Post-Op Exercise Limitations for Very Active Pre-Op Patient?

[Sara Gallagher 1]

Most of the bariatric surgery websites I've visited promote very modest post-op fitness goals (walking 20 minutes, three times a week for the first six months.) I'm currently 255 lbs (down from 280 in March) and plan to have Sleeve surgery in August (ideally at 230 lbs.) I'm very active (in the gym 1-2 hours a day, every day) doing balanced activities from cardio to circuit training to yoga. I really don't want to lose too much progress (or lean muscle mass) post-op, but I also want to be realistic about what I will be able to do given the very low post-op calorie intake.

Is what I'm reading accurate for everyone, or does it assume that most bariatric patients will be new to exercise?

[silverthreads 183]

One issue is lifting limitations after any abdominal surgery. Even though I had a laparoscopic procedure I was still told "no lifting over 10 lbs for two weeks and 20 lbs for another month". (Risk of hernia I assume)

Talk to your surgeon but light cardio and weights should be OK but avoid anything that engages your abs too much for six weeks or so. Definitely ask your surgeon though--he/she will likely be very supportive.

[Christinamo7 4,042]

my restrictions were walking only for one month and then as tolerated. but you do want to make sure you are not pushing yourself too hard - a lot will depend on how you are doing with the eating. I have not had issues with eating -but some people do and obviously that would affect how much you work out. listen to your team, and listen to your body.

a snapshot of where I am: I am 3 months out. I walk 3 miles almost every morning. I do a bedtime yoga routine about 5 nights a week. 2-3 nights I do a routine on my pilates reformer machine - unless I have done some heavy gardening, but as spring moves into summer it is more pilates.

[swimbikerun 1,045]

I was pretty fit before the surgery. It made things a lot easier after. I did have a slight blip that day but otherwise, getting rid of food sure helped me. I was swimming and walking and biking before the surgery, doing light cardio and exercise machines. I had to stop all but the walking the first 2 weeks. The incision didn't heal well. It sure bugged me during the 10k I did 3 weeks and a day after surgery. My knees were hurting from all the walking I did. I did that much more but lost 27 pds the first month. It helped to go swimming 2 days from a month out.

[Dysruption 70]

Most of the bariatric surgery websites I've visited promote very modest post-op fitness goals (walking 20 minutes, three times a week for the first six months.) I'm currently 255 lbs (down from 280 in March) and plan to have Sleeve surgery in August (ideally at 230 lbs.) I'm very active (in the gym 1-2 hours a day, every day) doing balanced activities from cardio to circuit training to yoga. I really don't want to lose too much progress (or lean muscle mass) post-op, but I also want to be realistic about what I will be able to do given the very low post-op calorie intake.

Is what I'm reading accurate for everyone, or does it assume that most bariatric patients will be new to exercise?

Your surgeon will tell you most likely that you cannot do any heavy lifting or anything more than walking for about 6 weeks. Which is standard when you have undergone major surgery. Once that was lifted, my surgeon told me to ease in to weight lifting and to know my limitations. That is the key to everything. Don't over do it, or you'll find yourself back at the hospital for a hernia which will keep you out of the game longer than six weeks. Once you're through the waiting period it will be trial and error to find the right amount of working out for your calorie intake. The problem is, you want to ease into it because you could potentially burn more calories than you intake which can cause your body to stall in weight loss if it's held at that pace continually. Meaning, if you have 800 calories in and you're burning 1600 calories for the day, you can only go into the negatives for so long until your body fights back. Keep your Protein high, your Water high and you'll do just fine! Try and start out with stabilization training when you get back in to it. I learned that I needed to work on my balance a lot more with the new shape of my body. Happy training and good luck with your surgery!

[James Marusek 5,244]

After surgery the three most important requirements are meeting your daily Protein, Fluid and Vitamin requirements. food is secondary because your body is converting your stored fat into the energy that drives your body.

After surgery, you will have some limitations on lifting. I did hill walking 30 minutes per day for 6 months prior to surgery. It really helped me with the recovery process and I had minimal pain after surgery. I began walking the halls a couple hours after surgery. And when I went home I slowly worked back into my walking routine. There will be a little down time because of the surgery incisions, the bruising from the blood thinner that you need to take for a week or so after surgery to prevent blood clots.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

Most of the bariatric surgery websites I've visited promote very modest post-op fitness goals (walking 20 minutes, three times a week for the first six months.) I'm currently 255 lbs (down from 280 in March) and plan to have Sleeve surgery in August (ideally at 230 lbs.) I'm very active (in the gym 1-2 hours a day, every day) doing balanced activities from cardio to circuit training to yoga. I really don't want to lose too much progress (or lean muscle mass) post-op, but I also want to be realistic about what I will be able to do given the very low post-op calorie intake.

Is what I'm reading accurate for everyone, or does it assume that most bariatric patients will be new to exercise?

Some things to keep in mind:

Limiting how much you use/stress your abdominal muscles. You don't want incisional hernias or to stress your incisions.

Not immersing in Water. I wasn't cleared to swim until My incisions had healed.

General healing. Most of the energy in the first couple of weeks needs to go toward healing. Until you are able to consume enough calories for your basic needs, you may not have a lot of energy for strenuous exercise.

It is ok to take it relatively easy and rest while you heal.

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

We sleeve patients forget, this is still major surgery. My doctor had to remind me a few times. I felt great, just like I did 1000 crunches, but I still had 85% of an organ removed and that is a trauma to your body.

You can walk as much as you have energy for but you don't want to stress your incisions for all the reasons listed above.

Also very early on after surgery, you might have a lot of energy, but you can get tired easy. I would be bursting with energy and then be instantly exhausted to the point I just wanted to take a nap. That isn't good when you are out alone in public.

Take it easy.

[TheRealMeIsHere! 863]

It's typically, no lifting for six weeks. I was told walk as much as I can, starting from day one. Never had any walking restriction due to sleeve surgery. Your surgeon will be your best guide.

walking 20 minutes, three times a week for the first six months is probably just a minimum suggestion.

Edited May 24, 2016 by TheRealMeIsHere!

[Daisee68 2,493]

One other thing to keep in mind is that your calorie restriction is so very limited that sometimes it is difficult to have enough energy. Some folks actually don't lose during certain phases because their body goes in to starvation mode because they are burning WAY too much and eating WAY too little. You will be able to walk, but as other said, it is major surgery and just as you would with any other major surgeries, you need to give yourself a little break and give your body time to heal.

[TheRealMeIsHere! 863]

One other thing to keep in mind is that your calorie restriction is so very limited that sometimes it is difficult to have enough energy. Some folks actually don't lose during certain phases because their body goes in to starvation mode because they are burning WAY too much and eating WAY too little. You will be able to walk, but as other said, it is major surgery and just as you would with any other major surgeries, you need to give yourself a little break and give your body time to heal.

I had the opposite. Once I was able to get in enough liquids, by day 3, my energy was through the roof. It hasn't stopped & it's been 4 years

My NUT says that as long as you are getting all your Protein (which is difficult at first, took me 18 months till I was hitting my 80gms/day) you body won't go into starvation mode even with low calorie consumption.

Edited May 24, 2016 by TheRealMeIsHere!