Post-op Exercise

[Geoff 11]

I haven't seen too many threads on exercise after surgery. I know that nutrition and what you put into your body is a HUGE part of success but I am interested to hear from anyone about their experiences with exercise(s). What sort of exercise do you do (if at all)? How intense can you get? Any weight-lifters? I believe that exercise is going to be a key to my success (surg. date 10/13) and I am looking at what I should expect.

[Thinkingthinner1109 485]

Walk, walk walk, right away. My Dr says I have to wait 4-6 PO for strength training. I am 2 weeks post op and I walk about 4 miles. Before surgery I was walking between 8 and 10 miles a day. Slow but sure I will get back there. Good luck.

[Zoey716 98]

Hi @Geoff - your doctor will clear you when it is medically appropriate for you to return to exercise. Right after surgery- likely a few hours after, your doctor will have you up and walking around. This is to help prevent blood clots, pneumonia, and to move the air around that will be in your gut (read: gas).

I started walking daily after surgery to just get moving. However, I waited the 2 1/2 months (as my surgeon suggested) before I started any weights or any ab/core activity.

Once you are cleared to exercise - make sure you are doing what you enjoy. Cardio is a great place to start. Walking, elliptical, biking, swimming etc. Start by doing a little each day. Then each week - add a little more time or distance. Weight training will be key to help tone areas that will be troublesome once you start losing all of this weight. Weight training will also help you burn more calories longer than cardio.

Be patient with yourself as you build strength and endurance. Best of luck to you!!

[Forsythia 882]

Howdy Geoff, there is a whole forum dedicated to exercise. Lots of good info there! http://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/991-fitness-exercise/

[Recycled 2,182]

Geoff,

Had to do a double take on your surgery date. It looks like 10/2013. I assume you mean 10/13/2014.

As the others have said. First off, follow your surgeons guidelines. That being said, I have been going to the gym and doing cardio and complete weight regimens since 6 weeks PO. And I'm sure that without the workouts, this whole sleeve thing would not be working for me.

Some cautions. - I had a unbilical hernia repair during my sleeve and subsequently avoided any strenuous stomach type exercises for a few months. And when doing workouts, keep the hydration up.

Another point to keep in mind is to be able to build any muscle during the process and certainly avoid losing any while losing fat weight, you must get in your Protein. I do whatever is necessary to get in at least 100 grams of Protein a day.

At six months my weight loss has slowed alot, but my workouts have not. As I get stronger, I am able to do more and even with the low calorie diet, I need to maintain the workouts in order to keep losing weight to reach my goal. The process has convinced me that even when I reach my goal, exercise will be the only way of maintaining my weight and avoiding any weight gain. Good luck with your surgery. Keep us posted with your progress.

FYI - Check into "My Fitness Pal". Makes it easy to keep track of your diet, your workouts and your weight goals.

Edited September 11, 2014 by Recycled

[Chubalicious 15]

@ Recycled- thanks for those words.... I;m one month post op today... 08/11/14... I have been working out 09/01/14- 15 min elliptical and 30 min weights. about 5 times a week... I've been feeling great..but the scale seems to be stuck!! Ugg is this normal???? Will I continue to lose weight..??? Will my flabs become muscle!??? Help!!!!

[Forsythia 882]

@@Chubalicious Sadly fat does not become muscle. Fat is fat and muscle is muscle. If you work out the fat cells will shrink and the muscle fibers will get bigger, but you can't turn one into the other. If we could, I think we all would have opted for that instead of surgery.

You also have a lower BMI and are a lady, two things that cause slower weight loss. Guys tend to lose much faster than a woman of the same weight. Higher BMI individuals also lose faster than lower BMI individuals. You are going to have stalls. Sometimes they last for a week, sometimes longer. Keep on your plan. Keep working out. Resist the urge to weigh yourself every day. My weight is going to fluctuate. Even on a perfect day it might go up for various reasons. Try to limit your scale time to once a week or even less if you find yourself getting obsessed about the number.

[Geoff 11]

Good information all. And to clarify, my surgery date is October 13, 2014 (10/13/14). 10/13 was the date, not year. Forsythia, thanks for the link. That will help quite a lot. I received a packet of information from my surgeon's office yesterday giving me pre-op education class information and other pre-op appointment dates. It's starting to get real.