>When I try to reset my Gmail password it boils down to: "dude you forgot your password, no backup email... we cant help here".

Have Google changed something? I had to go through account recovery a while back on a gmail account (with no backup email/number set).

They asked a bunch of questions to try and prove whether I was actually familiar with the account (when did you create the account, provide an address you've emailed more than once in the last month etc). It was a PITA, but I eventually regained access