.

Also the doc made me stop doing body squats. The other doc said it was okay.

[Chibi1]

Weight Loss Diet Ideas

Low-carb meal plans limit carbs to 20–50 per day. Protein, healthy fats, and veggies should be in every meal. Everyone has different needs and food preferences, so these are simply suggestions.

Add healthy whole grains like quinoa, oatmeal, whole wheat flour, bread, or pasta.

Breakfast Menus

An avocado-topped poached egg with berries

Green smoothie with spinach, avocado, almond milk, and cottage cheese

Greek yogurt, berries, and nuts

Lunch Menus

Wrap with celery, peanut butter smoked salmon with avocado and asparagus, kale and spinach salad, grilled tofu, chickpeas, and guacamole.

Dinner Menus

In the chicken, peppers, mango, avocado, and spices in the enchilada salad

Baked mushrooms, onions, peppers, and cheese with turkey

roasted cauliflower with Parmesan, and Parmesan-roasted cauliflower with tempeh, Brussels sprouts, and pine nuts as an antipasto salad.

Snacks Recipes

Veggies and cauliflower hummus

homemade nuts and fruit trail mix.

Crispy kale

Cinnamon-flaxseed cottage cheese.

roasted chickpeas

sunflower seeds

Pouch tuna

Edamame

Strawberry-brie

What's your weight-loss rate?

After the first week of a diet, you may lose weight more slowly but steadily. The first week: fat and water weight.

First-time diet and activity adjustments may lead to faster weight loss.

1–2 pounds per week is safe unless your doctor says otherwise. Talk to your doctor about calorie reduction if you want to reduce weight quickly.

A low-carb diet can benefit health in several ways, while the long-term effects are unknown:

Low-carb diets lower blood sugar

LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglycerides drop

Improvement in blood pressure

Other low-calorie, whole-food diets also boost metabolic indicators and prevent aging

A diet with complex carbs may be more maintainable.

I've tried these keto cookbooks and derived more essential keto meal ideas:

Free Keto Cookbook >> festyy.com/edloDx

Ultimate Keto Meal Plan >> festyy.com/edloGs

Essential keto snacks cookbook>> festyy.com/edloHn

“Secret” Keto Diet Protocol for Sustainable & Rapid Weight Loss>>festyy.com/edloXg

Low Carb Ideas to Burn Fat >>> festyy.com/edloVx

For effective exercises, you'll learn effective drills HERE >> festyy.com/edliGy<<

[PatientWhizbang in reply to Chibi1]

Can I have omelette or brown bread daily in my breakfast?