Starting out in my 40's

[Dharmaboy75]

So back story, been lifting since March 2016. Wife and I decided to get in shape after our dog passed away and we didn't have to be home as much. So we took this as an opportunity to better ourselves. It has been a slow process. I hit a plateau where I was not really seeing too many body changes due to a very poor diet. I had been using the LoseIt App on my phone since 2016, fell off using for about a year and now back at it as I am back with a vengeance in the gym. Hit too many plateaus with weights after about a 1.5 years and I was stubborn to change. You just can't work out a poor diet.

So we made some changes to our diets. I eat as simple as possible. Cut out the extra sugar in candies, chips yada yada. I would eat that crap because in my mind, "Hey, I am working out so I can indulge". My body just converts any excess sugar and carbs at 42 to insta-fat very quickly. I weighed in at 220lbs Mid February 2018. After this diet and doing some light jogging after workouts and watching my food and calories and macros, I am down to 213lbs but now I have hit another plateau. I am lifting much heavier that was physically able to. Finally broke the damn 200lb mark on my bench. ( think my technique is still crap ).

I am noticing that with my diet and hard work, the body is losing the fat but at a slow rate. I didn't want to do any extreme cuts as my body bounces back and just puts on the fat again very easy. This is a lifestyle change for me now.

We were vegan and vegetarian, so we were doing it all wrong, too much breads etc. Now i have vegan burgers with no buns, we have made the decision to eat eggs. I have eggs and oatmeal every morning. I eat out maybe 2 or 3 times a month depending on social gatherings etc. So It's been a great journey so far.

I think I will be in a good place by July or August. Been stuck at 213lbs now for a couple of weeks. I am limiting my Calories daily to about 2200 with workouts. I am always in a deficit and I am always tracking my macros. It goes somethign like this

I used 2 sites for this but they are close to the same in breakdown.

1)

2205kcal for Fat Loss

Protein - 189g protein/day

Fats - 61.25g/day

Carbohydrates - 224g/day

2)
2200Kcal

Carbs 150G x4 = 600Cal
Protein 200G x4 = 800Cal
Fats 88G x9 = 800Cal

I try to keep carbs low as I can under 150gms. The only carbs I eat regularly are

1)brown rice 2 or 3 times a week half cups only per serving
2)2 slices of sprout break a week (one slice per weekend day)
3)Daily oatmeal with my eggs
4)Protein bars from the Muscle store (Quest and Simply Protein)
5)Simply Protein chips

I am trying to keep it simple as possible. Drinking water as much as I can. I could do better on the sleep. I use Vega shakes daily between workouts and lunch. Trying to hit that 180Gms of protein is a tough one daily.

Wondering if I should be concerned with the halt in the weight loss?

[Plateauplower]

So back story, been lifting since March 2016. Wife and I decided to get in shape after our dog passed away and we didn't have to be home as much. So we took this as an opportunity to better ourselves. It has been a slow process. I hit a plateau where I was not really seeing too many body changes due to a very poor diet. I had been using the LoseIt App on my phone since 2016, fell off using for about a year and now back at it as I am back with a vengeance in the gym. Hit too many plateaus with weights after about a 1.5 years and I was stubborn to change. You just can't work out a poor diet.

So we made some changes to our diets. I eat as simple as possible. Cut out the extra sugar in candies, chips yada yada. I would eat that crap because in my mind, "Hey, I am working out so I can indulge". My body just converts any excess sugar and carbs at 42 to insta-fat very quickly. I weighed in at 220lbs Mid February 2018. After this diet and doing some light jogging after workouts and watching my food and calories and macros, I am down to 213lbs but now I have hit another plateau. I am lifting much heavier that was physically able to. Finally broke the damn 200lb mark on my bench. ( think my technique is still crap ).

I am noticing that with my diet and hard work, the body is losing the fat but at a slow rate. I didn't want to do any extreme cuts as my body bounces back and just puts on the fat again very easy. This is a lifestyle change for me now.

We were vegan and vegetarian, so we were doing it all wrong, too much breads etc. Now i have vegan burgers with no buns, we have made the decision to eat eggs. I have eggs and oatmeal every morning. I eat out maybe 2 or 3 times a month depending on social gatherings etc. So It's been a great journey so far.

I think I will be in a good place by July or August. Been stuck at 213lbs now for a couple of weeks. I am limiting my Calories daily to about 2200 with workouts. I am always in a deficit and I am always tracking my macros. It goes somethign like this

I used 2 sites for this but they are close to the same in breakdown.

1)

2205kcal for Fat Loss

Protein - 189g protein/day

Fats - 61.25g/day

Carbohydrates - 224g/day

2)
2200Kcal

Carbs 150G x4 = 600Cal
Protein 200G x4 = 800Cal
Fats 88G x9 = 800Cal

I try to keep carbs low as I can under 150gms. The only carbs I eat regularly are

1)brown rice 2 or 3 times a week half cups only per serving
2)2 slices of sprout break a week (one slice per weekend day)
3)Daily oatmeal with my eggs
4)Protein bars from the Muscle store (Quest and Simply Protein)
5)Simply Protein chips

I am trying to keep it simple as possible. Drinking water as much as I can. I could do better on the sleep. I use Vega shakes daily between workouts and lunch. Trying to hit that 180Gms of protein is a tough one daily.

Wondering if I should be concerned with the halt in the weight loss?

It depends....If you are only weighing yourself once per week, daily fluctuations can easily hide a 2-3lb loss over a two week period. If you weigh yourself daily and use the weekly average weight compared to the following week's average, and you are stalled for a few weeks you need to make an adjustment to your diet.

[Dharmaboy75]

It depends....If you are only weighing yourself once per week, daily fluctuations can easily hide a 2-3lb loss over a two week period. If you weigh yourself daily and use the weekly average weight compared to the following week's average, and you are stalled for a few weeks you need to make an adjustment to your diet.

I am thinking I might have to. Should I be staying away from the Beyond Meat burgers and Quest Protein bars and protein chips? I measure everything with my cup size scoops for my main meals.

[anandagirl]

I am thinking I might have to. Should I be staying away from the Beyond Meat burgers and Quest Protein bars and protein chips? I measure everything with my cup size scoops for my main meals.

Not necessarily, but those are still processed and whole foods are more satiating. I am impressed you are getting so much protein on a vegetarian/semi-vegan diet. I can assume you're eating veggies, but you didn't really mention it - I personally see a world of difference when I focus on eating more veggies.

As far as loss goes, there are two ways to go about it if after looking at trends with your weight and determining you're stalled - you can up your daily activity (more NEAT than workouts as the other 22-23 hours of the day make more of an impact on TDEE than the time in the gym) or you can cut your calories a little more. 2200 seems low for someone like you so I would work on standing more, taking short walks throughout your day, etc. than cutting calories.

Also, if you aren't weighing your food, you could be taking in more than 2200 - I went from trusting nutrition labels and doing volume measurements to weighing everything in grams, and it was quite an eye opener. Good luck!!

[Plateauplower]

I am thinking I might have to. Should I be staying away from the Beyond Meat burgers and Quest Protein bars and protein chips? I measure everything with my cup size scoops for my main meals.

I eat burgers made from cows so not sure what a beyond meat burger is, so hard to say. Get a food scale, volumetric measuring can be off as much as 20%. You should be losing weight even with a low activity level with an ACCURATELY TRACKED intake of 2200. It is easy for foods to slip in (bites here and there, condiments etc) and they can add up quickly. What you eat is up to you, find what provides the most satiation for the calories, that's likely going to be whole foods rather than protein chips and meal bars. Since you are eating eggs, I'd be eating eggs for about every meal, until I decided it was okay to just go ahead and eat the chickens too

[Dharmaboy75]

Not necessarily, but those are still processed and whole foods are more satiating. I am impressed you are getting so much protein on a vegetarian/semi-vegan diet. I can assume you're eating veggies, but you didn't really mention it - I personally see a world of difference when I focus on eating more veggies.

As far as loss goes, there are two ways to go about it if after looking at trends with your weight and determining you're stalled - you can up your daily activity (more NEAT than workouts as the other 22-23 hours of the day make more of an impact on TDEE than the time in the gym) or you can cut your calories a little more. 2200 seems low for someone like you so I would work on standing more, taking short walks throughout your day, etc. than cutting calories.

Also, if you aren't weighing your food, you could be taking in more than 2200 - I went from trusting nutrition labels and doing volume measurements to weighing everything in grams, and it was quite an eye opener. Good luck!!

sounds good. time to pull out the scale.

I eat mainly veggies. simple salads no croutons. My food is pretty much super simple.
Here is the burger that I eat -

NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size 1 Patty, 4 oz (113g)
Servings Per Container: 2

Amount Per Serving
Calories 270 Calories from fat 170
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 20g 31%
Saturated Fat 5g 25%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 380mg 16%
Total Carbohydrate 5g 2%
Dietary Fiber 3g 13%
Sugars 0g
Protein 20g 32%



I might have to cut out the protein processed food. The big up is that my metabolism seems to have started to kick in again as I am taking shakes on some nights even after dinner.

I use Vega brand

Nutrition Facts
AMOUNT PER SERVING% DAILY VALUE*
Per 1 scoop (42g)
Calories150
Calories from Fat25
Fat3 g5%
Saturated0.4 g2%
(+) trans0 g
Cholesterol0 g0%
Sodium390 mg16%
Carbohydrate5 g2%*
Dietary Fiber2 g8%
Sugars1 g
Protein30 g56%*
Vitamin A0%
Vitamin C4%
Calcium15%
Iron20%
Alanine1503 mg
Arginine3105 mg
Aspartic Acid4113 mg
Cystine315 mg
Glutamic Acid6354 mg
Glycine1539 g
Histidine909 mg
Isoleucine1710 mg
Leucine2943 mg
Lysine2439 mg
Methionine414 mg
Phenylalanine1953 mg
Proline1656 mg
Serine1881 mg
Threonine1431 mg
Tryptophan423 mg
Tyrosine1269 mg
Valine1836 mg


I am eating so much healthier now but this plateau has got me stumped.

I will do a couple of weeks without protein bars etc and see what happens.

[OldFartTom]

Well my diet isn't the pinnacle of perfection, but your diet? Wow... All you mentioned were brands and products and chips and bars, great long lists of what's in a shake. Do you eat much actual *real* food apart from the oatmeal and eggs (which sounds very good) you know vegetables, maybe milk (if you chose to drink it), the stuff that doesn't come mega processed and not scooped from a tub. Your diet must cost a lot?

How about kick the brands and make a mixed fresh vegetables stir fry (baby sweet corn, carrot sticks, peas, sliced green beans, etc, chick peas, dark soy sauce, add a small amount of cooked noodles and stir fry in a wok with a little healthy oil). Serve with big glass of milk. Remember what food was?

Edit: like ananadgirl says, maybe real food will keep you feeling full longer than a so called "health" shake

[tommydamic68]

I just went crazy reading all that info. Simple, do a 200- 250 calorie deficit for 2 -3 weeks and adjust from there, don't worry what you eat, just stay away from sugar and junk food...
Are you on a good work out program that is progressive weekly at least 3 times a week?

[Dharmaboy75]

Sorry for the info overload.

I eat a ton of brocolli and stir-fry. I make sure the daily deficit is there. I eat zero junk food besides the protein Vega bars and protein chips. Just trying to get in 200grams of protein a day is challenging without chugging the shakes.

not eating meat makes my life double hard.

Thanks all for the input.

[tommydamic68]

Check the sugar content of the protein bars, they can be loaded in some brands.

[Dharmaboy75]

Check the sugar content of the protein bars, they can be loaded in some brands.

Thanks Tommy. I will be more attentive. Like I said, being a vegan/veg and lifting makes like interesting when trying to cram protein down. Looks like the shortcut foods beside Pea protein shakes are no good for me at this time.

[JimmyTheL]

OP, you didn't hit a plateau at 213lbs with just 7lbs lost. You were just eating too much. Count everything for a while until you are able to calculate calories in your mind.

Keep it simple, eat lean meat and fish, get your greens, your good fats, keep a deficit ~400-500kcal and you'll be down 20-30lbs before you know it.

Good luck with your goals!

[rlefebvr]

Thanks Tommy. I will be more attentive. Like I said, being a vegan/veg and lifting makes like interesting when trying to cram protein down. Looks like the shortcut foods beside Pea protein shakes are no good for me at this time.

I also find it hard to loose weight now, even at 2300 calories a day.When I first started I did a cut with great success, but I was around 1800- 1900 and I am just not willing to do that again.

I would consider doing more cardio or some HIIT version on a day off training. That way way you will not have to cut more calories.

I have also found that it takes very little for me to go from cut to maintenance to bulk. Not sure if its age or genetics, but 200 calories a day extra or less makes a big difference.

Its not much, but at the end of the week, its two extra meals.

[Garage Rat]

Your body will definitely adjust to what your intake is eventually and that's where the weight loss will slow down.
You maybe need to add some serious cards other than a light jog to your plan.
Some interval type cardio works well for fat loss.
Something hard for 20 seconds(get the heart rate up) then moderate for 40 seconds,do this for 20 minutes or so at least three days a week.
It could be on an exercise bike,treadmill or other.
Drop the protein bars and chips.
If your eating protein bars i would bet they have whey in them.
Switch to a good whey protein.
Eat vegetables of some kind every meal.
If your stalled you might rotate your calorie intake to"trick" your body from the same intake day in and day out.
You might go with say 1800 cal.one day,2200cal the next and finally 2600 cal. and then start over.
I would make most of those extra calories proteins.
You would be at the average of 2200 cal but he body has to adjust to the different levels.
Try this for a month and see what happens.

[EjnarKolinkar]

I eat burgers made from cows

Me too. I also have chocolate every day. Not that meat + chocolate = gainz, it's just not necessarily prohibitive...

A secret special food list doesn't make one lose weight. Fundamentally comes down to a well-balanced diet for general health, proper macros, and an energy deficit.

. I am limiting my Calories daily to about 2200 with workouts.

Sir, would you mind elaborating on this a bit? Are you eating back exercise calories?

[Dharmaboy75]

Me too. I also have chocolate every day. Not that meat + chocolate = gainz, it's just not necessarily prohibitive...

A secret special food list doesn't make one lose weight. Fundamentally comes down to a well-balanced diet for general health, proper macros, and an energy deficit.



Sir, would you mind elaborating on this a bit? Are you eating back exercise calories?

Someday. I do but not often. I am trying to keep the furnace going pretty much all the time. I am using the LoseIt app and it starts me with 2200 calories, then with workouts its gives me like 200-400 calories because of the heavy workouts.

I still say in a deficit usually about 200 to 500 a day still. I wonder if my insuline control is off and just storing weight instead of using it for fuel for workouts.

so lets say I burn 200-400 calories a day on heavy lifts which is 6 days a week. should I just ignore that i am under calories by a large margin by say 400-500 out of the 2200 aloted?

[Bando]

I weighed in at 220lbs Mid February 2018. After this diet and doing some light jogging after workouts and watching my food and calories and macros, I am down to 213lbs but now I have hit another plateau. I am lifting much heavier that was physically able to. Finally broke the damn 200lb mark on my bench. ( think my technique is still crap ).

I'm curious as to what your training sessions are like. I was at a bodyweight bench within a couple months of lifting, my sessions are between 15 - 25 sets of 8-12 reps. Having more muscle helps burn more fat so sometimes it's good to worry about the weight on bar rather than the weight on the scale.

[Dharmaboy75]

I'm curious as to what your training sessions are like. I was at a bodyweight bench within a couple months of lifting, my sessions are between 15 - 25 sets of 8-12 reps. Having more muscle helps burn more fat so sometimes it's good to worry about the weight on bar rather than the weight on the scale.

I was wondering what my issue was and why i was still weak eventhough I was lifting for so long. Not enough protein. I thought i was eating right but I was not and was actually putting on weight in the wrong way.

Now with my diet change and the propper protein in my system it's made a huge difference.

I used to do bench press like this

3 x 10 reps
3 x 10 dumb bell incline press
3 x 10 flies
3 x 10 cables flies

It was not very consistant but I was following a simple plan on Bodybuilding.com for beginners

I didnt stray from that till recently

It was a big mistake but my gains are happening slowly with the proper diet.

[Bando]

I used to do bench press like this

3 x 10 reps
3 x 10 dumb bell incline press
3 x 10 flies
3 x 10 cables flies

It was not very consistant but I was following a simple plan on Bodybuilding.com for beginners

I didnt stray from that till recently

So what are you doing now?

[Dharmaboy75]

So what are you doing now?

I am still struggling but my body aches alot when I start so i do a small warm up of

2 x 45s - 10 reps
4 x 10s and 2 x 45s - 8 reps
2 x 25s and 2 x 45s - 5 reps
2 x 25s and 2 x 45s - 5 reps

then I struggle on the bench


incline dumbells

55s x 10 reps
60s x 8 reps
60s x 8 reps

cable flies

35s x 10
35s x 10
35x x 10

After this i am pretty tight in the chest.

Trying to work my way to benching 205lbs as a rep weight to get used to that.

BTW I did the German volume training for like 6 weeks and still my bench was weak.

[OldFartTom]

I don't think GVT is expected to give you big immediate gains. Maybe even a small drop should be expected.

The idea is to strengthen the foundations so when you return to conventional strength training again you'll be able to build back up again and hopefully bust through your last plateau

[Bando]

I am still struggling but my body aches alot when I start so i do a small warm up of

2 x 45s - 10 reps
4 x 10s and 2 x 45s - 8 reps
2 x 25s and 2 x 45s - 5 reps
2 x 25s and 2 x 45s - 5 reps

then I struggle on the bench


incline dumbells

55s x 10 reps
60s x 8 reps
60s x 8 reps

cable flies

35s x 10
35s x 10
35x x 10

After this i am pretty tight in the chest.

Trying to work my way to benching 205lbs as a rep weight to get used to that.

BTW I did the German volume training for like 6 weeks and still my bench was weak.

I'm still struggling to understand how many working sets you are doing. By a working set I mean not a warmup set or even a finishing set (flyes). I warmup with the rowing machine, gets my shoulders nice and loose and blood where I need it, you might try that if it hurts when you're starting out.

[Dharmaboy75]

I'm still struggling to understand how many working sets you are doing. By a working set I mean not a warmup set or even a finishing set (flyes). I warmup with the rowing machine, gets my shoulders nice and loose and blood where I need it, you might try that if it hurts when you're starting out.

I do a working set of usually 3-5 and at about 90% of max I can do. on the Bench. I might get a trainer to help with the bench because of free weight dumbells incline is increasing compared to before. my weight is increasing to 55lbs, 60lbs and 65lbs a hand. I am getting super frustrated. I am 5'11 and have very long arms.

[Bando]

I do a working set of usually 3-5 and at about 90% of max I can do. on the Bench. I might get a trainer to help with the bench because of free weight dumbells incline is increasing compared to before. my weight is increasing to 55lbs, 60lbs and 65lbs a hand. I am getting super frustrated. I am 5'11 and have very long arms.

If you're doing a single working set of 3-5 reps, you don't need a trainer, you need more working sets.

[anandagirl]

I do a working set of usually 3-5 and at about 90% of max I can do. on the Bench. I might get a trainer to help with the bench because of free weight dumbells incline is increasing compared to before. my weight is increasing to 55lbs, 60lbs and 65lbs a hand. I am getting super frustrated. I am 5'11 and have very long arms.

Video your bench and get feedback. Form is so important, but you don't need a trainer. In fact, so many trainers know nothing

[Dharmaboy75]

Well update time

I cut out the bars and just stuck with protein and now down to 207lbs. dropped form a size 38 to a 35 waist feeling good and more to go.

Thanks and keep you all updated.

[OldFartTom]

Wow, fantastic work! Keep going

[tblodg15]

Keep it up! It's a slow process but the time and effort are worth it.

[Dharmaboy75]

Officially hit 205lbs today. Its been amazing how i feel so much better now in my skin after losing 15lbs since Feb. I am still eating enough to satisfy the workouts so the drop has has been slow and gradual. The only issue I have is that I suffer from gyno, a problem that has plagued me since a young teen. the only way to fix that would be to get surgery. It's a final step after I hit my goal weight of 195lbs.

Not sure if I will go through with it but for sure some doctors have said I do suffer from that gland issue. It sucks but I guess I will have to either live with it and just be proud of what I have accomplished.

[katya422]

Congrats on your progress.

If the gyno bothers you and you can fix it then I say go for it. Your body is with you for however long you are alive so make the best of it.

I had breast reduction surgery about 15 years ago and have never regretted it.