Stay fit!
Dr Rohini Patil shares a list of factors that dermatologists can consider while guiding patients during and after the body contouring procedure to maintain their fitness and a consistent diet.
IMPORTANCE OF DIET
It is important for the patient to understand the importance of diet. That they need to follow a healthy diet to maintain the results. Right nutrition works wonders when it comes to fitness. Eating unhealthy food will lead them to other medical complications that are related to weight gain as well as internal health. Hence it is crucial that they understand the importance of right nutrition before undergoing any type of body contouring.
IncreasIng proteIn Intake
After the procedure, your client should increase their protein intake especially if they have undergone a non-surgical body contouring one. Protein will help in balancing their blood sugar as it slows down the digestion of carbohydrates and keeps one full for a longer time. Protein also helps in building the muscle and cutting down the excess fat present in the body, which will make it easy for your patient to maintain the body contouring results efficiently and for a longer period.
Intake of good fats
It is possible to kill the existing fat cells by the procedure of body contouring such as Cool Sculpting. But, if your patient does not maintain a healthy diet, their body can probably make the new ones. They need not stop the intake of fat completely, but need to exclude those that are not good for them Such as trans-fat and saturated fat, which comes from junk and processed food. Instead of this, they can go in for healthy fat such as omega-3 fatty acids, omega-6 fatty acids, Mono Unsaturated Fatty Acids (MUFA), and Poly Unsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFA), that come from nuts and seeds, ghee, avocado, fatty fish, fish oil, flaxseeds, eggs, coconut oil, olives, tofu, and peanut butter. Consuming healthy fats help in burning calories.
VItamIns and mInerals are Important
You need to make sure that the patient is aware about the importance of vitamin and minerals in the diet. A diet rich in these will help the body heal well after the body contouring procedure. Vitamin A and C are needed to make connective tissues and stimulates healing. They can be found in citrus fruits, spinach, kale, carrots, and sweet potatoes. Vitamin K helps in quick blood clotting, which further helps in healing of the access point made during the procedure. Vitamin K can be found in kale, collard greens, fish, liver and vegetable oils. Stocking up on vitamin K before the procedure is just as important as doing so afterwards.
Maintaining fit and a healthy lifestyle
Your patients’ lifestyle is important when it comes to the maintenance of the results of body contouring. They need to exercise regularly, have enough water daily, and plan their meals on time. They need to stop faulty habits such as smoking, and consumption of alcohol as it slows down the process of healing and may hinder in their progress as well as alter the results. You need to guide them towards a healthy lifestyle and ask them be stress-free as much as possible as taking too much stress will cause the cortisol hormone to increase in the system, which again will cause a slowdown in the metabolic procedure, further delaying the results.
DR RoHInI SoMnATH PATIl is one of the few MBBS doctors working in the field of diet and nutrition in Maharashtra, and India. She is the Founder & CEO of Nutracy Lifestyle -a diet, fitness & lifestyle venture. She is an official nutritionist on the board with National Indian Athletes (GAIL, NYCS). She was the Head and second nMo President of MSAI (Medical Students Association of India).