Post-surgery recomposition

[L50]

I had laparoscopic surgery in November 2015, with 5 abdominal incisions, to remove a cancerous tumor. I was pretty lean until the month prior to the surgery (~8%).

I gained a few lbs of abdominal fat in the month between diagnosis and surgery due to the stress, and have not been able to lose it.

I put on another 15 lbs post surgery, lean mass. The post-surgery lean gain is pretty typical for me... This is my third major surgery, and I have added about 15 lb lean mass in the 6 months post-surgery each time.

But, this is the first time I have had this persistent abdominal fat post surgery. I think it must be the physical stress... The surgeons had to cut me up pretty good inside. Any ideas about how best to cut the fat and hold on to the muscle gains? Lean gain has plateaued now. 200lb, 6'5". Another thought: could also be fluid retention?

 

[LeanEngineer]

I always will run a natural anabolic product like an epicatechin product or something when I cut to try to hold onto muscle mass.

 

[Epolis13]

What's your diet like currently? What are your macros?

 

[john.patterson]

Well first off, congratulations on your recovery. Much respect for your diligence. For losing abdominal fat and holding on to muscle, diet is going to be the most crucial component to the equation. It seems like you're knowledgeable with nutrition and training though if you were around 8% prior to surgery.

For supplementation, I would agree with LeanEngineer on using a natural anabolic product. Surgery is very stressful on the body, and if you are still dealing with stress I would definitely suggest KSM-66 (ashwagandha) to help reduce stress levels and help limit cortisol. Another popular recomp ingredient is forskolin - which is shown to help increase lean body mass while decreasing fat mass. I feel that a product like Alphamax XT would be perfect for your goals. Alphamax XT is a natural anabolic product that contains both ashwagandha and forskolin, along with a complete profile to help increase natural testosterone levels while balancing estrogen and cortisol. Alphamax XT works very well in a recomp or cut to allow you to keep your muscle mass while working to shed unwanted body fat

 

[booneman77]

For stress related fat gain, you'll want a cortisol inhibitor. SNS reduce xt is pretty much the gold standard for this purpose.

 

[L50]

Thank you all for your advice. I really appreciate it. I wonder if you think Alphamax XT would be comparable to PES Erase Pro+?

 

[L50]

On a related note, I wonder if it might be better for me to use a product that just has the cortisol inhibitors, and not the test enhancement? In addition to the cancer, I have several autoimmune diseases, the result of which is that I replace both testosterone and thyroid hormone, and use Kenalog. I try to keep my test on the high end of the normal range to begin with, and I find the Erase Pro can make me pretty unpleasant to be around if I take it more than once a week.

 

[cubsfan815]

Alphamax XT is similar in the cortisol control department, however it adds in quite a bit more with the 3,4-Divanil, L-DOPA, Eurycoma, F95 and Ferulic acid. More of an all in one product. Test booster, cortisol control, Lean mass, etc.