I need your help guys

[HughJanus101]

Hi, I'm 19 years old, I'm around 5'5 and I weigh around 100~ lbs last time I checked, which was a while ago so I might weigh more now(I've been told that it looked like I gained some weight lately).

I did go to the gym over a year ago, but I went for a week, stopped for long while then came back. Had zero motivation because I dislike working out. Not because it's hard, I actually love testing my limits, but because it's just plain boring to me. I had no motivation to keep it up...Now, over a year went by since the last time I worked out, and I feel weak and worthless...I always look at people going through transformations, I look at people who had the motivation to be consistent and change their lives...and I'm still here, wondering how far could I have gotten if I actually worked out consistently for the last 2 years...I lack motivation, I don't know what to do.

I'm in a pit in my life right now, regardless my physical condition(talking about my weight, still have to go through my routine yearly check up sometime in the upcoming month), I don't know what the **** to do next in my life, I sit at home in front of my computer most of the day... Barely in touch with my real friends, only in touch with those I play with online most of the day.

I'm not looking for you to solve or give me advice regarding my life(you can if you want), I just don't know where to get started...How do I get from 100 lbs to a healthier weight? How much do I have to eat? How much do I have to work out? How do I motivate myself to get off my ass and start working out?
I feel like ****, I feel so embarassed whenever I pass by kids far younger than I am who look older and stronger than me, which is the main reason to why I DON'T go out at all. People constantly let me know how thin I am and tell me to eat, which makes it worse for me and my confidence. Of course, I'm not looking for people to tell me that I look fantastic and healthy, because I don't, I just hate it when they bug me about my weight again and again.

Guys, please help me...I feel like my life is ****ing worthless, I feel ****ing worthless...The only way I see things change is if I find the strength and motivation to start living healthy and boost my confidence, so I could get out there and start living like a normal human being.

[gbullock32]

We can't give you motivation, either you have it or you don't. Sounds like you don't. But here is all the info you need to change should you choose to.

NUTRITION

This is the largest factor in your success, learn the basics to get started and then move into more advanced if needed.

BASICS

Spoiler!

Calculate calorie needs: First get your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate), then multiply by an activity factor to get your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure).

BMR= 370 + (21.6 x LBM (Lean Body Mass), Where LBM = [Total Weight (KG) x (100 - Body Fat %)] /100

Next take that number and use an activity factor to get TDEE (more active, use a higher number and lower number for less active) but remember this accounts for all activity and not just exercise (busy job/active life, choose a higher value)-
1.2- Sedentary (desk job and little exercise/activity)
1.3-1.4- Lightly Active Light daily activity, light exercise 1-3 times per week)
1.5-1.6- Moderately Active (Moderately active, moderate exercise 3-5 times per week)
1.7-1.8- Very Active (Physically demanding lifestyle, hard exercise 5-7 times per week)
1.9-2.2- Extremely Active (Endurance athlete, very hard physical job)

Now that you have the TDEE, get your macro-nutrient needs (fat, protein, and carb needs). Fat has 9 calories per gram, and protein/carbs have 4 calories per gram, alcohol is 7 calories per gram count it as a carb when fitting it into your macros).

Protein- .8 grams per pound
Fat- .4 grams per pound

Meet those MINIMUMS and then fill out remaining calories as you want with carbs, or more protein and fat, or any combination. Remember to track properly too, use a food scale (measuring cups can be very inaccurate due to density); track everything, each little bit adds up (sauces can be quite calorie dense).

Next decide your goal and eat at a 10-20% caloric deficit or surplus, deficit to lose weight and surplus to gain. For gaining go for ~.5-1 pound per week and when losing aim for 1-2 pounds per week. Reach your macro needs with mostly whole foods and a wide variety to ensure enough vitamins and mineral, but remember to practice common sense and moderation- enjoy life.

Sources and More Information

Spoiler!

Nutrition-
Calculating Calories
Pre, During, and Postworkout Nutrition
How To Ask For Diet Critique
Discretionary Calorie Allowance
Macro/Micro Nutrients Explained
Clean Eating Myth
Insulin and Fat Loss
Insulin and Fat Loss 2

Protein-
Protein Needs
Protein Needs 2
Protein Timing

Fat-
Fat Needs
Fat and Testosterone

Meal Timing-
Meal Timing 1
Meal Timing 2

Micro-Nutrient Guide-
Micro-Nutrient Guide

TRAINING

Start with a solid beginner routine, these are designed to get the most for you; they are designed by professionals and use progressive overload. Read through them and pick the one you like most, follow it as it is written.

Why You Should Not Make Your Own Routine
How To Perform Basic Lifts

Routines
Starting Strength
BabyLover's Starting Strength
AllPro's Beginner Routine
StrongLifts 5x5
IceCream Fitness 5x5
Fierce 5
Coolcicada's Push Pull Legs

Calisthenics routines

Spoiler!

Push Day:
- Pushups: 5x15
- Chest Dips: 4x12
- Triceps Extensions: 3x20
- Bench Dips: 3x15
- HSPU: 5x5
- Hindu Pushups: 3x12

Pull Day:
- Pull-ups: 5x8
- Inverted Rows: 3x12
- Back bridges: 4x10
- One-arm Assisted Chin-ups: 4x5
- One-arm Inverted Rows: 3x8
- Chins Isometric Holds: 3xFailure

Legs Day:
- Suqats: 5x20
- Jumping Squats: 4x15
- Lunges: 3x30
- Sprints: 4x20sec
- Box Jumps: 3x10
- Hanging Leg Raises: 3xfailure

Or-

Upper Day:
- Pullups: 5x6
- One-arm Inverted Rows: 3x8
- Inverted Rows: 3x18
- Back bridges: 4x10
- Pushups: 4x12
- Dips: 3x15
- HSPU: 3x5
- Decline Crunches: 4x12
- Russian Decline Twist: 3x12

Lower Day:
- Jumping Squats: 8x12
- Pistol Squats: 4x10
- Step Ups: 3x10
- GHR: 3x12
- Sprints: 5x15sec
- Calf Raises: 10x10 "Burnout"
- Hanging Leg Raises: 4x12
- Planks: 3x1min

SUPPLEMENTS

Remember one thing, supplements are only that; they supplement something and are never meant to be replacements. A multivitamin will not replace fruits and vegetables, a fat burner will not replace a caloric deficit, and a meal replacement is not meant to be your only source of calories.

This is a brief run down of the 'basics', for further breakdowns of specific ingredients (like Yohimbe, Forskolin, Glycerol, ect) more research on your part would be needed.

Protein

Spoiler!

Protein supplements are mostly derived from either Milk, Animal, Egg, or Plant sources. They are a powdered food item, made to be convenient to take. Their main purpose is to help you reach your minimum daily needs for protein if you cannot do so with whole foods, outside of that they provide no special benefit to muscle growth and are by no means 'required'.

Types
Whey- The most common, derived from milk and comes in either a concentrate or isolate. It is the cheapest and has a very high bio-availability, good stuff all around. Concentrate is the most common you will see since it requires less processing than an isolate. It is great and just fine for the majority of people. Isolates are another variety, they tend to have a few less carbs and fat, but cost more. They are best for people who have lactose issues.

Animal- Meat based protein, most come from the hooves and other parts that are not used in food; mostly collagen sources. These are usually not the best for bio-availability and are costly compared to a whey protein. They have the benefit of not being an issue to the lactose intolerant, but most prefer other sources for their protein needs.

Egg- From eggs, most are egg white powders. Again these cost more but have good bio-availability and do not aggravate lactose.

Plant- Best for the vegetarian/vegan, and those with very severe lactose intolerance (who still get issues even from isolate). These are sources from pea, soy, hemp, rice, and other plants. They often have multiple sources to form a complete protein source. Most cost more because of the processing involved.

Multi-Vitamins

Spoiler!

Multi-Vitamins are a good way to cover any gaps your nutrition may leave, they are not meant to (and never will be) a replacement for a wide variety of whole foods. Think of them as the spackle of the supplement world, great for covering imperfections, but you would not try and build a house from it.

Fish Oil

Spoiler!

Fish Oil is a good supplement for most, mainly because many do not eat enough fish to reach the minimum recommendation for EPA/DHA. For the most part you do not need to over complicate this one, just find a cheap and reliable brand and go for a dosage that covers your daily needs. These recommendations are 3 grams of EPA/DHA per day.

Creatine

Spoiler!

Creatine Monohydrate is the cheapest form of creatine and the most proven/studied. 3-5 grams a day, taken at any time with any liquid is all it takes and you do not need to load or cycle nor do you need to take it with sugar. Many types of creatine exist but just go with a plain mono- do not expect miracles though, creatine will barely have any noticeable effect, it may give you an extra rep or 2 but that is about it.

Bloating with creatine is actually very minimal, if it occurs at all, and usually only happens to those who load it (which is not needed). Creatine works by saturation, pulling water into the muscles and providing more endurance.

BCAAs

Spoiler!

BCAAs (Branch Chain Amino Acids) are said to prevent muscle breakdown and aid in recovery- this is true but you know what already has BCAAs in it? Food, any source of protein has and is comprised of branch chain amino acids. Assuming you reach protein sufficiency in your day a BCAA supplement would do nothing to aid you. BCAA supplements may be beneficial if you take pre/intra workout only if you train in a fasted state, or taken between meals if you go 4-6 hours without food. If you do not fit either of those categories they are not needed at all, save the money.

Fat Burners

Spoiler!

Fat Burners primarily do 2 things, suppress appetite and provide energy and focus. They cannot and will not replace a calorie deficit or a proper nutrition plan. Some have other additions, such as Forskolin or Yohimbe which may aid in actual fat loss though, but again the end success of weight/fat loss is proper diet. Work on getting that in order and then, if needed, you may want to look into a fat burner for the final push you need.

Pre-Workouts

Spoiler!

These are designed to provide energy, focus, pump, and endurance; they do so most often with caffeine and other ingredients though there are also non-stimm pre-workouts for those who do not want the caffeine rush. These can aid you if the extra energy is needed but they are not required; if you are fine without them than you can just save your money.

Meal Replacements/Mass Gainer

Spoiler!

These are often little more than a protein supplement with a lot of cheap carbs added in to jack up the calories. Really, just eat more; make a homemade gainer from whole foods: Whole Milk, Oats, Honey, Ice Cream, Whey, Peanut Butter, Fruit; all can be blended up to make a far more nutritious and cheaper gainer than anything you could buy in a tub.

CLA

Spoiler!

CLA is useless, really... Unless you are obese and even then the effects are minimal at best.

Glutamine

Spoiler!

Glutamine is pretty much useless, save your money.

[HughJanus101]

Thank you! I really appreciate it.

Currently I'm suffering from a sore shoulder(probably mild inflammation), but hopefully I'll heal in a couple of days and start working out. I hope this time I won't lose motivation...

[Dbarlow101]

When I go to the gym, I tend to do classes like cross-fit, zumba, or spin bike. I feel like working out with other people in the class with me gives me that extra motivation to push myself. I want to be the one who sweats harder and pushes myself to burn more calories. I feel like when people work out at the gym, some need that extra push from a friend or a group of friends. I know some guys at my gym like to lift weights and they challenge each other. You have guys who can lift different amounts. They motivate each other to push harder. I do a lot of outside workouts and I do it alone. I do things like swimming, hiking, jogging down to the street or to town, walking my dog, and stuff like that.

[latverian41]

You have to be and get excited about healthy living and exercise bro. Ykou can't fake it cause in thee end you will quit like last time.

Does this mean you should give up!?
NO

You need to find something to motivate you. To look better to feel better to want a prettier girlfriend anything.

Start small. Do floor work for a month. Push ups,sit ups,crunches,leg raises,scissors,bicycles. Etc etc.

Build your self. Start walking a couple miles a day. Then jogging. Build your endurance.

Your body is weak right now so when you work out your mind is telling you you want to quit and not go back to the gym! Once yoiu get some strength and endurance your body will do a complete 180 and start telling you MORE MORE MORE.

you can do it

[CarmenCrudup]

Think about what you could become. A muscular handsome popular guy with a pretty girlfriend. Now do you think you will have your motivation?

[merl227]

This may or may not be for you but have you ever thought about joining the military? I'm not sure if you're in college right now or some sort of schooling but if you're just working a minimum wage job and don't have any goal set on what career you want to pursue think about the military. Go talk to a recruiter and hear them out. It'll only take up 30-40 minutes of your time. If you don't like what you hear you don't have any obligations. Simply look into something else from that point. It's worth a shot. Who knows?

Maybe give the videogames a rest if you feel like they're taking up a huge portion of your day. Or start off slow... don't go and throw your XBOX, PC, whatever out the window (and regret it the next day). Do your chores, your work, etc. during the day then at night play an hour or so of videogames or watch TV. Just a suggestion. Good luck to you man. It sounds like you want to change some things you in your life that you don't like. That's the first step-REALIZING. Now you need to put it into action. NOW, you need to do it. I know its hard man. We're all trying to change things in our lives. Wether it be weight training goals, career goals, mental health issues trying to be sorted out.

You're not alone man. A lot of people have been through it. I have myself, I'm still not where I want to be. We all need to be in this together and strive for excellence. Just take things one step at a time. Even if it's something small like say you think to yourself, "Today I'm going to vacuum out my car and cut the grass." Then it'll hopefully progress to, "Today I'm going to bike to the gym and work out for 40 minutes on the weights." Whatever. One day at a time man. You got this. You can do it. Good luck to you.