First off, thanks in advance for any advice you can offer me.
After an injury a few years ago, I started putting on pounds. I got up to 250 (I'm 6'2", early forties) and finally did something about it late last year. I started slow with jogging and pushups for a couple of months and for the last 9 months or so have been working out 5 days a week (3 days 45-60 mins weight training and 2 days stationary bike high intensity for 45 minutes). I also made some lifestyle changes: sleeping more (though still not consistently 8+ hours), drinking less (no alcohol mon-thurs), and no eating takeout/dining out (thanks covid). I've dropped 20 pounds but have leveled out at 230 lbs. I'm aiming for a fit 210 and would like to get there sometime in the next year.
In terms of diet, I'm trying to be smart about what I eat without obsessing. Typical day is a small bowl of bran cereal for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch (homemade, nothing crazy. sometimes peanut butter, sometimes tuna), and a homemade dinner that's pretty balanced between protein/carbs/veggies.
I've been stuck around 230 for about 6 weeks. I guess it's possible I'm putting on muscle at the same rate I'm losing fat but that seems like wishful thinking. I don't eat a lot of crap during the day so I'm just not sure what I need to change to take the pounds off. Cutting out alcohol during the week cut a substantial number of calories (I used to have 2-3 beers or glasses of wine a night) and I haven't cut back my diet dramatically otherwise because I'm weight training. Is my mistake combining weight training and cardio? As I said, my goal is a fit 210 so I want to lose fat and gain muscle, but should I focus on one and then the other? One simple fix I've heard is to increase my protein intake. I'm a little hesitant to introduce whey protein just because I'm trying to be as "natural" (read: low maintenance) as possible so this is sustainable in the long term. But if that's a solution to try, I'm game.
Anyway, that's my situation. I'm pretty committed to my goal and know there's a lot I don't know so your advice will most definitely be heeded. Thanks again for taking a look and any thoughts you all have.
