I have not sleeved yet, so I do not have first have knowledge or experience with it. However, in my former life (ten-plus-years-ago-when-I-was-in-shape), I was an aerobics instructor and weight trainer. I learned a lot about the body and how it functions when it comes to fat burning and building muscle mass.

That being said, I want to address those of you who are experiencing stalls. Stalls in the beginning of the sleeve process are usually due to your body re-supplying its Water and insulin stores that were utilized when your body went into shock from the liquid diet. When stores are utilized, your body sheds all of the weight that those stores consisted of in your body. This is part of the large amount weight that you see shed in the beginning. However, once your body has depleted its stores, it starts to store them once again (it needs to prepare itself in case of another emergency!). This is where sleevers tend to see stalls—the period of time that your body is restoring itself and is adding back its water weight.

Stalls seen thereafter in people who are following the doctor and nutritionists advice to the letter, and whom are also exercising, are often experiencing the added pounds of muscle mass. Muscle weight weighs more than fat because of its density. Picture a steak with chunks of fat on the sides, the meat is heavier—denser. Often times people think that they are “stalling” or plateauing, but they are in actuality burning more fat and adding muscle mass. DO NOT let this stop you from lifting weights and trying to build muscle mass, because the more muscle you have, the more fat you burn! YES, that is right!!! The more muscle you add to your body, the greater you enable your body to burn the fat—essentially, making you thinner! So, you might not be seeing loss on the scale, but you should definitely see loss in the inches and circumference of your body.

I agree.....don't let a stall, or even a slight gain from muscle added deter you. Women, you don't have to worry about getting muscle bound or "bulky"....it's not in your hormones, so you're not going to build massive amounts of muscle, especially since you are on a calorie restriction. The fact that you are female, add to that the fact that your calories and macros are significantly reduced = no huge massive amounts of muscle to be produced. So the small, incremental amounts of muscle you do build or "tone" in the gym, will only help you. I know everyone is different, and this may not apply to those with lots of sagging skin and there are other factors involved, but I feel the muscle I've gained/maintained has really helped me fill in the spots (to some extent) where the fat used to be. I lift often and with fairly high intensity, and I have zero sagging skin.

"Kat"..............just giving you a heads up, some people may comment/correct ya on the weight of muscle vs fat thing. I think the way I usually read their comments goes something like this........"a pound of muscle weighs the exact same as a pound of fat", which of course is right. But the point you are making is spot on......a pound of muscle takes up less space than a pound of fat. I think some get to the gym, lift for a few weeks and get worried when the scale slows down, stalls, or even goes up a pound or two. But usually the overall body composition is better......they have a little less fat and a little more muscle, which to me, is a good thing.

I agree.....don't let a stall, or even a slight gain from muscle added deter you. Women, you don't have to worry about getting muscle bound or "bulky"....it's not in your hormones, so you're not going to build massive amounts of muscle, especially since you are on a calorie restriction. The fact that you are female, add to that the fact that your calories and macros are significantly reduced = no huge massive amounts of muscle to be produced. So the small, incremental amounts of muscle you do build or "tone" in the gym, will only help you. I know everyone is different, and this may not apply to those with lots of sagging skin and there are other factors involved, but I feel the muscle I've gained/maintained has really helped me fill in the spots (to some extent) where the fat used to be. I lift often and with fairly high intensity, and I have zero sagging skin.

"Kat"..............just giving you a heads up, some people may comment/correct ya on the weight of muscle vs fat thing. I think the way I usually read their comments goes something like this........"a pound of muscle weighs the exact same as a pound of fat", which of course is right. But the point you are making is spot on......a pound of muscle takes up less space than a pound of fat. I think some get to the gym, lift for a few weeks and get worried when the scale slows down, stalls, or even goes up a pound or two. But usually the overall body composition is better......they have a little less fat and a little more muscle, which to me, is a good thing.

I should have clarified, but yes...you are correct and thank you for that clarification.

I also want to add that "aroundhnky" is very much correct: women do not add mass the way men do. Men have testosterone; testosterone—stated in a simple way—yields itself to a greater ability to build mass. The estrogen hormone that reins a woman’s body, unfortunately, lends itself to higher ratios of fat. Staying away from bad fats, eating balanced meals, and consuming at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight (as well as adding cardio and strength training) overrides this genetic variable. If you are a female looking to add more muscle and are seeking out that “muscle look,” you need to work your way up to lifting heavier weight and lower reps with failure at the end of each set. Make sure to spread out the days in which you work out the various muscles. Muscles build after it tears and heals itself.

Good thoughts! I was going to second the "muscle weighs less than fat" comment. 5 pounds of muscle and 5 pounds of fat are both 5 pounds. The muscle takes of less room than the fat. So you will weigh more but look thinner.

I have quite a bit of muscle and I believe this is why I weigh more than most that wear the same size as me.

I should have clarified, but yes...you are correct and thank you for that clarification.

I was just messin' with ya. I guess I'm a sleeve veteran now and I've seen (read) the muscle vs fat topic a lot. It's very interesting and people comment on it quite a bit........including me.

Good thoughts! I was going to second the "muscle weighs less than fat" comment. 5 pounds of muscle and 5 pounds of fat are both 5 pounds. The muscle takes of less room than the fat. So you will weigh more but look thinner.

I have quite a bit of muscle and I believe this is why I weigh more than most that wear the same size as me.

Yeah, I'm still weighing pretty high on the BMI charts, but I lift A LOT. I'm sure I could stop lifting, do lots of cardio, eat the same cals but reduce my complex carbs and I would probably drop 20+ pounds in a month or two. That 20 pounds would be most entirely muscle loss (and a little water), so it's not worth it to me just to get a number on the scale. It's just all a matter of personal preference I suppose.

All great points. I have a link in my sig about stalls that pretty much says the same thing you did. And yes, resistance training is hugely beneficial...especially to people on massively restricted diets. It is very easy to go into a catabolic state on a calorie restricted diet....eating protein and doing resistance training will help prevent that.

Yeah' date=' I'm still weighing pretty high on the BMI charts, but I lift A LOT. I'm sure I could stop lifting, do lots of cardio, eat the same cals but reduce my complex carbs and I would probably drop 20+ pounds in a month or two. That 20 pounds would be most entirely muscle loss (and a little water), so it's not worth it to me just to get a number on the scale. It's just all a matter of personal preference I suppose.[/quote']

Dude you're a beast. I wouldn't change a thing if I were you. I'm sure you won't. I expect to see you next year on Met-Rx Worlds Strongest Man.

Here's a visual for you! From http://www.core-condition.com/quick-tips/how-to-properly-track-weight-loss-progress-without-the-scale/

Dude you're a beast. I wouldn't change a thing if I were you. I'm sure you won't. I expect to see you next year on Met-Rx Worlds Strongest Man.

Thanks! The only time I change is when I have to....like when I plateau on my lifts or my body adjusts, then I have to change my lifts a little to keep the muscle on their toes and wake them up. Strong man?........I wish! But thanks! Maybe if there was some local competition for 40 and over guys with gastric surgery..........perhaps I could qualify for that.

Aroundhnky, butterthebean is right...you look great! Talk about a success story! BMI doesn't take into account muscle mass, and I think it's the percentage of bady fat that should matter, not the numbers on a scale. Somebody could have a low BMI, but they coyld also have higher percentage of body fat than someone with a higher BMI. When I was at the peak of my fitness game, most if my female students would gasp when I told them how much I weighed. Hence the idea that "muscle weighs more than fat." Lol

Thanks! The only time I change is when I have to....like when I plateau on my lifts or my body adjusts' date=' then I have to change my lifts a little to keep the muscle on their toes and wake them up. Strong man?........I wish! But thanks! Maybe if there was some local competition for 40 and over guys with gastric surgery..........perhaps I could qualify for that. [/quote']

Ha...yes there should be an "under 1500 calories per day" division. You'd win that. Those guys would faint if they ate less than 1500 calories before sunrise.

When I ran my half marathon I was thinking I should get some sort of award for not eating 15 bananas before the run.

Sorry for all the typos!

Body fat is tricky for me bc of the excess skin. Does anybody else have this problem? Last time I measured at 23% body fat. I still have a lot of skin that hangs over the muscle, so I am wondering how accurate measuring body fat is??? I'm not a bodybuilder by any means. I enjoy lifting weights a few times a week. I also do various forms of cardio. I worked out a lot before surgery and have always enjoyed strength training so I had quite a bit of muscle before the weight loss.

Yeah, I'm still weighing pretty high on the BMI charts, but I lift A LOT. I'm sure I could stop lifting, do lots of cardio, eat the same cals but reduce my complex carbs and I would probably drop 20+ pounds in a month or two. That 20 pounds would be most entirely muscle loss (and a little water), so it's not worth it to me just to get a number on the scale. It's just all a matter of personal preference I suppose.

I'm not sure how you feel about this but the whole BMI thing drives me crazy. Maybe it's a woman thing. lol I am still over weight according to the BMI charts. I wear a size 6 or 8. This was the goal I wanted to get to, I didn't have a weight goal just a size of clothes where I felt comfortable. I don't feel overweight but in my head it still bothers me bc the BMI charts call me overweight. In my head I also know that I'm not supposed go by the BMI charts but the rest of the world does!