male only Muscle Loss Sucks

[cubbies76 132]

First day I was cleared for weights and it's amazing how much I lost. Basically was working out with 25% less weights than I was 6 weeks ago when I had the surgery.

I knew it would happen and not trying to bitch or anything, just kind of amazed how much it was.

Anyone upped their Protein and calories after 6 weeks to over 100 grams and 1,000 calories? My goal right now is 80 grams and about 850 calories. The calorie one is arbitrary as my surgeon just wanted me to get between 60-80 grams of protein and didn't say anything about calories other than obviously don't push it and don't eat around the sleeve.

[lkn240sd 0]

I'm just over 1 month post op. I agree with the muscle loss problem. I'm also getting 900-1000 calories and about 85 grams Protein. My Dr. told me I could lift at my 1 week post op appointment. I was shocked, I was fully expecting 4-6 weeks. Even though I didn't miss much gym time I can still feel myself getting weaker (by gym standards) every day. But overall, I feel a lot healthier.

[cubbies76 132]

Well, my doctor told me yesterday I could get up to 1,000 calories so I should be able to get more Protein in. Problem is that it is almost impossible for me to get anymore in at this point

Today, I used the Omron fat % for the first time since a couple days before starting my two week preop diet (which was Protein drinks only). And between 9/25 and now I have lost about 60 pounds. Per the Omron, 13 of that is muscle. Sucks that about 25% of my weight loss is muscle, but I'm back at it hard and hopefully I can build it back up over the next couple months.

[Hudson Patriot 0]

I am scheduled for surgery on December 11th. My surgeon does not allow lifting for a full three months due to the risk of hernia. Once I get the clearance, I intend to be in there hitting the weights pretty quickly. I do not want to become "skinny-fat." I know that I have a good amount of muscle under all this blubber, so it will actually be nice to see results and growth. I was always able to feel the improvements and increased strength, but never able to see it. That will be an "NSV" for me!

[tommyd 125]

I agree I got so caught up on the scale moving in the right direction that I lost muscle and strenght. I should of started lifting weights sooner. It is slowly slowly coming back. Still best decision I ever made.

[Butterthebean 8,146]

It's tough. While recovering from surgery on such a low calorie diet, it's hard not to lose some muscle mass. That's part of why they preach Protein protein protein all the time. But still, us guys with larger than normal muscle mass....our bodies are going to try to dump some of it after surgery...trying to survive on less calories. In all honesty, it's not the worst thing in the world. I'm not as strong as I was, and while I'd like to be, I may never be. But I'm way more mobile than I ever thought possible. I can climb and run...and not lose my breath. It's a trade off, but I'm happy with it.

I've also written about this phenomenon before, but it's surprising how much we lose in terms of being able to use our weight to our advantage. It's pure physics. It's surprising how often and in how many ways we used our size and weight. How many times have I grabbed the door handle of a heavy door and simply leaned back to let my weight pull it open. You don't realize you're doing this, until the day comes when you lean back and your weight isn't there to help. It takes time to relearn those movements. You think you've gotten weak but in reality you just don't have as much ass to throw around. You have to relearn how to use your momentum.

Edited December 8, 2013 by Butterthebean

[mark! 449]

Before I had surgery, I sat down with my Dr and explained my situation. I was completely worried about muscle loss. To keep my current hobby and to keep from having to pay for supplements and entry fees to meets I had to maintain my numbers on the platform or risk losing sponsors. From the get go we set my Protein numbers above 100g since the 3rd day post op, was restricted from deadlifting or squatting heavy for 8 weeks, was released for upper body training as tolerated 4 weeks post op. The biggest problem I've had is correcting form issues and leverages after losing the weight. So far I've added 120 pounds to my total (bench, dead lift, squat combined) and dropped 3 weight classes in the federation I compete in).

If you bust your ass and keep muscle retention in mind from the beginning it's easier to combat any atrophy you may have. But, it has to be a goal, instead of just weight loss.

[aroundhky 1,174]

Being just a little below cal maintenance is key to retaining muscle and still be able to lose fat. Being drastically below maintenance (like the first few months after getting our sleeve), is going to deplete a lot of our muscle. Losing muscle is almost unavoidable those first few months. But as you are able to eat more, try getting in enough Protein to preserve it and stay around 200-500 cals below maintenance, and hopefully you will not lose too much, if any, muscle. Good luck!

[familyguy 147]

Being just a little below cal maintenance is key to retaining muscle and still be able to lose fat. Being drastically below maintenance (like the first few months after getting our sleeve), is going to deplete a lot of our muscle. Losing muscle is almost unavoidable those first few months. But as you are able to eat more, try getting in enough Protein to preserve it and stay around 200-500 cals below maintenance, and hopefully you will not lose too much, if any, muscle. Good luck!

Hey "Aroundhky" I have a question for you: It looks like you took a fair bit of time to get to your goal weight -- basically 2 years. I've seen you post a lot on exercise, lifting, etc. I'm wondering if you believe that you were substituting fat for muscle, which slowed your scale weight. Obviously, that would be a great result for looks and health, even if a relatively slow ramp down to goal on the scale. I'm asking because I actually don't want to loose everything (including muscle) too quickly.

[aroundhky 1,174]

"familyguy"......I think that indirectly I was trading fat for muscle. It's a cycle thing really and we cannot turn fat INTO muscle. But yes, it took me nearly 2 years to get to goal weight and I have since gone up about 10+ pounds. But duing that 2 years, even when the # on the weight scale wasn't dropping, my body fat % would VERY slowly getting lower each time I measured it. So in the end, yes, I think that's basically what I did. I guess it's really a matter of priority.....is muscle & body fat more important than the number on a scale......or vice versa? Not that there's a wrong answer.....it's really just personal preference and everyone has their own reasons for having the surgery. Sounds like your goal of losing slowly and preserving muscle go hand in hand. Good luck!

[familyguy 147]

Aroundhky -- great info thanks for replying.

[skikyd 165]

Definite muscle loss. I am 3 months out and down 66 lbs.

Right now I am concentrating on upping my aerobics to get to goal ( 100 loss) With muscle tone and gain as a secondary effect.

[Chase30 114]

well you guys lost strength, not muscle, those are still there. The question is would you rather bench 400lbs or look like you can bench 400 lbs?

[cubbies76 132]

Not necessarily just strength. Look at my second post in this thread. I've lost even more, down about 23 pounds in muscle now. I'm now making sure I get 80 grams in and I am lifting 3 times a week now, trying to rebuild muscle mass. I don't want to look like I lift 400, just want good definition once I get closer to goal.

[Butterthebean 8,146]

Most likely there's muscle loss as well. You can't lose 100 pounds or more without losing some muscle...maybe even alot of muscle. Very difficult to maintain all of our muscle with the sudden drastic cut in calories. But we can minimize the damage as much as possible by keeping up with the Protein and strength training.