Men and muscle loss

[dhutch 5]

Hey all.

I'm a 36yo male who was an avid weight lifter. I still lift however just not as hard core. I have way to much body fat and have a big ole belly.l but...... I am very strong and am worried I'll lose all my muscle. I need the surgery due to heavy weight (face is very plump) and given me sleep apnea issues. My blood work is not great either. I need to have the sleeve done for my health. I can't seem to do it on my own

My question is more for the men, did you keep any of your muscle mass? I know I'm not gonna be able keep all the good muscle and lose all the fat but I just don't want to be a weak little guy either.

Idk. Just makes me a bit scared. I am getting sleeved in July at fairview southdale in Edina mn

Sorry if this has been asked, I look for a bit and not not see one!

Godspeed

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[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

I am not a man but I would suggest that the best thing you can do to preserve your muscle is to make sure you get in enough Protein and plan to incorporate weights, resistance, and weight bearing exercise into your exercise routine. You don't have to lose muscle mass and it is preferable that you don't.

Best of luck with your surgery.

[dhutch 5]

Yeah you prob right. That show it is now too I guess. Just now I eat way too darn much. Thank you for taking the time for your reply and thank you! I'm scared as heck. I've never had surgery as an adult. Not even dental surgery. I may be a big "tough" guy but I'm also a wimp!! Lol

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[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

I understand your fear. This was my first surgery ever so I had no idea what to expect. The worst part of the whole process is that pre-op uncertainty. I had a great experience. My surgery went off without a hitch and I had no complications.

[dhutch 5]

How's the pain ? Generally women have a higher pain tolerance

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[Christinamo7 4,042]

I think if you follow your program, wait to lift until cleared to do so and then get back into a cardio/lifting routine you will be amazed by your progress! and with the excess fat off, you'll be better able to show off the muscle, if you are so inclined.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

How's the pain ? Generally women have a higher pain tolerance

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I really wouldn't call it pain. More discomfort and soreness. The worst part was the gas pain in my shoulder which was manageable.

The sooner you can get up and walk when you are in recovery the better you will feel.

Yeah, guys are wimps!

[BigViffer 3,545]

Inner Surfer nailed it, it's more discomfort than pain. Remember the time you overworked your abs? That's what your in for, but it will last about a week instead of a day or so.

Now, as for the muscle loss. Yup, you're going to lose some. Just putting that out there without mincing words. You are going to be getting so few calories and hardly any Protein in the beginning, so your body is going to go after the Protein in your muscle tissue to get what it needs. Plus you are going to be weak as a kitten until you can ingest enough calories to burn as fuel. This is all normal. Don't fight it, just work on laying the groundwork for a healthier lifestyle.

In the beginning (6 months) I wouldn't try to do any heavy lifting. Not because of the reasons above, but you are not going to be getting enough protein in to heal everything AND build muscle. You can only do one thing at a time. Once you are able to hit your surgeons protein goal on a regular basis, then you can start trying to build.

I used to lift heavy all the time, until I injured so much crap that it sidelined me and I started packing on the pounds because I still ate like a fool. You will be able to get back all the muscle you will lose and then some even when eating proper amounts. I don't like to brag (but I'm going to); I have been lifting conservatively for a year and I am making better progress than before. Feel free to look at my gallery or over in the Male Before & After thread for others.

[Barry W 336]

Yes, you are going to lose muscle, there is no avoiding it (completely anyway). Men normally lose more muscle than women, and from a study I saw following dieters, men were losing from 40-50% of the mass lost as muscle (fat free mass as they call it). I have seen it on myself. See Figure 2 in this paper:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22257646

The thing you *can do* to reduce muscle loss at least, is to be faithful about getting your supplemental Protein, and to exercise safely - that will be somewhat limited during the first 6 weeks at least - the main risk as I understand it is a hernia, which you do not want. Protein and exercise have been shown to spare muscle in studies. See this paper:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22516719

[dhutch 5]

Thank you all!'

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[dhutch 5]

Surfer girl. Yes we are! Women are much tougher!!! Hell you people are able to give birth to 8 pounds of human.

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[BigViffer 3,545]

Women are much tougher!!! Hell you people are able to give birth to 8 pounds of human.

Pfft! That's a bunch of bunk and I can prove it. What hurts more; childbirth or a kick in the nuts? Women will almost universally scoff and say that the birthing process obviously hurts more. But whens the last time you heard a man say to anyone, " I want another kick in the balls"?!

[daniotra 298]

You don't get any positives from a kick in the balls. With the baby you get the baby out of your body, huge doses of happy hormones to make you forget how much you just went through, and a little person to brag about.

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[dhutch 5]

Lol. Truth

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