I recently damaged my shoulder weightlifting at the gym how many calories should I be eating a day now since I can't do any strenuous exercise?

I  recently damaged my shoulder weightlifting at the gym and now can't do as much, I've been packing the weight on a bit because I've been eating as I would if I was doing my normal routine. How many calories should I be eating a day now since I can't do any strenuous exercise? And are there any foods that encourages healing?
- Mike

Firstly, sorry to hear about your injury. I hope you're still able to train consistently whilst nursing your shoulder back to health.
From a training perspective this injury may represent an opportunity for you to focus on other areas, your legs, core or grip strength for example. Without actually meeting you I'd only be guessing how many calories a day you should be consuming. Most nutritionists base daily caloric ranges on your lean body mass. (i.e. your bodyweight minus your body fat) So you're going to have to get measured initially. If you are gaining weight, simply keep a food diary for a few days to figure out where you can trim the excess calories.

Protein is a really good starting point for anyone who wants to hold on to or increase their lean body mass whilst simultaneously shedding body fat. It fills you up, usually has a low glycemic load (helps with cravings, fluctuating blood sugars, etc...) and assists with growth and repair. A really rough formula is 1.5gms of protein per kilo of lean body weight. Let's assume you weigh 85 kilograms with a body fat reading of 15%. 73 kilograms of lean tissue require 110grams of lean protein ingested daily. Spread this over 5 meals a day, equates to approximately 22-25 grams of protein per meal. 90 grams of lean meat will give you 25 grams of protein. Protein along with vitamin C in the body helps with healing and recovery.

Supplements, which will assist your recovery, are L-Glutamine, which comes in a powder form. 1-2 teaspoons a day (5-10grams) mixed into a shake or fruit juice is a sufficient amount, and a glucosamine / chondroitin combination. These are the main products included in most joint formulations and can assist in the formation of collagen, the base product of your connective tissues. I’m assuming that your shoulder injury may be more than a simple soft tissue injury. 750mg of both glucosamine and chondroitin is the recommended amount to start with. You may find that by simply getting your protein intake correct and supplementing with L-Glutamine to be suffice. Personally I know I don't ache half as much when I've got the above correct.
- Jacquie