Is it good to exercise after Weight Loss Surgery?
Weight loss surgery patients must be committed to adopting a physically active lifestyle along with a new healthy diet which will be important to their long-term success. Many patients ask if it is good for them to exercise after weight loss surgery. It is essential that weight loss surgery patients learn how to incorporate the right regular exercise routine post-surgery into their daily lives.
Being fat and overweight is not easy when it comes to exercise, and morbidly obese patients know that their excess body weight is a big obstacle when it comes to exercise. However, it is important to understand that as the patient loses more and more weight, it will be easier to do more types of workouts and they will need to find an appropriate exercise program that does not put a lot of pressure and stress on their systems and increases in difficulty as the patient gets lower in weight. This way the patient can set an initial objective based on their bmi, and gradually adjust their routine helping them to achieve additional weight loss as they lose weight, giving them the opportunity to do more with the weight they have lost each month after surgery. Obviously as the patients lose weight, they will have more mobility and less stress on their joints. It is generally safe to start aerobic types of exercises up to their pain threshold starting 2-3 weeks after their surgery. Performing exercise after a weight loss procedure is an excellent way to improve your physical and mental health. More than that, exercising is a complementary adjunct therapy to Weight Loss Surgery.
There are plenty of benefits that exercising brings to patient’s life such as:
- Improving circulation
- Reduces the risk of blood clots
- Promotes wound healing
- Improves the bowel function
- Improves skin elasticity and muscle strength
- Boosts the metabolism
- Elevates mood, reduces stress and anxiety
- Enhances patients’ self-esteem and confidence
- Improves overall health
- Among other benfits
To achieve and maintain the patient’s ideal weight, bariatric surgeons general recommend an exercise program as part of the surgical process. Exercise obviously will play an important and critical role in helping weight loss patients live a healthy and successful life. The amount of exercise really depends on each patients’ weight loss goals, as such it is important to have proper guidance before adding anything new to the patients diet or workout routine.
Weight Loss Team the Bariatric Surgery Center at the CMQ Riviera Nayarit Hospital in Puerto Vallarta recommends a few tips to getting started after weight loss surgery…
- Right after surgery, patients should increase daily activities such as cleaning the house, try using the stairs, park further away, etc.
- Patients should avoid lifting in excess of 10 – 15 pounds the first month after the surgery
- Patient must start slow with short walks each day until they increase the intensity (cycling, aerobic exercise, etc.)
- Patients must begin gradually progressing until they are exercising 60 minutes a day.
- Do aerobic exercise that are low to moderate in intensity.
- If patients do a lot of cardio and keep losing weight, when they want to stop losing weight, they might reduce their cardio and start lifting weight to gain muscle and maintain their goal weight.
- Use light to moderate heavy weights only once you are near goal weight
- Too much exercise can cause the patient to lose too much weight. They must adjust their workout and achieve a balance of exercise to weight loss.
- Modify the exercise if it causes pain
- If the patient has major joint limitation in their lower extremities, they should try to perform the strength exercises from a seated position or in a swimming pool
- Eat protein bars, nuts, dry fruit, trail mix, grains
- Patients should drink more liquids with the added calories they need (such as an extra protein shake per day when doing a lot of exercise)
- Eat up to 5 to 6 meals a day
- Patients should always change up their exercise routine including flexibility, cardio and strength training every 4 to 6 weeks
There is a high percentage of weight loss patients who do not exercise enough and obviously, they won`t have the health benefits or weight loss equivalent to those who exercise. Patients’ commitment is essential! The patient should choose a physical activity that they enjoy as they will be more likely to continue doing it.
For more information regarding Clinics/ Hospitals and Weight Loss Options mentioned in this article:
Weight Loss Team – The Bariatric Surgery Center at the CMQ Riviera Nayarit Hospital in Puerto Vallarta - Dr. Juan F.Hidalgo
Website: www.weightlossteam.com/
Email: info@weightlossteam.com
Telephone: Toll free 1(800) 404-9064 or + 1(818) 949-6911
