almost 4 months post op stats.

This G.
on 12/21/15 7:02 am, edited 12/21/15 7:06 am - Canada

A little about me

I know that when I was waiting for surgery I kept googling what to expect afterwards, or the best way to lose/ retain muscle ect.

Everyone will be different, my results may differ greatly from yours, but I'd like to share them with you, hopefully it provides some clarification.

I lived a very active lifestyle before surgery so almost immediately I started light weights. (Was given the Okay by my Dr.) I did them sitting down and started with 5lbs weights. I did high rep, but I did it throughout the day. I have slowly increased it over time and now I am lifting above what I was lifting before surgery. I do not do bench presses yet because I don't feel like my core is ready for that amount of pressure. You have to listen to your body. I have been so active in the past I know what queues to listen for. I did absolutely no core until I was cleared by Dr. Hagen.

I walked, a lot. I started walking for about 1 hour a day, and then at about 1.5-2 months I started walking my child to and from daycare. (1 hour both ways = 4 hours a day) My job schedule was flexible so I was able to do that, and it helped so much.

My biggest goal was to try and retain my muscle mass as much as possible. Muscle will burn before fat. I still lost a bit but I have done pretty well. If you are not sure what your muscle mass is you can see the head trainer at a local gym and they will use a machine to tell you what your fat vs muscle vs water is. This has been super helpful with setting my weight goals.

Eating Habits.

Eat clean, eat healthy.

I am good, really good. I make sure my protein is on point and I don't break the rules. I stopped coming on this board for quite some time because I kept reading about what people were eating right after surgery and it was like they were taking their gift for granted.
Remember this, it's your body, if you want the best results eat healthy.

The biggest mistake I see people making is slowly returning to their old eating habits. It happens slowly, one bite here, one cheat there. You get away with it, it doesn't hurt the scale so you do it again, and then again, and before you know it, it's a habit again.

My stats may not be that different from others who started their journey at the same time, but my muscle mass is fantastic. 1 pound of fat takes up the same size as 1 pound of muscle.

My stats.

HW: 330lbs (4x)

Opti: 250lbs (2x)

Sept 1^st: 233lbs

Dec 11^th: 167lbs (M / 10)

In total: 163lbs

Loss since Opti: 83lbs

% of excess fat lost: 70%

Pounds left: 37lbs

Goal: 130lbs (15% body fat)

Hope this provides some insight. Everyone's story is going to be different.

I have side by sides on my Instagram