Hi guys !

I'm basically 4 months post op and lost around 58lbs (26,5kgs). I've been walking a lot, but I don't feel like it's enough. I haven't started going to the gym because I've seen so many different opinion on going to the gym and weightlifting. Dr Vuong explains that during this phase our body is in catabolism, meaning we basically breakdown our muscles and that's how we loose all this weight. He says that starting heavy exercise is counter intuitive as it will increase our appetite and work against the surgery. I'm very lost right now because I would like to start going to the gym and shape my body. I'm an absolute beginner, I have no idea what to do. Could you please let me know what worked for you in terms of exercise and everything ? Also if you have any advices on what exercise I should do ? And if I consider starting weightlifting, where to begin ? Thank you so much

I mostly walked and did water aerobics the first few months, because at my weight at that point, they were the easiest things for me to do.

I’m so glad you posted this question! I could use some help myself! Here are a couple exercises I was given by a trainer. They are 3x per week. 20 x 3 reps. I started with 5lb weights and moved up to 8. I had to you tube a few of them. They are lower impact but super effective.

Thank you so much for your reply !!

Yes it's very hard to find the right information and exactly what to do in the gym. I heard that you're supposed to do the exact same routine for a few weeks and not switch up the exercises every week to actually see results. Your workout plan is really helpful, I will look up the exercises and start with this. Thank you so much !

You so welcome! Hope it helps! I very much dislike weights, but found this routine manageable. The nice thing I learned is once you get the reps down and they seam to easy you can still do the routine just increase the reps and weights sizes.
It feels like your head spins trying to figure out what works best for you!

So I started working out with a trainer at 2.5 months post-op (would have started at 2 months but wanted to wait until I was fully vaccinated). I am doing both cardio and weight training and I will tell you that has been a huge part of my success. I am up to 1200-1300 calories a day now (9.5 months post op) but I am usually working out 7-8 hours a week (strength training 3-4 times a week, cardio on the other days). I am doing my next “bod pod” scan Friday but I did one when I started with the trainer and 1 in mid-July. From end of March to mid-July I lost 35 lbs on the scale, but it was really 41.5 lbs of fat as I gained 6.6 lbs of muscle. I know I am going to need plastic surgery but at least I am seeing the benefits of doing the weight training. As you can see from my progress, this certainly hasn’t inhibited my weight loss. And bonus - the more muscle you have, the more effective your body is at burning calories. So it’s a win-win.

Dr. Vuong needs to get current on research. It's fat we're losing. There is SOME muscle catabolism during the process because there has to be, but no, the point is not muscle catabolism, otherwise people who succeeded in losing their excess weight would be weak blobs of fat. ?

Weight training helps get rid of fat. It revs your metabolic engine. I did increase my calories (in concert with my new NUT) in order to get my protein consumption up, but I'm not hungrier than I was. And my weight loss actually accelerated by about a pound (0.45 kg) a week. I weight train 3-4 times a week and I do some kind of cardio (running, biking, rowing, skipping rope) 3-4 times a week.

And you don't need to be a gym rat. You can go to a store and buy a few dumbbells (buy them in pairs) or a kettlebell. Nick Urankar, who's a CrossFit athlete, has a whole program called "Just a Bar" where you use a barbell (25, 35, or 45 lbs.) for strength training.

3 hours ago, vikingbeast said:

Dr. Vuong needs to get current on research. It's fat we're losing. There is SOME muscle catabolism during the process because there has to be, but no, the point is not muscle catabolism, otherwise people who succeeded in losing their excess weight would be weak blobs of fat. ?

Weight training helps get rid of fat. It revs your metabolic engine. I did increase my calories (in concert with my new NUT) in order to get my Protein consumption up, but I'm not hungrier than I was. And my weight loss actually accelerated by about a pound (0.45 kg) a week. I weight train 3-4 times a week and I do some kind of cardio (running, biking, rowing, skipping rope) 3-4 times a week.

And you don't need to be a gym rat. You can go to a store and buy a few dumbbells (buy them in pairs) or a kettlebell. Nick Urankar, who's a CrossFit athlete, has a whole program called "Just a Bar" where you use a barbell (25, 35, or 45 lbs.) for strength training.

Thank you so much !! That makes me feel so much better. I will definitely check out Nick Urankar !!

I've focused on cardio, strengthening my heart and lungs and moving all of my muscle groups.