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How do you lose fat and build muscle at once when you have a chronic condition?

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Pumpkin1964
Pumpkin1964 Posts: 4 Member
edited July 2017 in Debate Club
I have lupus and am not able to workout the 2 to 3 hours that I used to. How do I lose fat and build muscle without working out for hours at a time?

Replies

  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    It's a toughie. You could break the job in to two parts. Focus on losing the fat first.
  • laurenmjenkin
    laurenmjenkin Posts: 27 Member
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    BabyBear's suggestion is what I do for cancer drugs which put on weight and chemo which weakens and knocks you out. That combo with HIIT, weights and a bit of interval running works a treat. For the weights though I either go short, heavy and hard say 30 mins a few times a week or focus longer and break it up into different upper and lower muscle groups over a couple of days a couple times a week. A 30 min boot camp or circuit is good too for variety. When tired do rest! Very important when not well. Good luck
  • cs2thecox
    cs2thecox Posts: 533 Member
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    I have to be a bit careful with the duration of my workouts because of a neurological condition.
    I focus on 3 good-quality whole-body weights sessions a week, no more than 40 minutes or so.
    I get about 12,000-15,000 steps a day as well, but I found that HIIT was a DISASTER for me after the first 3 months or so. I think I ended up with central nervous system fatigue, but my neurological weirdness likely makes me more prone to that.

    I managed good results of fat loss and muscle gain (or at least looking like gains!) with just being in a slight calorie deficit while weight training, and focusing on getting lots of protein - 135g or so a day.
    It does take a long time though...
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,728 Member
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    Ultimately, you'll have to adjust your calories downward to account for the reduced activity potential, and any peripheral components of your Lupus, such as clotting factors or organ involvement.

    Additionally, depending on the particular systems your lupus affects, you may have difficulty hitting your protein and vitamin goals due to dietary limitations.

    Finally, you'll need to walk a wire between using the energy levels you have when you have them and overextending yourself possibly instigating a flare.


    Sidenote: Not a knock--Most Rheumatologists aren't accustomed to dealing with relatively young, relatively "healthy", relatively active patients, and it will take some prodding to convince them that your desire to adapt around your condition is sincere.
  • slaite1
    slaite1 Posts: 1,307 Member
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    Talk to a physical therapist (MAYBE a personal trainer but id be very picky here) familiar with lupus. You could even ask your rheumatologist for a few suggestions on where to start (I wouldn't suggest asking a GP). I'm sure you know that you have to be careful not to set off a flare, so there is some trial and error to see what you can handle and build up from there. Respecting your fatigue and pain levels will go a long way.

    That being said try walking to start. If you are photosensitive go in the morning or evening, walk in the shade, wear long sleeves, etc. Start with a short walk and see how you feel. Beyond that it's difficult to give advice because there are varying types of lupus with a ridiculous spectrum of symptoms (joint pain? Frequent flares? Organ problems? Skin issues? Lungs?) Do you have dietary or activity restrictions?

    Regardless, calorie restriction to lose weight. Building up to some light cardio will help your energy levels if you respect your disease. You can certainly weight train for muscle retention as well, but again I would start with a professional for that. Best of luck.
  • slaite1
    slaite1 Posts: 1,307 Member
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    Also, generally, you can't lose weight and build muscle at the same time-lupus or not. You can lose weight and maintain what muscle you have through a calorie deficit and weight training.
    (With some small exception for supposed "newbie gains" and slight gains during FAT loss during recomp).
  • RavenLibra
    RavenLibra Posts: 1,737 Member
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    Weights and cardio... will help lose fat not weight... when you aim for weight loss the weight is a combination of fat and muscle. Pick your battle one at a time... fella in the news here just completed 30 1/2 iron man's in 30 days, suffering from cancer while undergoing chemotherapy. The will is stronger than the body if you let it be.
  • lunaticfish7
    lunaticfish7 Posts: 6 Member
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    Muscle burns more calories than fat, so I would try focusing on the muscle? If you keep your protein high and keep promoting muscle gain, when you burn calories it'll much more likely come from fat. This is at least my understanding and experience. My buddy with Fibro goes with this, and it seems to work pretty well, though she's extremely limited on how much she can do. No weights to start if that's your level, definitely, to avoid flare ups, then move up from there. Her physical therapist gave her a very nice set of body-as-weight exercises to build her muscle up, and it took like 15 minutes twice a day. It worked really well! As I know it, consistency rather than duration or intensity is the key for chronic pain limitations, so long as you're at a level where you're challenging yourself. It doesn't have to knock you onto your butt to be really effective, I know that much is true for anyone! (Also just in case you didn't know even though you probably do I just want to make sure this isn't misleading you!- if you want to gain muscle and lose weight, ignore the scale completely. Muscle weighs a lot, and you can be losing fat but gaining weight because you're gaining muscle. So go with body measurements like once every two weeks. Again, you probably know that, but I just wanted to be sure.) Good luck! :smile:
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    slaite1 wrote: »
    Also, generally, you can't lose weight and build muscle at the same time-lupus or not. You can lose weight and maintain what muscle you have through a calorie deficit and weight training.
    (With some small exception for supposed "newbie gains" and slight gains during FAT loss during recomp).

    not true at all...recomp is a real deal....it just takes longer than a bulk/cut cycle

    To the OP I don't workout for hours and I lift heavy I've maintained my weight within 5lbs for a couple years but I am smaller...

    I do the Wendler program for intermediate lifters...takes me max 30mins if I do accessories.

  • slaite1
    slaite1 Posts: 1,307 Member
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    SezxyStef wrote: »
    slaite1 wrote: »
    Also, generally, you can't lose weight and build muscle at the same time-lupus or not. You can lose weight and maintain what muscle you have through a calorie deficit and weight training.
    (With some small exception for supposed "newbie gains" and slight gains during FAT loss during recomp).

    not true at all...recomp is a real deal....it just takes longer than a bulk/cut cycle

    To the OP I don't workout for hours and I lift heavy I've maintained my weight within 5lbs for a couple years but I am smaller...

    I do the Wendler program for intermediate lifters...takes me max 30mins if I do accessories.

    I must not be speaking clearly, I know recomp is a real deal. Probably my emphasis was not clear. I put it as a small aside since recomp is not what most people mean when they ask these types of questions (i.e. Wanting to lose weight and gain muscle at the same time, vs recomp which is usually more appropriate for someone already at, or close to, an appropriate weight) My bad if it came across as a put-down to recomp, 100% not my intention.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    You do not need to work out 2-3 hours per day to lose fat or gain muscle.

    I'd talk to your doctor about what you can do, but there are good muscle building programs that require far less time in the gym. Fat loss is mostly about eating less than you burn and, ideally, having some strength training/activity and a decent diet with adequate protein, also.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,728 Member
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    canadianlbs wrote: »
    RavenLibra wrote: »
    The will is stronger than the body if you let it be.

    i'm guessing you don't have first-hand experience of auto-immune disorders, so consider yourself the impersonal trip-wire for a rant.

    1. just because the will CAN temporarily overcome the physical effects of an immune disorder, does not mean that it SHOULD.
    2. if 'will' was all that was needed to make auto-immune disorders not be a Thing, they would not be a thing. but they are a thing.
    3. poster children get elected as poster children for a reason. because they're not the general norm.
    4. hearing stories like this is one of the minor but incurably maddening repercussions of outing a chronic health thing.

    @op, i can confirm that 2 or 3 hours is not necessary. and also add that it's best to do two things:
    - experiment until you find out for yourself what you can and can't do without setting off repercussions that make it not worth the 'gain'.
    - don't limit yourself automatically, but also try not to let anyone but your own experience set the bar for your own personal case. every case of an auto-immune thing seems to manifest slightly differently, so i find people with similar conditions can be great for 'community' but should never be used as the benchmark of what i myself can or can't sensibly do.

    Thanks,

    My experience is very close second hand, but it's clear that more than a couple posters have no conception of what Autoimmune brings to the table.
  • laurenmjenkin
    laurenmjenkin Posts: 27 Member
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    Oooooo I know a little. Among other nasty side effects chemo makes you immune compromised and one of the chemo drugs triggers auto immune responses. The drugs to counter these ply stacks of weight on despite being careful with diet and exercise. As an aside I resolve protein structures for drug targets focused on cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer's in addition to cell signalling pathways for immunology. I just want you to understand that I don't say these things willy nilly, I get what's on the table. In the end, u choose the things you can do, any exercise is a bonus and look after yourself, eat well, rest as often as needed, balance.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    edited August 2017
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    I have some autoimmune arthritis, and osteoarthritis now too dammit. I just do what I can when I can. It's hard because getting into a routine really helps me stick with it but when it flares up, I can't maintain the routine.

    Some months I do P90X, then I stop because I can't raise my arms above my head anymore. Some months I walk 1-2 hours a day but other months I feel pretty proud if I go 15 minutes and still manage to sleep through the pain that night. Just do what you can.

    Remember fat loss is about diet. Exercise is not needed, although it doesn't generally hurt your efforts. ;) Muscle gains require exercise. Resistance training of some sort. The two are fairly separate although many people like to combine the two in an effort to get healthier.

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