Trying to Put on 20LBS of Muscle

 Is it more difficult for RnY'rs to put on muscle weight?  I am at goal and have little or no muscle mass left.  My goal for the coming year is to put on 20lbs of muscle mass and lose about 20lbs of fat.

Any hints or ideas?

The fact that you had RNY should not make a difference.  You just need to have a consistent workout plan that includes a good mix of cardio and weight training.  Do not be afraid of lifting weights!  I use a combination of P90X, nautilus and running.  The P90X made a huge difference in the amount of muscle mass I have now!

Kim

Hi Kim, I have never been afraid of lifting weights.  At one time I was asked to compete in a Mrs Fitness contest.  I knew back in the day how much protein I needed to "bulk" up.  Now I ingest way more than I did back then.  So, would I need to ingest even MORE protein now?

 lift heavy and lots of protein.  Great place for lifting advice is http://scoobysworkshop.com/

Andrew, I take in about 100g of protein now.  How much now would I need to make more muscle?  When I did lift that is how I lifted ... HEAVY. 

 you can read lots of different advice on how much, and I guess as an RNY you might have some absorbtion issues too, but for me when I am lifting hard I take in about 150-180g, and pretty much divide it across the day, including a casein shake at bedtime.  

I did a routine of 3 days a week, back/bi, chest/tri and shoulders, with abs all three days, and cardio at least 3-4 days a weeks, sometimes on the same day as lifting.  It worked for me pretty well.  

 I need to do some kind of cross training.  With Hubby in Korea, 4 kids and work I need to maximize my time.

If you are looking to bulk somewhere between 1 gram of protein for every KG of body weight up to 1G for every pound of body weight. 1 pound = .62 KG

 With that formula, I should have about 77g of protein.  Since I already take in about 100g per day, do I need more protein or add the 77g to what I am taking in?

I do 300-350g a day. I lift hard and heavy and it has taken me about 8 months to put on 25 pounds of muscle. The best advice I can give is try to get as much protein as possible and find your sweet spot on carbs that will allow you to build muscle without storing fat. I stay at about 150-180 carbs which has slowed down my muscle gain but allowed my to put on 0 fat with the weight gain.

Let me also add that I do too much cardio to gain alot of muscle (but I enjoy it) .... Lower the cardio so you have sufficient calories to build muscle if you want to make it easier. I guess you could say I enjoy making it hard ....LOL.