Author Topic: Gastric Bypass and EPIC bike rides.  (Read 9784 times)

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Offline fatolddude59

Gastric Bypass and EPIC bike rides.
« on: February 15, 2014, 11:35:50 pm »
After many attempts in losing weight, only to be disappointed over and over again. I am considering having gastric bypass surgery.

With that said, I was wondering if anybody has had the surgery and gone on to participate in any EPIC tours. If so, how do you control calorie and water intake?

I have many questions on this and I haven't been able to find anything on this specific topic. Any help is appreciated.

TramsAm by 2017
BB


Offline Pat Lamb

Re: Gastric Bypass and EPIC bike rides.
« Reply #1 on: February 16, 2014, 10:12:53 am »
No direct experience here, except I've heard more than I want to about the problems people have eating after gastric bypass (and I've ridden across the country).  However, I'd suggest you talk to you doctor about the maximum it's possible to absorb within three years of gastric bypass.  If you ride the distances many tourists ride, you'll need to be able to take in 4,000-6,000 calories a day.  Can you do that after surgery?  Will you need to double your time to allow for low mileage days and/or days off to eat up?

BTW, have you considered riding TransAm in 2014?  Take it easy for the first month, stay away from sweets and fried food, and you may find a wonder weight loss regime.

Offline John Nelson

Re: Gastric Bypass and EPIC bike rides.
« Reply #2 on: February 16, 2014, 10:59:30 am »
Sorry, I got nothin' either. But I like the idea of doing the TransAm this year rather than later. There's always some reason to wait before you do your epic ride, but you just have to decide to go anyway. People who are completely out of shape can still do the TransAm if they take their time and start slowly. You get in shape as you go.

Offline staehpj1

Re: Gastric Bypass and EPIC bike rides.
« Reply #3 on: February 16, 2014, 11:09:58 am »
You don't have to answer, but it might help if we knew how heavy you are and how much you ride.  How long of a day ride can you currently manage?

Going sooner rather than later would be my advice as well.  Starting easy and riding into shape has worked for many riders.  You definitely do not have to be an athlete to ride coast to coast.  Low mileage days and walking when you need to may make the trip longer, but more manageable.

Offline Cyclesafe

Re: Gastric Bypass and EPIC bike rides.
« Reply #4 on: February 16, 2014, 02:29:07 pm »
I second the idea of going on a multi-month unsupported bike tour.  If you go with ACA and limit the junk food, you'll lose weight for sure.  Did absolute wonders for one person I rode with on the UGRR.  OTOH a person trying to lose weight too fast on the Pacific Coast tour stole an unopened bag of cookies from the group stash and ate them all in her tent - then blamed the raccoons which were clever enough to unlatch the food locker, replace the neatly folded empty bag, and re-latch the locker.   

I used to weigh 45 lbs more than I do today.  Kept if off for 17 years by both exercising and eating more moderate amounts.  Not rocket science.

Offline fatolddude59

Re: Gastric Bypass and EPIC bike rides.
« Reply #5 on: February 16, 2014, 08:59:01 pm »
I would love to ride the TransAm in 2014 but this thing called work gets in the way of life. In 2017 that problem will be resolved. (Retirement!)

As for the weight thing, I am carrying 300# on a 5'7" frame, have been overweight my entire adult life.

One benifit to where I live is there are miles of flat country roads outside my back door. I have the I&M canal towpath (Illinois) 2 miles from where I live, and plan on an overnighter (or more) on it this summer as a starter for bigger and better things. The most I can take off from work will be about 10 days. For the next couple of years it will make for good practice for the EPIC rides. 

The Gastric bypass is a last resort thing and not taken lightly. If anybody has had any experience in this it would make my decision a little more informed. The Dr's say people have done it and have even trained and ran Marathons. But I have no data on someone touring for months that have had it done.

Thanks
BB

Offline John Nelson

Re: Gastric Bypass and EPIC bike rides.
« Reply #6 on: February 16, 2014, 09:31:05 pm »
Running marathons is not a good comparison for bicycle touring. Marathon runners often take in no calories at all during the run, and if they do, it's almost certainly liquid (e.g., Gatorade). As a cycle tourist, you will have to take in calories as you ride or you won't make it. And your recovery will rely on you being able to take in more calories after you stop.

I think you should ask your doctor how many calories it is possible for your body to absorb over a given period of time if you have the surgery. My guess is that this is limited (which seems to be the point of the surgery). I seriously question whether you would be able to successfully ride six straight hours after the surgery. But I would certainly think you would be able to do the TransAm anyway. The question is only how long it would take you. Maybe you could alternate an hour of riding with an hour of resting.

I agree with your objective to find another long-distance bicycle tourist who has had this surgery. You may get lucky here (or over at CGOAB) and find one to give you advice. If not, however, your doctor can hopefully guide you--using better equivalents than marathons. Specifically, you should ask your doctor what strategy will allow you to engage in vigorous exercise for six hours a day, day after day for months. If this is not possible, then ask how many hours of vigorous exercise you will be able to do a day, day after day for months. Even if it's only three hours a day, you can still get across the country. It'll just take longer. But hey, you'll be retired. Practically, you'll have at least from May through September. That's five months. Even at three hours a day and 9 MPH, you'll make it across.

Offline staehpj1

Re: Gastric Bypass and EPIC bike rides.
« Reply #7 on: February 17, 2014, 06:27:39 am »
As for the weight thing, I am carrying 300# on a 5'7" frame, have been overweight my entire adult life.

Gastric bypass seems kind of extreme for your weight.  If it is the only way you can lose the weight then maybe it is the way to go, but I would work really hard at more conventional options first.  Gastric bypass will still require that you learn to do what it takes to maintain a healthy weight eventually or else you will ultimately wind up putting the weight back on some years down the road.  At least that is what happened to am acquaintance of mine who had bypass and still ate all he wanted.

Do you have no chance of a leave of absence?  I did the TA at age 57 and told my employer I was going to do it and asked if I would have a job when I got back.  They said yes and I found that it actually helped rather than hurt my career.  I guess that they missed me and figured out that I was more useful than they realized and that no one else that was available could do my job as well.  Also I was pretty sure that another department of my same employer, that I worked for before, would hire me if they didn't hold my job.

FWIW, I have found a healthy weight easier to maintain now that I am retired.  I find it easier to exercise every day and I tend to eat a lot less during the day than I did at work.  Currently I trail run 4-8 miles almost every day and eat mostly what I feel like and still maintain a weight that I am happy with.  I had been successfully calorie counting using Livestrong.com'a myplate for a while before I retired, but after retirement I found it unnecessary.  Work was the worst for me.  Too many donuts and meeting leftovers set out.  Too much stress.  Too much temptation to go get a coffee and a snack to get away from my desk.

indyfabz

  • Guest
Re: Gastric Bypass and EPIC bike rides.
« Reply #8 on: February 18, 2014, 11:21:12 am »
As for the weight thing, I am carrying 300# on a 5'7" frame, have been overweight my entire adult life.
Gastric bypass will still require that you learn to do what it takes to maintain a healthy weight eventually or else you will ultimately wind up putting the weight back on some years down the road.

For the last year or so I have been watching my secretary do just that.

OP: Have you looked at www.bikeforums.net? There is a "Clydesdale/Athena" subforum that might help you get some answers from those with experience.

Offline fatolddude59

Re: Gastric Bypass and EPIC bike rides.
« Reply #9 on: February 19, 2014, 04:43:55 am »
I entirely agree with John Nelson on running a marathon not being a good comparison. I don't think there is anything that compares to the daily calorie requirements of a bicycle tourist. That's why I'm trying to do my homework.

A leave of absence is out of the question. I've been at the same place of employment for 30 years, my current job is not condusive to any length of time off. (other than medical or being dead)

I believe I need to talk to a dietitian (at least one or two) to get a feel for what I would need to do to maintain my health. I don't like the idea of slowing the trip down becaues of a special diet need. I would rather travel at a 'normal' speed and daily distance.

With that said, I do appreciate the input. It gives me more to think about and to research.

Again...Thanks,
BB


Offline tandem-tourer

Re: Gastric Bypass and EPIC bike rides.
« Reply #10 on: February 19, 2014, 07:24:06 am »
The issue with weight loss programs including the bypass surgery with out exercise is that you not only lose fat but also muscle. Muscle burns fat. You can increase your metabolism and burn fat more efficiently by building more muscle. The reason people gain back what they lose so quickly is that they continue to lose muscle as they bounce back and forth between gaining and losing weight each time putting on more fat and losing more muscle.  You will be very surprised how your body responds to a weight lifting program to build muscle and cycling on a consistent basis. Exercise intently  everyday and eat only real food, no processed foods and your body will respond accordingly without risking your health with the surgery.


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