Weight Loss Question

How does weight loss surgery , effect someone that still likes to be involved in sports....basketball, volleyball, softball..is it safe...

If you are morbidly obese, sports are basically impossible until you lose weight.  That being said, many of our members have become gym rats while others have turned to weight lifting.  Walking, running, and bicycling are very popular.  Your question really seems to be about team sports.  Can you hurt the new stomach after surgery?  Well, duh, yeah.  Anyone can get hurt through thrown elbows in basketball, inadvertant jabs in volleyball, and a softball hitting the wrong part of the body.  However, most team sports can probably be reintroduced about 6 months after surgery.  I wouldn't prescribe tackle football or boxing.  Note that one of our members sustained a punch to the gut less than a month after surgery.  it caused a lot of pain, but he hasn't posted back about it causing any permanent injury ( this happened when a drunken "friend" who knew he had WL*****hed him for the hell of it).  Just be careful out there.

For the three major surgeries (RNY,DS,VGS or VSG) there can be problems.  Here are some of the issues that can come up.  Getting hit in the gut.  For contact sports it could be a problem.  We had one guy a couple of years ago who played very competitive flag football...lineman.  might have had problems.  Also since there is malapsorption you could be dealing with bone loss over the years.  My surgeon recommended that even men get a bone density scan to see if there could be bone loss over the years.  With the Lapband, there is not the issue of boneloss, but there are foreign objects in you...getting pounded...see above.  Just saying the more contact over the years...the more potential problems.  Brian

Shannon,

I am like a dog that has been cooped up in the house all winter and let outside to pee,...and they go out in the yard and just run, run in circles, and just run, because they can and there is room.

I had Open RNY Sep 06.  My walking lead to jogging and then races.  I lift some and play games with my kids.  I ref basketball and am taking up football this summer.  I play church basketball.  I played a really competitive flag football game last Thanskgiving for 2 hrs and was one of the most active players amongst a bunch of teenagers and men 20-35, a couple of 40ish guys and me at 51.  The teenage boys were raggin on me about getting to the quarterback often as a D-lineman (there was some serious blocking, which made it more fun for me) and being first down-field on a kickoff and recovering a fumble I caused while chasing the return guy. 

I felt like a 20 yr old again.  The next day my hip started hurting on the second day of helping a friend build a wrap-around front porch on this frame house.  It turned out to be a bone spur, irritated by all of the activity (result of old age, not a football injury). Yes, it was 8 months before I was able to get  doctor that could fix the problem, have a scope and recover, but I did and have recovered and am active again.

My point: If you have the WLS, and I recommend the longterm life-changing choices of RNY (but there are many choices and surgeons, so do what you are comfortable with). 

Yes I am an older guy now, but having been active even before surgery (though that declined as I grew from 300 to 408 to where I could hardly get from the bed to the bathroom), I  have gotten a new lease on life with WLS and then playing by the post-op rules and abiding by what I was suppose to do (diet, supplements, and exercise). 

Do injuries happen to active people? Darn tutten, ERs are full of us happy enthusiastic idiots, but i can look back and say WOW, that was fun.

Can I get hurt jogging, biking, walking, playing any sports?   Can I get hurt driving a car or truck, going to church or work, taking a bath, cutting grass, going up or down stairs? Am I making my point?

It is better to live life living than sitting around watching and wondering.  Age and cir****tances make it all go away at some point of our lives anyways and some never get the opportunity at all. 

I don't know how long I will be able to remain active, but I will never take it for granted again as long as I can be.I had a few bumps along the way but if I had it to do over, I would have had WLS at 42 instead of 50.  I vote, GO FOR IT!

Joe

Ditto what Joe said! 

Is it you this time or your wife posting for you.... LOL

yea I got gut punched by a drunk C_NT a little shy of being 2 months out of surg.. Did she hurt anything no. DId it hurt, yes Like I had just been kicked in the nads...

It took a week to go back to my norm. It did mess up my sleep, I did have constant discomfort for 3 days and my eating was screwy.. That was July 4th. It took about a week to get back to norm...

You will be a different guy and you will probably have to learn a new position.  You won't have your weight to throw around anymore.  I can't explaine it, but when it happends you will feel like a weakling until you realize that what you lost in strength you gained in speed.

I think you will find you are able to participate much better after losing the weight. This month's OH magazine has an article on carbs - you might want to get a copy and read that. They explain that because of our high protein diet, you don't have many carbs in your system and might find difficulty with exercising over 60 minutes or so. That might impact your basketball somewhat.

Personally, my bowling was declining with my increase in weight. Over a few years I developed foot problems and declined from a 190 average to 169. 9 months after RNY and 120 pounds lighter, I bowled my first 300 game on July 6th and my average is now 195. Loving and living life now! Your mileage may vary - no 300 gamesor holes in one are guaranteed

Paul