Free weights...as in barbells...

At what point did you begin to work out with free weights?

I'm pretty sure I'm a ways away from bench presses, dead lifts and squats, but I'd like to start doing curls (no more than a few reps each arm using either a 5-lb or 10-lb weight)...

I also have plans to enroll in a Tae Kwon Do class, but that too, is further down the road...within 2012, but not any time soon, I fear...

To be honest, I didn't have the energy to do that type of stuff until I was at least 3 to 4 months out...I was just always tired and worn down but I do have a physical job so it may be easier for others.

Resistance training stimulates muscle tone and eventually growth. That increases the amount of calories that you expend just sitting around or even when you sleep (i.e., higher BMR)
That makes it easier to lose and maintain weight loss.

A GOOD THING for those keeping score!

Additionally, it helps you look more manly and virile, (women like that BTW), and helps you function in daily life (lice lifting a massive bag of dog food or ripping the lid off a jar)

You always want to give 6-8 weeks after any surgery, but resistance training is a GOOD THING!

Start with a set of rubber bands with handles from Sports Authority for a couple of months

(This kind of thing:  http://resistancebands.com/  )

and then work up to pumping iron .  Body weight training like Insanity works well too.

Get a trainer or a knowledgeable workout partner for a few visits if you have no idea what the heck you are doing. It is easy to hurt yourself if you go in there uninformed.

Bottom line -  resistance training is good all around - DO IT!

 First is to get cleared by your surgeon, typically 8 weeks is going to be the magic time frame.  As a guy low weights high reps really won't do much for you, especially on such a low calorie diet.  Until you are at a point where you can kick up your calories you won't be able to build much muscle if at all as this requires calories that your body won't give up easily.  What it will do is minimize your muscle loss.  Doing Higher weights and lower reps will cause the micro tears in the muscle that your mody will then repair, Under normal cis****tances this would result in new muscle but during rapid weightloss will help negate some of the muscle loss.

Be smart and listen to your body while doing this, remember sore can be a good thing but pain never is.  You just need to learn the difference between pain and sore.

Also build a weight routine, you don't want to work every muscle group every day as it takes time to rebuild the damage lifting does to your muscles (remember this is a good thing).  Typically people will to something like

M: Bi/Chest
T:legs
W: Tri/back
TH: shoulders/ abs.

If you poke around on the Exercise and Fitness forum you can get some great advice there as more than a few people are great with the weights.

here's an article of mild interest:

http://news.menshealth.com/gym-injury-mistakes/2012/01/28/

certainly not a waste of time..........