FNG

[D-max]

Hi everyone,

I'm 40 yrs old, 5'10 and 210, down from 230 last yr. According to my scale my bf is 27%. Started working out again about a month ago(scale showed 30% then), hadn't done much worth talking about since my 20's. A little here and there but nothing serious. What I'm doing now is 20min elliptical, then picking a body part and working it. Doing this 6-7 days a week. Had really bad doms at first, which has always been a problem for me, but it's getting better already. Goals? Get rid of my gut and lower my bf down, then try to build some muscle mass. I don't care about how much I weigh, I base it more off how I look. My diet is and has been pretty decent, we have swung more low carb lately, but I've never been a fast food or processed food person. Don't snack on chips, sweets, etc. My fat is pretty much all in my gut. I had carpal tunnel surgery end of last November, blood work I had pre-op doc said was good except hdl cholesterol and triglycerides were high normal. He said if i cut some carbs and didn't eat as much red meat would be great. Also said if I lost about 10lbs my gut would be gone. All around said I was in good shape for my age(which surprised me). I've been contemplating doing some test e to help accelerate the process. I have no desire to get stupid with it and stack 5 things and be there in 6 months. I know that's not how it works. Before i exercise I make a protein shake and put in bcaa's and creatine, and have half before and half after. Any suggestions would be great, and if I left anything out let me know.....I may have rambled a bit.

 

[Leprechaun]

Hi D-Max and welcome. It's awesome your back at the gym and looking to improve your health.

First thing is to make sure your diet is in check - poor diet equals poor results. It sounds like you're already doing pretty good with types of food. But the quantity and frequency might need to be adjusted. IIMFY is a good resource to consider to increase the effectiveness of your efforts.

Checkout the training and nutrition threads. There a lot of good information there. Also checkout the articles on steroids and peptides, again valuable information.

I suggest getting more time in the gym without gear to get your body used to working out again and try to naturally increase your endurance and fat loss. Once you plateaue is probably a better time get on the Test.

This is just my opinion. And again, welcome to Meso.

 

[D-max]

Thanks for the reply!

Quantity and frequency is a problem with me for sure. I work at night so I don't have a good schedule. When I get up I try to workout pretty soon after, which is when I have the protein shake, bcaas and creatine. About 3 hours later I eat the supper meal with the family. +8 hrs later I have a protein bar at work. +5 hours after that I'll eat 2 eggs, couple slices cheese, toast, and a cup of oatmeal. Then bed.

I used to eat more at work, but with trying to lose some fat I opted for the protein bar.

I'm fine with not hitting the test for awhile. Trying to decide what to get my body fat down to before I do. I do see results pretty fast, so with the dedication I've decided to put into it, I don't think it'll take long to cut the fat down.

Hardest part is I know what I used to lift and getting over how much of a weakling I've become lol. Gotta start somewhere and I'm not giving up. I've waited too long already.

 

[D-Ballin]

Welcome to meso.

Sucks getting back to it and realising how weak you are eh? I understand the feeling. Rare for the untrained to realise how bad it is until they actually get back under the bar. Just gives you more motivation to get it done though, when viewed from the right perspective.

Hang out. Check out the training and nutrition forums. We'll get you hulking out again in no time.

 

[Eman]

Welcome to meso man. Hang around and read a lot and you will pick up some great info.

Few things I'd suggest from the start is to switch cardio and lifting. Lift first and do cardio last when trying to cut bodyfat is typically the best rule of thumb. HIIT is excellent but you'll probably still get good results for now even without it since you're still getting back into it. DOMS are normal at first. The more your muscles get trained the less sore they'll be getting. I would also not add BCAA's to a shake. I would sip on a bcaa drink during the workout and then when complete hit a protein shake. Or better, eat a high protein meal. Hope some of this helps man - you'll figure things out. Hold off on that test for awhile until you got things dialed in really well. This takes time.

 

[D-max]

Switched the cardio and lifting today. I actually liked it better doing cardio last. More excited to lift and hate the cardio anyway so it was easier for me to want to start the workout. Posting a pic of me currently at 210 and 27% bf so those interested can see what I'm working with. I figure easier to help if you know what you're working with. The positives I've received here have already made me want this more. Thanks again.

 

[Leprechaun]

Awesome to hear your motivation is up! Keep coming around.

 

[insaiyan93]

Welcome, glad to see you're getting back at it, it does wonders both physically and mentally. I agree with @Eman about the HIIT after, I think it was actually him that put that idea in my head. Also, another thing some vets on here have suggested, and that have helped me tremendously with my cutting down, is to get a food scale if you don't already have one so that you can know exactly many calories you are consuming. Also, I have been using the myfitnesspal app which is great for keeping track of calories throughout the day, I haven't found a food yet that they don't have in their database so I would check that out for sure, it's pretty nifty.
I personally stay away from the protein bars as they don't to have a lot of sugar in them. One thing that I did that really started seeing results was to stay on top of my meal prep, and I can't stress that enough, always have some kind of healthy food that you can just grab and go. Keep a few pounds of cooked chicken in the fridge all the time, canned chicken breast, canned salmon, canned black beans.frozen brocoli is great because in a pinch you can just toss it in the microwave for a couple minutes and eat it just like that.
I have been doing a lot of blending lately, cup of oats, scoop of whey, and a couple cups of frozen berries blended in some water tastes delicious, and you can take it on the go, and it's surprisingly sustaining.
Sorry if I went on a bit there, but just a couple things to think about, I'm no expert by any means but just some stuff that I've learned, and maybe save some of the vets the trouble of repeating it to another person haha. Good luck man, you got this!

 

[Leprechaun]

Agreed @insaiyan93 having a food scale helps tremendously. Amazon is where I got mine.

 

[bill9799]

Welcome ...and welcome back to the iron. The meal prep suggestion is gold. I spend part of my day Sunday doing just that. As long as I have some classic rock going in the background, it's a breeze.

 

[insaiyan93]

Same here, I bought like a $25 dollar model but they have them as low as 10, it is,without a doubt, a very good investment whether you're cutting,bulking,or just maintaining

 

[bill9799]

Agreed. I measure everything out as well. Been doing a lot of morning shakes as well. Love some frozen blueberries. Just finished my shake and getting ready to head to the gym in about 30 minutes. Morning for me in Europe.

 

[insaiyan93]

Agreed. I measure everything out as well. Been doing a lot of morning shakes as well. Love some frozen blueberries. Just finished my shake and getting ready to head to the gym in about 30 minutes. Morning for me in Europe.

Haha its morning here, technically, just real early morning
Just a shake before a workout? whoo, I have to have a nice sized solid meal before I go lift, buy I definitely utilize the shakes to take to work with me to sip on and what not

 

[bill9799]

I had some eggs and spelt bread as well. Just gotten into the habit of doing the morning shake ED recently. Chest day! Pumped!

 

[D-max]

We already have a food scale, wife bought it awhile back. I've been thinking about ditching the protein bars at work anyway, they're just a lazy way for me to skip a meal and not bring something to work. Pretty much everything to do with my body is due to lazyness. I've known that for awhile now, was just too lazy to do anything about it. Lazy=fat and out of shape. Who'd have thought?

 

[bill9799]

Gave up protein bars years ago. Solid food is the way to go. Just prep in advance and the rest is easy.

 

[insaiyan93]

We already have a food scale, wife bought it awhile back. I've been thinking about ditching the protein bars at work anyway, they're just a lazy way for me to skip a meal and not bring something to work. Pretty much everything to do with my body is due to lazyness. I've known that for awhile now, was just too lazy to do anything about it. Lazy=fat and out of shape. Who'd have thought?

Once you commit and get in the habit the meal prep will become second nature, and I'm sure your wife might be willing to help too. Protein bars are ok from time to time when you're in a pinch, but no bar/shake is going to measure up to real food imo.
You'll get the hang of it, and surprisingly fast.

 

[Smokey McPot]

Welcome brother