Skip to main content

Healthy Lifestyle Choices

There are several long-term habits that you should adopt to get the most out of your surgery. The first post-operative year is a critical time that must be dedicated to changing old behaviours and forming new, lifelong habits. Lack of exercise, poorly balanced meals, constant grazing or snacking, and drinking alcohol or carbonated drinks are frequent causes of not achieving or maintaining weight loss.

To maintain a healthy weight and to prevent weight gain, you must develop and keep healthy eating habits. You will need to be aware of the volume of food that you can tolerate at one time and make healthy food choices to ensure maximum nutrition in minimum volume. A remarkable effect of bariatric surgery is the progressive change in attitudes towards eating. Patients begin to eat to live; they no longer live to eat.

Obesity cripples the body. As weight is lost, the burden on the bones, joints and vascular system is decreased. Given proper nutrition and physical motion the body will rebuild its broken framework. The most effective way to heal the body is to exercise. People who successfully maintain their weight exercise daily.

Exercise and the support of others are extremely important to help you lose weight and maintain that loss following gastric sleeve surgery. Exercise improves your metabolism.

  • Take walks at a comfortable pace almost immediately after surgery and progress as you can tolerate
  • Resume higher impact exercise six weeks after the operation, as a general rule
  • Attend a support group or exercise with a friend to boost your confidence and help you stay motivated

A physiotherapist will see you whilst you are in hospital. They can give you initial advice regarding exercise. Your GP can give you information about groups or programmes in your area. There is a lot of support around you; ultimately it is up to you to make use of it.

10-point plan →

There is a lot of support around you; ultimately it is up to you to make use of it.