Gaining "Invisible" Weight?

Dave, Even without anything CLOSE to your muscle building These last 9 months, I have gained 2 to 4 pounds over the last 3 years. Still no change in clothes sizes or fit. Could be my "meager exercising" has some pay-off... Even though it was pointed out that your regimin is not typical For WLS Post-Ops, There are a bunch of you guys- (CF, AJ, Chris L, Scott W, Terry(Boner), old BuckeyeJohn, etc…) Who have grabbed “Transformation” by the short-hairs And ran with it. Hopefully those guys will ‘weigh-in’ on this thread… As a “Non-Athlete” (and not likely to really get those fires re-stoked) What I do (in my ‘gooby-med-info-way’) have to offer is this… The MAX amount of muscle tissue estimated as possible to gain in one year Is 23 pounds.  Max…Check out- OptimumMuscleGainRate My “muscle gain” has been slow, but I’ve not scratched the surface Of “Maximizing” potential… You have almost crossed over from “Inspirationally Driven,” To “Obsessed.” I say “Almost,” because AJ opened my eyes to the “Joy of Succeeding.” (some post, some time ago…But one that made me “Get It,”) …as to how and why ... The Journey toward Physical Excellence is as rewarding and valuable As any challenge.  My “Journey” is using my “New Youth” on Artistic Challenges… (I’m opening a production of “The Persians” this week in Atlanta. It’s more of an “Art Installation Piece” as it is a Theater set…) To Each his Own! I’d say it’s quite possible that your gain is muscular in nature, And that, my friend, Kicks Ass!! Stay Über-Heathly, Find Balance, Find Peace…! Best Wishes- Dx

Hi Dx,

Great that you're trying new things. Art sounds technical, like it would require quite a bit of new research to get right, but sounds like you're the one to do it. You have the ability to find the information/ background you need to do any piece, regardless of how non-classic or nontraditional. And, I'd imagine you pick up a tremdous amount of trivia from the scripts you access and plays you watch - probably something about just about any topic.

Actually, I'm getting less obsessive since I've added the sprints. I can only do those an absolute max of 45 minutes after the warm-up and usually limit it to 30. Then, my short term muscle energy is all used up until the next day. So, time-wise I've cut way back. It's kind of good. I want to spend some free time on music. Right now the project is a good classroom song - "I'll be watching You." By the Police. Not a macho song, but some good English patterns, plus the students laugh if you say it's a song about a "stalker."

I agree with AJ, there is something about triathlon and just being able to "do it", or perhaps even doing all sports well. That kept me going for a while, but I'm really motivated by endorphins. It's amazing that I've never gotten into cigs, alcohol or extremely dangerous substances of any kind (besides food). I can get stoned off of the sprints alone. A lot of physical or motion related experiences do that for me.

I'll check the site out as well.

Thanks for the kind wishes, Health, Balance and Peace to you, as well!

Dave 

Dx,
Inspirationally Driven... I like it.

You know, with all of the long training that I do, I have A LOT of time to be alone with my thoughts (It's amazing where your mind will take you during a 3 hour bike ride!). And, more and more, I'm realizing that the ultimate destination is just a good excuse to take the trip.
It's all about the journey...

In the words of "Broadway" Joe Namath... "If you aren't going all the way, why go at all?"
Or was it a drunken... "I wanna kiss you?"

Be Well,
A.J.

AJ,

I know the feeling, I used to get all juiced up on coffee and go for a three hour run or bike in the hills. It's a great feeling. Or...go into a near trance from the focus of two miles of swimming (there's nothing there but you and the bottom of the pool, which is kind of hypnotizing).

Like 6 time Ironman winner Mark Allen used to call it, "a meditation in motion." Of course, his meditation was a 2:40 full marathon at the end...

Dave

 

nope, not here. i'm distributing weight differently though. i'm adding lean muscle mass or should say replacing fat with that. i'm hovering at the same weight as always but i'm much more defined and muscular as time goes on. i think my density is due to creatine and protein of course along with the weights which is adding definition. my weight and waist size stay the same no matter what i do. my only change is in definition and muscle size. i suppose if i piled on the protein i could get a lot bigger and add more lean muscle.

however i agree with Dx's link that it's really really hard to add lean muscle mass correctly. i've been doing it very slowly not by choice but because it's so damn hard to add that type of mass cleanly. i've been lifting a long time and all i know is it takes a whole lifestyle change and routine to gain mass. i know you're doing it with the sprints and i'm doing it with weights but i think it's only a few pounds, not the whole amount you stated. with your frame you're probably able to carry a little more weight without it effecting your looks. or maybe you really are adding more mass to your quads with all those sprints and jumps! i dunno, just always found it super hard to pack on lean muscle mass. so maybe something else is adding to your weight but you exercise keeps it from going to your waistline. keep us informed......carbonblob

Hi CB,

It's great that you are watching your food intake. I want to be better at that.

My Sunday swimming buddy whom I haden't seen in a couple of weeks said he noticed more thickness in my lats, shoulders and chest, so hope it's that and not visceral fat or intramuscular fat that I can't see.

May also be due to my cutting back one set and increasing to 6-8 reps insteadh of 3-5. That could cause increased creatine retention (??)

So, exercise-wise, I'm doing everything necessary to put on muscle. Just hope that's what it is.

Increasing your reps might be causing increased glycogen stores.  Not quite as good as lean muscle, but certainly better than fat.  I'm certainly not gaining weight, but I am dropping fat pounds and waist inches faster than my overall loss would suggest (my LBM is up 9.9 pounds from my high weight, according to my body fat %).  Maybe some of  that is muscle, more likely it's mostly water (from being better hydrated generally, plus creatine) and perhaps glycogen. You'd be proud, Dave, I recently added three 20-25 minute HIIT workouts per week.  Right now I'm doing them on my stationary bike, since it was 105 degrees outside here yesterday (the heat index got to 115 this week).  In late fall I may try some run/jog splits. I'm hoping to move them to the morning, partly because that would put some time between them and my other routines, partly because it would save me a couple extra showers, partly because some people claim morning exercise burns more fat and you get more metabolic benefit.  The scientific literature is mixed on that last argument, but it's worth a shot.

Sounds good, Ard!　Let me know how it works for you. The beginning is a beeoach.

Dave

well, from reading the rest of your replies i don't think you have anything to worry about! you're an exercise freak and i think you're just redistributing the weight around. now that i've gotten back to lifting i can see huge changes myself in the past year. i've taken your advice and gone back to pullovers and i do 4-5 sets of wide grip chins everyday along with whatever i'm working out. i've found the chins are spreading my lats even at this age. now i haven't gained or lost anymore weight but i look way different than this time last year. i think the same must be happening to you. since we both swim i think that makes for a different look. so even though you put on more weight i bet all the aerobic stuff is spreading it out and keeping you trim. i dunno! i never really worried about pounds but my goal was always inches. as long as i can maintain my waist size i'm happy. i can't get much thinner in my waist so i'm cheating and spreading the lats and building the delts more. it works.....lol. later......carbonblob