Need Help Gaining Muscle Mass Almost 2 years Post Op

Hello everyone, I know I don't post on here much but I have a question for everyone. I had my surgery back in June of 2006, at which time my weight was 469 pounds. Today, I weight 180, I did actually make it to 169 so I lost 300 pounds on this within 1-1/2 years. I had the RNY surgery and worked out vigorously. Now, my initial weight goal was 220, since I am 6' 3", and my surgeon said anyone over 6' should not be under 200. At any rate, in addition to this surgery I have also had 2 back surgeries, making matters worse, and I have also had an internal hernia and scar tissue removed (from the RNY, which was wrapped around my intestines). To get to my point, I need to add muscle mass, and every doctor I speak with (I have obviously been to several) tells me there is no secret, keep the protien intake up and exercise. Here is the issue, I am doing that, but not adding muscle. I go to the gym, warm up for 10 minutes on the treadmill, and then hit the weightlifting area, where I train various areas of my body (low rep, high weight), trying to gain muscle mass. Personally, I don't think my body is obsorbing, or processing the protiens needed to add this muscle back on to my body.  In a former life I was very much into weight lifting, so I know all the basics. My question, is it possible that the surgery has changed my bodies' metabolism so much to the point that I can no longer add muscle mass? I have been trying for several months now, and nothing. Is there an alternative? Has anyone had this problem and successfully overcome it? For the record, I generally ingest at a minimum of 120 grams of protien a day, probably the same with carbs, although I no longer count anything aside from protien to be honest. I'm not sure what to do, can anyone help, offer suggestions, or links to relavent threads or resources ( I have searched everywhere to no avail. ) My one surgeon feels this may actually be a legitimate reason (an he said he may be treading on thin water here) for anabolic steroids. I need to add the muscle to take the pressure off my spine so my leg will stop hurting so much, but can't seem to do it. I'm frustrated. Thanks in advance.

You're going to need MORE protein to build muscle mass.  My trainer says if we exercise and do no strength training at all, 120g is a minimum.  If we want to build muscle, we need MORE MORE MORE!  I shoot for a minimum of 150g per day and my goal is really closer to 200g.  I've been doing some serious weight training though.  Try upping that protein with some low cal, high protein drinks and see if it helps.  I have to drink 4 RTD EAS drinks every day.

I'm far from and expert on exercise and muscle mass, however, I do agree with Terri I believe you should up your protein intake by 30-50 grams more per day at a minimum, try adding a good protein shake or two a day and see if you see results then. Did you try posting to the men's forum also?  They have some heavy time weigth lifters and exerciser that might be able to shed light on your situation. Good luck

If I said I posted in the Men's forum I'd be lying, this is probably my third post on the site. Honestly, I find the site a  bit hard to navigate, but probably because I haven't been in the forums enough. Thanks for the suggestions, I'll seek out the Men's forum and post my question there as well. As for protien being upped, I concur... and I do have at least 2 (50mg each shakes) per day as well as 2 (25mg bars) per day in addition to the protien I try and absorb from my normal meals. I have another month before I see my neurologist (back doctor) so I'm going to double the protien intake starting right now and see what happens, hopefully it'll build muscle. I'm not concerned with adding weight, as I feel I'm underweight as is, I feel like I look like one of those super thin male models that we're portrayed to be in commercials in one sense, and on the other hand I still feel fat (I know that's a mental thing that will take time to go away). Anyhow, off to search for the Men's forum, hope they don't get offended if I copy and paste my original message, that was a lot of typing for me. By the way, how the heck do you upload a photo on this site, I'd love to hear some feedback on how others perceive me? Thanks again.

I am so gald you posted this!!! I also had lost a lot of muscle, as many of us have. I am very glad to say I have found a soulution to this horrible problem. Here is what I am doing. It is totally transforming my body and I look a lot different after less than a month.   ~Lift HEAVY weights to build muscles. Get the Book Body for Life by Bill Phillips ~Eat as much lean, dense protein as you can. Litereally, Protein is the building blocks of life (muscles)  ~Drink a gallon of water a day. ~Visit this site: www.elitefitness.com and go to the weightlifting forum. It's not a "feel good" message board like OH because there are some punks there but they are very helpful and it's super easy to navigate. Anyway, I have really gotten into body building.Not the kind where the chicks compete in bikinis but the kind where the body shape is CHANGED by building muscle mass.  It is amazing seeing how the body can transform when you lift weights, train hard and eat right. You need at LEAST 1.5 grams - 2 grams of protein for each pound of lean body mass. My lean body mass is about 100 pounds. I want to gain muscle because muscle burns up fat like a hot knife through butter. Sooo...I need to eat at LEAST 150 grams of protein a day! So, my body fat is about 30% and I am driving that down (currently 160 lbs). So, if I were you I would be drinking at least 3 shakes a day with 30 grams of protein plus all your good foods. I eat very often. Things like raw almonds, lean beef, chicken, light yogurt, steel cut oats, greens, ect. No junk except one day a week. Energy is high, depression is gone, and you feel great when you are building muscle.  Good luck my man!

Thanks for the reply, good info there.... And that is exactly my plan as of right now. I've been drinking 2 (50mg each) protien drinks a day, plus 2 (25mg bars), so based on what i have read, our absorption of protien may be limited per sitting, so I'm going to go for maybe 5 or 6 (25mg shakes) per day, spreading it out in hopes that more of it absorbs into the body. And yes, I have been lifting as heavy as possible. As of right now, I have no body fat to speak of, I've literally melted it all off, in addition to having the excess skin removal in my abdominal area (still have my eyes set to remove excess from my cheat / arms / legs, but it is not cheap by any means). I bookmarked that forum link and I'm gonna check out that book as well. Thanks again, and by all means, if anyone else has more suggestion, please continue, I'm tracking this thread (and any other threads I make or reply to via email) so I don't miss anything. Thanks!

You could also start adding a bit of body-builders supplements to your protein shakes as well. I work at a Vitamin Shoppe and I sell a lot of creatatine, glutamine and nitrous oxide supplements to guys that are lifting regularly and not seeing very fast results.  Creatatine is a pre-workout supplement that increases the oxygen and water, sent to your muscles (among other things) It gives you a better pump each time. More bang for your buck, so to speak.  A nitrous oxide powder (or a combo with both it and creatatine) such as NO-Explode etc, does the same thing. Makes you bulk up faster....  Glutamine is taken both pre-work out and post work-out. You should take it last thing at night as well, add it to your protein shake right before bed. It helps your muscles recover while you sleep. When you are lifting weights, you are making microscopic tears in your mucsles. The glutamine helps repair them while you sleep. The result? You bulk up faster. This is also why you need to skip a day in between, lifting weights, your mucsles need a rest, to repair themselves, while they get bigger. The mucsles tear apart from the lift, then they heal in the bigger postition, with the help of some things I've mentioned. (all done in microscopic porortions, of course!) It takes a littletime to see results, (this is not a quick process, like overnight...) but it does work.  A lot of really skinny college kids always come in, with the same problem. They'll work out hard for several months using sports nutritional supplements, I've mentioned, and they'll come back in,for more, looking a lot more buff and bulky, than they looked before.   If maintaining your weight is a problem, you could also start using a "gainer" type of protein powder. This type of powder has a LOT of calories, so I don't recommend it very often. But they will put weight back on. Whether it muscle mass or not depends on how hard you're working out and how often etc...  Then there is always the lock box area in the back of store that contains the testetrone boosters, and the anabolic type of things that definately work! Be careful with these, some of them are just a molecule or two away from being real steroids. But yes, they work well.  Go into any sports nutrition store, such as a Vitamin Shoppe, or Max Muscle and find someone who is trained in sports supplements. and they'll be able to help you set a program to help you reach your goals.Be aware that not all vitamin stores, train their people. So if you start asking questions and they don't know the answer, leave and find a store that does NOT work on commission and will provide the right help to you.  Be proactive in all of this. Pour over every bit of info on body buiding that you can. There's a lot on sports nutrition on the internet and a LOT of books that will help you out.  You're doing great! With a little tweaking to your program, you'll be all buff before you know it!! Hope this helped you out!

My husband is the one with knowledge on building muscle, but he has done a terrific job of building me back up.  We exercise specific muscle groups on each day (Back &biceps) (Chest & triceps) (legs & abdomin) etc.   It is important to rest muscle groups and allow them to heal and build after working them so rotating muscle groups worked helps to do this. Each machine or free weight exercise is done in 5 sets of reps 15, 12, 10, 8 and six reps.  You increase weight with each set of reps until the last six you are just barely able to complete.  My understanding is that you warm up the muscle and fatigue it this way without overly stressing it to the point of injury.  Lifting heavy weights without strengthening and building first often results in injury.  I have a small bowl of real oatmeal (no sugar) an hour or so before working out.  I need the carbs in order not to get dizzy when I do my aerobic exercizes.  I drink a protein drink before exercizing, water throughout ,and bring a protein bar for after.  I think  your protein intake may be low for a man doing heavy exercise. It is recommended that women get between 60 &100 grams of protein and higher if they do strenuous exercise.  It is higher for a man.  I am doing 100 to 120 grams of protein and I am 5'5" and 145 pounds.  I maintain my weight with about 1200 calories a day, but I always take my vitamins and reach my protein goals.  I work out 3-4 times a week. I do 20-30 minutes on the eliptical and about 1 1/2 hours of weightlifting during each session. The quality of the protein product makes a big difference as well.  I use the smartforme ready-made drink boxes and bars because they are low fat/low sugar/low cal and very convenient.  I'm not likely to clean the blender 5 times a day.  I would suggest seeing a nutritionist that is knowledgable in rehabilitating individuals with large amounts of muscle loss (cancer patients go through the same rahabilitation problems).  Best of luck.  I think there are a lot of healthy options to try before opting for steroid use,  Sharon

Honestly, GO TO THE MEN'S FORUM. there are several heavy lifters there, Carbon Blob, and NOTDSAVE, cardsfan... can give you some really good tips. Scott