Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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Ok, there was a time in my life that was really stinky, and I became depressed and suicidal. I didn't eat for months and as a result lost all muscle mass, and everything I used to have. Now bouncing back I have a fresh perspective on life, discovered this way of eating which suits me well. But one issue that bugs me and am unsure how to go about this. I want to regain lost muscle, but my muscle mass is so low I can't do any pushups at all. So regular exercise programs I cannot follow yet. How to I regain the strength I used to have or should I forget it as some sources say it is impossible to regain muscle after starving for so long. I do Cardio as it is the only thing I physically can do 3 times a day for 25 minutes.

I have begin to eat Paleo, I average 120g of Protein 100g of carbs, and the rest fat on a 2150 calorie diet, I am male 18 5 11 with no muscles at all.

Please don't just post ranting on how dumb I was, I know that already, and have heard it numerous times, you can express that, as long as you provide some useful advice along with it. Thanks.

flag	asked Aug 12 at 5:47 fromthericefields 760●1●8

	I have put on most of the weight lost, although not sure of my weight as I don't have a scale, but can tell how my pants fit, and the amount of energy I have for the day. I go to bed at 8 and get up at around 4:45. – fromthericefields Aug 12 at 5:50
	Is it really impossible to regain muscle mass after such severe loss? This happiness when I was 17 and it.ag been near a year of searching and slow recovery, slow due to physiological reasons, whether I really wanted to live or not. Now that I have my head screwed on right, I can see purpose, and have goals. I am tired of being in the same rut and pit of minimal strength. I was doing knee pushups but am taking a break this week as it seemed like I hit a wall somewhere. – fromthericefields Aug 12 at 5:55
	When you saty 25 minutes of cardio three times a day, do you mean you do cardio for a total of 75 minutes per day? That's excessive for an obese middle-aged person, let alone a young man looking to gain muscle. – Mick Jagger Aug 12 at 9:22
	Yes it totals 75 minutes a day, too much? I'm home all the time so I figured 3 times a day would make the cut, to keep me moving around. – fromthericefields Aug 12 at 9:58

Fern · Answer 1 · 2012-08-12 05:59:35Z UTC

I don't think you were dumb, I think you were very ill. Be proud that you've come back from such a dark place and found something that works for you. Congratulations for caring about your health and wanting to regain some strength and muscle. In my humble opinion, I think you should start weightlifting. It doesn't matter that you can't do proper push-ups any more. Start slowly and with as light weights as you need to. If you can't do proper push-ups, do push-ups on your knees. If you can't do those, do push-ups against the wall. It seems that you're eating sufficiently again, so focus on building your strength up. Use compound movements, especially the squat, deadlift, bench press, shoulder press and chin-ups. Use assisted chin-up machines if you need to and use your body weight or the lightest dumbbells you can find for the other movements if you need to. Be consistent and make sure that you are pushing yourself every time, regardless of if you are using the same weight as last week. If it still challenges you, then that's your weight. It will take time, but hopefully soon you will start to see some progression. I highly recommend Mark Rippetoe's 'Starting Strength' for detailed instructions on technique and programming that will help you build overall strength. Good luck!

Aga · Answer 2 · 2012-08-12 07:14:37Z UTC

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There is no reason why you shouldn"t be able to regain your muscle, people have done even more extreme transitions. I recommend you keep eating well and quite a lot. I dont think you need to count calories just eat whenever you want. Start walking a bit, do some sprints. Do some weightlifting or body-weight exercises like body rows if u cant do pull ups and body squats. Any good luck.

answered Aug 12 at 7:14

Aga
51●1

Thanks all! Today was great, I skipped the knee pushups I was doing and attempted a full pushup, and managed 1 and a half :D I think I may do full pushups every morning until I can do at least 5 then carry on with the bottom tier of the pushup program. Good plan? Ok I'll take squats in thought as I used to do them for basketball training before I went through that bump in life. Body rows, never heard of them, will give them a checkout as well. Thanks :) – fromthericefields Aug 12 at 8:31

Mark · Answer 3 · 2012-08-12 17:06:39Z UTC

Mirroring what Mick Jagger said in a comment above. Cut out the cardio. You are trying to put on lean mass. If you need to move around, just go for a walk. As your fitness improves, add sprints a couple of times a week for conditioning.

Focus on full body movements at BW then graduate to a strength program (Starting Strength is excellent). There are several BW programs available on the internet that focus on full body movements (squats, burpees, and so on).

Eating enough is essential to lean mass gains. 2150 calories is not enough for an 18 year old 5'11" male. You should probably be over 3000 calories and that is on the low end for lean mass gains.

Good luck with your new commitment to fitness. Remember that it is a life long pursuit. Just make slow and steady gains.

Starvation, loss of muscle, and if possible regain?

3 Answers