Excess fat can be a problem for a lot of men and women, even when they are trying to take good care of themselves. When regular exercise and a healthy diet aren’t enough to eliminate stubborn fat, liposuction may be a great option. Stubborn fat deposits can be removed from targeted areas, and a skilled cosmetic surgeon can blend and contour the areas as the unwanted fat is removed creating more aesthetically pleasing contours.
Liposuction is not a weight loss procedure, but it can deliver a more defined figure or physique by removing localized accumulations of fat. The long-lasting results of your liposuction procedure will depend on your ability to maintain a healthy weight by eating right and getting plenty of exercises.
One of the questions we get asked most often is “How long after liposuction can I workout?” Today we are going to talk about the best practices for aftercare after liposuction to keep your new contours looking amazing.
Maintaining Your Liposuction Results
Keeping your weight stable and healthy can be challenging, and it takes commitment. After you’ve invested both time and money in liposuction, you want to enjoy the results for as long as possible, which means committing to certain lifestyle modifications.
A board-certified cosmetic surgeon can help you reach your body objectives with liposuction, but then it is up to you to adhere to the post-operative aftercare instructions, both right after the procedure and into the future.
Even though the fat cells that were removed cannot come back, the ones that remain in that area can still get bigger, just like those present in other areas of the body. Here are four steps that are key in ensuring your liposuction results are long-lasting.
- 1. Maintain Your Weight Post-Lipo
- Your cosmetic surgeon most likely required you to be near your ideal weight before your procedure. Depending on the extent of your body contouring, you may have lost some pounds during liposuction, and this is the weight you should strive to maintain.
- 2. Watch What You Are Eating
- Eating processed, fatty, and other unhealthy foods is counterproductive to the effectiveness of physical activity or exercise. You want to preserve your new body contours, so it is important to eat a healthy diet and give your entire body what it needs to function properly. This will not only help promote faster post-procedure healing, but it will also help you maintain your results. Avoid consuming too many sweets, saturated fats, and simple carbs, and make sure to include beans, lentils, and other high-protein choices in your diet. Consuming an adequate quantity of veggies, fruits, lean protein, and whole grains will help you safeguard the investment you made in liposuction.
- 3. Make Sure You Are Getting Enough Liquids
- Staying properly hydrated is always important, but it is critical after undergoing any type of surgery. About 90% of our blood supply is made up of water, and after surgery, our body’s natural healing process kicks in, and our blood transports vital nutrients and oxygen to the wounded area to promote healing. Water also helps flush toxins out of our system and can help the side effects of anesthesia dissipate more quickly.
Proper hydration helps with body temperature regulation, and joint lubrication, helps maintain the proper functioning of our organs, improves the quality of our sleep, is important to our cognitive functioning, and much more. Experts recommend that we consume one-half of our body weight per day. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, 75 ounces per day would be a ballpark figure. The old “drink at least eight glasses of water a day” is still a fairly good estimate because some of our liquids come from fruits and vegetables, coffee, tea, or other sources.
- 4. Workout and Exercise Regularly
- Maintaining the results of your liposuction procedure is going to require regular exercise; however, you will have to be cautious with when and how you begin.
Always keep in mind that the time it takes to recover after liposuction depends on the individual and the extent of the procedure. Patients are advised to use good judgment as they work toward reestablishing an active lifestyle. Your liposuction recovery will be hampered if you push yourself too quickly and disregard your body’s signals. If you follow these guidelines, pay attention to your doctor’s orders, and return to exercise slowly, you should start to feel like yourself again in no time.
Following are some answers to the questions we hear most frequently about exercising after liposuction.
How Long Before I Can Workout After Liposuction?
The guidelines for resuming normal activities, including working out, will vary by patient depending on the extent of their liposuction procedure, the area of treatment, their age, etc. The cosmetic surgeon will provide each patient with a customized aftercare plan that will provide them with detailed information, but the following are some general guidelines.
- Immediately after liposuction
- It is important for patients to do some light walking right after having liposuction to help keep swelling down and diminish the risk of forming blood clots. It is important not to overdo it, especially the first few days. A good rule of thumb is to start with short, slow walks of 10 minutes and work your way up to longer walks.
- The first few weeks
- Rest is essential directly following surgery. Concentrate on maintaining a modest heart rate, getting the proper amount of rest, and consuming plenty of fluids. Taking care of your body at this stage will decrease discomfort, swelling, and bruising.
- Weeks two and three
- After the first few weeks, you should feel ready to increase the distance or speed of your frequent daily walks. Also, by the third week after liposuction, you might introduce some light cardio, such as some easy elliptical or light indoor cycling. To minimize injury and other issues, it’s crucial to only attempt low-impact exercises. There should be no high-impact activity, such as kicking, punching, jumping, or running of any kind. If you’re feeling pain or fatigue, it’s best to back off your workout and give yourself more rest time.
- Weeks three through six
- By this point, most patients are feeling fairly comfortable and can increase their cardio a notch or two. This is a great time to add in some light strength and resistance exercise. If using free weights, take care to use lighter weights than you would normally to avoid injury or doing too much too fast. You should be using about 60% of your effort; you still need a few weeks before you are back to 100%, and you should continue to avoid high-impact activities.
- Six weeks and beyond
- Following 6 weeks, you should feel ready to gradually increase the intensity of your workouts in order to go back to your pre-liposuction fitness level. Take care to listen to your body, take it slow, and gradually increase your workout intensity. Don’t push yourself too hard, and if you begin to feel discomfort or swelling, slow down and give yourself more time.
Why Is Working Out After Liposuction Essential?
Research has shown that maintaining a regular exercise routine and eating healthy after liposuction has a significant effect on preserving the procedure’s aesthetic results. Some patients believe liposuction is all that is required; it gets rid of the fat, and that is all that needs to be done. This is not true; individuals who do not exercise regularly following their treatment may not be able to keep their new body shape.
If you don’t exercise after liposuction or adopt a healthy lifestyle, your results will be compromised. Most people discover that it comes back in other, less attractive places on their bodies. Being active and eating healthily in the months and years following liposuction will help you keep the weight off and maintain your new trimmer figure.
Liposuction can make life-altering aesthetic changes to your body and significantly boost your self-esteem. As with anything else of value, it requires an initial investment of your time and money and then ongoing dedication if you wish to maintain the results of your procedure. Understanding why these things are important and developing a plan to ensure you recover properly, as well as being committed to healthy lifestyle habits, will help you enjoy your new physique for many years to come.
Let SurgiCare Arts & Aesthetics Help You Get The Body You Want
If you are interested in undergoing liposuction and learning more about how it can help you reach your aesthetic goals, contact SurgiCare Arts & Aesthetics today. We would love the opportunity to consult with you on your options for body contouring through liposuction or another one of the procedures we offer. Set up a consultation today!
