I'm still pre-op but I was wondering if there will be any type of restrictions with weight lifts? I know most say 6 weeks so your body has time to heal but I was curious if you lift heavy weights after the 6 week mark and on (body building) could you tear open your incision? My ultimate goal is to do women's weight lifting competition but I don't ever want to do anything that could cause injury! Thanks in advance!

It's more the pressure...intraabdominal/intrathoracic pressure you'd be concerned about first. If you try to squat or dead lift 100's of pounds to close to post op...you may have a problem. Interestingly, my provider was more worried about playing golf to soon over the weight lifting...the torque from a full swing can push/pull on the stomach creating shearing forces. But, you're correct...the generic standard I've seen on the forum is 6 weeks....give yourself time though. It's a new stomach for the rest of your life....not just around the 6 week mark. Best of luck.

Amen Matthew!

CCBarrick....I think it's great that you plan on lifting after your sleeve! Just make sure to be patient and when you are allowed to lift, just ease into and gradually build up. You have the rest of your life to lift, so don't do anything too crazy right after surgery. Good luck!

Thanks for responding!

I can't wait to get back to the gym and start training!

As excited as you are to get back in the gym and bust out some good training sessions, may I go so far as to say that it may be wise to get other areas of the house in order first.

Develop a really good nutrition plan, get used to eating 5-6 small meals a day, be able to eat and drink enough to sustain the caloric and Water requirements of training. This takes time to develop these strategies both mentally and physically as a post op. You are time bounded by the physical healing process and cannot make it go faster or slower. Your stomach is still adjusting even up to 1 year later, but generally most can eat and drink what they need to at month 6.

At 6 weeks, you will just be starting on solids and most can hope to eat 2-3 ounces of dense Protein. Eating vegetables are a real challenge for many all the way out to 5 months.

Everyone is different, but I have seen that these general patterns emerge across most VSG post ops, including myself. Best of luck!

Yup..right now focus on your new lifestyle.