The Importance of Exercise and Diet After Laser Lipo Treatment

Laser liposuction (laser fat removal or laser lipo) has truly revolutionized the field of body contouring.  Many patients experience short lasting results due to bad exercise and diet after laser lipo treatment. Although traditional liposuction is still one of the most popular procedures in the U.S. for removing areas of unwanted fat, the growth of laser lipo treatment as its clear alternative has been nothing short of phenomenal since its original inception and then its widespread availability throughout the body contouring market.

Laser lipo, unlike the traditional liposuction procedure, is a non-surgical treatment and is minimally invasive in nature, therefore, it is regarded as the much safer choice between the two. Additionally, its results become clear much quicker, and the client experiences a far easier recovery, with a much shorter period of downtime.

However, for the new and happily body-contoured client, the story shouldn’t end there.

Here’s why – before your treatment, your lifestyle, eg. calorie intake, diet, level of daily activity, etc, resulted in your need to have the laser lipo treatment in the first place.

Yes, your laser lipo has permanently removed a significant number of fat cells, resulting in a much better body shape for you. The problem for clients who fail to heed this advice is simple: new fat cells can grow to replace them. Therefore, unless you make positive changes to your lifestyle, in terms of healthy nutrition and regular exercise, your new shape will begin to return to what it was before you had your laser lipo treatment. Lastly, keeping your new shape will mean making these positive changes today.

What is Laser Lipo & How Does It Work?

Laser fat removal is an excellent example of how technology has provided us with a range of much-improved alternatives to a more traditional treatment. Liposuction, in its traditional form, is a type of cosmetic surgery that removes fat from the human body. It is classed as a surgical procedure because of its invasive nature upon the patient, who is usually placed under general anesthesia for its duration. Regardless, traditional liposuction is still one of the most popular cosmetic surgery treatments carries out in the U.S.

However, the technological advances and the rise in popularity of laser lipo in recent years has provided potential clients with an alternative that has clear advantages over its predecessor – the most notable of these being:

• A Safer Treatment: Clients undergoing this procedure do not require a general anesthetic, limiting any risks – the anesthetic is applied locally. Furthermore, far smaller instruments, ie. catheters, are required to remove the resulting fatty liquid.
• A Quicker Result: The body contouring effect of the procedure can be seen far quicker, as there is minimal bruising and swelling.
• A Speedier Recovery: Patients are able to recover far more quickly, given the nature of the procedure, and therefore able to resume their normal daily lives and those activities much sooner.

So how exactly does it work? Laser lipo removes the unwanted fat, but, because of its more precise nature, the medical professional performing the treatment is able to spare the body’s important tissues. It removes the fat cells from the fatty tissue matrix but leaves all other important tissues as they were. The procedure basically involves heating the targeted fat cells using a laser, thus melting them, at which point they can be removed from the body by ultra-fine suction.

Laser lipo has been shown to significantly enhance the appearance of problem body areas, such as the abdomen, thighs, hips, waist, upper arms, and chin (although it is not limited to these particular areas), and provides patients seeking more comfortable body-contouring treatments with a more viable alternative.

Laser Lipo Treatment After-Care

As has already been mentioned, the client’s recovery period is far shorter than with the far more invasive nature of traditional liposuction. Any pain or discomfort usually lasts around two weeks or so, during which the client will be advised to refrain from any strenuous cardio-like activities whatsoever. However, and this is one of the main advantages of laser lipo, clients are able to return to work, walk normally, and even do light exercise immediately after the procedure.

A significant part of laser lipo treatment aftercare is the provision of a special compression garment to wear over the attended area during the period of recovery. This helps immensely during the natural healing process as the skin slowly contracts over the new body contours.

Now is the time to seriously think about making those positive changes to the diet and level of exercise that was a part of your life before the laser lipo treatment.

Your Dietary Advice

An uncareful approach to your diet, along with not burning off your excess calorie intake through activity, is what has led you to seek laser lipo treatment originally. Now you are starting to see the great results of the treatment, and your attractive new shape, you will surely be motivated to make some significant changes for the better to both your diet and your level of exercise. Sadly, failure to do so will result in your newly-contoured shape reverting back to its former, pre-treatment self.

Here are our expert tips for ensuring that doesn’t happen, and you can continue to enjoy your new body shape for many years to come:

#1. Adopt a Low Fat Diet after Laser Liposuction

If there is one change you make to your diet, let it be this: adopt a low-fat diet. If you are able to do so, begin this new diet before your treatment. That way, you’ll already be familiar with your new dietary plan, and it will actually significantly aid your recovery process.

In the last few years, there has been an ongoing serious scientific debate about the best weight-loss diet between low carb, low glycemic, and low fat. Let’s look at two of them:

• High Fat/ Low Carb: This is designed to release fat from your body cells into your bloodstream. However, as someone undergoing laser lipo treatment, this is already happening – adding additional dietary fat is simply going to slow down any progress. Because your body has a limit to the amount of fat that can either be burnt off as energy through exercise or processed by the liver, you are basically adding what can’t be removed.
• Low Fat: Your laser lipo treatment is designed to maximize fat loss from the body. Any alternative weight loss program will make your body lose water, lose muscle, and lose fat, in that order. Therefore, adopting a low-fat diet is by far the best strategy for you.

#2. Whatever You Eat, Eat Healthily

A recent scientific study into 1,000 different foods, published in the journal PLoS ONE, provides a list of the top 100 most nutritious foods available, based on selection, ranking and cost. The data studied was based on The United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service’s National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 28.

Here are the top 10 foods, in terms of their nutritional value, including their food energy level (kcal):

• 10. SNAPPER: 100kcal, $3.75, per 100g

NUTRITIONAL SCORE: 69

• 9. BEET GREENS (v): 22kcal, $0.48, per 100g. The leaves of beetroot vegetables. High in calcium, iron, vitamin K and B group vitamins (especially riboflavin).

NUTRITIONAL SCORE: 70

• 8. PORK FAT: 632kcal, $0.95, per 100g. A good source of B vitamins and minerals. Pork fat is more unsaturated and healthier than lamb or beef fat.

NUTRITIONAL SCORE: 73

• 7. SWISS CHARD (v): 19kcal, $0.29, per 100g. A very rare dietary source of betalains, phytochemicals thought to have antioxidant and other health properties.

NUTRITIONAL SCORE: 78

• 6. PUMPKIN SEEDS (v): 559kcal, $1.60, per 100g. Including the seeds of other squashes. One of the richest plant-based sources of iron and manganese.

NUTRITIONAL SCORE: 84

• 5. CHIA SEEDS (v): 486kcal, $1.76, per 100g. Tiny black seeds that contain high amounts of dietary fibre, protein, a-linolenic acid, phenolic acid and vitamins.

NUTRITIONAL SCORE: 85

• 4. FLATFISH: 70kcal, $1.15, per 100g. Sole and flounder species. Generally free from mercury and a good source of the essential nutrient vitamin B1.

NUTRITIONAL SCORE: 88

• 3. OCEAN PERCH: 79kcal, $0.82, per 100g. The Atlantic species. A deep-water fish sometimes called rockfish. High in protein, low in saturated fats.

NUTRITIONAL SCORE: 89

• 2. CHERIMOYA (v): 75kcal, $1.84, per 100g. Cherimoya fruit is fleshy and sweet with a white pulp. Rich in sugar and vitamins A, C, B1, B2 and potassium.

NUTRITIONAL SCORE: 96

• 1. ALMONDS (v): 579kcal, $0.91, per 100g. Rich in mono-unsaturated fatty acids. Promotes cardiovascular health and may help with diabetes.

NUTRITIONAL SCORE: 97

Additionally, you can be diligent when planning meals, ensuring you always have a healthy option available, and practice good portion control, depending on the food type. You can also concentrate on fresh produce, lean protein, and foods rich in omega 3 fatty acids when grocery shopping.

Exercise After Laser Lipo Tips

Because laser lipo is a not a surgical procedure, and so much gentler on the body, you can return to your normal life virtually straight away, go back to work, and you’re even able to participate in light exercises, such as walking. Any discomfort from the procedure usually lasts around two weeks or so, and you’re advised to avoid any strenuous cardio-like activities whatsoever during this time.

If you were not regularly exercising before your treatment, now is the perfect time to start (and we’re certainly not talking about 2-hour gym sessions here!). Many studies have shown that starting a regular exercise program after laser lipo significantly reduces the possibility of post-treatment weight gain. Here are our top tips for exercising after your treatment:

• Your physical activity should be at least 20-30 minutes every day
• Exercise with a friend – you can motivate each other, and make it more fun, or
• Hire a personal trainer that can tailor a workout program to your specific needs
• Join a neighborhood gym with plenty of exercise options to keep your exercise interesting
• Track your progress and celebrate your milestones!

#1. Aerobic Exercise

Did you know that light aerobic exercise, mainly walking, is recommended within two days of a surgical procedure? With laser lipo, you can walk freely straight after your treatment. However, as we said above, wait at least 2 weeks before anything more strenuous, such as running or an aerobics class.

#2. Resistance Exercise

Resistance exercise is any form of exercise that involves making your muscles contract, such as lifting weights or working out with resistance bands. These exercises are great for keeping your new body shape toned after your laser lipo treatment.

Additional Lifestyle Advice

Adopting key changes to both your diet and exercise routine aren’t the only changes that will provide enormous benefits post-treatment. Here are a few more recommendations:

• Get 8 hours sleep a night
• Hydrate properly by drinking 8 glasses of water a day
• Learn about stress management
• When the sun is shining outside, make sure you’re outside too!

Before you even have your laser lipo treatment, you should really consider making changes to your lifestyle, primarily, in terms of diet and exercise, that will ensure you keep your great new body shape.

If you’ve actually had the treatment, what changes did you make? What kind of diet works for you? How do you exercise? Please drop us a comment below to share with our other readers!