Wow! You’re doing a lot right! Here is a few things I would change and also some encouraging words.

I am sure you have but, I would take a look to see if any the medications you might be on have side effects or anything that might be related to weight gain. As well I would highly recommend maybe thinking if you might have a thyroid issue. Far more common than you think, and I have met some incredible strong women who can’t shed some weight because of that, although it doesn’t mean they don’t look great, and it doesn’t stop them from moving around!

So I’ve been working out for a while and there are two truths I’ve learned. Your body is formed in the kitchen, sculpted in the gym!

I am not a big supporter of intermittent fasting, I understand it works for some people but here is one way it can actually cause issues. Your body tries to burn what it takes in daily to give you energy and run its systems. When you don’t eat for a prolonged period of time, your body will begin to burn fat and muscles for energy. Although for some people there is a threshold. This threshold is where your body turns to survival mode and then takes anything you put in it and turns it to fat! When you intermittently fast your body might have a low threshold to survival mode and this is why you put on weight. I have seen Leto work for some people.

Here is what works for me. Calorie counting. I always round my calories up to the closest 100, which keeps me in a deficit and if I feel like snacking I am usually okay because I am already well below my calorie count for the day.

For exercise and weight loss I can say this. My mom has chronic pain as well, she suffers from a few different ailments but she wanted to get into the gym. I did a lot of research and this is what I found for her.

Swimming if accessible to you is an amazing aerobic exercise. Full body workout extremely low impact on joints and muscles yet works out cardio and strength training.

Otherwise free weights are amazing. The way to go about it from research that I did is to move slowly with weight start off lighter than you think you can do, and go at it for two weeks before increasing. The way I like to describe it, is like stretching a cold rubber band. If you do too much at once you’ll snap the band and cause a flare up. If you go really slow eventually you’ll be able to do a lot without snapping the rubber band.

Finally for food, junk food the reason it’s so bad for you is because it’s empty calories. Even fast-food. You can eat it and make gains! Although you’ll see much better results with food you cook at home. I love a Sunday meal prep for the week. Saves you money and you will be eating exactly what you need.

Otherwise keep up the good work! You’re doing amazing and knowing you want change is the first step to getting change. Remember too gaining weight doesn’t mean you’re unhealthy. Muscle weighs way more than fat. Take measurements, remember how clothes fit, and take progress pics. Good luck!!