aroundhky

Highest weight: 318-320 Weight when starting 2 week pre-op: 292 Surgery weight: 279 Current weight (one year post op): 228 Height: 6-3

It's possible to build muscle with limited calories, but I've found it to be quite tricky, but do-able. For me, it's all about timing and type of nutrition on days that I lift (more Protein, more complex carbs and less fat). Days I don't lift, very little carbs, but I up my fat intake slightly and keep protein about the same. The first few months after surgery is really hard to build muscle, if not impossible, at least for me anyway. I was able to maintain the muscle some after the first month and a half after surgery. Then around the 3+ month mark I can tell I started gaining strength/muscle again while slowly shedding fat. Thanks for the props "Butter". I don't have it all figured out yet, but I'm making some progress and figuring a few things out about muscle/strength while on limited calories. Hope your lifting is going well!

That's very interesting!

I took this from a blog that I read online (briankim.net) that addresses the issue of why men should lift weights. He makes a lot of valid points with this article and the benefits of lifting are very real. One thing I would add is if you've never lifted, take your time, don't worry about poundage, do something you can handle and train yourself to use good form. Then slowly buildup as you wish and can lift safely. Speaking from personal experience, the benefits of safe technically sound lifting are amazing! scale, who have very little testosterone. You can tell who these guys are. They're the ones who are not quite male and not quite female. It seems that all the life has been sucked out of them and they behave like docile cows. They're too afraid of doing anything and live a mediocre life. You definitely don’t want to become like them. Let’s take a look at some of their qualities. Depression Irritability Fatigue Inability to concentrate Easily weak and tired Difficulty coping with stress sleep disorder These are all symptoms of low testosterone. Do you really think that you can achieve your goals and dreams if you have any of the above symptoms? I seriously doubt it. Would you be able to achieve your goals and dreams if you had the exact opposite of the above symptoms? Absolutely. How can we do so? By increasing testosterone levels. Testosterone helps you achieve your goals period. How can we increase testosterone levels? By lifting weights and gradually increasing the resistance on a consistent basis. The following are the benefits I have reaped from sticking to a consistent program of weight training. I hope it will encourage those who have been sitting on the fence about this or have not considered making it a part of their lifestyle. If you are currently not doing this, you’re missing out on one of the biggest investments of your life. I kid you not. Enough talk; on with the benefits (in no particular order). Improved concentration and focus. When I workout, gone are the days when I would be passive and do a little bit of one thing and then move on to another thing, do a little bit of that, and then listen to some music, maybe surf the net or watch TV, and come back and do a little bit of it more, etc. Instead, I would stay focused on the task at hand and complete it on the spot. This habit was instilled through my consistent program of weight lifting. When you pick up that weight, you’re focused on completing x number of reps per set. Nothing else matters. Nothing else has your focus. It’s just you and the weight. You lift it once, twice, three times, four times, the muscle is burning, you’re becoming fatigued, five, six, seven, eight, and then you muster everything inside of you to get that last rep, nine, and then you pull even more from within you that you did not think you had possible, ten. You don’t lift once, twice, stop, get a drink of Water, talk with the boys, go to the bathroom, and then do three, four, then change the song on your ipod, five, six, stretch, take a break, seven, eight, make a call, nine, ten. No. You go through the whole set on the spot till you finish period. You will find this skill to be very useful. A lot of people get distracted when it comes to focusing on a task, but by lifting weights, you learn to cancel out all distractions and focus on you and the weight. That’s it. If you’ve watched the Legend of Bagger Vance, this same piece of advice is given to Matt Damon to help with his golf game. Just focus on you and the hole. Erase all the other distractions. The noise, the people, the competition. It’s just you and the hole. Laser-like focus on completing a task from start to finish is one great by-product of lifting weights. Sleep like a baby Whenever I lift, I get quality sleep. I don’t have any trouble sleeping at night. Forget about the warm milk, forget about counting sheep jumping over the fence, forget about sleeping pills, just lift. Lifting weights is the cure for all insomnia. And because I sleep like a baby, I…. Wake up early Whenever I lift, I always wake up early and refreshed. Gone are the days where I would open my eyes, hit the snooze, and sleep one more hour. If you want to wake up early, pick up the weights. It’s that simple. Getting up early is also a big time benefit. When the world is sleeping, that’s when you can take the most action for your goals. It’s nice and quiet. It’s a perfect time to visualize, to meditate, to count your blessings, etc. You can read that self improvement book, you can brainstorm ideas, and get a TON done if you wake up early. It’s a huge benefit. It’s also a good time to lift as well. Energy... Weight lifting gives me so much energy. Energy to go the extra mile. Energy to take the weights to the next level. Energy to accomplish my goals. Energy to do anything I wish. You can literally feel the energy coursing through your veins throughout the day. It’s a great feeling. It’s like igniting jet fuel. It’s that good. Happiness... Whenever I feel the blues coming, there’s nothing like hitting the weights to bring me back up. I can thank my endorphins for that. Whenever I feel down, the very first question I ask myself is if I had lifted recently. The answer is always no. The solution? Lift. Problem solved. Works EVERY time. Guaranteed. Mental toughness..... If you read Teddy Roosevelt’s autobiography, you will see the direct correlation between mental toughness and physical training. He made it a point to exercise every day. He boxed, climbed mountains, lifted weights, etc., on a consistent basis. I urge you to take a look at all the things that Teddy Roosevelt has accomplished. I guarantee you that his dedication to physical training was a major cause of getting them done. Because of his physical conditioning, he was able to focus, he got things done, he was always happy, he woke up early, and he had a ton of energy. Sound familiar? Another example of mental toughness in one word: Arnold. Enough said. Lifting weights and upping the resistance every so often builds your ability to handle bigger things. When you can lift a measly 5 pounds more than the last time, it’s a huge accomplishment. It may not seem like a lot, but it is. Every weight lifter knows what I’m talking about. Lifting strengthens the psychosomatic link between mind and body. When the body is strong, so will the mind be. Lifting also helps you train your mind to summon all your strength to lift that last rep when you don’t think you can. I cannot tell you how helpful this has been to me when there were times when I didn’t think I could accomplish my goals, even though I was so close to doing it. Lifting has conditioned me to dig deep and go that extra inch, and you will find that in life, it makes all the difference. Great habit When you start lifting weights and begin to see all the positive benefits, there’s no going back. The benefits will drive you to keep on doing it, which continues the cycle, which then inevitably installs a great habit. You’ll feel more happy, energetic, focused, tough, accomplished and you won’t want to let go of the cause. Males today, (in American society at least), sit in cubicles all day and then go home and sit in front of the TV or computer. If they're hungry, they get in a car, sit again in a seat, go to Carls Jr. to get a double western bacon cheeseburger combo, supersized, with a strawberry cheesecake. Then, they come back home and sit down again. Or even worse, they don’t even get up all. They just call pizza Hut. This lifestyle fosters a habitual lack of exercise, which in turn contributes to low testosterone and a low quality of life. Build the testosterone by consistently lifting weights and upping the resistance till you become like a bull and charge your way through life knocking down every obstacle and wall on the path toward your dreams. You won’t regret it. I guarantee it.

I've heard that about the large muscle groups and doing compound lifts too. Makes sense to me. Something about it causing a guys body to produce more natural growth hormones, which is supposed to in turn, help with the other lifts as well. Wish you the best DBubba!

I've noticed all of these benefits, but perhaps the one I've noticed most is that I do sleep like a baby. I sleep really well and feel really good in the mornings when I've been lifting.

I did. My insurance paid 80% and I used Care Credit to pay the rest. Correct, if you make all of your payments on time and pay it off on time, it's a pretty good option. I read the fine print on the application and it's interest free as long as you make the minimum payment and by the due date. If you miss one, I think it said that the interest rate would go up to like 20+% or something. I guess it has gone up even higher since I applied. I think they give you a repayment period based on the amount you use. Mine was 18 months, but I made all payments early and paid it off within 5 months (with help from tax refund). Now I'm using for my daughter's braces. Just make sure you can stick with their terms and it's a good way to pay. If you have any doubt about being able to keep the terms of the agreement, you may want to look for other options. Good luck with the new surgery and financing options!

Yeah, I've taken creatine off and on for the past year. I take it after my workouts, but I know a lot of people take it both before and after. Just make sure you drink even more water when taking it. I'm fairly happy with the results. I've noticed that it takes a week or two to build up the creatine in your system. It's a natural substance that comes from meats, especially red meat. But you'd have to eat 4 or 5 steaks to get the same amount of creatine that is in one teaspoon (5 grams) of the supplement. It builds up in your muscles and I've noticed that I can get an extra rep or two with each set while lifting. I don't see why it wouldn't help with all forms of exercise. Good luck!

Abs? What are those? There are tons of core and ab exercises out there. There's the good ol crunches, 6 inches, planks, etc. I don't really do that much isolation work on abs, but I get plenty of work on them doing compound lifts like deadlifts, squats and plyometrics. I'm a year plus post op and I have only recently started rediscovering my abs. They are very faint and I can only slightly see them when I flex them, but it's the first time I've noticed them since college. If you don't do any deadlifts or squats, you may want to try some of the exercise balls, bridges, abdominal presses, etc. When you first do them, you may want to ease into it and gradually build up. Really sore abs from diving right in can make it hard to function in regards to normal day to day tasks.

I think a lot of those pre-workout supps are made of caffeine and L-arginine as well other ingredients. On a rare occasion I may have just a little caffeine to get my butt there and wake me up, but that's maybe once a month on the rare instance that I just can't get going. Usually once I'm in there working out, I'm alert with plenty of energy. And I usually do it on an empty stomach. It's weird, but I have my best workouts on an empty stomach. I don't know if being hungry makes me angry which results in a good workout or if it's because my body is not using its resources trying to digest food and I can devote all of my energy to the workout. I'm really not sure why working out on empty stomach works for me. If I do have anything before a workout, it will maybe be a banana and I make sure it's at least an hour or two before my workout. If I eat a complex carb right before my workout, I feel sluggish and lethargic and I've learned the hard way that method doesn't work for me. But everyone is different, especially if one has sugar issues. Some people absolutely can't get a good workout in without some carbs before exercise. I would try different things to see what works best for you before taking those high dose caffeine supplements.

I wonder if you are getting enough protein as well and if you are eating it first at mealtime. Also, what size portions are you eating? Can you give us an example of your meals? Do you have a 1 year checkup with your Dr?

Mz2good...... you look as if you have age on your side (pretty young) and I'm guessing your skin should bounce back quicker than us older folks on here. I think..... I know the resistance training (weightlifting) has helped me with the loose skin. From my highest weight of over 310, I've lost around 80 pounds (now 229) and have gone from 33% body fat to around 14-15% and still have no loose skin. I'm kind of old, so I'm thinking the weight training has helped me avoid the skin issues. Can't hurt to try it and see. Good luck!

My surgeon told me kind of the same thing, but just used different words. I think he said that a few months after surgery that it becomes more "accommodating". He compared it to an old shoe that is not quite as stiff as it was when it was brand new and will eventually be easier to get your "foot" (food) into it.

Cdscott89......find any physical activity that somehow motivates you or has the possibility of motivating you and start there (ex: hiking, playing Wii, sex, riding a bike leisurely, dancing, lots of shopping at the mall, cleaning the house more, playing with your kids/nieces/nephews etc) . That will give you physical activity and hopefully you will enjoy it and get fulfillment from it and want to progress to some type of activity that is a little more cardio or resistance training involved. If not, at least you are doing some type of activity, which is better than nothing. Sometimes the hardest part for people is just getting started or showing up. Just try to make whatever it is fun and enjoyable and that will be what makes you WANT to do it, not HAVE to do it. Good luck and hang in there and make the most of this tool we've been given. Keep us posted........

I hear ya! I like the sore muscles too...let's me know I really worked them and where I worked them!

Been there Donny, hang in there and it will be ok. Being a lifter for most of my life, I started freaking out a little when I first got back to the gym after surgery and noticed how terribly weak I was. I was back to my former strength around 4-5 months after surgery. I know you'll keep with it, which will help a lot and remember, your muscles have memory, they just need to be reminded of their former strength.

I've heard it absorbs FASTER than other proteins or blends. I've not heard the term BETTER used with isolate. I may be wrong, but that's just what I've read about isolate. Unless of course it is right after a workout (resistance training), which I think faster is better for muscle recovery. So that's why I take it right after a workout. But I also keep a blend or casein protein around for right before I go to bed on days that I've had a really intense workout....when I can think of it anyway. I probably only take that once or twice a week. For me, it's all a guess....and maybe for the nutritionists as well.