Exercise after Bariatric Surgery

There should be some form of exercise to help your weight loss after gastric bypass surgery.  What you do can vary greatly depending on your circumstances.  Always consult with your physician before starting any exercise program.

Immediately following your WLS you probably won’t feel like jogging or doing aerobic activity for a while.  But eventually you may come to love these activities–and not just because they help you control your weight!  Jogging and other cardiovascular exercise helps improve the sharpness of your mind and just plain help you enjoy life more. 

Also, problems with depression can come with dealing with life after a gastric bypass, and exercise can help deal with the stress that it causes.  The importance of exercise cannot be underrated.  These are just a few of the excellent benefits you can expect after gastric bypass surgery–provided you get the proper nutrition. 

Support from Family and Friends 

Now is a great time to lean on your family. They are an important part of reaching your weight loss goals. Be honest and frank with them about how you need their support. You’ll probably find out they are all behind you and ready to do whatever it takes to get you healthier.

Let your friends know about your new journey. They can help enforce your eating decisions when you go to restaurants or friend’s homes. Being tempted by foods packed with fat and calories is not easy. Good friends will make sure you have healthy options and encourage you with your choices. 

Get your friends and family to join you in your new exercise routines. It will be more fun and help them too. Organize a kickball game, get a tennis partner, or form a group to walk every day. You’ll love the camaraderie and get fit at the same time.

Disclaimer: We at Bariatricvitamins4life.com and our sponsor site, Vita4life.net, are not medical professionals.  Nothing in this blog should be taken as medical advice.  Consult your doctor before you begin any exercise program.

The First Exercise You Should Do: Walking after Bariatric Surgery 

Some of us were in no danger of overexerting ourselves after our weight loss surgery.  It was hard enough just to get around our living spaces, much less get some exercise! 

Others have an easier recovery, and want to get to the exercise portion of their new life ASAP.  This isn’t always the best idea, though. 

It’s not just about your scar and stitches, either—the heart can have a difficult time after any major surgery.  Many doctors recommend five minutes of cardiovascular exercise (simple walking is usually good enough), five or six times a day, for the first two months after bariatric surgery.

What about Bariatric Yoga? 

While we don’t know of any yoga programs specifically for weight loss surgery patients (although it looks like there is an excellent bariatric exercise program in Austin), there is a small but devoted segment of the bariatric community that chooses yoga as a favorite form of exercise. 

Yoga practitioners report a number of benefits from the exercise; energy level and lowered stress are chief among these.  Yoga’s claims to fame also include muscle toning, improved flexibility, and a calm sense of well-being.

Cardiovascular Exercise after Weight Loss Surgery 

Cardio is the heavy hitter in any weight loss program.  While muscle training can certainly help speed up your metabolism, most trainers will tell you that it’s cardiovascular training that really takes the pounds off. 

As mentioned above, you should consult your physician before beginning any exercise routine.  This is especially true for gastric bypass patients who feel they are ready to get that heart pumping!  

While cardio will give you the most noticeable effects most quickly, it also puts a certain amount of strain on your system.  Ask your doctor if he or she thinks you are ready for heavy cardiovascular exercise, and how much you should start off with.  Your body’s adjusted caloric intake means that your routine may need to start off differently than the average Joe’s or Jane’s.

The key to overcoming your food cravings is to take the new diet slowly. Your body is healing and it will need quality nourishment to do so properly. Understanding this point will help aid you in your journey toward better health starting with what you eat.

The Secret to Success on a Bariatric Diet 

Consistency is key when embarking on a bariatric diet. You want to maintain a balance of healthy nutrient-dense foods while avoiding the fatty, greasy food that added the pounds to your old body. The commitment to success requires discipline.  This can be hard at social functions such as family cookouts and office potlucks.

Social gatherings can be a time of worry and self-esteem issues. This is when some quick planning ahead can come in handy. Instead of worrying about what you won’t be able to eat at these outings, you can be proactive and make something delicious to enjoy. Offering to bring a dish that is bariatric diet friendly is a great way to stay on track and even introduce others to your new way of eating.

You Don’t Have to Eat Health Food Cardboard After Gastric Bypass Surgery!

Many people think that those who have had a gastric bypass only eat bland “health store” food, which is a complete fabrication. You can change their minds by cooking something colorful and flavorful that is nutritious and delicious. There is no need to go without on a bariatric diet and you can prove that eating healthy can be fun and enjoyable.

Eating at a restaurant can seem like a tricky proposition but these days it can be quite simple. Make substitutions to existing menu items to make them bariatric diet approved. For example, most people love hamburgers. You can enjoy a burger by ditching the bun and condiments and stocking up on the other goodies in a lettuce wrapper. Once you eat a burger wrap you’ll wonder why you never tried it before.

When it comes to a bariatric diet, you want to get the most nutrition out of your food. This helps to reframe the relationship you have with what you eat. Nourishment is about treating your body with respect and having the discipline to keep it in peak condition.

Although you will be eating healthy foods you will still need to make bariatric supplements part of your daily routine. It is a must with your altered digestion system. Make sure your supplements are healthy ones with no fillers or additives.

If you want to maintain this feeling, you need to adjust your bariatric diet to reflect your new lifestyle.

A Weight Loss Diet that Still Offers Proper Nutrients

You may be confused over what to do or how to stay on your bariatric diet. There are hundreds of weight loss diets on the market; even the government’s food pyramid gives guidelines for healthy eating.

A good bariatric diet distinguishes itself from the rest by being medically proven with thousands of first-hand accounts of success. People reliably use this diet after gastric bypass surgery in order to support their body’s new changes and continue the road to their success.

Protein is the cornerstone of this type of diet. More than half of each meal you eat daily will be composed of some sort of lean protein. You should strive for 60 grams each day which can be derived from animal, dairy, or plant proteins.

How Sugar can Harm Your Diet

You will also need to keep carbs at a minimum. This is because of the way the body metabolizes carbohydrates into sugar. Sugar wreaks havoc on your system by making your blood sugar spike erratically, then plummet.

This sudden surge in your blood sugar levels causes the body to go into hunger mode which most people feed with more carbs. This vicious cycle packs on extra calories that, left unburned, turn to fat.

Maintaining a caloric deficit will help you sustain a healthy weight while shedding unhealthy fat. Cutting out sugar and drinking plenty of pure water round out the diet and make for a healthy lifestyle. Even if you don’t have the surgery, you can benefit from going on this type of diet.

Gastric Bypass Vitamins – the Final Ingredient of Weight Loss Nutrition

How do you make sure you’re getting the necessary vitamins when you’re cutting back so much on your food?  That’s another secret that gastric bypass patients have.  What’s the secret?  Gastric bypass vitamins. In fact, that’s what this blog is all about!

Also known as bariatric vitamins, these supplements see to it that your body gets the nutrition it needs–even when you’ve cut way back on the calories.  Taking a good bariatric multi vitamin with no fillers or additives should give you the added nutrition you need.