I was so discouraged after a conversation with my surgeon this morning and I need to vent for a minute. I am still pre-op, just waiting on my scope that’s scheduled in August, and then will be proceeding with RNY gastric bypass in early September (fingers crossed). I’ve been meeting with nutrition monthly and have been doing really well and am only 3lbs off from meeting my pre-surgery goal of 215lbs. Today was the first time I actually met with my surgeon and all was well until he asked what my biggest goals were after surgery, to which I replied that I wanted to be healthy and strong! He. Laughed. At. Me. ? He informed me that he never recommends for women “bulk” and that the fact that I lift weights now (higher weight, lower reps) was all wrong and that I’m sabotaging my weight loss by building too much muscle. He insisted that I need to just “tone” muscle and really just focus on cardio ? and reiterated that “no woman wants huge, ripped, muscles anyway”. I couldn’t even make this up, I left with such a bad taste in my mouth. Do I just avoid these conversations with him in the future? Or just do what he says? He’s the best surgeon in the area and obviously is much more educated than I am, but it’s really hard to take someone’s advice after they chuckle at your life goals.

So an Skilled Ass**** beats an Inept Sweetie Pie in the Baiatrics Game? Hmmn, I Just Wonder?

Let me just say I'm doing strength training and I'm going to do it after surgery as well. My opinion is I know I'm going to lose the weight so way not build muscle during the process. I could care less what a doctors orders are if it works for me it works. Doctors orders are suggestions. How can they tell you what will for you!

He's a misogynist clown, and he's also simply wrong about your weight training. That doesn't mean that he is a bad surgeon though, it just means he would be a bad personal trainer and an even worse boyfriend. I would just avoid getting into the details of your workouts with him. I noticed am the exact height and weight as you and also pre-surgery. I wish you the best of luck with your surgery!

Sooo chiming in here we have 3 surgeons in our group the head is a female named dr Elizabeth dovec and she strongly encourages weights she knows from our fitness consultant that it tones and burns fat the more you lift so your dr is flat out wrong and an ass.

@wishful.shrinking Have you had any more unpleasant doctor encounters since posting this topic?

So did anybody bean Dr Doofuss with a 50 pound weight or is he still tucked in his office dispensing "put-downs"?

The OP's surgeon is incredibly ill informed. First "bulking" in the bodybuilding context is more about eating lots than it is a specific weight training regime. Obviously after WLS "bulking" is just not going to be possible. Second, everyone (other than steroid users) loses muscle mass when they loose a significant amount of weight -- its just reality. Third, weight training (especially with weights as heavy as possible) is the best way to minimize loss of muscle mass.

Despite fairly intense weight training I've lost at least twenty pounds of lean body mass since my surgery. This isn't a bad thing since I've lost far more fat. More importantly I would have lost significantly more muscle if I hadn't been lifting.

Bottom line is that after WLS no one is going to be gaining muscle. This is true for guys and even more true for women. The best case scenario is that after a person's weight has stabilized they may, with a lot of hard work over a long period of time, manage to regain some muscle mass. However, without steroids (or Testosterone Replacement Therapy for guys AKA legal steroids), these gains are unlikely to exceed 5 to 10 pounds for women and 10 to 20 pounds for men. But that's enough to make a huge difference.

@CalGuy64 I have a mobility problem with my right ankle (that can't be fixed). How can strength training help someone like me? Is there a difference between the various terms: weight training, strength training, and bodybuilding? Do you primarily increase muscle mass in the area targeted or do you regain muscle strength throughout? I believe that several muscles in my legs have atrophied. How can I build strength in my legs safely?

07/17/2018 09:35 AM, GreenTealael said:

The taxonomy of this Man
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: None

talk to him about your surgery, a NUT about your diet, a trainer about the rest of your muscles.

VSG2017 HW 249 SW 238 CW 169

Absolutely agree.
I wouldn’t waste one bit of energy on it unless it relates to your health and welfare regarding your surgery.
How does it really make a difference in your life that this idiot chose to expose his moronic viewpoint? Aside from being a ridiculous, antiquated picture of an ideal female body type, does this make one bit of difference in your life from here on out? He’s still a great surgeon, right? You just happen to know that in this regard, he’s kind of an ass (and not afraid to show it). Why fight a battle that doesn’t need to be fought?

Christmas is in 18 weeks...

And my birthday,is the VERY next day. People get in line-Frustr8 LOVES presents. Presents DO NO OFFEND ME!???

Oh are you a Sagetarious? I am.

Nope December 26th is considered on the cusp of Capricorn?Saggitarians are,earlier December- late November people. I like Saggitarians, they are honest , tell things like they are.
Capricorn,are born solemn and shy, they loosen up as they,get older By the time I'm 80 I'm going to be an absolute hoot, and a joy to be around! At 72, I am well on the glide path to hysteria.???

What a sexist.

I hope you mean the OP's rotten excuse,of a doctor and not me. I sure don't resemble your remark, I'm a soft tender low-drama mama trying to get,her bariatric game together.