Exercise before and after weight loss surgery

Weight loss or bariatric surgery is fairly common in Australia with almost 20,000 procedures performed each year.¹

The most effective treatment for morbid obesity, weight loss surgery can help some people reduce their risks of developing conditions such as heart disease and stroke.^2,3

Weight loss surgery is a major procedure, so it’s important to prepare your body. Developing healthy exercise habits beforehand can help your body handle the surgery, speed up recovery, and improve your chances of long-term success.

Learn more about how exercise before and after weight loss surgery can support your goals and how to move safely as you recover.

Any surgery puts stress on the body and the healthier you are, the better you can cope with the procedure as it’s happening.

Studies show that people who exercise in the month leading up to weight loss surgery experience weight loss before surgery, tend to have a shorter stay in hospital following the surgery and see a greater body mass index (BMI) loss in the year following.⁴

“Exercise is going to be really beneficial to improve the success of the surgery and reduce the recovery time afterwards,” says Jack Walker, an exercise physiologist from Resilient Health EP. “That’s because you already have that muscle mass and cardio fitness established.”

“Also, creating an exercise habit before surgery means that it's significantly easier returning to exercise because it feels familiar.”

There is no ideal type of exercise to do before weight loss surgery, says Jack, and it really comes down to your personal fitness levels and abilities.

“We should all be aiming for the recommended health guidelines of a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate cardio exercise per week, plus 2 strength sessions.”

But what is considered moderate will vary from person to person. To find out what kind of exercise you can safely do before surgery, Jack recommends talking to an expert.

“This is where an exercise physiologist or personal trainer can help because we can tailor exercise to your levels and abilities and importantly your goals. It’s different for everyone.”

Exercise is a key part of recovery after weight loss surgery but it’s important to take things slowly and follow the advice given by your healthcare team.

While every person’s recovery from surgery will differ, there are some general rules that most people will need to follow, says Jack.

“As a general recommendation, for the first 2 or 3 weeks, you're not doing anything with heavy resistance that's going to increase your blood pressure. Also, we don’t want to load up the core area, so no crunches or twisting that might put pressure on the scar site. Equally, we obviously wouldn't put any sort of weight on the scar as that can slow down healing time.”

As your body recovers from the surgery itself, you can move on from gentle walking and movement and slowly increase the amount and intensity of activity you’re doing.

“From around 6 weeks post-surgery most people will be able to do any exercise routine they could comfortably do before the surgery,” says Jack.

Talk to your healthcare team about what type of movement they suggest you can do and what to avoid. Always follow your doctor’s advice as every person is different and will need a unique approach.

An exercise physiologist or specialist personal trainer won’t only be able to give you specific exercises to do, they can also help increase your chances of long-term success.

“There are 3 main reasons why you might seek a professional for help pre- and post-weight loss surgery,” says Jack. “First, we can help you define and flesh out some goals for yourself. It's all well and good saying that you want to lose weight but knowing why is really powerful and can help you stay committed to regular exercise.

“The second benefit is that we can tailor a routine that suits your current fitness level, which means challenging but achievable. Finally, seeing an exercise physiologist or PT regularly means you’re staying accountable. If you have someone you know is helping create routines for you and working with you to support your goals, that can definitely help with long term motivation to keep going.”