Body health.

[Wrath of Foamy]

Good afternoon all,

I'm looking for a way to feel better.

I'm 38, 6ft3, 270lbs. with a 34 inch leg and a 42 inch waist. Odd dimensions, I know. You know you have problems when you don't have options at the jean section at your local Marks & Spencers.

I work a fairly active job. I get my steps in, I run up and down steps and stairs, I connect and disconnect things. I'm no office monkey or couch potato, though I do binge videogames at times and I do stay in bed a bit too much on my off days, if the missus is also at home.

Ever since my mid-20's, I've been the definition of an on-off gym goer. I used to weigh 180lbs then and I used to run four miles a day on the treadmill, plus other things, but I was physically quite weak. Life happened, I ballooned up to 260lbs quite quickly, so after a series of moves, I joined a gym, did a mile run and then focused more on strength over the years.

I had a scare during COVID where, after exercising, I would become dizzy, lose my vision temporarily if it were static and my legs would go numb. I would drive to work trying to time and prepare myself every few seconds for this to occur, but it would clear up later in the day. Because of this, I stopped really pushing myself. I also kept getting nausea whilst in the gym, so I would lie on my side on the gym floor until I felt good enough to get up and go.

Last year, I received a blood clot in my left leg that rendered me completely unable to walk or even place my foot down for a week. I lost strength in that leg, but I decided to put my legs to work when I felt good enough. I would always start my exercise by running a mile, biking for a mile and then using the leg press after, then doing upper body things to round off my day. It was going well and, though my running wasn't great, I may have been stronger than I ever was. I was maxing out the leg press and doing ten reps at a time, military pressing the biggest barbells and kettlebells with ease, though the stronger sherdoggers here probably won't be impressed by that. I was carrying weight, sure, but I could still move quite well.

This was until I received nerve issues in my right leg, that temporarily crippled me unless I spent a period of time already standing, and then a combination of hayfever and the flu a few months later. The pain in the joint of my left toe has also gotten worse. I've spent time away from the gym, the last time I went was before the flu, and I've felt zero desire to go back, due to a combination of receiving abuse from someone in a car just before my flu became bad, and the fact that my last few times at the gym were not only less than impressive, but also left me so exhausted that I did nothing but sleep for the rest of the day.

Basically, I want to lose weight and become fitter and healthier, but I can't be bothered with racking up injuries anymore. I even have a 20kg kettlebell that I bought, that I wanted for years, but I just can't get into using it on a frequent basis, plus kettlebell swings aggravate my right leg. Push ups aggravate my left toe and bring back issues that I've had with acid reflux that I've had since I was twenty-seven and had a nasty throat infection.

I'm thinking of running again. There is a delightfully nasty 1.5 mile run that I can do from my house, where the first half is sheer uphill. I'd like to do push ups again and the kettlebell is always there. I don't really like doing workouts at home, it doesn't feel right, you know? I also don't want to spend hours at the gym everyday. I've spent years punishing myself there, and I'm tired of it.

One thing that I believe that I have neglected over the years, is stretching. Even when I was skinny, I was terrible with body weight exercises that required me to get low. Squats and push ups never felt natural to me, my form would go and breathing would feel troublesome and forced. Oddly enough, it wasn't that long ago that I was actually quite good at pull ups, and I was adequate at dips. I think now? Even though I may still have strength in my muscles, that my joints will cause issues.

This may be a long way of asking for advice. I just wanted to vent, in a way.

I've been looking at DDPY for a while, though I don't really want to spend anymore money. I'm already spending on a gym that I don't use, for the rest of the year. I'd like to exercise program that involves me improving my flexibility in all aspects, as well as improve general body wellness. I'd like to do it in the morning and in the evening. I'd like it to be fairly physical, but I don't wish to overexert myself either. I also want to get better at controlling my body, to do things like squat without feeling off balance and feel like I'm sucking in air all the time. I also don't want to spend hours doing it.

Does anyone have any experience in this? Any advice or videos that you can give me?

Thank you all,

Kind Regards,

Foamy
Unofficial Saddest Poster of Sherdog nominee.

 

[Long Dark Blues]

In 2019 I shit my body out of itself attempting a 600-lbs. pull. Blown out ass end, severe abdominal strain, complete pelvic floor disfunction, couple regular hernias and the cherry on top, a "sports hernia"

Anyway, I didn't read the whole OP and I didn't do DDPY, but I did both pilates and yoga as part of my physical therapy and grew to love both. I highly recommend them for anyone that's built up a lifetime of injuries while lifting or in combat sports.

They fixed the foundational core stability and strength issues which allowed me to start focusing on core stability and strength with weights and then eventually back into heavy lifting.

 

[Wrath of Foamy]

In 2019 I shit my body out of itself attempting a 600-lbs. pull. Blown out ass end, severe abdominal strain, complete pelvic floor disfunction, couple regular hernias and the cherry on top, a "sports hernia"

Anyway, I didn't read the whole OP and I didn't do DDPY, but I did both pilates and yoga as part of my physical therapy and grew to love both. I highly recommend them for anyone that's built up a lifetime of injuries while lifting or in combat sports.

They fixed the foundational core stability and strength issues which allowed me to start focusing on core stability and strength with weights and then eventually back into heavy lifting.

Thanks for sharing. That sounds like a horrible injury. I'm glad that I've never had a hernia. My father and my former colleague both had one and they were massively overweight at the time, before they got gastric bypass surgery.

See, I think that I may have a similar issue. When I converted from doing cardio to strength over a decade ago due to my weight limiting what I could do running, I focused a lot on various machines and static strength exercises and I think that I neglected my core a lot. It's why I could rep max stack on the squat machines and chest press machines over and over again, yet my actual squats and push ups felt difficult to do. I built strength in my arms and shoulders and I've always had a strong back, so chin ups weren't too bad at the time even at 260lbs and I could bust out plenty of push ups, even if they didn't feel natural, but I'd be down for days with cramped legs and a pained lower back if I did even moderate sets of basic, weightless squats. I could do gym things but not real life things, you know?

I'd like to change that. I don't care about being strong anymore, just want to be able to move well, feel good and be able to throw my body around a bit.

 

[ssBaldy]

Thanks for sharing. That sounds like a horrible injury. I'm glad that I've never had a hernia. My father and my former colleague both had one and they were massively overweight at the time, before they got gastric bypass surgery.

See, I think that I may have a similar issue. When I converted from doing cardio to strength over a decade ago due to my weight limiting what I could do running, I focused a lot on various machines and static strength exercises and I think that I neglected my core a lot. It's why I could rep max stack on the squat machines and chest press machines over and over again, yet my actual squats and push ups felt difficult to do. I built strength in my arms and shoulders and I've always had a strong back, so chin ups weren't too bad at the time even at 260lbs and I could bust out plenty of push ups, even if they didn't feel natural, but I'd be down for days with cramped legs and a pained lower back if I did even moderate sets of basic, weightless squats. I could do gym things but not real life things, you know?

I'd like to change that. I don't care about being strong anymore, just want to be able to move well, feel good and be able to throw my body around a bit.

What are your T levels?
270 is quite a lot.
Also your legs are very large. Is the lymph flow ok? Maybe you need massage (proper one, not the happy ending)?

 

[SmoothPies]

Hey that sounds hard, sorry you had to go through that.

Here are some general tips.. if you follow these (some or all), should help a lot.

1. Try to get 8k to 10k steps a day - this alone will work wonders. Doesn't need to be one long walk, could be short walks throughout the day.
2. Try to eat only whole, single ingredient foods. I.e. eggs, bananas, beef, rice, carrots
3. Strength train 2-3x a week (full body).
4. Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep if you can
5. Try to hit your bodyweight in protein daily

^this alone will help overall health in so many ways, let alone your situation

 

[Satur9]

Sunlight. It does wonders. Get OUT of the house and walk in nature everyday. Or run. Just get out there. Preferably in the morning, or whenever you wake up normally.

Not sure of your exact living and work situation, but I gave myself SAD as a remote/WFH worker. Seems most of us are on here a lot, so I imagine we are inside more than we should be. That trickles down into all areas of life.

Good luck, brotha.

 

[empsim]

You need to change your diet. You're either eating bad stuff or too much or both.

Physical exercise is great in many ways but unless you're training like an olympic swimmer or something it won't help you that much in losing weight.

 

[Cole train]

Swimming is always good option

 

[Kal-El]

Uphill running and heavy kb work sounds like a recipe for disaster waiting to happen at 270lbs and out of shape.

Start walking, the steps, fresh air, daylight and mental clarity are all great ways to feel better.

Do some basic strength training, and chase the feeling of feeling good and in tune with your body. Don't chase heavier weights, at least no time soon.

 

[Tone C]

Swimming is always good option

Much better than the sinking one

 

[Renard]

You seem to worry a lot about exercise. It's a diet game primarily. There was a study on middle-aged people doing mild resistance training 3 times a week, I believe it was pilates, which showed that eating enough protein (1g per 1 lb of ideal body weight, e.g. 180g) and doing the mild exercises 3 times a week was enough to avoid muscle loss during calorie restriction. Meaning you don't need to even be doing that much exercise-wise for the fat to go away without any muscle loss. Then once you've slimmed down you can decide what you want to do that's sustainable in terms of putting on muscle. Meaning you can start right now, you don't have to figure out the exercise part of it yet.

 

[TheTickG]

Good afternoon all,

I'm looking for a way to feel better.

I'm 38, 6ft3, 270lbs. with a 34 inch leg and a 42 inch waist. Odd dimensions, I know. You know you have problems when you don't have options at the jean section at your local Marks & Spencers.

I work a fairly active job. I get my steps in, I run up and down steps and stairs, I connect and disconnect things. I'm no office monkey or couch potato, though I do binge videogames at times and I do stay in bed a bit too much on my off days, if the missus is also at home.

Ever since my mid-20's, I've been the definition of an on-off gym goer. I used to weigh 180lbs then and I used to run four miles a day on the treadmill, plus other things, but I was physically quite weak. Life happened, I ballooned up to 260lbs quite quickly, so after a series of moves, I joined a gym, did a mile run and then focused more on strength over the years.

I had a scare during COVID where, after exercising, I would become dizzy, lose my vision temporarily if it were static and my legs would go numb. I would drive to work trying to time and prepare myself every few seconds for this to occur, but it would clear up later in the day. Because of this, I stopped really pushing myself. I also kept getting nausea whilst in the gym, so I would lie on my side on the gym floor until I felt good enough to get up and go.

Last year, I received a blood clot in my left leg that rendered me completely unable to walk or even place my foot down for a week. I lost strength in that leg, but I decided to put my legs to work when I felt good enough. I would always start my exercise by running a mile, biking for a mile and then using the leg press after, then doing upper body things to round off my day. It was going well and, though my running wasn't great, I may have been stronger than I ever was. I was maxing out the leg press and doing ten reps at a time, military pressing the biggest barbells and kettlebells with ease, though the stronger sherdoggers here probably won't be impressed by that. I was carrying weight, sure, but I could still move quite well.

This was until I received nerve issues in my right leg, that temporarily crippled me unless I spent a period of time already standing, and then a combination of hayfever and the flu a few months later. The pain in the joint of my left toe has also gotten worse. I've spent time away from the gym, the last time I went was before the flu, and I've felt zero desire to go back, due to a combination of receiving abuse from someone in a car just before my flu became bad, and the fact that my last few times at the gym were not only less than impressive, but also left me so exhausted that I did nothing but sleep for the rest of the day.

Basically, I want to lose weight and become fitter and healthier, but I can't be bothered with racking up injuries anymore. I even have a 20kg kettlebell that I bought, that I wanted for years, but I just can't get into using it on a frequent basis, plus kettlebell swings aggravate my right leg. Push ups aggravate my left toe and bring back issues that I've had with acid reflux that I've had since I was twenty-seven and had a nasty throat infection.

I'm thinking of running again. There is a delightfully nasty 1.5 mile run that I can do from my house, where the first half is sheer uphill. I'd like to do push ups again and the kettlebell is always there. I don't really like doing workouts at home, it doesn't feel right, you know? I also don't want to spend hours at the gym everyday. I've spent years punishing myself there, and I'm tired of it.

One thing that I believe that I have neglected over the years, is stretching. Even when I was skinny, I was terrible with body weight exercises that required me to get low. Squats and push ups never felt natural to me, my form would go and breathing would feel troublesome and forced. Oddly enough, it wasn't that long ago that I was actually quite good at pull ups, and I was adequate at dips. I think now? Even though I may still have strength in my muscles, that my joints will cause issues.

This may be a long way of asking for advice. I just wanted to vent, in a way.

I've been looking at DDPY for a while, though I don't really want to spend anymore money. I'm already spending on a gym that I don't use, for the rest of the year. I'd like to exercise program that involves me improving my flexibility in all aspects, as well as improve general body wellness. I'd like to do it in the morning and in the evening. I'd like it to be fairly physical, but I don't wish to overexert myself either. I also want to get better at controlling my body, to do things like squat without feeling off balance and feel like I'm sucking in air all the time. I also don't want to spend hours doing it.

Does anyone have any experience in this? Any advice or videos that you can give me?

Thank you all,

Kind Regards,

Foamy
Unofficial Saddest Poster of Sherdog nominee.

At my heaviest I was 255. I walk around at 165-175 now. Proper diet and strength training is what worked. For me, the best diet was keto. For strength training, you don't necessarily need squats nor deadlifts as leg press and other machines exist.

Finding a diet and training regiment that is effective for you, that you can stick to is what you need.

 

[Satur9]

You seem to worry a lot about exercise. It's a diet game primarily. There was a study on middle-aged people doing mild resistance training 3 times a week, I believe it was pilates, which showed that eating enough protein (1g per 1 lb of ideal body weight, e.g. 180g) and doing the mild exercises 3 times a week was enough to avoid muscle loss during calorie restriction. Meaning you don't need to even be doing that much exercise-wise for the fat to go away without any muscle loss. Then once you've slimmed down you can decide what you want to do that's sustainable in terms of putting on muscle. Meaning you can start right now, you don't have to figure out the exercise part of it yet.

This seems to work for many, including myself. Lost 50lbs now since Feb by just changing my diet and light exercising(running/bike/calisthenics). Also, no drinking my calories at all. Save it for actual food. Diet is king. Hard to work off a bad diet. The thing is not to give up everything at once. Log all of what you are consuming that you consider "bad", and half it to start. People just all in at the start, fail when they see how overwhelming it all is when you give up everything, and just go back to their old ways.

 

[I Am Legion]

I workout daily, but it never affected my weight much. It truly is 80% diet. The ONLY thing that works imo, is a diet high in fiber and protein and low in cheap carbs from processed foods and sugar. It really is that simple. Avoid high carb foods in large amounts. Bread, Rice, Pasta, chips, candy, soda, cakes, cookies, cereal, all are bad for weight. Get carbs from fruit, nuts, legumes. If you need bread, but low carb versions high in fiber. Wraps too. If you do eat carbs pair it with fiber and protein. I cut carbs and lost 15lbs, and my bloodwork came back awesome. It takes time but you get used to not eating garbage and will feel better.

 

[Stoic1]

"You can't outwork a bad diet", as they say.

 

[Wrath of Foamy]

Thank you all for your replies.

A few comments.

My diet isn't perfect but it's a lot better than it used to be. I think my issues stem from overeating large portions and when I eat as well, due to the fact that I work shifts.

My legs are large, but I don't think they are swollen. I'm naturally quite lanky and even when at twelve stone, I paid a lot of attention to lifting heavy on the leg press. I can actually move quite quickly in bursts and I can walk a lot for my size. I can run for my size as well, though no doubt not as fast as I did due to my weight gain.

I think that my next step is to do Pilates at home. I'd really like to unlock my body more and sort my posture out. Does anyone have any advice on this?

 

[Meatspin]

Dude please walk 10k steps a day as a start. Injury awaits otherwise.

 

[method115]

You seem to worry a lot about exercise. It's a diet game primarily. There was a study on middle-aged people doing mild resistance training 3 times a week, I believe it was pilates, which showed that eating enough protein (1g per 1 lb of ideal body weight, e.g. 180g) and doing the mild exercises 3 times a week was enough to avoid muscle loss during calorie restriction. Meaning you don't need to even be doing that much exercise-wise for the fat to go away without any muscle loss. Then once you've slimmed down you can decide what you want to do that's sustainable in terms of putting on muscle. Meaning you can start right now, you don't have to figure out the exercise part of it yet.

Nailed it. Diet is damn near everything. Before my wedding my wife wanted to lose about 20 pounds. Set her up with a very low carb diet. She could eat carbs for breakfast and that's it. Everything else was protien\fat maybe 1-3 carbs in a meal at most. She worked out 2-3 times a week for 20 mins and lost the weight.

 

[SalvadorAllende]

Damn bro.

I would stick up to working out with machines and walk X amount of steps a day.

I'm about to turn 38. Life got more sedentary lately specially when I work from home. I managed to keep my weight down by buying a cheap ass smart band (Xiaomi 9 or something) that monitors my steps. At 10K at day I'm good. You will be surprised how little you move some days.

I hate running. Despite being on the lighter side it does not feel good in my joints. I do bike quite a bit too commuting to work the days I have to come to the office. Takes the same time that taking the metro and I do 1h20 of cardio in the day.

 

[-Magua-]

Get your T levels checked. Testosterone & hormonal balance rewards effort.
Makes you want to go work out or try new things.
It's just a recommendation.

You've done all excercise stuff, & I'm trusting your diet is okay enough...seems to me, possibly try new things.
Hormone augmentation... to decent/optimal levels, can improve how you feel about making an effort or dealing with stress; is not a magical pill, but it does aid in motivation & recovery.
Could be the impetus for you to get back on track & stick with things. IIRC, couple times you start & stop, I could be wrong though.
When one feels better, they tend to do better, in all walks.
Either way, good luck bud.