Sport First Post - Please help!

Sport Fitness
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nkavanaugh

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OK I need some help. I'm recently 39 yrs old and have been working out steady for 2+ years, though have maintained good shape throughout 20's and 30's. In past 6-7 months I've ramped up my exercise to 35-40 mins each of cardio and weight training 5-6 days a week every week. While I've gained some muscle and lost some fat, I'm not real happy with either. I thought going from 3 days of 30-40 min cardio/3 days of 30 min weights I'd see a big boost from the extra effort. I haven't seen the boost i expected.

I'm 5'6" 158 lbs. I was 163 lbs 6 months ago before my push. Since Jan 1 I've tried to watch my diet more, but it's been a slow weight loss. Essentially I'm eating bran flakes/oats/granola with skim milk, salad for lunch, snacking on fruit/nuts, and a reasonable dinner (chix/brown rice/veg). I work out first thing in am and feel hungry most of the day. Am I over focused on calories and not getting enough of something? My extra weight is right in the belly - not much but i want a flat stomach and I'm not there yet. I think 150lbs is where I need to be.

FInally, I'm not able/willing to spend more time in the gym. I just want to get more out of my workouts - hang on to more muscle and lose more belly fat. I'm trying to hit that goal by 40. Can anyone help?
 
Well, you're getting lots of exercise, certainly no need to increase that. The main thing that jumps out at me is the lack of protein in your diet, especially for breakfast and lunch, and probably a lack of overall calories. You should eat a bare minimum of .75 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight, and ideally 1 gram or more per pound of bodyweight. I doubt you're getting half that. Upping protein should stop the hungry all the time feeling, and it will help you gain more muscle from your weight training. More muscle means higher metabolism and more calories burned through-out the day, which will help with the fat loss.
 
Are you concetrating on the major lifts???

30 miutes isnt a lot of time for a weight training session. What are your workouts like???

As far as diet goes Stangelj has it right.
 
Thanks for the replies. I really appreciate the help. I think the protein point is likely a good one. I keep hearing new studies reaffirming that weight loss is as simple as burn more calories than you consume, but i don't think that brings the weight training into the fold.

As for the lifting, I'm constrained a bit by both time and the fact that the gym we have at work is small - mostly dumbells, a couple pieces of equipment for dips etc.. which is why i recently bought the bands for some resistance training to hit tougher muscles like back. I usually do 3 exercises per muscle group - 2 sets each of 10-12 reps (higher with bands). so this am I did 2 sets each of flat bench with barbells, incline bench, a chest exercise with the bands, then dips, tricep extentions both with dumbell then bands. I'm not looking to get huge, just some solid muscle development.

What would you guys recommend for protein that won't hurt with my weight loss goals?
 
you should definetly add protein such as boiled eggs(1-2 each day),plain yogurt(no sugar added),lowfat cottege cheese,lean meat,fish and chicken breast,i would eat very little carbs when im not working out.
 
Hi,
I also think increase the protein is an important note. It should be remembered that it is generally easier for someone who is out of shape to achieve results rather than someone who is already in shape, so just keep that in mind. As Wesrman said, 30minutes is not really all that long for a weight training session and I know you have said you have time constraints and because of that I would tell you to look into completing as many 'compound' exercises as possible. This will allow you to work more muscle groups in one particular exercise rather than spending a lot of time on different exercises.
 
Thanks to all who replied. One other question - i drink 2 glasses of red wine pretty much every night. Does anyone have any thoughts as to whether this is particularly bad? I know there are heart benefits, but would it be a big diet negative in the long-run?
 
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