Exercising After Weight-Loss Surgery
Reuters UK, 3rd December 2008
Weight-loss surgery is a life-saving procedure for some patients. Unfortunately, the operation itself is not enough to come back in shape.
Patients who underwent such a procedure need to follow a diet and exercise. Studies show that more weight can be lost if these are taking into consideration.
In every day life exercising is needed to control the body weight. The role of physical exercise after the weight-loss surgery, however, wasn’t that clear. Recent researches show that regular physical activity after the weight-loss procedure show better results comparing to the patients who don’t exercise.
199 patients took part in the research. All of them underwent gastric bypass. Patients who were more active, lost more weight than those who remained inactive. Both groups had a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass where the upper part of the stomach is stapled off. This restricts the amount of food that can be taken. Also a bypass around the remaining part of the stomach is created and a portion of the small intestine. That reduces the quantity of food absorbed by the body.
Weight-loss operation itself makes undeniable changes but changing a lifestyle makes a difference.
Further researches are carried out to show how much exercise is necessary. Present researches define being active as getting at least 200 minutes of exercise per week. Gastric bypass patients who got this much physical activity after the operation lost about 15 pounds more than other patients.
Dr. Dale S. Bond, of the Brown Alpert Medical School in Rhode Island said there is no safer and more practical way to get active after such a procedure as walking. This simple activity might not only help in burning fat but also help in other medical obesity related problems, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes.
