LVMSfireman

I have posted this on other forums, but I figured I'd get it out there one more time. Are there any firefighters or EMT's who had the sleeve done? I am and I was wondering about the after effects and working out. In our line of work we need to be extremely physically fit (strength and cardio wise). Has or is anyone having problems? Any advice or anything at all i should know or y'all can tell me?

I hope so! The last six pack I had was beer

Just getting started back with weight training.
It's a bit dicey since I have a torn rotator cuff in my right shoulder and a failed abdominal hernia repair.
Anyway.....excuses notwithstanding......here is a pic taken today:

This pic taken one day before my sleeve surgery in October 2015:

Getting there.....in spite of not being able to really blow it out like I want to.

dmedic72 thank you very much! That helped a lot! I'll definitely up he carbs for my workouts!

Sleeved Oct 2015. Paramedic in a busy suburban system in Texas. Down 100 lbs from my original weight. I workout with my trainer and at the gym with no issues. I was cleared by my surgeon after 6 weeks. I just had to be careful with abd exercises for a bit longer or wear a belt. I did fine. The only thing I would add is that you should not be afraid to up the carbs before your workouts. My nut encouraged me to add to my Protein shakes, sugar, honey, juice, anything to give me enough fuel to get me through without burning out. I really noticed a difference when I didn't do it vs the times I did. I still carry packets of Gu with me to my workouts.Eating at work has been fine. I just plan ahead and eat as I should. I don't make a big deal about it. I do carry Ritz Peanut Butter crackers for hunger emergencies with me. Lol.
I hope this helps.
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Best of luck to you!
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Hi. Sorry I've been off the website. You need a solid month minimum I'd say. I'd rather do the 6 weeks. When I first came back after surgery I had to stretch and work an 1-3/4 handline. No problems during but I felt cramps for a few hours after. Yes, you'll be able to work out at the intensity that you should/need to. It just takes some time. No worries.
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Thank you guys! That helps. I am now 1 week post op and trying to figure this out

Paramedic for 12.5 yrs on a busy urban fire department. I was back to work after bypass in 2 1/2 wks without restriction. Lifting was my big concern but my doc only had a two wk, 10 lb restriction. Been back a month and a half with no issues. Biggest problem is keeping on diet with all the station food.

20 year firefighter/paramedic here. I was sleeved in October of 2015. I am down about 90 pounds or so. I took 6 weeks off from work, I'm glad I did. I had a hiatal hernia repaired as well, which increased my lifting restrictions from 4 weeks to 6 weeks. I walked alot during those 6 weeks, which helped. But I still struggled for a couple weeks when I went back honestly. It wasn't a lifting thing so much as it was a strength and energy thing. I lost alot of strength and it took a couple weeks of working out to get some of that back.
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@@LVMSfireman He was pretty good about getting back into the gym. Once the abdominal muscles heal you are good to go. Take it easy the first few days out, building up to where you were in lifting and your all set.
You will see soon after you start to heal that your energy levels are high and you will be feeling great and ready to get back to life full force. Just take it easy so you don't back slide and then need more down time.
My husband has been through a few major surgeries over the years including total hip replacement and has been able to get back to work without any issues. He lost the weight so he could have the hip work done and he's feeling like he's 15 years younger.
If you have any joint pain or stiffness, my suggestion is to join a gym that has a pool and start with the pool work to keep the impact off your joints as you lose weight things will change and you'll probably be running before you know it.

Found this question fascinating, so I trolled the bodybuilding.com site, which appears to have plenty of topics from guys who had WLS.
The following is brief summary made up from several posts:
1. Quality Carbs before a workout AKA complex carbohydrates.
2. Bananas to keep you from cramping.
2. BCAA supplemented drink just before a workout.
3. Protein to repair muscle after a workout. Don't depend on just liquid proteins: fish, poultry, boiled eggs. The more complicated the food the more your body works digesting it.
4. Shock workouts by alternating whether you do cardio or weights first.
5. Continue to take a quality Bariatric supplement to prevent deficiencies.
From there it gets even more esoteric what people do to build mass.
Here is an inspiration story on how a formerly 370 Lbs castric bypass patient: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/body-transformation-danny-figueredo-sliced-his-weight-in-half.html

Greetings Guys!
I'm so glad I found this site and thread. I've finally decided to do the sleeve and have been worried about being able to
build muscle. Luckily, from what I've read you can build muscle but of course with more work, effort, and patience. I'm
majoring in Criminal Justice and plan on becoming a police officer, so weight lifting is something I've started doing again.
Can't wait to start on this epic journey. I hope this thread stays alive and people will post more helpful tips. Just joined and '
will certainly visit other threads.
-Alex

I am confused. Are you trying to find out your 1RM(1 rep max) or are you just trying to do a basic 10-12 rep set?
If you want to find your 1RM go here http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/other7.htm for great info on how to figure out your 1RM. To be honest, you should not be focused on finding your 1RM. This is more for the bodybuilders or the gym rats.
From your question, I am guessing you are fairly new to weight lifting? If so I recommend doing sets with a weight that will allow you to comfortably get through an entire 3-5 set session. This way your muscles get used to it and you learn better technique and form. Once you are comfortable and feel stronger throw on another 5lbs. If you get through that set okay, then add another 5lbs. Continue this and you will see your starting weight and ending weight increase over time.
Once you are comfortable with your technicque and weight lifting in general, you can begin to start to lift till failure. This really where the muscles grow. When I say fail, that means when you can no longer do another rep. Do 3-4 sets with your first set at a weight that you can knock out 12-15 reps. For set 2, up the weight, so that you fail at 10-12 reps. Set 3, so you fail at 8-10 reps and so on. Make those muscles work and watch them grow. Do this only when you are very comfortable in the weight room and feel physically capable of putting your body through this

I have been overweight all my life. So....the words exercise and gym were rare parts of this Big Boy's vocabulary!!!
I had Surgery Sept 16 and started going to the gym and lifting at 8-weeks out. I was worried about whether I would still lose weight. I am shocked at how much I LOVE weight lifting!! I have a LONG WAY to go. Since I wasn't a previous weight lifter, I'm seeing how much I have to build up to higher weights. Chest presses are about 130-150 lbs. I can press about 275 on leg press. I do row about 210.. But I've got keep working on strengthening the chest..however..IM LOVING IT. CLOSING IN ON THE 100 lb weight loss mark. Hitting the gym every other day! I haven't seen a weight starting with a 2 since Moses parted the Red Sea!!! Saw 298 the other day!! #LOVINLIFE!!!

Glad someone raised this thread from the dead! never a exercise or gym guy (on a regular basis ever). I did notice that post surgery my weights and sets went down. I have been working very hard, and 5 months post-op I have begun to add to those pre-surgery weight levels. It is possible. good advise above on this thread. I started lifting about 6 weeks post op as recommended by my dr.

Are there any firefighters or EMT's or Police Officers who had the sleeve done? I am and I was wondering about the after effects and working out. In our line of work we need to be extremely physically fit (strength and cardio wise). Has or is anyone having problems? Any advice or anything at all i should know or y'all can tell me? I want to make sure I am able to get into the gym and get my lungs and body ready for a career as a firefighter.

Jersey.....it looks like you have a great foundation for muscle from what I can see. I was fairly similar. Had lifted for years and I had lots of strength/muscle from those years of lifting. But I was overweight and unhealthy, had a lot of additional fat with the muscle. With hard work and just the right nutrition, you'll get back to your original strength/muscle levels after your initial rapid weight and muscle loss. That's my guess anyway since we're so similar.
Ex:.... I was deadlifting 475 for a single rep and 405 for 5 reps before surgery. About oh.....maybe 7-8 months after my sleeve, I was back to those levels....minus the fat. In total from highest weight to lowest, I lost around 80-90 pounds. I have most, if not all of my original muscle, but with the fat loss, I'm just more cut now....or as I like to say....."ripped". Well at least in my own mind anyway.
It's a long process and you'll probably be like me....discouraged the first 1-4 months post op and really missing the strength. Just hang in there, keep lifting during the weight loss phase, and you'll eventually get back the strength months down the road. Lifting during losing is really important. You cant really build muscle while losing a lot of weight, but you can certainly maintain it or lessen the rate of muscle loss by lifting. It signals to your body that you need the muscle.....and more of your weight loss will be fat and not as much muscle loss. With that said, ease into lifting again as your body needs to adjust and you don't want to injure yourself and have a set back. Listen to your Dr to release you. I would urge you to stay the course....I think you'll be happy you did. Wish you the best man!

It is possible to build muscle while losing fat(cutting). Your body will rely on its glycogen stores for energy. Once the glycogen stores have deen depleted(ketosis), your body will use fat and muscle as energy. Fat will be the primary source after glycogen stores are depleted, but you will also lose small amounts of muscle. Lucky for us we have pretty good amount of fat stores, but you will still want to keep your Protein up to replace any muscle that did get used as energy. As you lose more and more fat the body will have less fat to use as a source of energy, so you will want to up your Protein intake up even more to prevent muscle loss from your body using muscle as a energy source.

Hey buddy. Heres something that might help. The gastric sleeve will greatly minimize how much solid food you can eat however, i found that by increasing the amount of Liquid Protein that I consume I have been able to lose the weight and pack on some decent muscle mass. So what I am saying is increase your Protein intake by 1- 1.5 gm per pound of IDEAL body weight but use liquid protein sources in addition to solid foods since the liquids wil go straight through your stomach pouch much quicker. Its worked incredibly well for me

This is one of my reservations about getting the surgery...Im set for Jan12th and keep second guessing myself..im so used to being the big strong guy that losing my muscle and size is hard to deal with mentally. Im 305 right now and want to get to 215 the absolute lowest, but want to be solid, not sickly looking. Im hoping I can get enough Protein in after the surgery to minimize muscle loss and be able to work out like I did..I love lifting and martial arts..Hopefully being 80lbs lighter will make it easier on the old joints!!!

Are there any firefighters or EMT's or Police Officers who had the sleeve done? I am and I was wondering about the after effects and working out. In our line of work we need to be extremely physically fit (strength and cardio wise). Has or is anyone having problems? Any advice or anything at all i should know or y'all can tell me? I want to make sure I am able to get into the gym and get my lungs and body ready for a career as a firefighter.

I went back full duty after 6 weeks. My job is unique in that we perform police, fire and EMS/first responder. I currently work on the fire side so my surgeon gave me some extra time to heal. Had I been on the patrol side, I probably would have gone back at 4 weeks. I have heard of people (social networking) who were back on patrol at 2 weeks post-op, which I did feel well enough to go back to work; but that being said if I had to roll around with someone or stretch a handline I might have caused some type of complication. I'd say plan on a month out.