Have you had bariatric surgery, and do you participate in exercise regularly? If you answered yes to this question, then YOU are a bariathlete.

A specialist bariatric sports dietitian can help you to understand your specific individual requirements and enable you to perform at your best.

Bariatric surgery can be a life changing decision, and many people discover a new (or previous) love of movement. With any amount of fat loss, exercising becomes far less difficult and painful, and more enjoyable. Many bariatric patients start moving more to improve their health, then become infected with the exercise bug and go on to complete impressive sporting achievements. Participating in events like fun runs, Park Run, cycling or mountain biking events, triathlons, swims, regular Cross Fit classes or Olympic lifting (just to name a few) is becoming more and more popular.

Exercising regularly is extremely good for health, but extra care is required to ensure the body is adequately nourished and hydrated for performance, recovery, injury prevention and the prevention or management of dumping syndrome.

After undergoing bariatric surgery, the stomach size is much smaller (or bypassed completely) and food is absorbed differently, which places limitations on the quantity of food that can be consumed and tolerated. This is great for weight loss, but it can become challenging to fuel adequately for training, especially for endurance events that rely on carbohydrate to create energy.   

Dumping syndrome can be an added concern, given that sports nutrition for endurance events typically relies on fast acting carbohydrates. A bariatric sports dietitian can help you to navigate your difficulties and ensure you are able to fuel adequately for your performance and health.