Supplements Question

I am about 15 months out from surgery (280 # start). I still have a hard time maintaining my weight. I am 5'9" and bottomed out at 145.  I lift weights and built back up to 165 over about 8 months. I have to eat constantly or lose weight. I find myself having to load high calorie foods I wouldn't have touched when I was fat. I get my protein through meals as the powders and such gave me gas. As I would like to stay married I had to leave the shakes alone.

I am trying to continue building muscle but I have hit a plateau and am stuck hard! I lift 3 days a week 1 hour each with a trainer. I walk at work a few miles a day which can not be avoided (part of my job). I don't do any other aerobics as I tend to lose weight fast.

My supplements are as follows 2 multi vitams a day one at am and pm. Suplemental Calcium and B6 mid day with 2ml B12 IM ever 3 weeks.  Not only have I plateaued but my butt is dragging bad. My trainer has suggested supplements but I don't want to waste money on junk. i was thinking about creatine phosphate. Anyone have good experience with it?

Also, are there any other supplements to help me build back up? Any diet supplement help you guys could give would be appreciated. I know the supplement place will try to sell me the farm. i only want to stick with what works.

Thanks in advance for the help.

Just talking outloud...I am a security guard.  I have to walk 3-5 miles each shift.  I would put different plain nuts, raisins, and beef jerkey in my pockets.  I would snack on these as I did my job.  Along the same lines...peanut butter or almond butter might help.  I'm sure other guys who are into body building will have the answers for the supplement issues.  Brian 

 You better be careful walking that much knowing you have heart trouble. 

http://www.dpsnutrition.net/?fromdotcom=1&rc=dotcom is a great source of supplements and other goodies

creatine will be a mixed blessing.  I like san fierce strength and endurance amplifier.  It is a pre workut boost, after a workout I have a protein shake.  The orange taste greats

Prior to my heart attacks 6 years ago, I was a gym owner and a double-certified personal trainer.  When I was seriously weight training, bodybuilding and powerlifting, I took creatine for a while.  My strength did increase slightly while using it, but the side effects and potential problems were not worth the minimal gains to me.  I quit taking it.

Creatine is a cell volumizer - it works by pulling water into the muscle cells.  The theory is that a bigger muscle is a stronger muscle.  Seems reasonable - but creatine's results are short lived.  If you decide to take creatine, you need to cycle it - maybe 4-6 weeks on, then 3-4 weeks off.  Because it draws water and fluids into the muscle cells, it is imperative that you drink enormous amount of water while taking creatine. Otherwise you will become dehydrated. Severe muscle cramping is also common when taking creatine.  I had horrendous cramping in my feet, calves, thighs and arms when I tool creatine.  My workout partner would swell up like a nickel balloon when he took it. He looked like a bloated blimp - very puffy and swollen looking. He too decided it was not worth it and quit taking creatine.

 Also, to be effective, creatine requires sugar to "drive" it into the muscle cell receptors. That is why EAS and other manufacturers sell the pre-mix blends, which excessivce levels of flavored fructose in it.

Taking creatine for too long without stopping can also cause kidney problems and damage. When I owned my gym and was actively training people, I had a client who found this out the hard way. He was a 28 year old state trooper and wanted to bulk up and get stronger. He decided to take creatine to get "bigger". He stayed on creatine for 3 months straight. He ended up in the hospital for 2 weeks with renal failure and  had to undergo dialysis for a while. His kidney specialist advised him that the creatin levels in his kidneys had elevated to the danger level due to the overuse of  creatine. He advised him not to take creatine again, unless he wanted to be on dialysis permanently.

Unfortunately, most of the "bodybuilding supplements" are not regulated by the FDA or any other agency. Too often, little or no real testing is done before they are marketed to the public.  Also, long term effects on the users are not documented or tracked. The actual processes and purity levels of the ingredients and additives is often not closely monitored either.

I would suggest that you do some serious research and even talk to your doctors before taking creatine. Personally, from my own experience and the experience of others I have known, I would pass on the creatine, especially after having WLS.
Just my $.02 worth on creatine.

What kind of surgery did you have? How many grams of protein are you eating a day? And how many carbs? fat grams?

Scott

I when through a few fatigue walls during my progression from WLS and increased workouts.  I was at 3 moths when I realized 60 gms of protein was the goal minimum, not the maximum.   When I became an OH facilitator, the training helped me understand that with RNY, we have an approx 60% absorption capability (malabsorption) from the disgestive capablities we had before WLS.  I had increased my protein from 60 to 120, so I was profiting about 80gms worth.  Now I intake 120 gms from supplements (bars and powders) and then whatever I get from food (shrimp, chili, egg whites, refried beans, etc). So I am taking in an average of 180 to 200 gms of protein a day and it helps me feel better.
Other things that helped me,....
I take 2 2500 mg of B12 plus a B-Complex liquid each morning for getup and go
I take 2 99 mg Potassium pills each morning as I found they help with having a better attitude and not feeling woozy at times during the day.
I also read in Runners World and it really was noticable for me, a garlic supplement each morning; helps with endurance and stamina. (CAUTION: 2 pills cause cramping and diarrehea within 2 hrs, one does the trick for me).
I tried creatine from Walmart and as Bama Bob said, it created weight gain and some bloating and I learned that it became counterproductive if taken regularly.  I'd recommend 2 week cycles on and off if you even consider going that route.  I stopped using it because I wasn't trying to gain as much as I was trying to improve muscle endurance for joggin/running longer distance faster.

Hope any of that helps.  Congrads on your loss and new life of trying to gain rather than lose weight.  A concept I have never battled with.

  

Thanks for the advice guys.  I have been eating about 120g of protein. I am not certain about how much fat or carbs. Fats are low as they run right through me. I guess I need more protein. I had the Roux-en Y surgery with awsome results. I just got to where I looked skeletal. Those BMI charts aren't very accurate for me. The top of the healthy range and I look like a heroin addict. I guess I really do have the big frame alot of folks use for an excuse :)

Thanks for steering me off creatine. i'd used it before surgery in the past when lifting but was not sure how I would react to it now.

Even if my weight and makeup do not change I am truly thankful for what I have gotten out of the surgery.  I have had some problems with low blood sugar, especially in the afternoons. I guess I am going to have to try some supplements again. Maybe I can tolerate them better now. The fatigue is what bother me the most. I can definitely think of worse problems to have.

 

Thanks again for the help guys.

 

Stalwart
 

If you feel really tired, and your labs are fine, try drinking 3 or 4 protein shakes a day (i know it sounds like a lot) in addition to your normal protein food intake. For some reason this extra protein seems to really energize post ops.....it's a common issue, for both RNY and DS patients (common in that some people experience it). The extra protein will also help you build muscle and help you maintain your current weight.

Scott