Embarking on a fitness journey after bariatric surgery can be both exciting and overwhelming. Once you’re medically cleared to begin resistance training, the possibilities for your workouts open up, but it’s equally important to align your nutrition and habits with your new lifestyle. In this post, I’ll walk through my personal routine, including how I structured my workouts, managed recovery, and approached nutrition post-surgery. Please note that I started lifting light weights 6 months post-surgery and developed this routine around 8 months post-surgery.
🏋️♂️ Establishing Goals Post-Surgery
After significant weight loss following bariatric surgery, I noticed a substantial decrease in muscle mass. This was confirmed on my smart Renpho scale that tracks my body fat, skeletal muscle, subcutaneous fat, visceral fat, body water, muscle mass, bone mass (gotta get that calcium in!), protein, and BMI. The scale is highly recommended and there are no monthly costs for seeing your information, which is why I didn’t go with more popular brands. They even have a new one that has more sensors, but it requires you to hold part of it with your hands which is similar to the body scan scales at my bariatric center. My primary goals became clear: rebuild strength safely and improve cardiovascular endurance to the point where I could run a 5K without walking. Injury prevention was a top priority! I wanted progress, not setbacks, and I was going to use my scale to help me keep track of progress. Take a look at my other posts to see other items I bring to the gym such as an insulated Gatorade bottle, Gatorade towel and Apple Airpod Pros. Don’t forget to load up your favorite spotify or apple music playlist.
📅 Designing a Balanced Workout Schedule
Initially, I created a five-day lifting schedule using the Hevy app, which I highly recommend for its intuitive interface and affordable lifetime upgrade. However, after a minor injury, I scaled back to a more sustainable three-day lifting plan. I customized workouts based on the equipment available at three locations: my workplace gym, Planet Fitness, and National Fitness Center. I am including links below to my Planet Fitness splits.
Weekly Strength Training Split:
- Monday: Chest, Biceps, Triceps
- Wednesday: Legs, Back
- Friday: Shoulders, Abs, Biceps
Each session begins with:
- 5 minutes of cardio (elliptical with arm movement)
- 5–10 minutes of full-body stretching
I focus on machine-based exercises to isolate muscle groups and reduce injury risk, performing two sets per machine with 60 seconds of rest between exercises.
🏃♂️ Building Running Endurance
I track my runs on my Apple Watch using the the built-in Workout app. They have indoor and outdoor walks/runs as well as “hiking.” They can also calculate your v02 max so you can see improvements. To improve my running capacity, I started using the Couch to 5K app by Active. The program includes three weekly walk/jog interval sessions over nine weeks, gradually increasing in intensity. I began with a walking pace of 2.2 mph and jogging at 4.5 mph, eventually progressing to 2 mph walking and 6 mph jogging (thanks to treadmills with quick-change speed settings at National Fitness Center).
Initially, I ran after lifting weights, but I found that separating cardio and strength days improved performance and recovery. Here’s my current weekly schedule:
| Day | Activity | Footwear |
| Monday | Chest, Biceps, Triceps | — |
| Tuesday | Couch to 5K (Treadmill) | Brooks Ghost Max 2 |
| Wednesday | Legs, Back | Nike Metcon 8 |
| Thursday | Couch to 5K (Treadmill) | Hoka One One Carbon X 2 |
| Friday | Shoulders, Abs, Biceps | — |
| Saturday | Couch to 5K (Outdoor Run) | Altra Vanish Tempo |
| Sunday | Rest | — |
🧘 Recovery and Cooldown Rituals
Post-workout recovery is essential. I incorporate stretching and cooldowns after each session. Depending on the gym, I use:
- Planet Fitness: Massage chairs (15 min), HydroMassage (10–20 min), Total Body Enhancement machine (15 min)
- National Fitness Center: Dry sauna (up to 20 min), Hot tub (30 min), Steam room (20 min)
💊 Bariatric Nutrition and Supplementation
Following your surgeon’s guidance is critical. I begin each day on an empty stomach with:
- Multivitamin (with 45 mg iron, though I may switch to iron bisglycinate for better tolerance)
- Vitamin D3 (5,000 IU)
- Fish Oil (1,200 mg)
- Klor-Con M10 (prescription potassium)
Pre-Workout:
On lifting days, I sip a pre-workout drink without creatine, BCAAs, or taurine: ingredients that can upset the stomach or interfere with iron absorption. I avoid protein shakes before workouts to maximize iron uptake and encourage fat burning.
Hydration:
During workouts, I stick to water. If needed, I’ll use zero-calorie flavor enhancers or Gatorade Zero. Electrolyte mixes are only necessary if I’m sweating excessively or feeling lightheaded, but please do not get electrolyte drink mixes (aka hydration drink mixes) that have sugar. If I feel like it will be needed in my workout, I will add a scoop of my bulk electrolyte powder to my pre-workout.
Post-Workout:
Two hours after taking my multivitamin, I prepare a protein shake with:
- 2 scoops Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey (Extreme Milk Chocolate)
- 5 grams Optimum Nutrition Micronized Creatine Monohydrate
This timing helps avoid interference with iron absorption and minimizes gastrointestinal discomfort. On my rest day, I still will wait two hours and mix up this protein shake with creatine. If creatine upsets your stomach you can switch to Creatine HCL, but it will cost more. Daily intake of creatine is important, but I wouldn’t go crazy with “pre-loading” (doubling/tripling doses for the first few weeks) as it may upset your stomach for little gain.
Snacks for Throughout the Day:
Planning ahead for snacks will help you limit BAD food choices! I keep nuts, beef jerky, protein shakes, Kin mini bars, and zero calorie drink mixes with me at work and home and an emergency stash in my car. Try limit your snacks to a single serving based off the nutrition level. I think most people have this issue with nuts and other “healthy” alternatives to junk food. The problem is that since it is normally in a bulk bag, most people will over-consume without thinking about it rather than trying to stick to a single serving or portion size. My favorites for pre-portioned “snacks” are the Kind Mini Snack Bars and Chomps beef jerky sticks. If I am home, I also like boiled eggs, no sugar added greek yogurt or the drinks (Oikos Pro or Chobani and stay away from “bioengineered milk products” such as :ratio), olives and pickles! You can also grab a Peeps 7-Egg Steamer to make your boiled eggs more efficiently.
Lunch:
I try to go for a good mix of protein and vegetables. For example I may use some boneless skinless chicken thighs seasoned with Lawry’s Chicken seasoning and a side of steamed broccoli in cheddar sauce (they sell the frozen bags so all you have to do is microwave it and wait for it to cool). I also enjoy eating Jasmine rice which is normally frowned upon due to the high carb amount, but I have had no issues with weight loss while consuming 0.5 to 1 cup of jasmine rice. Every now and then I will “cheat” and make a PB&J using Lewis Keto bread, JIF peanut butter, and Crofter’s strawberry spread. I also try to get random frozen quick products from BJs Wholesale and Costco such as smoked ham & swiss cheese products. Just make sure to get in the habit of reading the nutrition labels and ingredient lists. I try to stay away from items with 40+ grams of carbs especially if it doesn’t contain fiber, 5+ grams of added sugar, 500+ grams of sodium, etc.
Dinner:
I have a confession. Normally when I eat lunch, I realize I still make enough for the old me. So for dinner, I finish up any leftovers. If I don’t have leftovers I will try something easy and quick. If my protein goals aren’t met (80+ grams of protein per day), I will also have a protein shake or greek yogurt. Depending on my appetite, I may only have a protein shake for dinner but i try to not use them as meal replacements.
Bedtime:
Other than the water needed for supplements, I try to cut out eating and drinking 3 hours prior to bedtime. At bedtime I take Vitamin D3 5000mg, Fish Oil 1200mg, and Magnesium Glycinate 240mg. During winter months I will also add a zinc supplement. If I still feel wired and restless, I will drink Calm (magnesium citrate powder) with about 10 oz of water and take Ashwagandha and Melatonin supplements.
By tailoring your fitness and nutrition plan to your post-bariatric needs, you can build strength, improve endurance, and maintain long-term health all while minimizing setbacks. Whether you’re just starting out or refining your routine, consistency and self-awareness are key. I hope this guide helped. If you need more help or have comments, post below or find me on social media/email.