After recovering from your weight loss surgery, you should adopt a regular exercise program to build muscle mass and burn calories. Studies have shown that people who exercise regularly after undergoing weight loss surgery enjoy more long-term weight loss. Once your physician has cleared you for regular physical exertion, you can enjoy a variety of activities, including:

• Weight training
• Swimming
• Walking
• Jogging

Prior to surgery, Dr. Baptista will instruct you to make certain dietary changes so that the procedure can be successful. You will also need to make various changes to your diet after the surgery.

The types of post-surgical changes you need to make depend on the type of weight loss surgery you have. In most cases, you will need to eat a liquid diet temporarily and then slowly transition to solid foods. You should also make permanent changes to your diet, including:

• Less sugar and soda
• More whole foods
• Smaller portions
• Less frequent snacks.

Because one of the effects of weight loss surgery is a decreased appetite, it won’t be as difficult to make these changes as it would have been before the procedure.

In order to keep the weight off, you also need to make certain behavioral changes that affect the way you live on a daily basis. Recommended behavioral changes include:

• Drinking a greater amount of water each day
• Cooking nutritious meals at home instead of eating out
• Taking the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator
• Walking from one place to as much as possible instead of driving

For the best results, life after bariatric surgery should include as many of these changes as possible. To make the process easier on everyone, consider discussing your intended lifestyle changes with friends and family before the procedure.