- Exercise 4 to 5 times weekly for 30 to 60 minutes. Do cardio activities like walking, running, and cycling help to burn calories and lose body fat.
- Eat a healthy, balanced diet consisting of fruit, vegetables, protein, and whole grains. Avoid saturated fats, sugar, oily foods, and processed foods.
- Be patient with yourself. Breast reduction surgery may make physical activities easier, but it’s not a weight loss procedure—so losing belly fat may take time.
How to Reduce Belly Fat After Breast Reduction Surgery
Exercise 4 to 5 times weekly. Exercise is one of the best ways to lose belly fat after breast reduction surgery. Focus on doing cardio for 30 to 60 minutes per workout, which can help burn calories and reduce overall body fat. Cardiovascular activities include power walking, running, cycling, swimming, and dancing. However, consult your doctor or a physical therapist first so they can help you develop a safe, effective exercise regimen that fulfills your needs in the wake of your surgery. Exercise won’t be safe right away; you’ll need to rest and recover after surgery, so listen to your doctor’s recommendations regarding exercise first and foremost! Light exercise (like gentle walks) is typically safe 1 to 2 weeks after surgery. Returning to a normal exercise regimen may take at least 6 to 8 weeks after surgery.
Do strength training exercises twice weekly. After breast reduction surgery, strength training exercises may be able to shape and tone your abdominal area. For the best results, try strength training twice weekly for 30 minutes (in addition to cardio). Build up the intensity of your exercises slowly, and consult your doctor first since it’s important not to strain yourself after surgery; they can tell you when it’s safe to start training. Strength training exercises include weight lifting, push-ups, sit-ups, and squats.
Maintain a balanced diet. Ensure you eat a healthy diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains since they all promote weight loss (and improve your overall health). Generally, a balanced meal is one where ½ the plate consists of fruits and veggies, ¼ is protein, and ¼ is whole grains. Protein is especially important after surgery since it can help repair damaged tissue and aid the healing process. Foods with lots of protein include fish, poultry, lean meats (like pork, beef, or lamb), eggs, beans, lentils, and quinoa. Eat foods containing healthy fats, including avocados, nuts, and seeds. Avoid consuming saturated fats, sugary drinks, fatty and oily foods, and processed food. If you need help creating an optimal and healthy weight loss diet for yourself, consult your doctor or a nutritionist.
Stay hydrated throughout the day. Drinking enough fluids daily is especially important after surgery while you recover since dehydration can slow down the healing process. It also helps your body function properly, boosts your metabolism, and makes exercising easier, which may help you lose belly fat. Aim to drink about 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of water daily if you’re a man and 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) daily if you’re a woman.
Be patient with yourself. Losing belly fat takes time, particularly after surgery. Give yourself time to heal and listen to your body—it’s okay if you’re not ready for intense workouts even after your doctor gives the all-clear. You may see inconsistent results even after exercising and eating healthy. Don’t let that stop you! It’s important to set realistic goals for yourself and celebrate the progress you make, no matter how small. For example, it’s reasonable to try and lose about 1 to 2 pounds per week (which equals anywhere from 9 to 8 pounds in 2 months). Everyone’s body is different. Just because someone else might lose weight quickly, doesn’t mean you’re doing badly if it takes longer. It also takes time to adapt to changes—so if your body isn’t used to the exercise regimen and dietary changes you implement, it may need to adjust, and that’s okay. If you truly struggle to lose belly fat even after following all of the above steps, consult your doctor. They may have advice or alternative suggestions for you.
Ask your doctor about body contouring procedures. If you’ve been trying to lose belly fat but nothing seems to work, reducing your belly fat through a body contouring procedure is possible. The major procedures available include a tummy tuck, liposuction, CoolSculpting ELITE, and SculpSure. As always, discuss all your options with a doctor before deciding what to do (or which procedure to get). Tummy tucks, also called abdominoplasty, are designed to give you a smoother abdomen. Patients who get tummy tucks often do it to address sagging skin on their abdomens resulting from weight change, pregnancy, or aging. Liposuction is a procedure that targets specific areas to remove unwanted fat, particularly when it isn’t responding to diet or exercise. It removes small fat deposits, particularly in the stomach, hips, and thighs. CoolSculpting ELITE is a noninvasive treatment that destroys pockets of unwanted fat without any surgery or downtime afterward. Once fat cells are destroyed this way, they’re gone for good. SculpSure is another nonsurgical option that uses laser technology to reduce unwanted fat in treated areas. Remember that body contouring is completely optional. You’re not obligated to pursue it, even if you struggle to lose belly fat after breast reduction surgery.
Why does your belly look larger after surgery?
Your stomach may look bigger because your proportions have changed. When you undergo breast reduction surgery, you may come out of it feeling like your belly has gotten bigger—but, in truth, it’s because your stomach is more visible (and therefore looks bigger) following the procedure. There’s no correlation between breast reduction and weight gain, so don’t panic; your stomach is the same size it was before. You might also feel like your torso and hips look bigger after the surgery, but again, it’s because you’re used to having bigger breasts. Once your proportions change, different areas of your body become more noticeable.
Stomach bloating or swelling may occur after surgery. It’s common to experience swelling in your chest after breast reduction, but you may also notice your belly get bloated—either from lack of movement or the anesthesia and pain medication, both of which can slow down your bowels. This will go away as you recover and your body filters all the medications out of your system, but in the meantime, there are plenty of ways to reduce bloating. For example: Hydrate. Water helps digestion and bowel function, so drink the recommended amount of water daily (as outlined above). Move around. Light movement can stimulate digestion, so try walking around for a few minutes throughout the day—but not until your doctor says it’s okay. Eat high-fiber foods. Fiber (found in bananas, peaches, pears, apples, oatmeal, and sweet potatoes) aids digestion and combats bloating. Ask your doctor about stool softeners. If you’re constipated after your surgery, it may cause bloating—and stool softeners can alleviate your symptoms.
Is it easier to lose weight after breast reduction?
Many patients find it easier to exercise after losing breast weight. Because the procedure removes excess breast fat and tissue, you may find it easier (and less painful) to exercise after breast reduction surgery. You may also lose a little weight in your breasts from the procedure itself—but because it’s not a weight loss procedure, it’s not inherently designed to help you lose belly fat. It may even look like you’ve lost weight without doing anything simply because of the volume of tissue typically removed during surgery. Large breasts may make it difficult to do physical activities (like exercise), which is why exercise is often easier after surgery.
Weight loss after breast reduction varies by patient. Breast reduction (mammoplasty) is used to relieve negative symptoms caused by large breasts—including neck and back pain, shoulder grooves, and difficulty fitting into clothes. It can also make physical activities easier, but that doesn’t always mean you’ll lose belly fat faster. Many factors affect weight loss, including genetics and hormonal imbalances, which is why there’s no standard for weight loss post-surgery. Generally, losing weight will also make your breasts look smaller. However, some people can go down a whole cup size by losing 20 pounds (9 kg), while others might need to lose 50 pounds (22 kg) to do it. This is, again, because everyone’s body is different—so weight loss doesn’t always look the same on people with different body structures and sizes. That’s why a balanced diet and exercise are so important; regardless of other factors affecting your body’s weight loss, making healthy choices can only help!
How long does it take to tell your size after breast reduction?
It can take up to 6 months to accurately tell your new breast size. Because your breasts may get swollen after surgery, many doctors recommend waiting at least 6 months before assessing your breasts’ final shape and size. Swelling is typically most intense around 3 days after surgery, and it usually starts going down after about 6 weeks—though it may take 3 to 4 months for the swelling to noticeably decrease. In some cases, you may not even see the final results of the surgery for up to 9 months. Everybody heals differently. Your breasts may not heal at the same rate as someone else’s, so be patient and consult your doctor if you have concerns.
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