Desperately Need Help - I'm Old & Need to get in Shape Again

[LSUgal]

Hi, I'm 37 years old, 5 foot 9 inches, 175 pounds now and I'm desperate for good advice on what to use to lose fat quickly and keep me motivated (keep energy high without mood change, hair loss, etc.)! I need to lose weight and get lean more than building up too much muscle (I don't have a goal of being a body builder, I just want my old body back). I have never used any steroids or weight loss products before but I'm now thinking it's my only hope...let me give you some of my background so you understand:

I have never been smaller than a size 8 but was physically fit without having to diet and working out 3 times a week was enough to keep me at 145 pounds and looking good. At 28 years old I had a child and many complications due to the pregnancy and such for over a year and I was up to 165 pounds. I was finally able to get back in the gym and get fit again and by the time my son was 3, I was back down to my 140-145 pounds. Well, I began having issues again and in March of 2013 I had to have a full hysterectomy (put on estrogen) and had complications/infection after the surgery and it put me out of the gym for 3 to 4 months. After the surgery I have had no energy or motivation yet I've attempted to do my usual cardio routine at least 4 times a week but I've seen no results, only weight gain and I'm now at 175 pounds! I eat somewhat healthy with fish and vegetables as my primary diet (red meat around once every week or two weeks). Oh, I'm also not sure if my thyroid is now out of whack - my mother and sister have always had thyroid problems and what I find strange is that I've had testing that showed a thyroid problem and testing that stated I didn't have thyroid issues (I've never taken meds for thyroid as I've always known how to eat and work out to maintain my body). I don't know why I cannot lose weight or why I'm getting more and more flab...I cannot continue on this path, I may be old but I don't like being or looking unhealthy.

So, I'm basically wondering if anyone can tell me what medication(s) to use or cycles to try in order to boost my body's energy and lose weight without bulking up too much (I easily get bigger with little time working on muscle so I've stuck to doing cardio the majority of my workouts). I have no clue what to do to get my body back and desperately need any information anyone has on what to use, if I need to change my workout routine once beginning a med or cycle, etc... Again, I have no knowledge on meds, steroids, etc. and before taking/doing what my boyfriend and guy friends suggest, I need to know what women in my situation have done or would do, women with experience in the such, not men whose bodies and metabolisms are totally different than mine (I have no girl friends who even attend a gym, much less know about meds/cycles to use). I would sincerely appreciate anyone's advice and help on how to get my body back!!!
Sorry this was so long and thanks for reading if you made it through...to any who post, thank you for taking time to post and attempt to help me!

[sassy69]

Hi & welcome to RX! First - I'm sorry you're experiencing this. I will tell you off the bat that any request on a steroid forum that starts w/ "I'm desperate" needs to NOT be looking for steroids. The reason I say this is that anyone who says it will "fix things" is uninformed and in fact it will , more than likely, complicate things in many ways, and also it is your way of saying you're trying things, they're not working and you are now open to suggestions like self-medication w/ male hormones. Even the most well-intentioned suggestion of it still doesn't make it appropriate. There are simply no quicky fixes - when you are doing mostly the right stuff and your body still isn't responding - it means something in the way your body handles metabolism is off. It is designed to run efficiently so you need to ensure that what you are doing is honestly "efficient' in terms of diet, training & recovery, but then also look at the body itself and make sure that is operating the way it should. No drug is going to magically fix that.

I would really, really get clear reading on your thyroid. That is the first thing that came to my mind and the one thing that stuck out. There's nothing in your history that says you "need" steroids. It sounds more like your body is having trouble processing even a reasonable diet efficiently. Depressed energy levels also raise a red flag. How recently have you had you thyroid tested? I know, say even going back 10 years, there has always been question about the accuracy of thyroid testing, and also how each individual doctor would be willing to look at it - e.g. if you're on the "edge of normal", you're normal, don't worry about it. However I can speak to a number of friends, and myself, who were "on the edge of normal" but exhibiting hypothyroid symptoms. For myself, chances are it was related to competition dieting so I'd be hesitant to say I should be on thyroid medication. I've also, more recently confirmed that it is within "normal" range. Others, have finally gotten on thyroid medication and gotten things more under control.

I would start there before you go off on tangents trying to self-medicate w/ stuff that can potentially really make things a lot stickier, before you've exhaustively eliminated your thyroid as an issue. I'd even say get complete bloodwork done to just get a solid starting point. Then if you're "on the edge of normal" w/ your thyroid or anything other than a very solid & healthy "normal" reading on all points related to thyroid, discuss it in detail w/ your doctor. If you need a second opinion, get it. See a qualified endocrinologist - someone who can speak to specifically female hormones and thyroid.

In the mean time, I would encourage you to step back and honestly take a look at your diet & training - frequently it just takes a little tweaking to optimize a "clean" diet. "Sorta good" can still be detrimental when you're expecting results. And same w/ training. I'm not suggesting you need to go hardcore, but just to do an honest review of your calorie intake, your macro nutrient levels and your activity. I personally feel like you're battling your thyroid, but while you're working thru it, also see what a streamlined diet does.

My bigger purpose is to give you a couple paths to pursue and keep yourself busy instead of getting more & more frustrated and desperate. "Desperation" is usually the downfall of women - expending energy running around looking for quicky fixes and motivation in a pill is very honestly a complete waste of time and something that is just begging to create a bigger mindfuck of the whole thing. Don't let the whole thing perpetuate the negative cycle that situations like this can be. Don't turn it into getting down on yourself - that can be a never-ending cycle that will never get you to a solution.

Hope that helps - PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not jump to self-medicating w/ steroids and other stuff you got from someone or someone told you that you should try. Its a whole other set of issues that very much complicate a situation that you don't have a good handle on to begin with.

[sassy69]

LOL just reread your thread title .. ahem... I'm 11 years older than you and I don't consider myself old so please don't push your "old" on me

To be honest however, you are aging and are approaching some hormonal changes as is appropriate to the female of the species. You are also 2 inches taller than me and I don't really consider your current weight to be a OMFG ALL HELL IS BREAKING LOOSE. So I would really try to keep things in perspective. Age-related changes suck moose balls - I'm getting a really good dose of that in the last couple years. I was competing at my peak 3 years ago, and now I'm seeing my chiropractor regularly for aggressive shoulder rehab and the recovery time it takes for me is somewhat humbling, and the switch from "big muscle soreness" to "little joint soreness and tightness" is really humbling. It means I have to switch the mindset of more than 3 decades of LIFT FUCKING BIG to WARM UP FUCKING ALOT BEFORE LIFTING SORTA BIG. LOL. Ugh. FML. It just means I need to spend more time understanding the changes that are inevitable, tweaking my habits accordingly and patiently getting my mind around working w/ my body instead of lamenting what it doesn't do like it used to. I have no intention of setting up my rocking chair on the porch yet. I'd like to get back on stage in the next year and blow people away w/ my physique, regardless of my age. (I may just need to allocate a little extra time for naps and stuff to recover .... )

[tammyp]

what sassy said....steroids are not for weight loss, so on that note, would you mind posting diet and training? I think we can find what needs to change in there.

[PFEPerformance]

Ditto to all above - and - "rolling my eyes" - I have a few years on you as well!! LOL

In addn to all the SOLID input above - I see a couple little underlying comments regarding lifting, diet, and cardio................. PLEASE do not jump on the I'm going to CUT the shit outa my caloric intake, cardio myself into oblivion, and avoid the weights!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MANY women have a HUGE misconception (not saying you are one of them) - thinking they are going to get HUGE if they freaken lift some dam weight !! NOTHING - and I mean NOTHING - has made me look tighter and better than hitting the weights! AND - carrying a heavier weight per the scale but looking tighter! My point is - Cutting Calories too low will stall you out terribly, riding the cardio train in hopes of big transformations is NOT going to happen, FEAR of lifting the weights is the opposite of what will actually stoke your metabolic rate!!

You have some of the BEST advice you are going to get with the two ladies above - LISTEN to them!!

[s2h]

seek a specialist that specializes in women s thyroid & hormone treatment...as Sassy said the vast majority of Dr's espc OB/GYN's don't use proper free level testing for thyroid labs..they tend to look at the TSH and gauge everything off that..things like a thyroid ultra sound can take a deeper look at potential issues like scaring of the thyroid..

supplementing a unknown problem ca be a huge mistake..what if you guess wrong??..things could go from bad too worse..

there are many things women exp that cause the way you feel hormone wise...low t3..low t4..high progesterone...low test..yes women can have too low of test levels..

get the right Dr and he/she will get the proper testing done to identify any hormone complications..so dont take anything unless directed..

diet could be another big factor...if i had a $1 for everyone who thought there diet was spot on i would be retired..women in general are well known to way under eat..need to look deep into that..do a cal count of a days meals..identify if that is a issue..def post a average days meal plan up as that would be helpful..any of the ladies in this thread will be able to help solve that question if its a issue..