Losing fat, getting in better shape at 36

[RunningLinux]

Hello Members,

I just signed up.

Here's the situation: I'm 6'1". I currently weigh 204. According to my electronic body fat meter, I'm at 22%!!! And the 22% shows. I've got the "spare tire" thing.

I have been lifting for the past few months now. I'm now benching up to 155, for just a few reps, to give you an idea. When I started (February I think?) I was at about 196 lbs, 23% body fat. So I've had some gains, but I'm not making progress against the fat.

My goals:

1. 22% body fat isn't looking so good. I need to get that down, I guess around 18% or so. That means losing 8lbs of fat, or getting to 196 without losing any muscle.

2. My weights are going up slowly but surely. I would like to be able to bench 225lbs and have other exercises be comparable.

Any suggestions on this? I've started drinking large amounts of protein shakes (MetRX and some Trader Joe's proteins). I'm cutting out bad foods, but I do need to really kill my sweet tooth and stop eating cup cakes, etc, or limit it to one or two a week.

What should I be doing here?

One thing I notice is my recovery times are long. Squats can leave me sore and exhausted for a couple of days. Any suggestions on this?

[Bnk]

I'm in the same boat, I just started lifting again 6 weeks ago after a 10 year layoff. Your height, weight and BF% are almost exactly the same as mine.

I read this board extensively once I decided to get back into the gym. I am no professional bodybuilder, but I can tell you that I picked up a lot of good advice by reading this board and I have made really good progress over the past 6 weeks, much much better than I thought possible (especially at my age).

In a nutshell what has worked for me so far is nothing more than the basics:

Eat Clean and healthy

Get at least 1gm of protein per pound of body weight daily

Lift HEAVY (I mean really HEAVY)

Until you get a good base, Concentrate on Large Compound Movements (Bench or dumbell press / squats / deadlifts / standing curls / pullups, etc.

[sonicbnn]

I started working out about three years ago.

Started at 240 pounds and 23% BF at 6' 3"

2 1/2 years later I am at 205 and under 10% BF. I know I am far from perfect and still working on my mid section, but it can be done.

First year was a LOT of Cardio, and I also changed my diet to heavy, heavy, protien, and as healthy as I could get.

I am still addicted to chips, and I do allow myself one cheating day a week, but even then I seem to now lean towards the healthier foods.

After the first 6 months I slowly eased into the weight room. A quick 10-15 minutes of cardio before I hit the weights really kept my heart rate high. I do not spend a great deal of time between sets so I am able to maintain a high heart rate through out my workout. This really seemed to help me shed the fat.

I have noticed that even though I have improved my strength I may need to slow it down now, as I now continue to struggle with weight loss. Our bodies react and change all the time. Thus the reason we need to change what we do on a consistant basis. I plan to cut out cardio (maybe only once a week) and really try to hit the weight heavier to see if I can gain more mass.

But it can be done, you are on the right track, just stick with it and as I tell my freinds and clients at the Gym, it took me 30 years to put my fat on, so I can not hope for it to be gone in just a few weeks.

Continue to cut out the foods that you know are not good for you, especially look for High Fructose Corn Syrup and Hydrogenated Oils, these go right to your stomach. Read The Abs Diet if you have time.

Are you doing any cardio?

I am not saying you should but I really find that this helps me get going. If you are just hitting the weights try to go as heavy as you can with just short rests in between. You may not increase your strength as much as want by doing this but it will help you shred the fat. Of course the area of fat we want gone will be last to go,,,,,Once you are at the BF that you are looking for you can and will increase your bench.

I was 38 years old when I started working out and there are several movements that I did not do at first because when I tried them my body screamed at me. My body was just not ready for this. You may need to look at alternate leg movements until your body responds better to the squats. Leg press machines hit your legs pretty good, and will help you build up to the full squats. I have now added squats back in my routine, and my legs still get sore by I am at least able to get out of bed and stand up.

This site is new for me also, and I hope that this helps to at least encourage you. Make the 18% your goal and once you have that change it to the reaching your 225 bench. You may be surprised that you will hit both at the same time, then you can start on your next goal.

[bhaputi]

Diet is key. Dial in your diet, and the fat loss will happen easily.

[IdahoViking]

FitDay is your friend!

Keep track of your calories and your macros!

What I did was 'lied' to FitDay and set my "current weight" to my goal weight (I set my goals in 10# increments), then ate accordingly. FitDay calculated my caloric needs for my goal weight as well as kept track of my caloric intake.

If, according to the FitDay calculations, I over shot my caloric goals I tried to compensate as much as possible by spending extra time on the elliptical.

Dont' go for quick loss, go for a sustainable loss.

I went from 215 w/ a 40" waist, to 180 with a 35" waist in 2 years

[DAVEZILLA]

don't overdue it on the protein shakes, make sure your eating plenty of real food, as the other posters have said, diet is the key, exercise only stimulates the muscle, food and recuperation is what makes muscles grow

[bhaputi]

By the way, do you really run linux?

[asmolenski]

My goals:

1. 22% body fat isn't looking so good. I need to get that down, I guess around 18% or so. That means losing 8lbs of fat, or getting to 196 without losing any muscle.

2. My weights are going up slowly but surely. I would like to be able to bench 225lbs and have other exercises be comparable.

Any suggestions on this?

First Congrats on deciding to take better care of yourself. So your number one goal is to get rid of body fat. That is smart because nothing will transform your body and mind faster then shedding unwanted body fat. You can be as strong as a horse but if your muscles are covered up with a layer of fat you will probably not like how you look. Why 18% as a goal? You wont notice much difference until you get down below 15% and even then you wont get double takes at the beach until you are about 10%.

I would focus on diet and cardio for now. Others have already mentioned nutrition and creating a calorie deficit. As far as weights you can put on some muscle while losing fat but it isnt easy. I personally dont worry about how much I can bench press etc since I am not a powerlifter. I have made some incredible progress over the last several months once I decided to keep my ego out of the gym and focus on form and intensity instead of caring about how much weight I am throwing around.

[greyhair]

Diet is key. Dial in your diet, and the fat loss will happen easily.

The truest and saddest words I've heard.

[greyhair]

By the way, do you really run linux?

Reps for running linux.

[bhaputi]

Reps for running linux.

Depends on the flavor

Negs for RedHat or it's variants
Reps for Debian or it's variants
Multiple reps for a real OS (freeBSD)

[RunningLinux]

Thanks for the suggestions guys.

My plan:

1. Start running again. I'm one of those people who doesn't find running to be painful, and I can easily go for 2 miles. I'll start doing this again, maybe a couple of times a week. This will cut into my lifting some, but right now, burning off some fat is more important.

2. Lift heavy, concentrating on the large compound movements (squats, bench, etc). I'm already lifting as heavy as I can, really pushing it hard. I'll continue that. I do concentrate on the large compound movements; it's pointless for me to isolate some specific muscle at this point.

3. Watch my diet. I need to take a closer and more systematic look at what I'm eating. This fat isn't coming from nowhere.

Now a question:

Get at least 1gm of protein per pound of body weight daily

For me, that's 200g a day. That's an awful lot of protein intake. Is this really the right level to be at? I probably get 80g to 120g of protein a day, depending on what I've eaten. Is this not enough? Could this be why I often feel exhausted or sore for longer than I should?

By the way, do you really run linux?

Indeed! I'm writing this from Hardy Heron on a Sony Vaio laptop. It's not dual-boot; it's Linux only. It's the best!

[bhaputi]

Thanks for the suggestions guys.
For me, that's 200g a day. That's an awful lot of protein intake. Is this really the right level to be at? I probably get 80g to 120g of protein a day, depending on what I've eaten. Is this not enough? Could this be why I often feel exhausted or sore for longer than I should?

I have always heard to base it off of lean muscle mass (.75 to 1 g per pound), so if you are 200 pounds, at 22% bf, that means you are about 156 pounds of lean mass. If this is correct, then 117-156 would be the correct grams of protein daily.

[RunningLinux]

First Congrats on deciding to take better care of yourself. So your number one goal is to get rid of body fat. That is smart because nothing will transform your body and mind faster then shedding unwanted body fat.

And it's the hardest thing to do. I seem stuck at this 22% level. I've gained weight but stayed at 22% since I started this thing.

You can be as strong as a horse but if your muscles are covered up with a layer of fat you will probably not like how you look.

I know someone who is incredibly strong but he just looks out of shape because he's got so much fat. This guy can bench close to 400 I think. But he doesn't look good.

Why 18% as a goal?

I picked it because it doesn't seem like it should be so hard to lose 8lbs of fat (but it is), and according to the Wiki entry on body fat, that's the upper limit for "fitness" category for men.

You wont notice much difference until you get down below 15% and even then you wont get double takes at the beach until you are about 10%.

Maybe I need to revise to 15%. I don't actually go to the beach, I just want to not be ashamed to wear a fitting t-shirt.

If I can find some system of getting myself from 22% to 18%, then I should be able to continue to 15%, so why not? What's hard is I'm not getting any change in this 22% number. I seem stuck. I need to somehow do something different.

I would focus on diet and cardio for now.

Ok.

As far as weights you can put on some muscle while losing fat but it isnt easy.

Right, your body is in either a catabolic state or an anabolic state, but not both at the same time. Maybe I should say, "I'm done gaining muscle for the moment, time to focus on burning fat". I guess that means switching to more aerobic / cardio workout and maybe less heavy lifting?

I personally dont worry about how much I can bench press etc since I am not a powerlifter. I have made some incredible progress over the last several months once I decided to keep my ego out of the gym and focus on form and intensity instead of caring about how much weight I am throwing around.

I may scale back on the weight while I'm focusing on the fat then.

[RunningLinux]

Well, this thread has been in the deep-freeze for a long time.

My job got way more stressful and I ended up gaining weight, going up to about 218 at my peak. I'm now back down to 197, having lost about 20lbs over the past 6 months.

As everyone knows, diet is the key. My diet isn't that strenuous. I still eat junk food occasionally. The secret (for me) was really watching the carbs, starting with breakfast: no more breakfast cereals. I used to eat that every day, and now I have no desire to, and it really makes a difference. I just cut out carbs as much as possible and I don't miss them.

According to my body fat meter thing my BF is still 22%. Whatever, I'm not going to worry about it. I'm staying focused on getting my weight to 190, then I'll see where things are.

As for exercise, I've gotten a lot stronger. I don't really do to much regular bench press but I do inclined dumbbell press, and I'm now up to use 2x65s on that, which, for me, is a lot of weight, and I'm still gaining.

And that goes back to diet again. I read my question up there, "do I really need that much protein", and the answer is yes I do. I can work very intensely in the gym but if I don't gulp down protein, I will make no progress.

I've found that the best thing for me is to get a protein shake as my breakfast. I personally use MetRX but I don't think it matters that much which particular brand. I have two scoops of that as my breakfast. It seems to really increase metabolism or something, I don't know what. Once I started doing that, I started making progress on weight loss and getting stronger.

I'm 39 now, making good progress in fitness, and need to keep it up.

[Karl_Hungus]

According to my body fat meter thing my BF is still 22%. Whatever, I'm not going to worry about it. I'm staying focused on getting my weight to 190, then I'll see where things are.

Congrats for sticking with it!

I will say that the electronic BF measures tend to be of questionable accuracy, so, I wouldn't place too much stock in it.

I do take slight issue with the sentence quoted above. You seem to suggest that losing weight is more important than decreasing your body fat. Dropping weight is only useful if the weight you are losing is fat. If you get down to 190, but your bf% hasn't changed, then you really aren't much better off. If I were you, I'd be more focused on losing bf% than on trying to make the scale go to 190 just for the sake of hitting 190.

[RunningLinux]

Congrats for sticking with it!

Well, I've stuck with it but not as consistently as I should have. I came within a nanometer of losing my business, and my career, multiple times over the past couple of years. The stress has taken a big toll. Now things are good, stable, and profitable and so I'm resting and exercising more.

I will say that the electronic BF measures tend to be of questionable accuracy, so, I wouldn't place too much stock in it.

That's my conclusion. The most accurate, and cheapest, system is a mirror. The only difficulty is it requires self-honesty to use it. I think I have that, although men tend not to:

I do take slight issue with the sentence quoted above. You seem to suggest that losing weight is more important than decreasing your body fat. Dropping weight is only useful if the weight you are losing is fat. If you get down to 190, but your bf% hasn't changed, then you really aren't much better off. If I were you, I'd be more focused on losing bf% than on trying to make the scale go to 190 just for the sake of hitting 190.

I know I'm getting stronger, in fact I'm stronger now than I have ever been, so as long as the strength gains continue, I won't worry.

I'm sure this is because I've really oriented my diet around protein, plus I lift intensely.

[alex2363]

dont run too much, you may lose some gains, i do 30 mins every other day when im bulking up to gain muscle.

[bigtallox]

1. 22% body fat isn't looking so good. I need to get that down, I guess around 18% or so. That means losing 8lbs of fat, or getting to 196 without losing any muscle.

Everybody always looks at it that way. Thing is to loose that 8 pounds of fat most people will also loose 8 pounds or more of muscle. Why not look at it this way...

204 x 22% => you have 44.8 pounds of fat on your body

W ( .18 ) = 44.8 => W = 248

So if you gained 44 pounds of lean muscle you'd also be at 18% bodyfat. And it's a much more desireable 18% bodyfat in terms of bodybuilding. Why doesn't anybody here ever think of it like that. It's bodyBUILDING.com after all, not body wasting away for sole goal of bf percentage.com

2. My weights are going up slowly but surely. I would like to be able to bench 225lbs and have other exercises be comparable.

Any suggestions on this? I've started drinking large amounts of protein shakes (MetRX and some Trader Joe's proteins). I'm cutting out bad foods, but I do need to really kill my sweet tooth and stop eating cup cakes, etc, or limit it to one or two a week.

None of that has anything to do with getting your bench up to 225. You need to be on a good program that has a progression built in.

One thing I notice is my recovery times are long. Squats can leave me sore and exhausted for a couple of days. Any suggestions on this?

Yeah, me too, and everybody else who trains squats. Get over it.

[Brackneyc]

W ( .18 ) = 44.8 => W = 248

So if you gained 44 pounds of lean muscle you'd also be at 18% bodyfat. And it's a much more desireable 18% bodyfat in terms of bodybuilding. Why doesn't anybody here ever think of it like that. It's bodyBUILDING.com after all, not body wasting away for sole goal of bf percentage.com

Because gaining 44 lbs of lean muscle mass would be a lifetime achievement for some (most really) guys. Most will be unable to comprehend the effort which would be required to achieve this, no matter how much time they give themselves.

[RunningLinux]

Yeah, me too, and everybody else who trains squats. Get over it.

Ok, I'm over it. I didn't realize it hit everyone this way.

Because gaining 44 lbs of lean muscle mass would be a lifetime achievement for some (most really) guys. Most will be unable to comprehend the effort which would be required to achieve this, no matter how much time they give themselves.

Yeah. It would be cool to gain 44lbs of muscle, but it would take a level of time, commitment, and effort that won't happen for me in this lifetime. I don't even know if it's genetically possible for me to do it. I would rather try to lose 8lbs of fat, something which I know is achievable.

I am definitely making strength gains as I'm losing weight. I know that strength gains are not exactly the same as muscle mass, but I feel good about it.

[seanpecor]

Hey, another Linux geek? Are you an admin or developer?

I'm still feeling my way around my new bodybuilding hobby. Alot of what Ox says makes great sense to me.

I'm 6'1 and 192 and I am going to work as hard and eat as smart as I need to to get to 220 at 18%. Small failures are fine, I can learn from them. I don't have much to add to this thread other than its heartening to know people around my level and light years beyond are going through and/or have beaten similar challenges.

[RunningLinux]

Hey, another Linux geek? Are you an admin or developer?

Hehe, both, and more!

I'm 6'1 and 192 and I am going to work as hard and eat as smart as I need to to get to 220 at 18%.

That's 28lbs of weight gain, mostly muscle. You will look like a totally different person. That is a huge goal to set, but it is possible. Train very intensely and eat a lot of protein and get enough rest.

I don't have much to add to this thread other than its heartening to know people around my level and light years beyond are going through and/or have beaten similar challenges.

Yup, over 35 doesn't mean it's too late to make huge changes in your body. I've made a lot of progress, and it's still going.

[seanpecor]

Hehe, both, and more!

Me also. I'm a LAMP developer that stubbornly refused to join the corporate world. For my punishment, I run a large network of b2b/b2c websites w/ 3,400+ paying advertisers all by myself. My sales manager talks to customers and I stick to what I'm good at (design/coding/admin/db/seo/ppc). A little while ago I emailed bodybuilding.com offering to fix their kinda broken website network but I got no response. It hurts my soul to see a website with such critical mass have so many broken parts Maybe if I told them my own website network generates over $0.20 in daily revenue per unique visitor, they'd start listening, lol.

I'm going to try and break 200 by the end of the year. I've been gaining 1.25lbs a week but I'm slowing that down to under 1lb so I won't have a 47" back and a 37" muffin top by Christmas!

[yassinevitch]

I have noticed that even though I have improved my strength I may need to slow it down now, as I now continue to struggle with weight loss. Our bodies react and change all the time. Thus the reason we need to change what we do on a consistant basis. I plan to cut out cardio (maybe only once a week) and really try to hit the weight heavier to see if I can gain more mass.

[yassinevitch]

I have noticed that even though I have improved my strength I may need to slow it down now, as I now continue to struggle with weight loss

[*STEVE*]

Thing is to loose that 8 pounds of fat most people will also loose 8 pounds or more of muscle.

ya um no.



Dont agree with that at all .... just sayin.