How would that work? Can you build muscle after the sleeve? I mean, isnt it impossible to gain muscle at a caloric deficit?

I'd rather not be "skinny" (though would MUCH prefer skinny over fat), but I truely like lifting, and would like to gain some muscle after I get sleeved.

Is this possible? Or is being fat, then sleeved, then muscular not in the cards?

TIA

I can only speak from my experience, I go to the gym and weight train about 4 times a week. First off I took the 6 weeks of no lifting after the surgery to heart. When I went back to the gym I was very weak and lost a lot of muscle. According to everything I've read you can't lose weight and gain muscle at the exact same time but I do think there's some hope.

In the beginning no way as you can not eat enough but down the road I believe that if you cycle meaning two light days of eating and one heavier day you can. One of the greatest things about working out after surgery is you can tone and tighten and your physique (sp?) starts to show.

I can see muscles I didn't no I had now... good luck!

I can only speak from my experience, I go to the gym and weight train about 4 times a week. First off I took the 6 weeks of no lifting after the surgery to heart. When I went back to the gym I was very weak and lost a lot of muscle. According to everything I've read you can't lose weight and gain muscle at the exact same time but I do think there's some hope.

In the beginning no way as you can not eat enough but down the road I believe that if you cycle meaning two light days of eating and one heavier day you can. One of the greatest things about working out after surgery is you can tone and tighten and your physique (sp?) starts to show.

I can see muscles I didn't no I had now... good luck!

I believe this to be true. It is very difficult to ADD muscle while losing weight....but adequate Protein intake and rest is the key. To be honest though.....most fat guys/women have TONS of muscle built up under their fat stores. It's the byproduct of our bodies having to carry/support so much weight. Losing some of that muscle mass is inevitable since you won't need it at your new weight....however if you take in adequate nutrition and work out you can reduce the muscle loss and end up pretty nice as the fat slowly goes away.

Protein. Lots and lots of protein. You can not build muscle without adequate protein intake.

Absolutely! The Protein is the key...I checked with my surgeon before I decided to go forward with my procedure (which I'm having next week) to see if there were any restrictions on heavy weightlifting or anything long-term. I was told that once you heal properly (i guess between 4-6 weeks or so), you should be able to exercise in any way, including lifting. If you are getting adequate protein, you should be able to build muscle even while losing, but slowly. And muscle burns calories, so it could also help accelerate the fat loss and avoid plateaus as you go.

Good luck!

I asked myself the exact same question; it's so illogical to build muscle at a caloric deficit. But you know what, the human body is so sophisticated that logic, sometimes, does not work! There was a study done by University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, on 40 women (average body fat of 40%) who were divided into 4 groups:

1) Diet only. <1000 calories.

2) Diet with exercise (weight lifting). <1000 calories.

3) Exercise only. They did not change their eating habits.

4) No dieting and no exercising.

If I remember correctly: Groups 1, 2 and 3 lost body weight. But only group 2 and 3 gained muscles. Those women gained about 1.5 lbs of muscles in 8 weeks (It should be more than that for men).

You need to understand that bulking up is not the same as being strong. If you don't have any experience in weight lifting, I suggest you spend sometime researching it.

How would that work? Can you build muscle after the sleeve? I mean, isnt it impossible to gain muscle at a caloric deficit?

I'd rather not be "skinny" (though would MUCH prefer skinny over fat), but I truely like lifting, and would like to gain some muscle after I get sleeved.

Is this possible? Or is being fat, then sleeved, then muscular not in the cards?

TIA

Great question! Im a pretty muscular guy, under the fat my arms and chest are pretty solid. I know you lose fat and muscle together, like its not 100% fat. I don't wanna go from being a strong fat guy to weak loose skin skinny fat guy. I def want to pack on some solid muscle.

i was reading this in a musclebuilding forum ..

Muscles rely on glycogen (the energy they use for fuel) to perform work. When bodybuilders replace carbohydrate with Protein in their diet, they have lower muscle stores of glycogen. For that reason, a high protein/low carbohydrate diet cannot provide enough glycogen for our muscles, so they may feel weak, tired, and fatigue quickly.

In addition, our bodies need to convert any excess protein we eat in order to burn it as energy or to store it as fat. Protein conversion helps us get rid of the nitrogen contained in amino acids (the building blocks of protein), which we eliminate through urination; however, it can also contribute to dehydration, muscle cramping, and excess stress on liver and kidneys.

As a result, it's important for a bodybuilder to take in enough carbohydrates. Carbs are used to fuel the muscles you'll use to help build lean body mass. Lots of extra protein by itself will not add muscular bulk � carbohydrates actually spare protein so that it can be used to repair muscle tissue, which is how we build muscular strength and size.

How much protein do bodybuilders need? First figure out how many calories you need. If you're not taking in enough calories, you can't build muscle tissue efficiently. That's because your body will be burning most of your calories, not using them to repair muscle tissue. For example, take a 180 pound guy � if he's moderately active, he probably needs about 2700 calories a day (plus or minus a few) to maintain his weight. Besides his moderate daily activity level, he could burn about 500 calories during an hour of heavy weightlifting. If he wants to add one pound of muscle weight per week, he needs approximately 500 extra calories per day plus about 500 more to make up for the energy deficit from intense weightlifting. This makes his grand total to be around 3700 calories a day.

So how can we translate this number to his protein needs? The RDA for protein has been established at 0.8 grams/kg of body weight for adults. This is not enough to build muscle mass for intense athletes. Although it's difficult to pinpoint a specific number because you have to take into account many variables, research has determined an acceptable range: even at the very high end, the top protein intake needs to be 1.5 - 2.0 g/kg of body weight. For our 180 lb. (divided by 2.2 = 82 kg) lifter, this would be 122 - 164 grams of protein per day. Since protein has 4 calories per gram, then this amount of protein would comprise 13 - 18 percent of his daily caloric intake of 3700 calories; the usual recommendation is about 12 - 15 percent. As you can see, a huge excess of protein is not needed.

Interesting read,,.. hope this can help in anyway.. MT

After two weeks my doctor said fine to go back to gym. Have personal trainer keeps eye in my. First day could only handle 30 minutes second session today did an hour on machines and don't have strength loss but I worked out up to three days before surgery and got back in third week. Muscles sore from layoff but feel good now. Agree with others about protein. You can gain muscle and lose weight but be careful of diet

"Finding Me75".......... I saw your last post was in April. This topic is important to me as well and I would like to still lift weights 3-4 times a week after surgery. What's been the key for your weightlifting since your surgery and at least maintaining some muscle?

Thanks!

Hitting the gym. Weeks 1-2 nothing. 3-4 rough low energy could only handle up to 30 minutes. Around week 5-7 endurance normal some strength loss. Now week 8 now sweating normal and getting strength up as well as normal endurance. Helps to have trainer so you have support and watch your back so you don't overdo. You will have some strength loss just relax you will rebuild

I'm just a little less than 1 week post-op and can't wait to hit the gym. The dr wants me to wait 4 weeks. It's really hard to do that because I feel really good considering I had surgery just 6 days ago and I've lost 16 pounds, but I swear, it's all muscle loss. Drank many Protein shakes on pre-op diet and TRYING to get in a good bit of protein since surgery, but it's very difficult. I'm so flabby and weak I can't stand it! I know I needed to lose weight and I'm still happy I had the sleeve done, just feel a bit down because it seems I'll never be strong or have muscles again. That part sucks and I'm having trouble dealing with it. Anyone have some good advice on this topic?

Anyone? Feeling weaker and weaker...........

I did the first 3 or 4 weeks, but my energy and stamina have really come back strong since about week 4. I've not been lifting, but I do swim and there is a noticeable difference than a few weeks ago.

You are going to have some muscle loss; I don't think there is a way to prevent that. I have tried to be diligent with my protein intake, but it was so hard at the beginning. I am at the same weight I was 18 years ago when I had a 6 pack, but I still have a lot of loose skin and some fat, so I know I have lost muscle. Besides, when I am at the gym, I can't lift the same amount as I could before. But, I am working on that. I didn't have the energy to work out shortly after surgery, but I increased my carbs and was able to resolve that. It's work. This is not a walk in the park, by any means. Now, I am training for a 5K and lifting 3-4x a week. It will come back and I feel better than I have in years.

Thanks Pdxman! I lifted some last week (fairly light). I just got back from the gym today working shoulders and triceps and feel pretty good. I didn't go crazy, but lifted heavy enough to where it required some mild effort. I may be way off, but it seems like I'm only slightly weaker than I was before I started my pre-op diet. I can tell that looking at myself and feeling my flabby arms and legs that I lost a lot of muscle mass itself, but just a little strength-wise. I thought for sure after seeing my muscles wither away for the past 5 weeks, that I would be so weak that I could hardly lift anything. For example: military presses before pre-op I could do about 185 pounds behind the neck press for about 5-8 reps. Today I did the same lift with 135 pounds for 8 reps (2 sets). I know there is some strength loss, but not nearly as much as I would've thought by looking at me. I feel a lot better now! I'm thinking maybe some "muscle memory" will help me as well to gain back some of my original strength.

Sleeved 11/3/2011