This is a re-post from what I put into GD earlier tonight at the recommendation of another Arfcommer that I might get better help here.

There is a lot of information here and I truly thank anyone who reads it all and provides me with advice.

OK basic info is this

1. I'm total keto diet. Maybe 20 carbs tops a day. I've been this way since 2017. (It does an AMAZING job controlling type 1 diabetes, but thats another thread)
2. My weight has been stable at 160 lbs for like 8 months or so with maybe a 5% fluctuation at max. 40-42 mens suit, 34" pants, normally wear size medium, slim cut or its baggy looking on me.
3. Height is 5' 10"
4. Age 43
5. I've been totally sedentary for a very long time. Recovering from a massive multilevel 360 degree spinal fusion back in 2016 made this worse.
6. Type 1 diabetes due to LADA. I take 10 - 20mg of Tresiba per day as basal and otherwise control it by simply not eating carbs or sugar. A1C is 5.1, avg blood sugar is 80-83.

About a month ago I decided to get fit. I started doing a crossfit type program in the morning 3x a week for an hour, joined a boxing gym and have been doing boxing training routines and some weight lifting for 1 - 2 hours a day Monday - Friday . Since I started doing this the following has happened:

1. I am MUCH hungrier that I used to be. I used to eat an egg, slice of cheese and some sausage for breakfast and be good until nearly dinnertime. That doesn't even slightly cut it anymore. My food intake has definitely increased.
2. I've gained over 8 lbs
3. Stamina is noticeably increased along with overall strength.
4. Blood sugar is lower than usual. I've been dropping into the low 50s - mid 40s several times. Normally it's around 70- 80, with spikes to 100-105 after eating. I've had to adjust my Tresiba accordingly.
5. Back pain is greatly reduced. I didn't expect this; rather I expected the opposite. Sometimes I have to sit in my car for a 2 hour drive, prior to doing this I could barely do it without being in pain. Now I don't even notice.
6. Flexibility is greatly improved. I didn't even consider this. After being in court all day I was barely able to take off my own shoes when I got home. Not a problem anymore.

My clothing still fits fine around the waist but is slightly tighter in the shoulders and chest. I am very worried about the weight gain and this is the only thing that is keeping me from freaking out. I had heard the phrase 'muscle weighs more than fat' but I don't really know if thats real or bro-science.

Here is what I need help with:

1. I want to add stronglift 5x5 into my routine because I must gain strength. How do I mix this in with the other stuff and not overdo it?
2. I don't want to get bulky or big because I want to fight and I would rather stay in a lighter weight class. That is part of the reason the weight gain worries me, although realistically I am months to a year away from a real bout. Is this a real concern?
3. How much is too much? I don't want to overdo it and hurt myself, but I don't want to waste my time either. I can do a 5x5 routine of 15lb dumbbells bicep curls without too much trouble. When do I add weight, and how much?
4. My midsection is fine standing, then I sit down and I feel like a fatass. I really want to tone this up. But I literally cannot do a sit-up. I don't know if its the spine fusion or overall lack of fitness. I do crunches instead.
5. My left leg is noticeably weaker than my right. It is also noticeably smaller. I didn't realize how much I favored my left leg until I was at the gym skipping rope in front of a mirror. I was practically doing all the work with just my right leg and the left simply coming along for the ride. It was shocking. I've got to fix this. Any ideas?
6. Supplements / protein powder. Any value to this? How much (and what) should I be taking? I'm worried that if I overdo it with the protein shake stuff then my blood sugar will spike due to gluconeogenesis.
7. I take a normal Bayer mens one a day vitamin. This good enough?

Last question, I didn't work out once this week because I've been sick with near pneumonia. How much did I set myself back?

If you made it this far thank you.

Here is a recent pic of me in April right before starting all this stuff:

If you're going 5x a week then you should be fine, me and the GF had the same issue when we both got the flu. Also weight gain is normal.

An issue is that I have no experience with diabetes and have no clue about the necessary diet, I eat 1 pound of meat a day. I dont care about weight loss, i fluctuate 20 lbs every year or so due to work getting in the way of the workout schedule.

But just remember, weight gain is normal initially. And everyone gets the rolls when sitting down, I'm not ripped by any means, but I'm in decent shape. I got to the point where I dont worry so long as my dick works adequately. Try not to let your image of yourself get in the way. Hope this helps.

It's absolutely true that muscle is denser than fat.

Working out the way you are, expect muscle gain.  It goes with the territory.

Muscle gain needs to be fueled with protein.  Eggs are all protein.  Why do you think so many bodybuilder eat so many eggs every day?

You DON'T want to do the exercise and be short on the protein your muscles need to rebuild.   So you should add protein to your diet.  Try for 1.5g protein per pound of body weight. Less if you eat fewer carbs.  Being a keto dieter, you want to go for 2g protein per pound.    Supplement with protein shakes and lean meat.

Eat protein AFTER workouts.  The "window of oportunity" for muscle growth starts about 45 minutes after a workout and lasts for several hours.  If you don't get adequate protein during this time period then your muscles will be starved for protein when you need it most.  It'll increase your recovery time and you'll feel less than great.  Expect to feel tired and run down.

Don't worry much about flexibility.  You will have to pack on a LOT of muscle before it starts interfering with flexibility and range of motion.

Look at some photos of Olympic male gymnasts and you'll see how much muscle you can have and still have full range of motion.  It's a lot.

Personally I would cut out either the crossfit or boxing if you're worried about over doing it and starting 5x5. I would choose crossfit myself. It can be good for you, but I know so many people that get hurt because they lack proper form trying to complete the exercises. Boxing is a great cardio workout!

The weight gain is normal. It's more than likely just water weight. I'm sure your water intake has gone up quite a bit. This is why you will loose 10 pounds just as fast.

There's plenty of ab workouts you can do and avoid sit ups. Don't worry about that too much.

As far as the protein intake. Use this or something similar to figure out how much protein you need for your goals. Everyone is different on protein powder. Personally I like to have a shake after I work out at the gym. When I get home, I'll eat the rest of my protein. Food is better than supplements, but this works really well for me. A spike in insulin can be a good thing after a workout too from what I've read. It will help get the protein to where it's needed quicker. If you have that much doubt, talk with your doctor, or get a tub and try it out.

You will be super sore after a week off. Just don't over do it and ease back in and you'll be just fine!

I would suggest not overthinking it.

If you want to stay in a certain weight class you just need to monitor your food intake and stay where you want. This will likely affect your strength gains at some point though.

Add whatever workout you like, and if you feel like you are overreaching, cut something back. You can't know what is too much until you start to do too much and feel the effects of it, recoverable volume is different for every person based on multiple life factors.

Typically the advice is that if you want to build muscle, you just need to accept you need to eat and gain weight and that might push you out of your weight class. It's easiest to focus on one goal at a time rather than try to do multiple goals all at once.

Determine your main objective and set up for that objective.  It seems like it might be boxing.  If it is in fact competitive boxing, then I would first check with your governing athletic commission to determine the medical requirements.  Already, you'd be an older fighter, and I have no idea how diabetes and spinal fusion would factor into passing a medical exam.

If boxing was still the primary objective, I'd drop the Crossfit training, and add barbell stuff.  If you are with a good boxing trainer, you'll get the conditioning you need.  If at any time you feel like you aren't getting in enough work, you could auto-regulate and sprinkle in some functional/Crossfit training, but I would make it tertiary, behind boxing and strength training.

"I started doing a crossfit type program in the morning 3x a week for an hour, joined a boxing gym and have been doing boxing training routines and some weight lifting for 1 - 2 hours a day Monday - Friday . "

I'm assuming that you're going to Stop doing crossfit and Start StrongLifts 5x5. Is that right? Trying to do both, on top of 5 - 10 hours of boxing (cardio) per week, would be way too much and not allow for adequate recovery. It will kill your gains and wear you out.  In fact, depending on how hard your boxing workouts are, it may be difficult to gain muscle and strength doing 2 hours of cardio (boxing) a day.

You can get zero card zero sugar protein powder. Perhaps you could try it and monitor the results.

"I can do a 5x5 routine of 15lb dumbbells bicep curls without too much trouble. When do I add weight, and how much?"

5 reps for 5 sets .... is that what you mean?
For assessor work, like bicep curls, you need to add more reps (in the 10 - 15 rep range) and add more weight now.

Thanks everyone for the replies. Very sorry for the late response, I got sicker and then my wife became very ill and we are already on 2 trips to the hospital for her. Hopefully there won't be a third.

I'm going to drop the crossfit for now. Thanks for the information about the protein intake.

I'm not sure where I want to end up with this. Boxing seems to be the long term goal for right now, with gaining strength and muscle tone as well.

So now we are going on two weeks since I've been to the gym. I will take it very easy when I go back tomorrow.

Will update after I go and report how it went.