Walking starts hours after surgery. Resistance training starts at six weeks and matters more than cardio for keeping weight off.
Walking within hours of surgery reduces the risk of clots more than any drug. Short, frequent walks around the ward, then 20–30 minutes daily once home. This is the single most important activity of the first fortnight.
Increase walking distance, add gentle cycling or swimming once wounds have healed at three weeks. Avoid abdominal loading, heavy lifting and anything that strains the incision sites.
Two or three sessions a week of full-body resistance work preserves muscle during rapid loss. This is what protects metabolic rate — and the patients who do it are the ones who look and feel strongest at year two.
Energy is low for the first month because intake is low. Strength returns as protein intake normalises. Joint pain typically improves markedly by the time 15–20 kg have gone, which is when many patients start enjoying movement for the first time in years.
Yes, from six weeks with gradual progression. There is no long-term restriction on lifting once healed.