The Importance of Preoperative and Postoperative Physical Activity Counseling in Bariatric Surgery

In Brief There is increasing evidence that physical activity (PA) can enhance weight loss and other outcomes after bariatric surgery. However, most preoperative patients are insufficiently active and, without support, fail to make substantial increases in their PA postoperatively. This review provides the rationale for PA counseling in bariatric surgery and describes how to appropriately tailor strategies to preoperative and postoperative patients. Physical activity counseling should be offered to bariatric surgery patients to facilitate greater weight loss and improvements in comorbidities.