How To Lose Weight After Hysterectomy 2025: 4 Tips That Aid Weight Loss

Hysterectomies help women suffering from painful and sometimes life-threatening conditions such as uterine fibroids. While they seem routine, these procedures should be taken seriously. They can impact you both emotionally and physically after surgery. 

This is because a complete hysterectomy that involves the removal of your ovaries alters your hormones and triggers menopause before it would otherwise happen. This can result in unwanted weight gain, most notably as a stomach pouch after a hysterectomy, which creates frustration and leads to other issues. Thankfully, hysterectomy weight gain can be managed with the right tools, and weight loss after hysterectomy is possible. Read on to learn how to lose weight after hysterectomy and ovary removal. 

4 Helpful Tips On How To Lose Weight After Hysterectomy

Be Purposeful With Your Diet

Changing eating habits later in life isn’t easy. This is especially true if you’ve been eating whatever you want for most of your life and maintaining a healthy weight. When this changes and you experience weight gain, you’ll feel a lot better during this phase of life if you consistently choose more nutritious foods. 

Focus on what you eat and include more fresh fruits and vegetables. Lean meat and other lean proteins lower in saturated fats are fine, too. Plan your meals and prep them weekly to reduce the need to snack between meals. 

Be mindful when shopping, and don’t bring unhealthy foods into your home. If you don’t have a pantry filled with high-fat options, you won’t have to worry about eating them. 

Meal-prepping healthy foods and storing them in your freezer or fridge also aids in portion control. Discuss with your nutritionist the benefit of eating several small meals a day rather than three big ones. 

Also, drink at least eight glasses of water each day. Staying hydrated is essential when eating and exercising. This aids in healthy bowel movements and overall digestion and keeps you feeling fuller for extended periods. 

Talk To Your Doctor

Your physician can’t do a good job and adequately advise if they don’t know all the details. Discuss the following with your doctor regularly: 

• Changes in weight
• Diet and exercise concerns
• Emotional issues
• Noticeable physiological changes and any behavioral side-effects
• Pain or discomfort related to sexual intercourse

When you gain weight, work with your doctor to create a plan. You might also consider meeting with a nutritionist who can help develop appropriate menus to match your healthy diet goals. In addition, they might suggest fat-burning supplements that can help. A personal coach can also help with exercises targeting fitness needs. 

Be sure to talk with your doctor about ovarian failure.^[1] Sometimes, when ovaries remain after a hysterectomy, one or both fail despite efforts to conserve them. This results in hormone loss and should be monitored if surgical menopause begins. 

Another option to discuss is hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Doctors sometimes prescribe HRT to counteract menopausal symptoms, the risk of losing muscle, or for increasing bone density. HRT might also help prevent common stomach and visceral weight^[2] gain after hysterectomy. It won’t work by itself to shed pounds, but it helps women feel better and regain energy for exercising and eating right. 

Exercise Regularly

Get up and move often! Devote at least 30 minutes daily, about five days a week, to physical activity. Running, cycling or more advanced exercise routines can be a great way to support weight loss after hysterectomy. But the process doesn’t have to involve more rigorous training if you don’t feel comfortable in that realm. 

Simply walking, swimming, and practicing yoga keep you engaged in social, low-impact exercises, and they also burn fat and build muscle. From there, you can advance as your abilities allow. Either way, this leads to a good routine where you lose weight and feel better simultaneously. 

Get Plenty Of Sleep

A good night’s sleep can fix many emotional and physical discomforts. When menopausal symptoms occur and you do not sleep well, this further adds to hormonal imbalance. You feel hungry more often and tend to overeat. This makes you more likely to snack between meals and choose processed food high in fat, salt, and sugar. 

You know yourself better than anyone. Experiment with how many hours of sleep you require to feel your best. It’s typically between seven and nine hours, but everyone is different. Try a variety of positions as well. Some people sleep better on their right side, back, or left side. Pillows provide comfort either under your head or between your legs if you’re a side sleeper. 

If you’re having trouble falling asleep at night, try dimming the lights and limiting screen time after dinner each evening. Sometimes hot flashes will wake you in the middle of the night. If you can’t fall back asleep, get up and walk around a little. Don’t text or read in bed. This helps your body equate the bed with sleeping rather than other activities. 

Sleep is just as important as eating right, drinking plenty of water, and exercising every day. You’ll feel less stressed, minimize hunger, and be happier if you get the adequate rest you need every night.

What Is A Hysterectomy?

A hysterectomy is when women undergo a surgical procedure to remove their uterus. This common surgery sometimes involves the removal of the fallopian tubes and ovaries as well. Often, doctors advise premenopausal women to keep at least one ovary for regular hormonal activity. This is helpful for patients between the ages of 40 and 45, which is when most hysterectomies occur. 

Common Symptoms After Hysterectomy 

Estrogen and progesterone are the main hormones in your ovaries that manage reproduction. When hysterectomies remove one or both ovaries, hormone levels shift, and you might notice menopausal symptoms such as:

• Vaginal dryness
• Weight gain
• Depression or anxiety
• Hot flashes
• Decreased sex drive
• Brain fog

Other less-noticeable symptoms include an increased risk for osteoporosis and heart disease. Obese women suffer even more from these conditions. 

This can be frustrating if you’re like many women and find you’ve gained 20 pounds after a hysterectomy. This requires you to reassess your eating and exercise habits and change some routines to control weight fluctuations better and feel healthier and happier. Let’s explore some ways to do that. 

Can You Lose Weight After A Hysterectomy By Exercising?

Don’t give up if you feel frustrated because you’re eating right and still gaining weight. This may be an indication that you need to increase exercise. Studies show that at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity^[3] yields good results. If that’s too much, consider making room in your schedule for 75 minutes of more vigorous aerobic exercise each week. 

When your doctor measures your fat percentage, this gives you a more accurate view of where you’re at with exercising than just looking at your weight. Doctors also consider your estrogen level when discussing HRT and other solutions. 

Additional exercising doesn’t have to be exhausting. It might be as simple as adding a half-hour stroll in the evening after a light dinner. Or try to walk in the morning before a healthy breakfast. Parking your car further away when shopping or choosing stairs rather than elevators helps without disrupting schedules. Talk to a fitness professional for more suggestions.

Final Word

You’re not alone if you’re wondering how to lose weight after hysterectomy. Alter what you eat and how much you eat and incorporate regular physical activity to improve results. Discuss this issue with your doctor if you need HRT to prevent weight gain in certain circumstances. You’ll benefit from plenty of help as you get through these menopausal symptoms and stay at a healthy weight to feel and look your best.

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