Does your body burn more calories trying to heal after a mommy makeover surgery?

Yes - with any major surgery, the metabolic rate of the body goes up significantly for about 2 weeks or so after surgery.  As a result, you may lose weight.  Additionally, as the "water weight" caused by fluid retention after surgery goes away, your weight can drop.Make sure you are getting enough nutrition, with extra proteins and enough calories.  Your body needs those building-blocks to heal properly, so this is not the time to try to diet.

Recovery after any surgery involves a period of inflammation and healing in which the body's resources (calories) are utilized for the recuperation. Since the Mommy Makeover typically involves a combination of surgeries (tummy tuck, breast lift with augmentation and liposuction, for instance), 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 6-8 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. 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.