Underweight Recovery

[jacobda]

Hello Mr. Rippetoe,

I would like to seek your opinion on this matter.

I'm currently 21, weigh 142.8 lbs and am somewhere between 6'0'' - 6'1'', with a body fat % reading of 3.9 (so probably somewhere closer to 6 or 7). Growing up, I was fairly larger, reaching 272 lbs before my freshman football season in high school (age: 14). Following the football season (October), I wanted to eat healthier and it took on a mind of its own. By the following football season (August), I reached a low of 150 lbs. So, in about 10 months, I lost 122 lbs, mostly from cardio and some weight training. It is suffice to say that I lost a TON of muscle.

In the interim between that period and now, I have fluctuated in weight, but have never gone pass 200 lbs. I received medical treatment during the timeframe and was diagnosed with an eating disorder, OCD and depression.

As my current weight will tell you, I still suffer from some of those complications. It pisses me off. And that is why I am here.

My questions for you are as follows:

1) Would you recommend me doing SS right now? I did cardio from September '15 - January '16 and lost about 15 lbs. Since January of this year, I've started incorporating light weight training sessions 2x week. My legs are shot.

2) What online resources can I use online to help with this process? Medical expenses just cost way too much. I'm willing to run through fire to get to where I want to be. I'm tired of being mediocre.

3) This probably answers the low body weight issue, but my diet is as follows:

Breakfast: Mixed greens and three eggs

Lunch: 4-6 oz of chicken breast or chicken thigh (or sardines every once and while), 1/2 cup lentils, spinach, tbsp. coconut oil, sauerkraut

Dinner: 4-6 oz of chicken breast or chicken thigh, sweet potato or quinoa, 1 cup of blueberries or an apple, big bowl of broccoli and 1/2 avocado

Snack: Carrots and 2 tbsps. almond butter

I am having very terrible cold intolerance symptoms and have been having trouble with digestive issues for well over 6 months now. Should I just focus on gaining some weight before hitting the gym harder or should I just hit the gym harder and eat more (easier said than done, I know).

I'd appreciate your thoughts.

Thanks.

[Mark Rippetoe]

I'm willing to run through fire to get to where I want to be.

Looking at your current "diet", no, you're not. Sorry, I'm not a psychiatrist.

[jayshort21]

OP, I think you're a perfect candidate for GOMAD. Just add the milk to your current diet and boom, you're set.

[jacobda]

Thanks for the reply. Will keep moving forward.

[Brodie Butland]

OP--

I feel for you, I really do. But to piggyback off of Rip's point, doing a successful run in weight training is every bit as much mental as physical. You have to be committed to the project, or it won't work. And part of that commitment is forcing yourself to eat to recover--even if you really don't feel like it.

I assume your desire to better yourself is sincere. But desires don't pay the bills in this area. You have to be able to commit to actually eating to recover, and not worry about whether your abs will be showing as you progress. My concern is, I don't think you'll be able to do this in your current state, because based on your description it sounds like you're still working through some serious unresolved body image issues.

However, it's never too late to turn things around. I started weight training at 135 lbs at 5'11" with a 65 lbs deadlift. I'm now 225 lbs and pulled 450x4 two weeks ago. I also quit smoking and basically entirely cut pop out of my diet. People can change--but they need to be all in to make it work, because, frankly, this shit starts getting really hard really fast.

I guess this is my point...saying you want to avoid getting professional help is the wrong attitude here. Gaining muscle won't make you happy or solve any lingering image issues any better than your significant weight loss did. It's tidying up the living room while the house is on fire. As someone who has gone through some psychological issues myself (probably not entirely dissimilar from yours), trust me when I say that fulfillment and being at peace with your state in life is first and foremost a product of the mind, not of externalities.

I'd also consider checking out Furious Pete's YouTube channel. He nearly died from anorexia. He's now a competitive eater that, at least at one time, was squatting 500 lbs. Also recently survived testicular cancer. He's got some good videos talking about his past and how he changed things. Might be helpful in starting you on a change in mindset.

[crookedfinger]

I'd appreciate your thoughts.

Sorry man. you are most likely going to need to find a psychotherapist specializing in RBT. Meds may or may not be necessary. Start with therapy while starting to train.

From there:

1. Stop looking in the mirror (get rid of them if you have to)
2. Get really comfortable with the concept of a 400 pound squat and a 500 pound deadlift
3. Expect to weigh 220-250
4. Start eating more, prioritize protein (200-220 grams), but don't be afraid to embrace carbs and fat - just keep it reasonably to as many single ingredient foods as possible
5. Don't do anything, but; Squat, Press, Bench, Deads, Chins and PowerCleans for the next 2 years. At some point, you can add a day of conditioning

Don't look up, don't doubt, don't make excuses. Just keep going.

[Christopher Anderson]

Don't get discouraged, its a process, but one that you're doing wrong. You have to eat more to be able to accomplish your goals, bc you're battling a body image issue you haven't fully committed to anything. You asked for an online resource? This is it! read the articles, buy the book and read the forums posted. We have elderly people with knee and hip replacements doing the program on here, so yes you should start the program and follow it. It's going to take time, effort and determination to get it done, but you can do it.

[Mark Rippetoe]

Note the variety of answers so far.

[George Christiansen]

Brodie is correct. You need to deal with the mental issues. They will sabotage everything else in you life.

Even IF you manage to get through a good run of the SSLP you will likely only be trading it for your current obsessions. Sure it may be an improvement on some levels, but it will still be a problem.

The process of putting a bunch of weight on the bar and your body is fairly simple, but unfortunately it is difficult and requires a lot of delayed gratification. When you are dealing with the issues that you are it is simply too easy to sabotage yourself by giving into the impulses that OCD and depression will trigger.

You almost certainly need professional help. Both in the form of general counselling and training. In both cases you need someone that you can trust to sort of save you from yourself. A good counsellor and trainer can keep you on track by taking a lot of the overthinking and second guessing out of things and by providing accountability.

[dietlbomb]

I'm currently 21, weigh 142.8 lbs and am somewhere between 6'0'' - 6'1''

You know your weight to the nearest tenth of a pound but don't know your height to the nearest inch?