Are you considering having liposuction to whittle down your waistline? You’ll want to hear this. You have to start exercising within 2 months of your surgery – and never stop doing it. Or your body will start storing dangerous belly fat around your internal organs. And even if the fat doesn’t show on the outside, it can really hurt your health. 

Researchers studied women who had abdominal lipo, but who didn’t change their diet. 

The result: Those who didn’t get regular exercise saw an increase in visceral “belly” fat. Which can lead to metabolic syndrome, a cluster of symptoms that include high blood pressure, bad cholesterol, and insulin resistance. A one-two-three punch that raises your risk for heart disease. But those who began strength and aerobic training within 2 months of surgery - and did it 3 times a week - saw no increase in belly fat. In fact, the exercisers showed a decrease in the total amount of fat throughout their entire body. 

So, why does lipo without exercise increase the deposit of dangerous belly fat post-surgery? There are a couple of theories. One, because people recovering from surgery often take it easy, so they’re burning a lot fewer calories.

Also, because the lipo’d area has been traumatized, and has no more fat cells to fill up, the body has to find another place to store the fat it’s manufacturing. 

Either way, if you want to get surgically thinner – and stay healthy – make sure you get regular exercise.