You’ve decided that you really need a tummy tuck. You are sick and tired of not being able to wear form fitting tops and pants because of the sagging pool of skin around your waist. The surgery doesn’t concern you as much as the recovery time does and how long you will have to be out of work, school and away from the gym.

Disrupting your normal routine and obligations are a major concern but, fortunately, the recovery is a small sacrifice to pay for the end result of a tight and flatter stomach. Here’s what you can expect after surgery regarding your normal activities.

At a minimum, you need to put in for a week of sick leave from work or school. The first night will likely be spent in the hospital so they can monitor you right out of tummy tuck surgery. But, once you are home, you have to rest and take it easy. That means no picking up the toddlers, rearranging the house or reaching up high for the pasta sauce.

You won’t be put on total bed-rest, but limiting your movement the first week is for the best. Not just to prevent pulling stitches and exacerbating swelling, but you may have an abdominal drain as well. Between the 5th and 7th day, the stitches will come out.

After this first week, you can go back to work if you feel up to it but you still need to limit your activities. If your job requires a lot of physical work, take another week off or ask for desk work for awhile. You can start doing light exercise the second week as well.

But, don’t think you are ready for the gym and lifting weights. Walking is the best exercise at this point just to get you moving and your blood circulating. Check with your surgeon if you have questions about any exercise plans at this point.

After giving yourself six weeks to recover from the tummy tuck, you can amp up your activity level. Things should be back to normal at work or school and you can go back to your normal exercise routine. This includes any sporting activities as well. But, remember this is just an average guideline. If you don’t feel ready, definitely hold off on resuming your normal routine. If anything doesn’t seem right during your recovery, see your surgeon immediately.

Of course, everyone heals differently. The better your general health, the faster you will heal. Also, following your surgeon’s tummy tuck post-operative instructions facilitate the healing process as well. Don’t try to do too much too quickly or you could end up back in the hospital fixing torn or pulled stitches. You can also be left with excessive swelling and bruising that takes longer to recede.

A very important factor to faster healing is the right plastic surgeon. He must be board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery to ensure that he is fully-trained and qualified for the procedure. A tummy tuck doesn’t have to put you out of commission for a long time if you take care of yourself. You’ll be back to your normal activities in no time!

The concept that you have to completely restrict what you eat and how much you exercise is completely false, and I sort of already had that feeling.

Here’s the thing, eating more or eating less is not the key it is timing your eating so that you maximize your metabolic burn.

This explains a lot for me as a doctor because there are many times I have patients who say they have lots weight yet spent the last two days at a buffet table.

If you want to lose weight you need to cycle through consuming more food with less food. Our bodies work and function like waves they are sometimes up and sometimes down.

If you can figure out when to ride the wave and when not too, you have figured out the harmonic balance of the body.

A simple test is to spend a couple weeks exercising on a regular basis everyday doing your favorite activity, but go through periods of eating more calories followed by periods of eating less calories.

Monitor you weight everyday and make note of when your weight starts to drop is it on days after you eat more calories or on days when you eat less calories. The basic concept is that you are varying the quantity of foods that you are eating just as we did thousands of years ago. Sometimes we ate more and other times less. This strategy works really well and what is better is you don’t have to worry about the types of food that you eat.

Then it is a matter of mastering the weight loss with your cycle. You can find a more detailed explanation at easy weight loss plan

A heart attack is an all-too-familiar term that describes a condition that occurs when the flow of blood is cut off to the heart. A heart attack can cause cardiogenic shock if blood flow to the brain, kidneys, or other organs is cut off. The heart muscle is damaged as a result. The most common cause of a heart attack is a blocked artery, and this condition is called atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis disease is caused by a buildup of fatty deposits, called plaque, on the interior wall of the arteries. Heart disease is the number one killer of women, even though many people think that it is more likely to affect men. Over time, these deposits get larger, and can reduce the flow of blood to the heart. If the blood flow is cut off, then the person has a heart attack and required immediate medical attention.

Atherosclerosis can take a number of years to develop, and most people have at least some plaque on their arteries. Damage to the arteries caused by smoking, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol can cause plaque buildup. For this reason, adolescent heart disease is something that should be on your radar.

Coronary artery disease (”CAD”) is another term used to describe atherosclerosis. Symptoms include chest pain, fatigue, and swelling in the lower extremities. Age is a factor in this disorder as well. As people get older, they are more likely to develop atherosclerotic plaque in their arteries.

Heart failure, sometimes called “congestive heart failure,” is a condition where the heart isn’t strong enough to pump blood throughout the body. A person who has had a heart attack is at increased risk of developing heart failure. High blood pressure, an infection, or a heart valve disease are other causes of heart failure.

Signs that may indicate that you have heart failure include shortness of breath and swelling in the legs and ankles. The latter symptom can be traced to decreased kidney function causing fluid to collect in the lower parts of the body. If the heart failure is caused by high blood pressure, CAD, or a problem with the heart valves, it may be possible to treat the condition with medication. Reducing salt intake, losing weight, and reducing your intake of fluids can also help to relieve the symptoms of heart failure.

Another heart condition that you should be aware of is called an aortic aneurysm. This condition occurs when a portion of the aorta, the main artery supplying oxygenated blood to the heart, becomes weak. As a result, a portion of the artery bulges. If the bulging is large, it may cause discomfort in the abdomen, chest, or back.

Some people can have an aortic aneurysm and be asymptomatic until the bulging is quite pronounced. If the aneurysm gets too large, it may rupture. This is a very serious medical condition that causes internal bleeding, which can result in blood clots or a stroke.

The signs of a stroke include blurred vision, severe headache, and difficulty speaking. The person may experience numbness in the face and have a hard time following a conversation. If you experience any of these symptoms, you should go to the nearest Emergency Room for treatment.

Good health habits really start in childhood. A person who starts off eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, and refrains from smoking when they are younger is more likely to continue with a healthy lifestyle through adulthood. Parents can set a good example for their children, and it’s never too late to start making positive changes that will improve your health.