Exercising After Weight Loss Surgery?

Weight loss surgery is the first step on a patients’ journey to achieving a healthier weight, but not the only one. Whilst the surgery will reduce the appetite of the individual, reduced portion size is not the only way to lose weight and more importantly, keep the weight off in the long term. This is where exercise plays an important role.

When can I start exercising after weight loss surgery?

This will vary depending on the type of weight loss surgery you have under gone.

Physical activity after weigh loss surgery is recommended as this will help encourage your body to heal quicker. During the first week, walking is the best option, with trying to take several short walks a day to help with circulation.

Strenuous activities, such as lifting heavy items, are generally discouraged for about three weeks after surgery.

Once the surgeon is suitably satisfied that the surgical area is fully healed swimming can be incorporated into your exercise routine.

What exercises can I do after weight loss surgery?

It is important to develop a plan with a professional to ensure that you don’t over strain the surgical area and that there is a gradual increase in the length of time a physical activity is performed in your exercise plan. An exercise should be intense enough to raise your heart beat, but not that it places the healing surgical area under too much strain until properly healed.

Good activities to look at performing are low impact exercises:

  • Swimming,
  • Cycling,
  • Walking and jogging,
  • Yoga,
  • Dancing,
  • Aerobics classes,
  • Light weights classes.

Your surgeon and dietician will recommend how much exercise you should do to begin with until you are fully healed, but it is recommended that an adult should aim to be active daily with activity over a week adding up to at least 150 minutes. It is further recommended that this time should include moderate intensity activity in bouts of at least 10 minutes.

The benefits of exercise after weight loss surgery

There are many benefits to exercise, including:

  • Maintaining weight loss in the long term,
  • Boosting the metabolism,
  • Enhancing self-esteem and confidence,
  • Helping to develop muscle strength,
  • Improving the ability to perform daily activities,
  • Improving physical and mental health.

Even if you didn’t exercise before having weight loss surgery, there is always time to start. It may seem like a daunting prospect, but by talking to your surgeon to develop an exercise plan and by getting support from family and friends, you will find that exercise can be easily incorporated into your day to day life.

We at Streamline Surgical want you to get the best result you can from your weight loss surgery by working closely with you to understand your long term goals and develop ways in which you can achieve them. Our weight loss surgery aftercare is second-to-none, with our principal aim being to treat all patients with care, concern and compassion.

The surgery itself is the first step, combining a healthy diet and exercise is the next.

For more information on our weight loss surgery aftercare options, please call 0333 016 3030 or fill out our online enquiry form.