GansettRam74

Thank to everyone that took time out of your day to comment, make suggestions, share your trials. I am certainly going to take much of the advice given. As I mentioned, my goal is to get my BF% to at least 20% if not lower. My PCP estimates I'm at about 30%BF now. I laugh at the BMI chart as it has me as 36%. My PCP and I talked about having a BMR test done and he's ordered one. To @oldbriannomore you look awesome man as do everyone else. I wish I had your height or even close to it. I'm a tad vertically challenged at 5'9. As my father always would say about himself and his kids. We aren't overweight, we're just under height! I did lose 1lb this week so yeah for small victories. I added a couple nights of 20yd sprints & ladder drill workouts, with with my 16yr old who's started his preseason Strength & conditioning workouts for football. Not sure if that made a difference but I was pleasantly surprised how well at 45yrs old how I kept up with him on the first 5 sprints anyway. I think my goal for the summer will be to try to shed as much extra fat as I can while maintaining the muscle I have as best I can then look to add muscle in the Fall. Please keep the discussions going. I enjoy reading everyone's experiences and recommendations.

Thank you for the reply and suggestions. Much appreciated! I have been changing up routine a bit every 6 weeks but more on the lifting end. Maybe I will try to do HIIT a couple days a week in leu of a walk that day. My nut hasn't really been much help because she doesn't get why I'm wanting to add muscle. I'd personally rather be 210-215 with 15-20%bf then 190lbs and look sick & withdrawn especially when all other health markers(bp, cholesterol, acid reflux in check, etc) are now spot on.

I'm a 45yr old male who's ultimate goal is to get lean enough with enough muscle to entire a natural masters BB comp down the road. This is where the conundrum is. I know if I lowered my cals, I'd likely lose much quicker but I know most will be muscle mass. It is encouraging hearing you lost weight up to 18-20mos out. I am hopeful I can get the remaining 35lbs off in the next 9-10mos. I'd be happy with 25lbs but BF in low 20's.

Thank to everyone that took time out of your day to comment, make suggestions, share your trials. I am certainly going to take much of the advice given. As I mentioned, my goal is to get my BF% to at least 20% if not lower. My PCP estimates I'm at about 30%BF now. I laugh at the BMI chart as it has me as 36%. My PCP and I talked about having a BMR test done and he's ordered one. To @oldbriannomore you look awesome man as do everyone else. I wish I had your height or even close to it. I'm a tad vertically challenged at 5'9. As my father always would say about himself and his kids. We aren't overweight, we're just under height! I did lose 1lb this week so yeah for small victories. I added a couple nights of 20yd sprints & ladder drill workouts, with with my 16yr old who's started his preseason Strength & conditioning workouts for football. Not sure if that made a difference but I was pleasantly surprised how well at 45yrs old how I kept up with him on the first 5 sprints anyway. I think my goal for the summer will be to try to shed as much extra fat as I can while maintaining the muscle I have as best I can then look to add muscle in the Fall. Please keep the discussions going. I enjoy reading everyone's experiences and recommendations.

Yes they are. My body is changing, just not seeing it on scale. I know I'm getting leaner, I have added muscle mass, and it is a marathon not a sprint but still, some days gets very frustrating especially seeing others with massive weightloss. I am happy with how I don't have a ton of loose skin so i guess that's plus too.

I'm a 45yr old male who's ultimate goal is to get lean enough with enough muscle to entire a natural masters BB comp down the road. This is where the conundrum is. I know if I lowered my cals, I'd likely lose much quicker but I know most will be muscle mass. It is encouraging hearing you lost weight up to 18-20mos out. I am hopeful I can get the remaining 35lbs off in the next 9-10mos. I'd be happy with 25lbs but BF in low 20's.

So I am coming up on my 1yr mark. While I am happy that I've lost 142lbs from HW in Feb 2018, 93lbs since sleeve, my weight loss has virtually been stalled. My macros are have been on point(1200-1400 cals, 90-125g protein, 50-60g carbs per day) while walking 4mi six days per week plus 1.5hrs lifting at gym 4-5 days per week. Per Apple watch, I am burning 4500-5500 cals per day depending on workouts but yet scale has not moved in more than 2lbs in two months. Frustrated as heck but I haven't let off the gas pedal. My personal goal is to lose another 35lbs while getting by BF 15-20%. Definitely have much more noticeable definition in arms, shoulders, and legs but yet scale not moving. Could overtraining be the reason for my stall??? Am I just not able to get enough calories in to keep metabolism burning?? Have I reached my loss period??? I am afraid if I lower cals, I'll start to lose my muscle gains. Any trainers out here with experience in bariatric surgery? Anyone go through this??

Thank you for the reply and suggestions. Much appreciated! I have been changing up routine a bit every 6 weeks but more on the lifting end. Maybe I will try to do HIIT a couple days a week in leu of a walk that day. My nut hasn't really been much help because she doesn't get why I'm wanting to add muscle. I'd personally rather be 210-215 with 15-20%bf then 190lbs and look sick & withdrawn especially when all other health markers(bp, cholesterol, acid reflux in check, etc) are now spot on.

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.

Thank you for the reply and suggestions. Much appreciated! I have been changing up routine a bit every 6 weeks but more on the lifting end. Maybe I will try to do HIIT a couple days a week in leu of a walk that day. My nut hasn't really been much help because she doesn't get why I'm wanting to add muscle. I'd personally rather be 210-215 with 15-20%bf then 190lbs and look sick & withdrawn especially when all other health markers(bp, cholesterol, acid reflux in check, etc) are now spot on.

I think you need to also consider your goals (life rather than weight) and work out what your priorities needs to be and maybe think of how to go about things. Currently it seems like you're trying to build muscle and strength and cut fat at the same time. I'm no expert but from my reading about bodybuilding/lifting type things trying to do all of this at the same time doesn't work after a point.
I'd decide on a priority and do it i.e. Build muscle/strength and give yourself the calories to do it, then once you've done this try and cut weight by reducing calories and changing up the exercise. You'll find your body composition is changing anyway so you'll have less fat to lose when the time comes.
I'm a **** example as I'm not the best with my diet but my goal was 90kg, i'm now at about 107kg but I'm concentrating on building strength and muscle, if I end up being around this weight but with a better shaped body I'll not be disappointed! I've started training for strongman competitions (have first next week) and there's a <105kg category so that's my aim.
As you said you're healthy and have probably added a good 20 yrs to your life so enjoy it. Personally I'd like to have a smaller gut but I absolutely love being able to lift stupidly heavy weights so I'll chip away at the gut but my effort will be muscle and strength.

I may be the old chick in the room, But I’m still amazed at how transforming weightlifting and gaining muscles has been. I had a hard time in my first year to build muscle. It got better after my weight loss slowed down.

I’m just over a year out, have lost maybe 10lb since Xmas but my body shape has changed hugely as I just started working out in December.
That seems like a bit of a big deficit but I’m no expert...
Might be worth shaking up the routine a bit? If you’re doing body building style workouts maybe try lower volume higher weights for a while? Reduce the walking and replace with HIIT cardio?
I wouldn’t worry too much just play about and enjoy you far you’ve come!

I'm a 45yr old male who's ultimate goal is to get lean enough with enough muscle to entire a natural masters BB comp down the road. This is where the conundrum is. I know if I lowered my cals, I'd likely lose much quicker but I know most will be muscle mass. It is encouraging hearing you lost weight up to 18-20mos out. I am hopeful I can get the remaining 35lbs off in the next 9-10mos. I'd be happy with 25lbs but BF in low 20's.

I'm going to refer you to the guys on the site that lift. Not sure if they are still around. (I'm a runner and lifter .....but I'm female)
https://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/418762-is-it-possible-to-build-muscle-after-the-sleeve-im-about-to-find-out/?tab=comments#comment-4684423

@BigViffer @BlueCrush @oldbriannomore @TomCruzMomShoes @Albus

I use myfitnesspal food log. It also has a community. You can friend people.
This guy is a trainer. Very supportive. He's in his 50's once weighed 402 POUNDS at 5 foot 7. His story below.
. https://www.myfitnesspal.com/profile/staffordshire62

Stalls can be so frustrating and demotivating and it makes us question if we need to be taking in fewer calories or more calories or less exercise or more exercise. In the end, our bodies are gonna do what they're gonna do and we just have to know we're doing all the right things.

I'm a 45yr old male who's ultimate goal is to get lean enough with enough muscle to entire a natural masters BB comp down the road. This is where the conundrum is. I know if I lowered my cals, I'd likely lose much quicker but I know most will be muscle mass. It is encouraging hearing you lost weight up to 18-20mos out. I am hopeful I can get the remaining 35lbs off in the next 9-10mos. I'd be happy with 25lbs but BF in low 20's.

Hi there,
First off, you can't compare your progress to others. The fact is, if you weren't training hard, you'd probably be losing more weight on the scale--but you wouldn't see it on your body the same way. The scale is BS-just an easy metric to track. You should be more focused on losing inches--which is really the whole point anyway. As long as that's happening (as you said), you're doing the right things. The weight loss on the scale will eventually catch up. Second, you may want to get a body fat monitor, like the handheld one that Omicron makes. I have only lost 3.5 pounds in the past month, but I lost 1.5 inches off my waist and 1.8% of my body fat. I don't consider that a stall by any means.
If you want to experiment with increasing your calories or changing up your diet by cutting down on carbs or increasing the amount of healthy fat you're eating (something along those lines), you might give your body a little kickstart by confusing it. Bottom line is you lost 137 pounds since last June. That's f---ing amazing. That last few pounds are always going to be the hardest.

First off, congrats on such an amazing success so far with your weight loss and transformation! I’m not in any way a fitness expert or anything, and I haven’t had Bariatric surgery yet, but I’ve experienced something similar before. When I got down to my lowest weight a year ago and I was at the gym for 2 hours a day doing cardio and lifting, I hit a major wall all of a sudden. I was counting my calories on my fitness pal daily which was only 1200 but was burning more then that a day. Then my weight loss doctor said something to me that made a lot of sense. She said your body gets used to that level of activity and calories you are burning and therefore you will have to do even more for your body to “react”. So she suggested to actually take a step back from the gym for about a week. Giving my body a rest and a chance to recover while watching what I ate. And in that week I dropped 9lbs. It was kind of amazing how my body really did just need some rest. Maybe it’s worth a shot even though I know it’s hard to not work out everyday.

FYI, I just turned 45. I know that being a 45 year old guy trying to get back into shape has some unique challenges. We can't train the same way we did in our twenties, nor should you even try. What worked then, will not work now--not for the long term anyway. I am kicking my ass like you are. I am up around 4am to get to the gym by 4:30-4:34. I take a spin class five days a week (twice on Wednesdays). I then weight train intensively 5-6 days a week, mixing and matching supersets and drop sets. Focusing on compound lifts most days and then having one day of just isolation and "Big Lift Day" once a week when I do squats, deadlifts, barbell rows, bench press, kettle bell swings, lat pull and mix in pushups and rowing machine as part of a circuit. I keep the weight challenging but not max by any means. i have to focus on trying to perfect my form--I can't get way with sloppy form like I could 20 years ago. I always use a heart rate monitor so I make sure that I keep my bpm up into the high 130's low 140's on average. I'll spike in the 150's the end of a super set and then rest until my rate drops in the 120's and then start a new set (usually that means waiting 1minute to a 1:30 seconds). Forget what the scale says, I think just adding this one "Big Lift Day" into my routine really kicked my body into gear and got my muscle mass growing and definitely kicked up my testosterone a notch (which is great for getting rid of belly fat). If I didn't have extra skin around my mid-section from years of being obese, I would have a six pack now.
August 2018:

This week:

I know you are working out a lot and eating well, but are you maintaining your water intake? I had a major stall after going to a trainer for months. I decided to try swimming and the weight started coming off again. I try to change up my routine whenever I start to stall and the change in activity seems to help. Best of luck on your journey.