Will I ever get fitter

[Looneytune253]

Wondering if anyone has any experience or advice. I consider myself to be very active: I walk all over with my job 2-3 hiit classes a week plus a run. The problem is I don't seem to get any fitter. Every run is so so slow and gruelling and at every hiit class (although I'm quite happy to just set my own pace) I am way slower than everyone else and I really struggle. I eat healthily, I am very overweight but don't lose weight even with a lot of exercise/ eating the right things. I do have under active thyroid but according to blood tests I am ok. It's just such a hard slog and even after consistently doing exercise for years I still seem to struggle so so much even with the basics. Any advice?

Do you do enough stretching and strength building? Yoga or something like that? And what kind of runs are you doing, have you tried interval training etc?

Are you pushing yourself in the exercise that you do, or just going through the motions?
What stood out for me in your OP was the phrase "every run is so so slow and gruelling", and also the reference to setting your "own pace" at HIIT classes. To put it bluntly, if you're not pushing yourself for sections of those sessions to a point where you'd struggle to speak, then you won't be getting fitter, as you're not asking your body to do anything it doesn't ordinarily do.
The easiest way to step it up is to add intervals to your run - maybe for a 5k run, for example, you could jog at your usual slow pace for 5 minutes as a warm up, and then alternate between 2 mins steady and 1 min hard for the next 20 mins. Then a 5 min cool down.
I would also think about shaking it up a bit. Your running, and overall fitness, isn't going to improve at 1 run and 2 classes a week, if that's what you're used to doing. Add another couple of runs in - say one long steady run, one interval session and one tempo run a week - and you'll see a difference fairly quickly. Good luck.

Thank you so much to both of you for getting back to me. I've tried interval running before and I find if I push myself harder then I end up stopping altogether. Sometimes I think it's a mind block because my brain is always telling me to stop. But my body does seem to be really struggling when I stop.

But yeah in the hiit classes I defo can't speak but I can talk now when I'm running.

It does sound like it's in your head, I'm very similar.
If you're basically always working within the same sort of comfort zone you'll maintain the same sort of results. It's still
Exercise and good for you but if you're wanting to make real difference to your abilities you have to make it into that uncomfortable zone. It's why I've continued to exercise but not really improved fro about 5 years

The last time I tried interval running I did sprinting so I might try the jog/run instead. Probably won't be until the weekend as I've worked out/ran the last 4 days and have classes on thurs and Friday lol.

Is it worth investing in a few sessions of Pt if is in your budget right now? That's really helped me get past a plateau before. The important thing is your working out regularly and eating right, that's what's good for your health

I was also going to suggest a PT to mix up your workouts a bit and get you out of your rut. But I think it's a case of no gain without pain you really do have to push through harder each time if you want to see results. Every time you do that you get a little fitter.

How much are you running - how far and fast? Sometimes it can be really unproductive to push yourself to go faster. Going slower can actually improve your technique and stamina! Have a look on some of the threads on here for nico nico running. And maybe consider doing a Couch25K app but in jog run Intervals rather than walk jog ?

You mention being very overweight? Unfortunately that will limit how far/fast you can run, and how intensely you can exercise in HIIT classes. HIIT by its name needs to be high-intensity over a short period.

I think getting a personal trainer who can set both a diet & exercise programme would help. You need to look at everything - sleep, water, the balance of food intake.

Good luck!

Thanks for your input everyone. It's all very helpful. I think I will try some more running intervals. I do do some training with a PT (a small group as opposed to one to one) she does say she sees some improvement so hopefully I'll see some in other areas soon.

Yes I am very heavy but not flabby if that makes sense. My BMI is 35 but I have 50kg of muscle. I know on an online forum you'll prob assume I'm delusional but I've had a full body composition done and my visceral fat is healthy and like I say it's a LOT of muscle, I'm a size 14 in clothing lol. I know a lot of muscle isn't a bad thing but sometimes I wonder if I was lighter then I'd be able to run faster/further/get more hiit done

Ps I do eat healthily 99% of the time and when I track it's always under 1400 cals (Recommended under 1800 for weight loss)

I had 50kg of muscle at a BMI of 31.1 (according to one of those electro impedance scales, which I assume is what you have had done) and my visceral fat was also fine.This was back in 2016. My fitness was rubbish and my endurance was nowhere. I now have 46.5kg of muscle at a BMI of 24.5. My fitness and endurance is off the scale improved to where I was. I am afraid that it took years of hard, sweaty work (as well as dieting to lose the fat but keep the muscle as much as possible). Kettlebells and boxing were the key for me cardio-wise, plus weight training and a PT was invaluable.

Thanks @Spodge that's really helpful. Unfortunately I never seem to lose weight even tho I've got it to lose. It's so tough. Will just keep on at it tho. Thanks for your help. I also love boxing, it's my fave

Combat or kick boxing might be a fun and effective way to switch it up. From what you said about food and weightloss you may have insulin resistance. It's strange not to lose weight when you are doing the right thing.
If your doctor is monitoring your thyroid, is he/she monitoring your levels of vitamin D, fasting blood sugar etc?
Look up intermittent fasting. Gin Stevens or Dr Jason Fung.

@DianaT1969 thank you, yeah I just had full blood tests done as I was experiencing extreme tiredness. That's subsided a bit now but the blood tests were all fine. I've had a bit of success in the past with keto and was naturally fasting quite a bit with that but I've tried it again more recently and no luck. Might try intermittent fasting perhaps.