Thank you all for your feedback. I agree that I need to track my current calorie consumption and go from there. I also agree that eliminating alcohol helps. I don’t eat much processed food and almost never eat fast food, but my portions are probably larger than needed to lose weight.
I’ve been to my PCP and 3 different ortho docs and none think my problem is severe enough for hip replacement surgery. The doc I’m going to now wants me to try his program, which is limiting my activity to 30 minutes of pool walking and 30 minutes of stationary bike workout on alternating days for 3 months. I’ve had one cortisone injection and it didn’t help. This doc says they can actually be damaging and he wants me to just stick with this exercise program for 3 months and see how I feel.
It’s frustrating because this is actually a lower activity level than I usually have but he says it’s necessary to cut back to prevent further injury to the joint.
I was able to maintain a good weight for several months eating 1,200-1,350 calories per day and doing intense workouts burning 350-800 calories at least 5 days/week. I was doing things like 5-8 mile hikes with 2K ft+ elevation gain, swimming laps for 60-90 minutes, and working out in the gym with a combination of cardio and strength training. I was in great shape but my net caloric intake after adjusting for exercise was definitely less than 1,000.
Then COVID happened and like many, too many months of sitting around the house wearing sweats and eating comfort food caused me to put on weight. Also our gym and pools were closed for months. I tried some YouTube workouts but they just weren’t the same. I gained about 15 lbs and then did a fitness challenge to try to get it off, and injured my hip in the process. The injury has been negatively impacting my mobility for over a year now, making it even more challenging to lose weight. Hence the idea of cutting back to 900 calories per day.