How To Lose Weight After Tummy Tuck
As experts in abdominoplasty, we wanted to give you these five tips for staying fit after your tummy tuck:
You shouldn’t be concerned about getting exercise or being active immediately after surgery. You want to make sure you’ve given yourself ample time to rest and recover. We generally recommend that patients allow themselves a two-week, mostly sedentary recovery period.
Exercise is a part of staying fit after a tummy tuck, but you don’t want to jump right into a new exercise program right away. After two weeks of mostly sedentary rest, you can start getting back in shape by simply standing with your back up against a wall. Do this several times a day to help strengthen your leg and abdominal muscles.
Of course, even the best exercise routine won’t undo the effects of a poor diet. After your tummy tuck, make sure you eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, lean protein, whole grains, and healthy fats. These foods can help you maintain a healthy weight and provide the nutrients you need to help your body heal.
For the most part, you should avoid fried, greasy foods, along with foods and beverages that have a lot of sugar and sodium. A tummy tuck might seem like a permanent fix, but eating the wrong foods (especially during the sedentary part of your recovery) can hamper your results.
If you’re feeling self-conscious about a sagging or protruding belly, then a tummy tuck is a great way to regain a flat, toned stomach and improve your self-confidence. To maximize the results of your procedure, follow our five tips for staying fit after a tummy tuck. But remember, these tips are just a guide. Never push yourself to do anything that feels painful or uncomfortable and always follow your doctor’s advice.
How To Lose Weight After Tummy Tuck
A tummy tuck, clinically referred to as abdominoplasty, is a type of body contouring surgery designed to tighten loose core muscles and remove excess skin & fat on the abdomen. Because a tummy tuck provides numerous benefits, ranging from increased mobility to improved posture, many patients have reported sustained weight loss following their procedures—but is this normal? Today, San Diego plastic surgeon Dr. Katerina Gallus answers the question, “Is it easier to lose weight after a tummy tuck?”
Findings from the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery journal
According to a study published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), one year after their procedure 70% of tummy tuck patients had lost weight beyond the weight they lost from surgery. On average, participants lost 4.5% of their original BMI one year after their procedure.
On average, study participants lost 4.5% of their original BMI one year after their tummy tuck.
So, what are the reasons these tummy tuck patients were able to continue weight loss following their surgeries? Let’s take a look at a few:
1. Removing excess tissues can make it easier to keep weight off
Both physical and psychological factors can help patients keep weight off—or even lose more weight—following a tummy tuck. They include :
As you can see, these factors work together to create a positive feedback loop where the better you feel, the more likely you are to take good care of yourself, which in turn helps you look and feel even better.
2. A tummy tuck may help reduce hunger
While further research is still needed, another reason patients may be able to sustain weight loss after their tummy tuck is due to increased satiety—i.e. feeling fuller for a prolonged period of time after eating. According to the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery study, three-fourths of participants reported an increased feeling of satiety after their tummy tuck. Researchers posit that this may be due to two reasons:
Researchers believe that tummy tuck surgery may curb hunger, helping patients keep weight off following their procedure.
Tummy tuck vs. weight loss surgery: which is right for me?
According to the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery study, long-term weight loss was more common among women who had an initial BMI of 24.5 or greater (a BMI of 25-30 is considered overweight). Furthermore, another study examining the outcomes of abdominoplasty among overweight and obese patients concluded that “patient satisfaction is overwhelmingly high” among this population.
That said, if you have a BMI greater than 35, you may be a better candidate for weight loss surgery than a tummy tuck. Weight loss, or bariatric, surgery can help people with more significant amounts of body fat reach a healthy, stable weight. Once your target weight is achieved, a tummy tuck combined with liposuction can help remove the excess skin and stubborn fat deposits you may still have after weight loss surgery, and tighten separated stomach muscles.
Avoid weight gain with proper diet & exercise
While a tummy tuck can help you sculpt your abdomen after pregnancy or weight fluctuations, it shouldn’t be seen as a weight loss solution. In fact, you should be at or near your goal weight before undergoing abdominoplasty to help ensure you achieve the best results.
At Restore SD Plastic Surgery, we like to think of tummy tuck surgery as the opportunity to fine-tune your belly and jump-start a healthy lifestyle. Most of our patients are so thrilled with their slimmer, tighter abdomens that they become highly motivated to eat healthily and exercise regularly.
Looking for tummy tuck surgery in San Diego? Contact abdominoplasty specialist Dr. Gallus
San Diego plastic surgeon Dr. Katerina Gallus is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgeons and is a member of the ASPS. Originally a Navy plastic surgeon, Dr. Gallus has over a decade of experience performing tummy tucks and other body contouring procedures. She was a co-author on the informative tummy tuck study, “Case Report: Functional Improvement Following Diastasis Rectus Abdominus Repair in an Active-Duty Female” published in Military Medicine in 2016. Find out if a tummy tuck is right for you during a personal consultation—schedule yours online or call (858) 224-2281 today.
how to not gain weight after tummy tuck
A tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty, is a contouring procedure that tightens skin and improves the appearance of your abdomen. If you’re eating right and exercising and can’t seem to lose that last ten pounds or achieve a flat stomach, a tummy tuck can help you achieve those goals.
Many patients are concerned about weight gain after a tummy tuck. At Mizuguchi Plastic Surgery in Louisville, KY, Dr. Nana Mizuguchi gives clients customized plans to help maintain the results of their surgery.
Below are some general tips to help patients lose weight after a tummy tuck.
Can you gain weight after a tummy tuck?
While a tummy tuck is not technically a weight loss or bariatric procedure, patients see an improvement in the shape of their abdomen and hips. For those looking to lose some extra weight with cosmetic surgery, liposuction can be added to a tummy tuck for optimal results.
Typically, patients are within ten pounds of their goal weight before a tummy tuck, but weeks of downtime following the surgery can lead to weight gain. You will need to avoid exercise or vigorous activities for about six weeks after your procedure, so here are tips for maintaining or losing weight after a tummy tuck:
1. Follow your doctor’s advice
As a dual board-certified aesthetic and plastic surgeon, Dr. Mizuguchi has years of experience performing tummy tucks and guiding patients through the healing process. This journey will look different for each patient, so it’s crucial to listen to the personalized advice you receive for keeping off the weight after abdominoplasty.
2. Rest and recover
Trying to rush your recovery is a health risk and could interfere with the results of your tummy tuck surgery. Putting both physical and emotional stress on the body can lead to weight gain. Limiting your movement and getting enough sleep is essential for your body’s healing process.
Refraining from strenuous activity for over a month can be hard for active people. But respecting your body will produce the best long-term results.
3. Monitor your diet
Your diet is crucial when it comes to avoiding weight gain after tummy tuck surgery. You want to give your body the energy it needs to heal without overdoing it on the calories and undoing the results.
Finding a diet plan that works for your lifestyle is an integral part of the recovery process.
Include foods that are rich in fiber (this not only aids in weight loss but can reduce constipation that may be especially painful after a tummy tuck)
4. Stay active with low-impact activities
The first few days after tummy tuck surgery require rest to avoid complications that can cause setbacks. The better you take care of yourself after an abdominoplasty, the sooner you can get back to your regular activities.
A few days after your surgery, you’ll likely be able to walk around with minimal discomfort. Short, low-intensity walks are a helpful way to ease back into activity as well as reduce swelling after a tummy tuck.
Once you consult your doctor, you will likely be able to return to other low-intensity activities in a few weeks to help avoid weight gain after a tummy tuck. After 6 – 10 weeks, you can likely ease back into abdominal exercise, as long as you do it progressively.
5. Add liposuction to your tummy tuck
If your goal is to lose weight to begin with, adding liposuction or a weight loss procedure to your tummy tuck may be an option. A tummy tuck is designed to shape and contour the abdominal area rather than get rid of fat. That’s why it’s crucial to speak openly with your plastic surgeon about your long and short-term aesthetic goals.
losing visceral fat after tummy tuck
Abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) patients frequently ask, “Will my stomach be flat after abdominoplasty?” Several factors can affect the contour of the abdomen. This includes the patient’s extra-muscular fat (fat on the abdomen that you can pinch with your fingers), visceral fat (the fat inside the abdomen around the organs), and integrity and tone of the abdominal muscles (sit-up muscles). These three factors vary from patient to patient and, in combination, determine how much the abdomen (stomach) will protrude after abdominoplasty.
For most patients, the extra-muscular fat can be reduced to a significant degree with abdominoplasty. The position of the abdominal muscles can also be improved for some patients. The third factor, which is the volume of visceral fat, cannot be reduced with tummy tuck surgery. Visceral fat can only be improved by weight loss. The amount of visceral fat in part determines how flat the abdomen will be after surgery. The more visceral fat that exists, the more the abdomen will protrude after abdominoplasty.
Below are images of patients in profile. The images on the right diagrammatically illustrate the variability of the amount of visceral fat from patient to patient. The visceral fat is represented in yellow. The more visceral fat that exists, the more the abdomen will stick out after tummy tuck surgery.
In patients with larger frames, more visceral fat can appear more in proportion. The images below diagrammatically illustrate the variety of volumes of visceral fat from the same patients pictured above. The qualitative estimate of visceral fat is an important part of the evaluation of patients seeking abdominoplasty.
Even in most normal weight and extremely fit women, the abdomen may not be completely flat following abdominoplasty. It is realistic for patients to expect improvement in the flatness of the stomach, but should not immediately assume that their abdomen will be entirely flat. All patients’ anatomy is unique, and the procedure best suited for each individual is discussed at the in-person consultation.
If you would like to learn more about abdominoplasty or liposuction, please contact Herring Plastic Surgery. Our team can answer your questions and help you schedule a consultation with Dr. Herring. Whether you are in the local Fayetteville community or from out of town, our practice welcomes you. Get in touch with us today!
how much weight can i lose from tummy tuck
One of the most common questions patients ask Dr. Beale is how much weight will they lose after a tummy tuck. Often times, the answer varies.
In reality, though, it’s not much. Also called abdominoplasty, a tummy tuck is not a weight loss treatment. It’s not designed to be that way. Therefore, patients shouldn’t consider this as a solution to their weight issues. What a tummy tuck can do, though, is complement your body image goals.
You may have heard from patients that this surgical procedure has helped them lose weight. It’s true that it can help with weight loss, but not in the way you might think.
Surgeons designed tummy tucks purely to trim excess skin, correct separated muscles, and remove stretch marks. Surgeons also use the procedure to tighten the abdominal area, so the stomach will become flat and sculpted. Simply put, it does not address excess fat.
After your tummy tuck surgery, you may probably weigh 4 to 10 pounds less, and this is due to the removal of excess skin and a bit of the fat layer attached to the excess skin. In other words, you won’t see a drastic drop on the scale after the surgery.
Complement with Other Body Contouring Procedure
If you want to shed more pounds after the surgery, you may want to complement a tummy tuck with other body-contouring procedures, such as liposuction. This procedure can remove excess fat that is resistant to diet and exercise. Although it’s not a weight loss treatment either, it can bring you closer to your desired body shape.
One key factor that will contribute to your own long-term weight loss success is to lose weight before you get a tummy tuck. It’s highly advisable to do so, as the thought is that you will have adopted healthy lifestyle habits that will help keep you slim for the long run. After achieving your desired weight, it’s also advisable to wait at least six months before your surgery to make sure your weight has stabilized.
With that said, if you plan to get an abdominoplasty, start your weight loss program now. It’ll be easier for you to maintain your results afterwards because you will have become accustomed to your new healthy and active lifestyle.
A tummy tuck won’t cause you to lose dramatic weight, but it can contribute to your body-contouring goals. To learn more about a tummy tuck procedure and the best ways to prepare for the surgery, consult Dr. Beale. Click here to request for a consultation.