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  1. #1
    Registered User theliftingpoet's Avatar
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    Building muscle and strength after anorexia recovery

    Hi guys and girls,
    I’m new to the forum however have always been interested in fitness and have wanted to pursue bodybuilding but never got round to it. I know there are loads of experienced people on these forums who might be able to offer some advice and would appreciate any tips I could get...

    I unintentionally lost a lot of weight by doing way too much cardio and not eating enough to fuel my workouts... by the time it all happened It was too late and I was left in a very vulnerable and severe state where I had to quickly recover and follow a meal plan to bring my health back up. Now I’m at a healthy weight however it seems like my upper body especially is extremely weak due to the loss of muscle mass that occurred along with weight loss.

    I am left in a bad position since i’m now too weak to lift dumbells and have resorted to bodyweight exercises but it seems like it is not making a difference. I would ideally like to gain some more mass particuarly on my upper body as it seems like my lower body still has a decent level of muscularity and strength.

  2. #2
    Moderator SuffolkPunch's Avatar
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    There are some good novice routines in the Workout Programs forum - see the sticky threads at the top of the page - Fierce 5 is one such good example.

    You will have to eat enough food and particularly enough protein. This obviously involves some control over your food intake. The key is not to over obsess on details or try to be over controlling - that was the source of your original problems. Calories and protein - and generally sensible (mostly - but not all - whole food) choices.

    The other aspect is that you are aiming to gain weight in a controlled manner - this involves adjusting calories once every 2 weeks or so to keep yourself on track to gain about 2lbs a month.

    In this time you might get some bloating or extra water retention - don't freak out, it's only temporary. If you keep weighing yourself and looking in the mirror - you are going back down bad pathways.

    Good luck

  3. #3
    Registered User theliftingpoet's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by SuffolkPunch View Post
    There are some good novice routines in the Workout Programs forum - see the sticky threads at the top of the page - Fierce 5 is one such good example.

    You will have to eat enough food and particularly enough protein. This obviously involves some control over your food intake. The key is not to over obsess on details or try to be over controlling - that was the source of your original problems. Calories and protein - and generally sensible (mostly - but not all - whole food) choices.

    The other aspect is that you are aiming to gain weight in a controlled manner - this involves adjusting calories once every 2 weeks or so to keep yourself on track to gain about 2lbs a month.

    In this time you might get some bloating or extra water retention - don't freak out, it's only temporary. If you keep weighing yourself and looking in the mirror - you are going back down bad pathways.

    Good luck
    Thank you so much for the advice. If it makes any difference I am 16 years old and female so I think building muscle will take a lot longer. I will check out that routine.

    I am asian so for breakfast I’m eating porridge with a banana and milk, then lunch and dinner are different curries with roti. For instance I would have a chicken curry for lunch and maybe a vegetarian curry made up of spinach and potatoes with lentils (dal) for dinner.

    When I recovered I gained weight very fast and was gaining about 0.5 to 0.9 kilos a week so I think if I scale it back a bit I could still gain a decent amount slow and steady.

    Thanks. Initially all the weight went to my stomach but most of it has distributed to my legs now... it’s just my upper body and arms that are lacking. I won’t freak out and will see how it goes.

  4. #4
    Registered User theliftingpoet's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by theliftingpoet View Post
    Thank you so much for the advice. If it makes any difference I am 16 years old and female so I think building muscle will take a lot longer. I will check out that routine.

    I am asian so for breakfast I’m eating porridge with a banana and milk, then lunch and dinner are different curries with roti. For instance I would have a chicken curry for lunch and maybe a vegetarian curry made up of spinach and potatoes with lentils (dal) for dinner.

    When I recovered I gained weight very fast and was gaining about 0.5 to 0.9 kilos a week so I think if I scale it back a bit I could still gain a decent amount slow and steady.

    Thanks. Initially all the weight went to my stomach but most of it has distributed to my legs now... it’s just my upper body and arms that are lacking. I won’t freak out and will see how it goes.

    Just adding on from that - could I get your opinion? What sort of weight should I aim eventually for at 5’4? If I do want to gain muscle.

  5. #5
    Moderator SuffolkPunch's Avatar
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    I'm not great at female numbers - perhaps ask in the female BB section. This section is pretty quiet so you'll hopefully get a better response there.

  6. #6
    Registered User theliftingpoet's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by SuffolkPunch View Post
    I'm not great at female numbers - perhaps ask in the female BB section. This section is pretty quiet so you'll hopefully get a better response there.

    Ah thanks for all the advice so far - i’ll repost it there!

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