Having lost a lot of weight in the past through diet and exercise at the gym,But through injuries and personal circumstances my attendance at the gym has been hit and miss consequently my weight has rocketed.I am 65 i don't expect to be the fittest i just want to get back on track.Where i lost the plot is what to eat and be able to go to the gym lose weight without too much muscle loss and energy .What do i do first lose weight and then build muscle or is there somethnig i can do to lose weight and yet retain muscle.Thank you all for listening.
Hi
@benford
It's gopod to see that gym work and diet has helped you loose weight. However, injuries........we have something in common. My nickname used to be Phoenix - I keep rising from the ashes, dislocations, getting run over, disc problems, torn tendon (crutches for 3 years) and more recently kidney stones and a burst appendix. Each time, you have to dig a little deeper to make that first step back in to the gym - arguably the toughest exercise known to man.
So make a decision right now, that when you read this, you will drop whatever it is you are doing and head top the gym and when you get there, do something, anything - 10 mins on the treadmill or a bike, something, just make sure that when you go back the next day, you do a little more.
I'm 52 and 5ft 8. I have T2, blood pressure problems, and diverticulitis. I train in a gym with a large contingent of athletes training at national level in power lifting, olympic lifting and strong man. I'm not the fittest, I'm not the strongest but I am determined. I still get stronger every day. I measure everything - but only in the gym, distance covered, elevation, calories (on the treadmill counter) weights, sets reps etc. If it can be measured, it can be exceeded, BUT you need to do that first difficult set - step back in the gym.
You ask if you should loose weight first or go to the gym. Do BOTH simultaneously - because you know that it WORKS. The best plan of attack is a combination of exercise and diet.
As for building muscle - I'm a biology graduate with over 40 years weight training experience. I have seen 20 year olds who can not build muscle and at my age, trust me, I can still build muscle - but it is slower and harder to acheive, So if you have the determination to build muscle, you go for it, but you know deep down in your heart, it's not gonna happen just by eating rabbit food. Diet alone, never built muscle. You know what builds muscle.
Make that first step and tomorrow, tell me that you got back into the gym.
(As for the personal issues, I don't need to pry, but I went from 18 stone to 23 stone in just a few months through lack of sleep and binge eating. I could hardly move - unless it was to stuff my head in a fridge. personal problems can be overcome - I find a long walk helps - in or out of the gym.
Good luck
Sean (T2, Oct 15, exercising twice a day, training for 6 challenges including 3 half marathons and a strong man competition in the first half of 2018. MAKE THAT FIRST STEP)