Hello all, it has been a while since i've posted but i do check in regularly, and your posts keep me encouraged and on track. I have alot of restriction now, maybe a little too much. I have a couple of questions i was hoping you could help with. First, cold drinks don't go down too easy is this normal? Second , i have read that some of you are or were very strong men, i have always enjoyed lifting , never to the point of being a powerlifter but always able to attain a well above average amount of strength fairly easily. Now during my weight loss i'm struggling just to maintain what i have , so any chance of achieving my previous strength seems hopeless. Is it impossible to gain strength and lose weight at the same time? Thanks again for any input , and congratulations and good luck on your successes.

Hey bigdaddy. Sometimes when I first wake up, it's difficult for me to drink cold things. I either have to wait and wake up a bit, or drink something warm to relax my innards.

As far as the weightlifting, since I've been banded, I've moved from powerlifting towards bodyweight exercises (because these bodyweight exercises provide both strength training and cardio workout benefits). I may not can bench 350 lbs anymore, but I can do 200 bodyweight squats and 100 pushups (using that "perfect puchup" gizmo on TV. It is fantastic). So, I guess it may come down to what's important to you. I will tell you though, both my wife and my kids have noticed my increased definition.....to me, that alone makes up for the diminished bench press.

I will tell you though, both my wife and my kids have noticed my increased definition.....to me, that alone makes up for the diminished bench press.

Where is a "this thread is worthless without pics" emoticon when you need one??

*runs* :redface:

Hey Bigdaddy - my band does get tempermental at times it seems - especially when you do have good restriction. Sometimes, its cold liquids, or a certain food, time of day, which way the wind is blowing (just kidding - but it is that erratic). But I have a good feel for it and just work with it.

In terms of lifting - At 6'4" I am a pretty big guy. I used to lift when I was younger and could easily bench in the 350 range. Nowadays, I completely agree with Plain. I am so much more focused on reps and trying to get toned. That said, I can still bench more than my body weight today (a NSV for me as I have not been able to do that in a long time....) and I am happy with that.

Good luck !

Thank you all for your replies,and i agree i should focus more on the weight loss and toning. I guess when i go to the gym the fragile male ego emerges and i want to lift more than the young guy next to me. I'll have to learn to control that. Sometimes i forget that i'm not twenty anymore, but i'm feeling better as this weight falls off. Maybe some of you can share your workout routines, i'd like to some new ones. Again thank you all and good luck.

bigdaddy - scroll down the strings in the mens room and you will find a few threads regarding working out / lifting that have some good stuff in them. Personally, I am at the gym 5am at least 5 days a week and do 60 minutes on the treadmill and then around 20 minutes lifting. On Wednesday nights, I play tennis indoors and Thursday nights softball.

Bigdaddy, like you, I have always lifted weights. I still do. I spent almost my entire first year post op doing circuit training. I do a 6 wk cycle splitting upper and lower body and doing 2 days each. I do 9 upper body and 7 lower body exercises each time. I start off wk 1 doing 3 circuits and 7 reps each exercise. Wk 2, I increase to 8 reps. I increase 1 rep each wk up to 12 reps per exercise per circuit. I don't go overly heavy, but I do enough that by the time I am doing my 3rd circuit of 12 reps, I am at muscle failure (last cycle, bench was 215 lbs)

I just got done doing my first 1 mo. cycle of pure strength training. I was able to bench 315 once (all time high was 375 @ a bw of about 365). Now I weight 245. Failed squatting 405 just this morning. Just couldn't get the initial push up after going down slow and steady.

It is possible to continue to lift heavy weights and keep most of your strength. Plus, my bf% has dropped from 32% in April 2007 to around 13.5% now. Pretty good.

Good luck.

*checking back in* Nup, still no pics! All this chat about toned abs and hunky shoulders and no pics! I might have to unsubscribe to this thread at this rate *cries*

*runs* :bolt:

Ceradad thanks for the input, it's encouraging to see you gaining your strength back. We seem to have started about the same weight and strength, so i'm hoping to achieve some of your success.I have never tried circuit training but it sounds like i need to look into it. Thanks again and congrats on the incredible weight loss.

In my experience, one can sorta lose weight and build strength at the same time, but the best results are built by focusing on first one and then the other.

In my case, I toned, but the goal has been to get concave and thin first. Now that I have reached that, I have unfilled the band and will focus on building strength and bulk over the next year.

I also know as a 5'9" guy with a natural medium build, I won't ever bench 300-400 lbs. That's perfectly fine for me.

In my competition days, around 20 or more years ago, I was benching just over 450, squatted a best of 785 and deadlifted aroung 650, hand strength gave out around then, that is at 5'11' and weighing about 230. I could NEVER do any of that again or even close to it and really dont want to. Getting there required 4-5 hours a day in the gym and my body would not make it now. Several surgeries to repair torn and damaged joints, elbow, shoulder knee and hand. Arthritis, all those things you hear about weight lifters. That all being said I still think there is no other type of excercise that can give you more, both mentally and physically than weight lifting and if you can do it you should but within reasonably sane limits! All I can manage now is walking which I do whenever I can, I know I will be able to continue that excercise until I die even if I live to be 100!

Thanks again everyone for the input. I am going to stay focused on my weight loss for now, but the lifting bug has always been with me . So after i reach my goal i will focus on strength, and BigRick those are some impressive numbers. It's unfortunate you had all those injuries ,cause you're right lifting does many great things for you mentally and physically.Good luck to you and everyone else on your weight loss journey.