Top questions I get asked, and their answers!

As a trainer who specializes in bariatrics, I get a number of the same questions over and over from clients and other bari patients on the internet. Below, I’m going to give you the answer to those questions!

THE top question I get is about macros. What macros should I aim for? 

 The answer to this question isn’t super straight forward. The first thing I ask is, how far out from surgery are you? If you are only a few months, we can discuss general guidelines, especially those set out by your surgeon. And these will likely look very different for each person, especially depending on the surgery you had. If you are 6+ months out and at or near goal, then that we can dial in a bit more because many surgeons don’t offer long term macros guides to stick to.

Generally, I ask my clients to be hitting over 100g (preferably more) of protein a day, especially if they are trying to maintain muscle mass while losing, or trying to gain. I tell them that we can’t really entertain gaining muscle unless they are at goal and eating over 1200 calories MINIMUM a day (1200 is the recommended caloric intake of a toddler, and is really too low). And I tell my clients to eat at least 100g  a day of carbs, especially right before workout. Why carbs? Because Carbs aren’t the enemy. Carbs are a necessary fuel source. Did you notice that those first few months after surgery you always felt exhausted and sluggish and even simple workouts were hard? That’s because you were lacking both calories and carbs necessary to sustain hard workouts. 

Ultimately, I will defer to your nutritionist or your surgeon on where your macros should be, but if you are feeling lost, I can help narrow things down to basics. 

I want to get into working out but I don’t know where to start! Help!

Luckily, the answer here is simple. Move. Your. Body. Intentionally. 

That’s it.

Pick something you enjoy, be it walking or running or biking or swimming or hiking, or skiing or really anything, and then do that thing. Do it for at least 30 minutes for as many days a week as you can reasonably manage. That might be 2-3 days a week to start! And that’s great! Your only competition is YOU. So you just strive to go an extra minute longer each day, or add one extra day every few weeks. 

Exercise doesn’t have to be rocket science. It just needs to be intentional movement that gets your heart rate up 150 minutes a week on average to maintain heart health and muscle health. Once you can sustain that, then we can work on adding in more like lifting weights. I can always help you build a program that will help you reach your goals. What matters most is sustainability. 

HELP! The scale isn’t moving! How do I break a stall?

The truth is, there is no magic solution. If you are hitting your water goals, hitting your protein and calories goals, moving your body… then it may just take time. But there are some things to try to get that scale moving.

Unfortunately, many of those things are not sustainable long term. Like cutting calories. Cut out 200 calories a day for a week and see if the scale moves. Or add in extra cardio and cut back on the weights for a few weeks. Or go back to basics: lean protein and veggies only for a few weeks and see how that scale moves. Up your water intake for a few weeks. All of these are temporary fixes, but they do serve a purpose: shocking the body. That’s what makes the scale move. However, sometimes, the body just needs time to adjust. Instead, focus on those non-scale victories, measurements, how your clothing fits, or how strong you are feeling instead. The scale is just one data point, and that number means far less than you think it does. 

I love when you guys send me questions! I know there are far more than these three, but these are definitely the top three that I get asked. I hope my answers shed some light, and if you’re thinking it’s time to start a workout program, please reach out! I’d love to help you achieve your goals!