Anyone Else Feel Stucked On Your Routine?

[Lucas Pacheco Sarnento Gustavo]

In my situation, "cornered" would probably describe better what I am going through.

[TLDR: 10 years tryng to lose weight, only managed to build muscle. Now my lean mass and body fat combined won't let me do proper cardio without damaging my ankles. Can't try radical diets because of a gastric reflux condition.]

I have started working out in 2010 at a small neighbourhood gym, nothing fancy, but at least the equipment wasn't rusty. At that momment my goal was a 6-pack. Although my regular meals didn't have any processed sugars or fats, I was quite overweight.

Over the years I ketp a routine of at least 3 workouts per week, but most of time I'd go 5 times a week.

In 2013 I was abroad for a Uni program, and they had this amazing gym there, so I kept my work out routine. However , I've had a serious case of depression & anxiety in 2014. I was still going to the gym, but the medication made bulk up quite fast and disrupted my eating habits.

Gotta fill in with some numbers now to clarify that. In 2010 i weighted 95kg with low lean mass. In 2013 I was 92kg with a good lean mass %, but also a high Body fat %. Returning from uni in 2015 I weighted 120kg.

This weight gain from 2014 to 2015 triggered the first problem that still contributes to my "cornered" feeling, that is fibromyalgia on both ankles, which mean that walking for long periods or running would make my akles swell and ache for a whole day or two.

After I got back, I got on a diet and managed to go back to 95kg after 5 months. However I got bored of weight lifting and started swimming at the local uni pool (which is the biggest around, and also free for students), but after a while they were short on staff and funds and the pool was contantly closed without notice, or even open but extremly dirty.

That was the momment I switched for Muay Thai, around 2017, which I loved, but in 1 year I only managed to drop 2kg. The high impact training teiggered again my fibromyalgia and I had to go back to rehular weight lifting.

Now, by the end of 2019 I weight 110kg with 43% of lean mass, but also 28% of body fat ( I doubt I ever got lower than 24,5%). And guess who is back, my old friend fibromyalgia. I managed to grow muscle, but I didn't get rid of the fat, now the 2 combined makes it almost impossble for me to do a decent cardio training.

Now lets add something new, gastric reflux, which gets worse if I don't eat regularly (intermitent fast or any kind of fasting is out of question now).

I really don't know where to cut calories from anymore, or even if should cut more. The thing is, most cardio activities have some impact on my ankles, which if I ignore could evolve into an even more serious (and more painful) disease that could put me out of the gym.

Can anyone share a similar experience or an insight on my situation? The only thing that comes into my mind are anxiety medications and apetite inibitors that could help me achieve a safe weight to go back doing more intense cardio.

 

[socalfreak]

A few things that stood out to me while reading your post:
You are gaining weight because you're eating too much.
As has been said several times in this forum, "you can't out-train a bad diet.'.
If you think you can't cut calories out of your diet right now, in your present physical condition, you're wrong. Bodyweight doesn't come out of nowhere. You have to feed it. Carbs may be a culprit.

To go along with that, weight training is much better for long term fat loss. Cardio burns calories for a few hours.
Muscle burns calories 24/7.

Also, you say you don't eat fats.
There are good fats and bad fats.
Your body needs good fats.
They help with skin, joints, and hormone production.... Which may be a factor in your depression.

In short, I would focus on your diet first and foremost & make an honest assessment of the nutrition you are giving yourself.
Bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, and fruit can be just as problematic as sugar if you don't keep them under control.

Anyway, I hope some of this helps.
Good luck to you

 

[DSF140]

As previously stated, it is impossible to lose weight unless you are in a caloric deficit.

 

[Snarky_succubus]

In my situation, "cornered" would probably describe better what I am going through.

[TLDR: 10 years tryng to lose weight, only managed to build muscle. Now my lean mass and body fat combined won't let me do proper cardio without damaging my ankles. Can't try radical diets because of a gastric reflux condition.]

I have started working out in 2010 at a small neighbourhood gym, nothing fancy, but at least the equipment wasn't rusty. At that momment my goal was a 6-pack. Although my regular meals didn't have any processed sugars or fats, I was quite overweight.

Over the years I ketp a routine of at least 3 workouts per week, but most of time I'd go 5 times a week.

In 2013 I was abroad for a Uni program, and they had this amazing gym there, so I kept my work out routine. However , I've had a serious case of depression & anxiety in 2014. I was still going to the gym, but the medication made bulk up quite fast and disrupted my eating habits.

Gotta fill in with some numbers now to clarify that. In 2010 i weighted 95kg with low lean mass. In 2013 I was 92kg with a good lean mass %, but also a high Body fat %. Returning from uni in 2015 I weighted 120kg.

This weight gain from 2014 to 2015 triggered the first problem that still contributes to my "cornered" feeling, that is fibromyalgia on both ankles, which mean that walking for long periods or running would make my akles swell and ache for a whole day or two.

After I got back, I got on a diet and managed to go back to 95kg after 5 months. However I got bored of weight lifting and started swimming at the local uni pool (which is the biggest around, and also free for students), but after a while they were short on staff and funds and the pool was contantly closed without notice, or even open but extremly dirty.

That was the momment I switched for Muay Thai, around 2017, which I loved, but in 1 year I only managed to drop 2kg. The high impact training teiggered again my fibromyalgia and I had to go back to rehular weight lifting.

Now, by the end of 2019 I weight 110kg with 43% of lean mass, but also 28% of body fat ( I doubt I ever got lower than 24,5%). And guess who is back, my old friend fibromyalgia. I managed to grow muscle, but I didn't get rid of the fat, now the 2 combined makes it almost impossble for me to do a decent cardio training.

Now lets add something new, gastric reflux, which gets worse if I don't eat regularly (intermitent fast or any kind of fasting is out of question now).

I really don't know where to cut calories from anymore, or even if should cut more. The thing is, most cardio activities have some impact on my ankles, which if I ignore could evolve into an even more serious (and more painful) disease that could put me out of the gym.

Can anyone share a similar experience or an insight on my situation? The only thing that comes into my mind are anxiety medications and apetite inibitors that could help me achieve a safe weight to go back doing more intense cardio.

The bottom line on this is calories. Do whatever it is you can do physically. Working out is great for you but you can lose weight from your couch. Period. I know. I've done it. 50 pounds without moving a muscle because I was physically incapable at the time.
As for your diet... Eat whatever you have to eat for your reflux. Eat whatever you want for that matter. If you're talking about lowering the number on the scale... *what* you eat doesn't mater nearly as much as how many calories you eat.
You say you don't know where to cut from... What? Everywhere. Volume. Cutting calories doesn't mean restricting a particular macro or food. Eat less. Done. Track your calories. Done. How will you know when you're in a deficit? The number on the scale will go down.
Your situation sounds frustrating. I get it. A lot of us have frustrating situations. I was 300+ pounds with bad knees, multiple herniated discs in my back that were so bad I could hardly move and barely work, severe daily pain, surgeons telling me my only option was opiates... I also have PCOS which makes losing weight even more difficult. I had no support, no athletic ability, no knowledge of nutrition or exercise, no money, no guidance, no health insurance... Here I am 10 years later with no pain, strong as a mule, in better shape than I ever could've hoped for, a career, a smokin hot fiancee (@socalfreak), eating a s'mores cookie while I lose weight, helping people on a daily basis with their fitness and nutrition goals. Don't let those obstacles be excuses. They're not. If you want it, go do it. You don't need appetite suppressants... Just deal with being hungry. It happens. Hungry doesn't mean you're not getting enough nutrition. It just means your stomach isn't full. You'll live. If you rely on pills to make you feel less hungry, you'll never get used to it and you'll just overeat once you stop taking them. Your stomach will shrink. That's how it works. You're not cornered... You just can't go in every direction you'd like to be able to. Such is life. Decide what your priority is and work around that.

 

[audible44]

6 small healthy meals a day. The “Eating for Life” is an easy diet or more dietary guideline. Definitely will get your metabolism cranked up but you need to learn that satisfying your physical needs is a lot different than feeling full.

weightlifting will eventually outperform cardio in the weight loss department. You need both to a degree but a relatively small amount of cardio will suffice. Once you have muscle mass your BMI will be higher, meaning muscle, even at rest will burn more calories than fat.
Find a cardio regimen that will work for your ailments (bike, walk, whatever) and a weightlifting regimen that is geared toward your goals (more size vs strength than big vs lean as lean comes from the kitchen mostly). Switch up the routine often to keep muscle confusion and blow through any plateaus or stagnation.
Tip of the iceberg advice but Hopefully a little helpful.