NurseMichael

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This is a constant struggle for "bariathletes". How to get in the proper amounts of fuel to provide for the workouts we want to do. For myself, at 3 years out, i am taking in about 3400 calories on heavy lifting days over 7-8 meals. I take in about 230-250g of protein and the rest between fats and carbs. If you want to perform as a lifter, you will need to increase your intake, but take it slow. I don't know how fat post-op you are but your trainer isn't wrong. I am a powerlifter as well and we need that protein to build the muscle to lift houses and cars and stuff. Dont rush it, but know it can be done!

Im with the Doc on this one...do what your surgeon says! Seriously. You need to understand that you are in this for the long haul and a few more weeks isn't going to make that much of a difference. If its a question of causing some damage or resting your muscles a little...no brainer. This doesn't mean you cant hit the gym and jump on a treadmill if your itching that much to break a sweat. I have heart some pretty bad horror stories about guys who lifted too early. And above all else, don't do something because someone else did. If i told you i lifted 2 weeks out, it doesn'tmean you can. There is no need to risk injury here. Stick with your docs recommendations and ease back into the weights. You will be glad you did and once cleared, start clangin and bangin all you want!

So here is the question. Is the remaining belly adipose fat tissue or left over skin. If its skin....no amount of exercise will remove it...you may need plastic surgery. If its still fat thats remaining...some of my colleagues are a little mistaken. A flat belly starts in the kitchen. You can do all the situps and crunches you want, and trust me, you will build up an amazing six pack belly, but it will be covered by that layer of fat. You have to eat the right foods and do general whole body exercise to remove fat. There is no such thing as targeted fat loss, i dont care what you tube video or "fitness expert" you see out there. Make sure your diet is right and increase your exercise, and that belly will slowly dwindle (and keep up the crunches and situps).

Ever thought of getting it in roman numerals - CCCXLVI

Z - Congrats on the surgery...now its time to rest. The workouts will come back in time but your body needs to heal. Ill share a little about myself. After surgery, I didn't workout at all...for too damn long. I went from 356 to 179 in less than a year and at that point I was a size 32 waist but had lost any and all muscle mass I once had. I couldn't lift a pencil! At a follow up appointment, my doc told me (demanded actually) that I hit the gym and lift weights. NO CARDIO! (Docs orders). So I did. In the following months, I actually put on 30 pounds. But here is the kicker...my waist stayed at a 32. It was all muscle! So as im getting better in the gym, lifting more, getting stronger, I found the sport of powerlifting. Holy crap! Its amazing. Over the summer I competed in my first meet and totaled 1000lbs (my bench sucks). I am now training for my second meet in November. My goal for this one is 1100. Currently my dead lift is around 500, my squat is 400 and on a good day i can push 225 on the bench. The thing i play with constantly is getting in the food to support my workouts. It is a constant challenge to determine my macros and what will benefit me and not add fat. I'm sitting at about 3400 calories on heavy lifting days and 24-2800 on less active days. I actually have started a little YouTube show to talk about this. I don't think there are enough experts who have experience with weight loss surgery and performance athletics. The concept of the "bariathlete" is foreign to most, so i figure i might as well create a forum for us. The point of all this is to say 2 things. The first is give the process time. You need to concentrate on dropping the fat and letting your body heal. the second is, don't be worried about the lifting. It will come, the strength will return, and you will be a lean mean bad-ass lifting machine. And if you like, you can come down to my gym and lift heavy with me any day!

I’m actuality, protein blends are really good for digestion. Isolate or concentrate are used quickly by the body. Casein...yes, it digests slower. It’s usually great to use before bed as the body takes longer to digest it and it provides a longer feeling of satiety. As far as the lawsuit, having 27 as opposed to 30g of protein is not that big a difference. I would do research into more protein brands and see if they all have exactly the number they state. Is there any research out there like that. Frankly I know there are much worse brands that have only 50-60% of the actual protein they profess. I encourage everyone to read up on what they are putting I to their body. Take what you read on message boards with a grain of salt and trust what your surgeon recommends. I mean, you let them cut you open, you can probably trust what they tell you to drink.

Hey guys. I was wondering, if there was a podcast that focused on Bariatric fitness and nutrition once we get to maintenance, would anybody listen? I feel like trainers and nutritionists that understand caloric needs for a Bariatric patient who wants to excel at physical fitness are hard to come by. So I had the idea of starting up a podcast to talk about it. A little info, some guests, discuss some research, whatever. What do you guys think?

Congrats and welcome to the club. Dont worry about the weight gain. You are filled with IV fluids from surgery. Everyone has a little gain in the first few days post op. Also, i was in the hospital 3 days and 2 nights (standard for my surgeons practice) so just enjoy the time that other people are paid to take care of you. Again, congrats!

A month out. What stage of the diet are you on? Puree...soft...semi soft....solid? Let us know that and it will help us to suggest snacks.

I am so sorry you are going through this situation with your surgeon. Many of the issues i read about are due to lack of pre-op education from our providers, and it sound like that is what is happening here. The symptoms you are describing are not uncommon in the weeks post-op. Dont stress too much over hydration and protein. You will make yourself crazy. You need to get in as much as you physically can get in and know that as the days and weeks progress, you will be able to tolerate more. By the way, that day you felt like something was stuck in your chest...I have been there, as im sure many of the others in this board have. Just a reminder to take smaller bites and be very selective about what we eat. What stage of the diet are you on. At one month, i was only on pureed foods. Best of luck to you, and as cliche as it may be... it will bet better.

My first question is why you are choosing to do Keto? While the science is valid in the ketogenic diet producing positive weight loss results, the long term results are not sustainable. More over, those who stop Keto, usually do it incorrectly, and risk putting back on all the weight they lost through the diet. Are you looking for a quick fix to drop some weight or a plan you can stick with? A diet that requires you to eat 75% of your meals as fat needs some serious consideration before diving in. Just my opinion.

Much of these responses are correct. It is difficult to target specific areas of your body for weight loss. You can however, target areas for muscle toning and i think that might help you. I know i know, people all say they done want to build so much muscle that they become buff and look like a body builder. Dont worry...you wont. You should start thinking about doing a combination of lower body resistance training along with HIIT cardio. If you need some more explanation of what those are, let me know. Just like loose skin, some things are inevitable. If we are "hippy", as my wife likes to say, it may be difficult to loose that lower body weight at the start. All i can say is to get to it and see what kind of results you can get.

So, is the issue that you are not getting enough nutrition, or your not getting enough calories for fitness purposes? They really are 2 different ideas. If its about general nutrition, then you have got to supplement somehow. An extra protein shake, a quest bar. Something you can keep with you and eat on the fly. If its about competition nutrition, you might want to consider mass gainers. Yes...i know...talking about a mass gainer in a bariatric forum is like talking about the bible in a brothel (not something that is easily done, but could produce some great results). Im curious what your overall goal is here. Nurse Mike

Tabata base workouts are great! We can do anything for 20 seconds at a time. You are not wrong. It is scary. It is hardcore. The fact is, this type of High Intensity Interval Training has been proven to have some of the best fat loss benefits of any cardio based workouts. Add some resistance training to the HIIT and you increase the benefit. You should absolutely try it and let us know what you thought.

We will definitely talk. I’m gonna need guests to have on the podcast as well!

You guys are all killing it. In addition to the meet last weekend, yesterday i ran 2 laps of a Savage Race. What can I say... I like shiny things!

Did my first meet yesterday. Check it out here. https://youtu.be/vEd0rgGA8ws

My OHP sucks. Primarily because it’s not a focused lift of my competitions. OHP is more for strongman as opposed to powerlifting. Right now my OHP is only around 125lb. And tomorrow row is my first ever powerlifting comp. looking for 1000lb total but will be pleased with 950.

I would say before you do anything you really need to know how much you can take I. At each meal. For me it’s aboud 8oz. I mix that up usually about 50% protein and 50% carb (maybe some veggies here and there). One way way to get that BF% down could be by increasing your protein, decreasing carbs a little, and increasing the weight your lifting. If the resistance training seems easy, it’s too dank light. Of course everyone is individual and this is just experience but it couldn’t hurt..... too much.

405 on the DL. Working for 500!!!

Blue! Killing it brother. I am 3 years post and have been powerlifting. This is after 2 years of doing OCR! I think we need to start a bariatric strength group! The stats: HW 356, CW 214 Lifts: Sw - 315 Bench - 205 DL - 405 (also going for the 1000 total. First comp in 2 weeks!!!)

https://ddpyoga.com/blogs/success-stories/mike-isaacs Nuff said!

Oh my....finally......i have found my people!!!!! So... i had surgery in 2016 (sleeve). Went from 356 to 179. At 179 my doc told me to hit the gym (probably 8 months post). I too found the guru that is Jim Stoppani and started following his programs. I started putting on weight and got terrified. I added 30lbs!!! But wait....my waitsline didnt change...WOOHOO!!! So yes, i doo agree that dieticians and nutritionists have no idea what to do with those of us who train for strength but have a physical nutritional restriction. So thats where we have to help each other! Since surgery i have run over 10 obstacle course races (Spartan, Tough Mudder, etc) of lengths from 3 miles to 13 miles. I also participated in my first half marathon. But now....I am a powerlifter!!! My lifts currently are bench-215, Squat-315, DL-405. I eat a ton!!! 3000 cal a day. Its a job in and of itself as i probably eat 7 meals a day as well as supplementation with shakes. Its not easy, but to build the size and strength i need, its neccessary. We should totally start a group for bariatric lifters / bodybuilders.

Oh my....finally......i have found my people!!!!! So... i had surgery in 2016 (sleeve). Went from 356 to 179. At 179 my doc told me to hit the gym (probably 8 months post). I too found the guru that is Jim Stoppani and started following his programs. I started putting on weight and got terrified. I added 30lbs!!! But wait....my waitsline didnt change...WOOHOO!!! So yes, i doo agree that dieticians and nutritionists have no idea what to do with those of us who train for strength but have a physical nutritional restriction. So thats where we have to help each other! Since surgery i have run over 10 obstacle course races (Spartan, Tough Mudder, etc) of lengths from 3 miles to 13 miles. I also participated in my first half marathon. But now....I am a powerlifter!!! My lifts currently are bench-215, Squat-315, DL-405. I eat a ton!!! 3000 cal a day. Its a job in and of itself as i probably eat 7 meals a day as well as supplementation with shakes. Its not easy, but to build the size and strength i need, its neccessary. We should totally start a group for bariatric lifters / bodybuilders.