25/M/5'11" Lack of energy at gym, lack of appetite at home... what do I do?

Question

Two years ago I used to be 66-68 kg. I could lift quite well and I used to eat a lot for my size, at every meal. I didn't continue going to the gym. Mostly due to covid and laziness.

Now I am 74-76 kg, having gained mostly fat. I started going back to the gym this month with the goal of reaching my earlier lifts and maybe crossing them.

My problem is that I hardly ever feel hungry at home; always feel stuffed, and miss meals many times, even though I know I need the carbohydrates. When I'm at the gym I feel light-headed, and lacking energy, and I am not able to complete all of my exercises. One day I tried to push on but ended up feeling like I would blackout.

How do I get back on track? I currently do StrongLifts 5x5.

Answer 1

A few things that could cause this, as I do not have enough information above:

1. overtraining-stronglifts 5x5 is a nice workout but jumping back into weightlifting after taking a break can be tough, you have to wean back into it by starting out slow
2. overweight/out of shape - I dont know your height or body ratio to know if you are overweight, but even if you are not, you can still be out of shape. Just like before, you have to wean back into weightlifting
3. your energy systems need a lot of work - You use aerobic, alactic, and lactic energy systems to provide energy for different uses. A strongman lift probably has sets that are lower than 20 seconds, using mostly your alactic, but all 3 energy systems are used to some degree. You could try training your energy systems before starting a weightlifting program by doing cardio a few times a week, sprints, etc.. to build up your energy system so you do not tire so quickly
4. Diet - not sure what you are eating but eating nothing but clean protein filled food can leave you feeling stuffed and not very hungry. considering you gained weight and it's mostly fat, I'd say your appetite might not be the issue, but just eating bad food lacking good energy might. stick to complex carbs like oatmeal or brown rice and make it a priority over protein.
5. Health issues - probably not something you have, but there could always be an underlying issue
6. Starting out with heavy rep scheme - Starting out near the bottom of the rep scale, especially after taking a hiatus, is really tough on the body. when first starting, I usually like to begin with higher reps and lower them over time while increasing weight
7. Using too heavy weights - After two years you might have lost a lot of muscle and strength, the weights you use will need to be drastically reduced, even if you can complete the sets, just to get your body adjusted. You might have to have a deload/lazy week where you lift weights leaving a couple reps in the tank, and then slowly adding weight each week to progressively overload and adjust your body. When I started fresh from a workout, my body will fatigue fast, even though I know I can lift the weight, and energy will stop my workout set before the weight will. This is why I like to begin with higher reps, to build my endurance up and get my muscles adjusted.

My suggestion would be to start out slower, do a few weeks of cardio and make a simple workout with not too many exercises a week, and just focus on quality exercises. a 3 day full body workout can be as little as 12-15 exercises a week and it's one of the best workouts there are for a beginner. Start with higher rep schemes. I will explicitly state this is all an assumption of mine, as I do not have a very clear detailed picture of your problem.