@afgirl3 being deployed is a different set of circumstances
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@JMaier
Thanks for your response. There is certainly an element of frustration coming into play when trying so hard is not resulting in anything but weight and fat gain when I had achieved the body I wanted and it offsets the reality that I am still by definition âfitâ. We are certainly our own worse critic. However, at this point, what change do I need to make to stop this slide? I feel my metabolism must have slowed down and I donât know how to pick it back up again.
Like several said. STOP WORKING OUT SO MUCH. Exercise is not the key to being lean. You can workout just 3-4 days per week and be in incredible shape. My guess is that your systems are being crushed by training too much. The feelings you have described are consistent with that.
If you think you may have body image issues or exercise addiction find someone who can help.
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If youâre pushing too far and eating too little then your body becomes resistant. It holds on to any extra calorie because it thinks itâs not getting any more in the future. It also shuts down to reduce expenditure.
Itâs quite possible that youâve crushed your metabolism. It didnât occur overnight so the solution wonât occur overnight.
Back off the training and slowly start eating more. If youâre struggling with body image issues then get help from a therapist or counselor.
You can do this. You can be healthy and look awesome. Take it slow and build yourself back up.
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Just wanted to give a short opinion on this one.
You shouldnât fear not working out/working out less. CT once wrote an article and said if you take 2 weeks off, you wonât lose any muscle.
I had to lay off from training for 2 months now and Iâll tell you what happened: in the first 3 weeks of my vacation (I also took off from work) I lost my love handles which I never got rid of with training. I lost some muscle but I got so much leaner by just relaxing. It was like my body got what it needed to let go off the fat: rest!
Look, excess cortisol is a killer for your gains and for your mental well being, and if you train too much (which you definitely do) it will wreck you. So reduce your life stress, chill out a bit, eat more and eat high quality food. You will be fine.
Iâd say take a week or 2 off from training and take that gym time to relax. Then go back to the gym. No two-a-days and maximally 5 workouts per week with at least one of them being an easy session. Youâll look great again in no time.
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Agree with everyone on force a little time off.
What was your job overseas? Typically, you canât recreate that environment in the real world.
I think when you relax a little, youâll both get in better shape and realize youâre happier being a little more relaxed. I and folks like @Frank_C definitely know where youâre coming from on this, so we get it!
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@afgirl3, I completely forgot about cortisol!
Chronically elevated cortisol is bad. Everyone knows that these days. Itâs become the scapegoat for being overweight. Now, a lot of people probably have that problem, but theyâre still not eating right.
You, on the other hand, fit the bill for high cortisol being a problem. All of that training while being in a deficit means your body is releasing cortisol to break down stored energy. Normally thatâs a good thing but I think youâre going too far.
Add to that the stress youâre experiencing and your body is releasing more cortisol.
I think you need to address your mental health first. I know itâs related to your body image, but you need to separate the two for a bit.
I completely understand your frustration. I am on the opposite side of the fence. I have been trying to get to 130 lbs for four years now, and havenât made it yet. (Iâm 5â4") Itâs damn discouraging! I donât know why the subject of mental health is being tossed around here.
You donât really sound like the typical crack pot to me.
Since you mentioned street food bug⊠did you take meds? Are you taking probiotics? Any supplements?
Do some research on berberine.
@TrainForPain
It was a pretty cush deployment given it was with NATO so I lived on the economy and was making my own food instead of eating chow hall junk. My regimen was a week of on base work where I did daily weight/body weight training with running an average 5 miles/day. Eating lots of meat and veggies for dinner but pastas for lunch because it was easier for me to make in bulk for meal prep. Then usually a week of in-region travel where I didnât have time to work out but was usually on my feet and walking anywhere from 8 to 20 miles a day and hardly had time to eat so it was usually a mid day snack to keep me going and a dinner. Repeat, for seven months.
Probably never able to recreate that schedule again lol.
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@lordgains
During your time off what kind of nutrition plan did you follow? And can yoga or short jogs be used in off time as a placeholder, or by off time it is seriously, no kidding sit your ass on a couch and hide your training shoes?
I actually didnât have the luck to be able to choose what I eat. So I wonât specify that. When I could eat again it was: veggies or fruit (7 portions a day), 200g of meat, rice 150g, oats 250g and 4 eggs. That was the staple, on top of that I had some variation. If I could have, Iâd have eaten more protein.
I wouldnât advise to jog because of cortisol. Iâd walk especially in nature.
Yoga is perfect except if you do it like a real workout, you probably have the tendency to even make yoga hard work and grinding. Just go easy on your body. You will thank yourself for doing it before it forces you to.
@ChickenLittle lol I donât feel crazy! But Iâm probably more gung-ho than is normal. The stomach bug was pretty bad and luckily antibiotics kicked that, it was right at the end of my deployment so it exacerbated how thin/shredded I got. I have heard of gastrointestinal bugs and resulting antibiotics causing microbial changes that can actually result in weight gain. (Look up what happens to skinny people who get a fecal transplant from someone obeseâŠthey all end up fat). When I gained back my weight and then a few extra pounds I feared something had happened and really ramped up my exercise and dieting to combat it- only to result in where I am today. But the cortisol discussion is helping me think I may have overdone it. Now Iâm trying to ID how to move forward and get my metabolism back up and start seeing gains (or losses) again. End goal I think is achievable and healthy, and I want to get there before pregnancy throws things out of whack even more.
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Yup. You probably had 0 external stress as well (no errands, family, house maintenance, bills, etc.). This is good news, though - you donât have to try to compare this âyouâ to that âyouâ because they lived in different worlds!
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