One of the questions I hear a lot from patients is in regards to weight, weight loss, and calories consumption/usage after Mommy Makeover surgery. Specifically, I had a patient ask recently if she would burn more calories after her surgery.
The recovery after any surgery involves a period of inflammation and healing in which the body’s resources (calories) are utilized for the recuperation. Since a Mommy Makeover typically involves a combination of surgeries (for instance – tummy tuck, breast lift with augmentation, and liposuction), it is not surprising that more resources are going to be needed for healing. Protein intake is very important during the healing phase, which typically lasts six to eight weeks. It is not uncommon to lose a bit of weight in the healing phase.
Let’s examine this closer. You are restricted from eating after midnight the night before surgery, you have a long day of surgery in which you are not eating and which some tissue has been removed (tummy tuck for instance), and then you recover at home on a bunch of pain meds.
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These meds make you sleepy and so you don’t eat like normal for another few days. You will have some fluid mobilization and loss over the next few weeks. Your body is devoting it’s resources towards healing the incisions, fight off the pain, prevent infection, and get back to normalcy. All this takes calories. It is like you are in a long race (not quite a marathon, but close). I always encourage my patients to increase their protein intake in the initial post operative period in preparation for this healing phase. Your weight should normalize after an initial adjusting period. If you continue to lose weight or are concerned, you should visit your primary care physician or your plastic surgeon.
Good luck with your recovery.
