5 Exercises You Should Do After Weight Loss Surgery

A significant number of people who go through Bariatric surgery complain about weight gain 2 years after the procedure. While the surgery is good to help you lose weight, it does not keep the weight off forever. So if you are worried about gaining the weight back after surgery, read on to find out how to keep the weight off once it’s on.

A lot of times, the true problem is that people tend to fall back into the same routine they had which made them gain weight in the first place. Lack of exercise, large quantities of malnutrition food, lack of sleep, and too much stress will make the weight come back as soon as it leaves. The hardest habit to break off is an inactive state of your body.

The most essential thing for you after the bariatric surgery is to create and maintain an exercise routine. A post-bariatric surgery exercise plan proves to be the most important thing in keeping the weight off. 

Before you go further, however, please take these as guidelines. This is not and cannot replace medical advice. Always talk to your doctor before attempting any of this.

Here is how you can stay fit after the bariatric surgery:

1-3 Weeks after bariatric surgery

1. Rest and Recovery

There should be no exercise this early. Your body is healing from the physical trauma of the surgery. Your body is a fresh wound and you don’t want to pull the stitches or start an infection. Unless your doctor has instructed you otherwise, take complete rest. 

1-3 Months After Bariatric Surgery

2. Walking

Once you have the green light from your doctor, start walking for 10 to 20 minutes a day. Remember, you’re just starting. Don’t push yourself too hard. As months go by, you can slowly up the number of minutes or kilometers. Make sure you’re not straining yourself. At this stage, we just want light movement, get your body used to a routine of movement.

3. Water Aerobics

Another activity you may try after 2 months of surgery is water aerobics. Here, water helps reduce the strain on your body while allowing it to move more freely. This lets your incisions heal faster as there is less pressure on your abdomen. That said, please make sure you visit a highly hygienic place. A water-borne infection could set you back several months or even make everything much worse.

NOTE: Make sure you do NOT do any abdominal exercises during this time. 

3-4 Months After Bariatric Surgery

All the exercises you were doing may continue. Check-in with your doctor if it is okay to take on more workouts.

4. Lifting weights

This is the stage where your trauma should be mostly healed. Lifting weight will help build up your strength. After such a long period of disuse, most of your muscles would have lost a lot of strength. To counter this, we should start with lightweight training. Only use weights up to 2 kg. As important as aerobic exercises like jogging are, anaerobic, muscle focus is also important. These muscles have lost a lot of fat, and their structure is not yet completely stable, so weightlifting shapes them.

5. Jogging

Running is a good exercise to do now, however, if it hurts or you’re still wary or have residue abdominal pain, jogging is perfectly fine. A 10-20 minute jog will do your body good. The most important factor is to make sure you’re okay. Stop if it starts to hurt or if you feel uncomfortable.

6. Yoga

Some light yoga will help your body heal better and bring strength to your muscles. Make sure it is more focused on meditation while starting out. Flexibility will come over time. Some light poses that remove the body’s tendency to be inactive are good.

5-6 Months After Bariatric Surgery

Adding to the above exercises, you can now also do a variety of other exercises. It should be simple and fun.

7. Swimming

Swimming is a great way to make sure that your entire body gets a workout. It is impossible to miss out on a muscle group while swimming. Plus, swimming is fun. Going for a swim two or three times a week will help your mind relax as well. Just make sure you keep it light and intermittent.

8. Dancing

Dancing is a great way to relieve mental stress while getting a workout. Put on some music and let your body move. This will free up a lot of muscles that are not normally used. It helps take care of your bones, balance and heart as well.

9. CrossFit 

If you’re someone who is very organized and dancing is too chaotic for you while weight lifting is boring, CrossFit is perfect for you. It is customizable and you can change the kind of workout you do every single day. Just make sure you have a trainer that understands that you’re on the pathway to healing and takes it easy.

10. Resistance Training

Once you are good with CrossFit, use free weights, machines and resistance bands to increase the difficulty of your workout. This will help strengthen your muscles, bones, joints and cartilages. 

Remember, the only bad workout is one that you didn’t do. Workout schedules are essential. Mark a time and a place you will work out and mark yourself present on your calendar every day. Chances are, if you miss out one day and don’t take extra care to go back the next day, then you’ll skip the week, then the month and the cycle will continue. This is a very dangerous path to go down because the body always wants to be at rest. Shaking off that habit can be one of the hardest things to do, so even if you don’t do your full work out, at least do some minimal exercise to ensure you don’t lose sight of your fitness.

Despite that, if it still happens, do not lose hope. You can always start again. Visit us and we’ll let you know how. Don’t forget to stay hydrated, you should have at least 11 Glass of water a day. Sleep well, take the rest your body asks for. Eat well, it is what will help keep you healthy. 

Here at Radiance Hospitals, we will be with you till the end of the line. You shall be given a diet and an exercise plan, your doctor will explain every step to you. This is your war, but we’ll help make your strategy. With us, you will never be fighting alone.

We wish you the best on this journey! Good Luck.