Regaining muscle after an accident

shannonmckeel94 · February 21

In January 2024 I was mauled(mainly on the legs) by an animal and between the attack and 3 months of recovery with little movement I lost about 25% of my muscle mass.
I'm back at work as a bartender and able to do my tasks and be on my feet all night but I get tired very quickly. PTSD(from the attack plus I lost my best friend to suicide a week after I got out of the hospital) ruined my sleep schedule and I finally fall asleep anywhere between 3am-6am and wake up 10am-12pm even a year later when flashbacks are no longer the reason I can't sleep.

Going to the gym feels like such a huge chore. I don't have a big appetite and I'm also supposed to be eating nearly 200g of protein every day when I can barely manage to get 1,500 calories in(if that). It feels so ambitious. I keep telling myself I have it in me and most days I prove myself wrong. I don't feel too guilty or ashamed about that. None of this happening was my fault and I'm not mad that it happened. I just want to progress forward from it. Forget being strong for a minute, I just want to function normally, but I feel almost helpless.

I'm not counting on there being a magical motivational hard reset I could apply, though I'm all ears if that exists. But I could use some advice on how to center myself daily in order to gradually make as much progress as possible. I'm so tired all the time.

I walk a lot. It's mainly for my mental health so that has helped me a bunch. I have no issues getting out to walk for hours at a time. It's like I have a separate tank of energy just for walking outside. But that's burning calories that I don't have the appetite to replenish properly, and consuming energy I could use to lift.

How do I start making significant shifts towards what my body needs and what my mind wants?
I know I'm not helpless, but I'm stuck like I am.

This is hard stuff.

nossmf · February 22

First, my condolences for your friend, and am so relieved that you survived your ordeal. While your stated goal is to regain muscle, be aware that the fact you are able to walk as much as you do, and remain on your feet as a bartender, leaves me applauding in awe for how far you have already come.

Not sure where the 200g of protein number came from, as that is a LOT of protein for anybody to consume, let alone on 1500 calories. For comparison, I am a weightlifter who weighs 186lbs, and only occasionally do I hit that high of protein in a day, certainly not every day. Unless a doctor has told you to have that much protein, I am willing to wager you can get away with a lower number. A good rule of thumb is 0.7g of protein per pound of bodyweight, a little higher for people recovering from injury, or trying to gain muscle, or keep muscle while losing fat. But "little higher" usually is still at most 1g protein per pound of bodyweight. I bet by reducing daily protein, you'll have room for increased other nutrients which can help increase energy levels.

As far as finding the energy to hit a gym to lift weights, let me throw a wrench into your world view: you do NOT need to lift weights in order to gain muscle. Look at your average gymnast in the Olympics; they have tremendous muscle development, and do you know how much of their daily routine includes weightlifting? If you said anything over "zero" you are likely wrong. Sure, they may lift during their "off season" but in the time preparing to compete, it's all about moving their bodies against the force of gravity, a training technique you are already doing without being aware of it. Walking, remaining standing for hours, these actions to resist gravity are wonderful.

Can you increase the effect? Sure, there are plenty of exercise routines which use the body as your only needed equipment. Take a look through some of these routines other MFP'ers have posted:

which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you

@shannonmckeel94 you have already come so far, trust me. Thank you for reaching out to us to share your story of survival and perseverance.

Retroguy2000 · February 22

Sorry to hear about your situation, Shannon.

I'll second noss' protein rec above, with the addition that if you're not lifting you don't need as much as our rec.

I'm assuming you're quite lean, in addition to the post-injury muscle loss you speak of. The real reason you're tired likely isn't muscle mass related, it's because you're quite active, working and walking a lot, and only getting 1500 or fewer calories. You don't give your stats, but that sounds low.

So my first suggestion is eat more, at least 250 more maybe 500. Have bigger portions or add a snack or two like a granola bar, or nuts, etc.

Having a structured lifting program can help give your lifting direction, and you should be tracking progress which hopefully gives you goals.

In the meantime, you can make some of the walks more challenging for your muscles. Every mile, do some walking lunges for some count, and progress that number of lunges over time. Or, get a weighted vest, they're quite cheap. You probably won't need a lot of weight. I recently got one at Amazon on sale for $30 with 10x4 pound weights. I'd suggest you start at 10 pounds and progress. That will work your core and back muscles while walking, and maybe increase your appetite too.

Good luck.

AnnPT77 · February 22

Shannon, you are already a champion, from how far you've come in less than a year. I'm not saying that to suggest you can't or shouldn't want to make further progress, I'm saying it because I hope you realize you have the psychological strength to take the next steps . . . and by posting this here, you're showing us you're reaching for that progress. Planning the path is part of the path.

I think sometimes those stages can feel like stagnation, or even feel like backsliding, but pulling back the bow-string is part of letting the next arrow fly farther, even though the actual movement is temporarily not in that forward direction.

On a more practical front, I agree with the guys up there about protein intake, including the idea that a bit more is useful when healing or strengthening. You don't say whether you're male or female, or what your height/weight is, so it's hard to evaluate whether you need 200g protein. It IS a big number, for most people. I concur with the guys' rules of thumb, but there's a research based protein calculator here, if you want a double check:

https://examine.com/guides/protein-intake/

That will suggest an optimal goal, and a "may maximize results based on limited evidence" higher value for some cases.

If you're having trouble getting enough protein, adding a daily protein shake(s) would be an option until you can sort out improved nutrition and fueling on the food side of things.

I also wonder if some of your helpless feeling could be related to under-fueling or under-nutrition, even though you're finding the energy for long walks. The effects of those sub-ideal nutrition or fueling can be psychological as well as physical.

Since we don't know your age/height/weight/sex, we can't be certain whether 1500 calories is too few or not . . . but it would be too few for most people with a similar active job and long walks. Even I eat more as a 5'5", 131 pound, 69 y/o woman, sedentary outside of intentional exercise.

If that's low calories for you, are there any calorie-dense foods you could add to your routine manageably? Sometimes people find calories they drink less difficult to add - like the protein shake idea - and perhaps you could even consume some liquids during your walks to keep things less time-consuming and attention-consuming? Calorie dense foods like cheese, avocados, nuts, nut butter . . . ?

If you are losing weight now (on a multi-week average basis), and don't truly have a severe need to, weight loss is not very compatible with healing or strengthening, as I'm sure you know. (I'm in a similar position right now from a much less extreme injuy issue, healing from a small skull fracture/brain bleed. Energy level for food prepping/eating was an effort for a while, but I know I need to be at my regular maintenance calories or even above for a while, because of needs to heal. I was able to afford so used more frozen meals than usual for a while because of that, which has helped me get over that hump. I empathize with what you're describing, though I don't have a sense of what it would be like to go through something as extreme as you have.)

I want to pick on one thing you said: "I keep telling myself I have it in me and most days I prove myself wrong." Though I don't know you beyond this post, I don't think that's likely to be accurate. Working through the energetic, psychological, and emotional aspects of a major injury is just as important in some ways as the physical part. It's an effort on multiple fronts. I do think you have it in you, I think you've proven you have it in you . . . but I think you're doing hard work on that energetic, psychological and emotional side of things right now. The plan for next steps on the physical side hasn't gelled yet, but you're heading there.

IMO, that's not "proving yourself" to not have it in you. It's just saying that you're at a different place in the process, working to the best of your ability, but not at that stage yet. I think you'll get there, if you keep working at it.

I wish you positive progress in the coming weeks and months, and believe you can accomplish it.

Best wishes!

Regaining muscle after an accident

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