After Bariatric Surgery: An Inner Commitment
Your Exercise Plan Right After Surgery:
The aim is to develop endurance to the exercises you need to perform during the first few weeks following your operation. A three to five-minute walk 4 to 6 times a day should be done starting from day 2 to 7 post-operative. Just remember to consult your attending physician in order to evaluate your progress. You should follow the advice from your doctor regarding the increments of the walking exercises, or you may follow these recommendations by Bryan Lowe BS, CSCS, CPT (www.obesityhelp.com):
- Week 1 to 2 – 5 to 15 minutes 3 x a day
- Week 2 to 4 – 10-15 minutes 3 x a day, may start with weight training with the approval of your doctor
- Month 1 to 3 – 30-minute to 1-hour cardiovascular activity at 5 days per week; begin or continue with weight training
- Month 3 and on – stay committed to the exercise program.
Incorporating weight training should be advised by your physician on check up, a month after the operation. Keeping your muscle tone intact will prevent muscle loss and will provide the catabolic process to be geared towards fat metabolism instead. As shown in the recommendation above, weight training should be started as early as week 2 to 4 following the surgery (with doctor’s advice) and should be expected on months 1 to 3 to be started and continued. The cardiovascular work-out should be maintained along with the weight training exercises.
Your Diet and Lifestyle:
A new lifestyle should come with a new diet plan. The guide that follows will give you an idea on how your diet and lifestyle should go; but still, you need to consult your attending surgeon and/or dietitian about the best nutrition plan for you. It is important on the first few days that you follow the instructions carefully from your doctor.
On the first few days post-surgery, the doctor may advise you to have sips of water or ice. You may feel more thirsty and may urge you to drink more than what is instructed. But remember that you only need to take in little fluid on the first few days to avoid nausea and vomiting. Your attending doctor will adjust your fluid intake accordingly on the following days.
Liquid diet is usually advised on the first few weeks until a more solid food is suggested on the weeks to come. Puree to soft food is adjusted accordingly until a maintenance diet can be introduced at about 9 to 11 weeks post-operative. A new nutrition plan advised by your doctor and/or nutritionist should be carefully adhered to. Never try to steal away from the proposed diet program you need to go through and maintain. When you start on solid foods for example: chew your food thoroughly and slowly, never drink fluids while eating, avoid foods and supplements with high-calorie yield, and limit snacks between regular meals.
Your lifestyle should start on the healthy side after the surgery. Remember to combine your diet plan with the exercise program instructed to you. Take at least a 30-minute workout daily once you have maintained a diet. Eat timely and in a low stress area, for example: never eat leftovers by snatching them from your family member’s plates. Don’t try to cheat on what is there for you. You have to eat on time and you need to be seated at the dining table, cheating yourself by binging when nobody is around will make you create bad food choices and thus, bad decisions.
After bariatric surgery, your life will never be the way you used to live. Take it as a positive reinforcement. Always think that weight loss surgery is not a quick fix. You need to take a journey that will lead you to a healthier lifestyle. Joining in support groups will help a lot in answering some of your questions. But remember, the way to a healthier and more positive way to take the advantages of bariatric surgery should come from your inner self. It is that motivation and commitment within you that will totally help in achieving your goals post-operative.
