6 weeks out on Friday - Exercise and Fitness Questions!

Hi I will be 6 weeks out from surgery on Friday and I want to start hitting the gym to accelerate my weight loss and fitness strength and stamina.

I am a martial artist and I study Aikido and I am exactly 6 months out from a difficult 1 hr long black belt test in the summer heat of South Carolina.

I started my weight loss surgery journey last year trying to get approved. Since Oct of 2012 I have lost 111 lbs 354 from 465.  I had surgery a year later.. 6 weeks ago. Nov 2013

I am currently able to do about 30 mins of steady hard lap swimming with fins for extra resistance and walk a 20 min mile but I want to get back to weight lifting and getting my burst stamina ramped up.

I hate walking I love exercising with other people ... aka Martial Arts it keeps me motivated.

Aikido is very much on the level of Judo and Jujitsu when it comes to how physical it is.

So this is where you come in. What can I do and when can I do it my Surgeon says I can return to Aikido at 6 weeks weeks but the bariatric nurse doesn't want me doing much at all other than walking.

Questions.... ( I am 42 and I have been doing heavy sports my whole life, knee is busted and ankle is weak but joints feeling so much better.

1) Nurse wants me to do 75 grams of protein a day is that enough to grow muscle or just maintain it.

2) Do I need to take amino acids on top of  protein and vitamins

3) When can I start working on my stomach muscles

4) When can I start taking falls in Martial Arts (Controlled falling on the ground after being thrown)

5) When can I start lifting heavy weights

6) My knee and joints stink and hurt a lot but not as much back and hip pain have been going away. Will the pain continue to reduce over time or do I need to do physical therapy to retrain my new body

7) When should I try running?

8) Can I start something like a p90x yet?

9) What is the best way to build stamina I have an hour long test of constant motion in June and I need to get my lung capacity and general staying power up!

 

Thanks for your help not sure if I asked everything I wanted to but the main thing is that I feel good and I wanna hit it hard been waiting for years to feel this good and get back to my old sporty self!

 

 

 

 

 

As I'm not an MD or PT, I'd defer to your surgeon's instructions.... No lifting or too much strain for the first 6 weeks. If you have enough energy to walk and feel good enough to incorporate some jogging/running, then go for it! Questions about protein/nutrition should be directed at your NUT, and hopefully you have one that's cross-trained in bariatrics and sports nutrition. I'd wait until you're cleared by your surgeon for all exercise (again, probably around 6 weeks) before working on core or even controlled falls. You want your abdominals to heal well before putting much strain on them. If you're new to running, it will take a while to develop your base, so your joints may whine a bit in the first few months but I found it helpful to run with neoprene knee braces while my joints were becoming stronger, and after the first year of running I've never needed any support braces or anything!

Hey bro! I can only speak from my experience, I originally had surgery in February of 09 and I play full contact football I was back on the field in mid April fully participating. I Had my surgeon's permission, but I think it comes down to our individual bodies and how each of us bounce back I feel you'll know your limitations if you have any at all. Best of luck to you bro! The sky is the limit 

Wow, you are a stud.  I spent the first two months just trying to get all my water in each day! lol