I wonder how weak I will get?

My surgery is Tuesday and I assume from reading posts the first week sucks, you are weak and nausea and just don't feel good. But I wonder a month out how weak I will be.

I'm 6"6" tall and was an offensive Lineman 1986-87. Im the guy when you are moving out of a 3rd floor apt with no elevator.  Im not saying Im cut but have always been quite strong.  Last summer just to see I could still clean and jerk 225 lbs for sets of 8. I used to be able to squat 400 lbs and bench about the same. When I had my lapband 4 years ago, after the surgery the surgeon told me I had the thickest stomach muscles he's ever seen. He had a hard time cutting through them (of couse I have 2-3 in of fat on top of them).

In the past 2 years I've ran 2 half marathons at 300 lbs each time. I wonder what it will be like to run that distance at 250 or less :)

So any idea on how weak you get before building strength back?

Wow, you're what I call a mountain man!, but only you'll know how weak you'll get till after the surgery, everyone is different & recovers at different rates. I do think that being in good shape b4 might help in the recovery process, but you'll have to take it slow b4 starting weights again.

I lift weights at the gym but I use the machines & I only did them a few times a week b4 surgery. After surgery when I was cleared for the gym I started mostly cardio at first like walking or bike riding. I waited like a month b4 I did weights & I only did my back, legs & arms at a much lower weight than what I did b4 surgery & worked my way back up. Maybe 2-3 months later I did abs again. Same strategy as b4, used a much lower weight, see how I felt, then worked my way back up. Good Luck!

My brother had the VSG and he wanted to control his weight so that he could stay a bigger size. He is a football coach and has played football in college weighing around 300 most of his life. He told me that there were moments he bouted with low blood sugar but he seems happy at his current weight of 260 down from 380. I believe that there will have to be a trial and error period of adjustment, and as long as you keep up with the supplements and protein I believe you will be fine with endurance and strength. I had the RNY and the only times I bout weakness is when I eat too many carbs and not enough protein, but my body has a slow metabolism and proteins last longer because they take longer to process.

I've only gotten stronger post-op.  (Aside from the initial recovery period, of course.)  

I do use BCAA which is supposed to help maintain muscle mass.  Not sure if it helps, but I doubt it hurts at all. 

 Hello and great question. Wow, you are a strong dude. I have been personal training for 12 years and haven't come across many which can clean and jerk 225. Regarding how quickly you would get your strength back someone who has had the surgery could better answer however just as a rule of thumb if you lose a significant amount of weight from the surgery chances are you will not be as strong as before it. Usually the bigger you are the more weight you can lift. There are exceptions but few and far between. When you lose weight your are weaker and when you gain weight you are stronger. That doesn't mean you will be weak just maybe not as strong as before. Hope this helps. Here is a blog I wrote which may be helpful entitled "Lose Weight, Build Muscle and Improve Endurance- Can You Do All At The Same Time". I wish you much success on your surgery.

Hi!  So I think you are going into surgery today -- good luck! 

From the VSG you will be weak and tired for the first several days b/c you are consuming so few calories.  You should be able to get back to the gym (cardio) pretty quickly.  I was running at about 2 weeks out and skiing 3 weeks out.  I started lifting once cleared about 6 weeks out.  I only noticed lots and lots of increased strength and endurance.  

I ran a half marathon at about 265 and it was extremely painful.  When I ran one this past summer about 8 months out it was great and I cut an hour off my time.  So you will definitely have more speed.  

Now I am much stronger and recently had to sit out of the gym for ~8 week and lifting for ~10 weeks due to plastic surgery recovery.  I was worried I would be weak and have lost a lot of strength from that.  But really now after being back in the gym full time for about a month, I have most of it back.  My speed isn't quite where it used to be but I'm getting there quickly.  

My guess is you might lose some strength initially, but the benefit of having less mass to carry around will very quickly help you overcome that.  

Good Luck!

I am 6 months post op. Before surgery I could leg press 180-200 pounds, easily. Doing all of my 3 sets of 10-15. Now, no. I had to cut my weight down to 90 pounds. I was a little sad about that. In the beginning I couldn't get in the gym consistently because of neuropathy issues with my feet. Now I can go as often as I like and I get in there!!! While I am still building strength back in my legs, I have noticed other parts of me are much stronger. My core was WEAK! 10 crunches and I would catch a cramp that would last for an hour. Now, I can really work my core. It is awesome!!!

So ready to test my feet and begin running. I want to sign up for my first marathon this April/May.

Hey Jack.  Hopefully everything went well for you.

I was surprised at how weak I got.  I have always been pretty naturally strong, but being on 10 pounds of restrictions for 6 weeks, along with just simply recovering from the surgery really sapped me.  I was really surprised at the mass I lost in my arms, and it was really tough to lift my 6 year old daughter.  Fortunately, it didn't take too long hitting the weights after I was cleared to gain my strength back, but It really shocked me.