Surgery and cycling

Hey Everyone.

I am boack on the joourney to having WLS. About 6 months ago I got back on a bicycle and started training for the AIDS LIfecycle from S.F. to L.A. in June of this year

Since then I have came to the decision to procede with having WLS I am hoping to get a surgery date in the next couple of months. (thankfully had been seeing my doctor for supervised weight managment a few months before the decision)

I was wondering if there is anyone who does long distance cycling and if they might be able to tell me how long it was after surgery before they were back on the bike and going again.

Also would like anyadvice on on the bike fueling since most commercial products would likely cause dumping.

Well I don't do any long distance cycling, my butt can't take it! LOL. I do bike riding at the gym &  my dr didn't have a problem with me doing that a few weeks after surgery. He just didn't want me to lift weights till a couple of months went by, but walking & cycling was ok by him.

My doctor told me I could walk or cycle as soon as I was comfortable right after surgery.  

I was only allowed to walk for the first 6 weeks post-op, after that, I was cleared for everything.  Ask your surgeon for his requirements!

I started cycling around 5-6 weeks post surgery. I had to take it  slow and build up my endurance at first. Prior to surgery I was biking 30-40 miles at a time once or twice a week. After surgery 6-12 miles wiped me out. I usually bring a squeeze container of baby food/yogurt for a energy boost on the ride, rides over 2-3 hrs I pack a protein shake and a protein bar. The baby f old yogurts are great because theyou have no addI times etc, and have some natural sugar from fruit.

I'll try to be as honest as I can about this.  First, wondering how many miles a day you will be riding in the June fundraiser?  Most doctors want 4-6 weeks of healing (with words like "no lifting of anything over 20 pounds").  I think you may need to forego the trip this year...These are just my ideas (for what they are worth).  Say if you had the surgery in March or so you will still be healing from the surgery.  When I had my surgery (a male at age 51 at the time), I decided to exercise hard when allowed to.  I was losing up to 10 pounds a week...Great for the weight loss, but the energy that it takes out of you comes with a cost.  I (and others) would try and grab for the energy, but it just wasn't there, because of the rapid weight loss.  Before I could grab a Snickers Bar or something...Not post RNY (if you are getting RNY).  Also dehydration is the # 1 reason WLS people reenter the hospital post op.  Many of the exercisers here on these boards allowed the healing and weight loss process to take place...Regain their strength, and proceed to rebuild muscle mass.  You will probably lose some muscle mass with the weight loss.  It will come back but it can take months!!  Just trying to be realistic in my assessment.  When I do longer bike rides I carry banana chips, Cheerios, nuts, a piece of a protein bar (whey protein isolate), and raisins (if you can handle the sugar).  Also you don't know how you will handle sugar and dumping.  Would hate to have a dumping issue in the middle of nowhere.  Good luck...My 2 cents...Brian in Turlock. 

Like the other answers said, cycling helps you re-gain your range of motion and start to re-strengthen your knee without it being too hard on your knee or stressing the knee 

Good luck with your recovery!.

I didn't start all my crazy adventures until long after surgery so I can't really comment, other than cycling is low impact so when cleared you should be good to go.  As you are probably aware Cycling is core intense as well so you still want to be careful and not go all out.

As for Nutrition on the bike, as with anything in the endurance world what works for one person doesn't work for everyone.  I utilize Generation UCan as my fuel of choice,and know many people that successfully have implemented it.  UCan as ZERO Sugar, it is a super starch that when used correctly and at the proper intensity of activity promotes fat as the primary energy source for your body.  I have completed 70 mile rides with UCan 2 Servings an hour prior and 1 serving halfway through  This is less than 500 calories.I had no issues at all and felt great.  They make one that has protein added to it as well.  The other item you are really going to want to keep in check is hydration.  With the sizes of our stomachs it takes a looong time to get caught up on hydration.  I am a massive sweater so I do larger amounts of Sodium and potassium on longer rides and runs.  I use NuuN,SCaps and UCan hydration as my electrolyte source.