Kinda new - but ready this time around

GratefulEddie

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  1. Vegan
HI everyone - 49 year old male here, did vegan about 20 years ago, and it lasted a couple of years. Started again about a year ago - but succumbed to chicken because of the protein myth (because of my workouts). NOW, I'm fully ready to commit again forever.
Problem is weight loss - it just really isn't happening. I need to drop 50 pounds. I do cardio, and lift at the gym 4-5 times per week. There's so much info overload - I'm getting discouraged. I'm told bc I'm not getting enough calories, I'm losing muscle and not fat. I'm told too much cardio isn't burning fat - it's burning muscle. I'm told my muscles aren't recovering from lifting bc I'm not eating enough.

Do I just stop going to the gym? Is the gym keeping my weight up? PLEASE HELP!
 
Welcome to the forum, GratefulEddie!

I can tell you what I did to lose weight or I can recommend some YouTube channels that have far more information. Since you're going to the gym and trying to get fit, we'll target those sorts of vegan channels. Hopefully you can get a little something from all of these channels. They all seem to have a similar theme with working out (bodybuilding), but as a vegan. I can't guarantee they'll all have something for you, but they're a good place to start. In a nutshell, I stuck to whole foods only. That's what works for me.

https://www.youtube.com/user/TheQuestForFitness/videos

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWdjaK6ZvZNt5CCFJZ2nvFg/videos

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6FtBjNlqu2wNAH87Qj1UVA/videos

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChRLXaBgHWgFBH_7LSMtodw

One other thing to consider is intermittent fasting. I've been researching this, myself. I've heard it's a healthy and safe way of maintaining your weight. It is something to consider, which is the only reason I mention it. Ultimately, you want to eat healthy whole foods, reducing or eliminating the sugar, oil, and salt, which are obviously counterproductive to weight loss and health.

This guy sums up the benefits of staying with whole foods. Hope this helps.

 
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Hello and welcome! You can still go to the gym. I do. I hope the links that Veganite provided are useful. Although I like to eat some junk food. Enough to keep me cheerful but not too much so I don't gain weight.

Also I had a failed attempt at veganism about 10 years before I went vegan for good. My neighbour advised me to stop being vegan because it was 'unhealthy' and because I wasn't on line back then I gave up being vegan but the 2nd time I had more information at my fingertips. So I know veganism is good for you.
 
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HI everyone - 49 year old male here, did vegan about 20 years ago, and it lasted a couple of years. Started again about a year ago - but succumbed to chicken because of the protein myth (because of my workouts). NOW, I'm fully ready to commit again forever.
Problem is weight loss - it just really isn't happening. I need to drop 50 pounds. I do cardio, and lift at the gym 4-5 times per week. There's so much info overload - I'm getting discouraged. I'm told bc I'm not getting enough calories, I'm losing muscle and not fat. I'm told too much cardio isn't burning fat - it's burning muscle. I'm told my muscles aren't recovering from lifting bc I'm not eating enough.

Do I just stop going to the gym? Is the gym keeping my weight up? PLEASE HELP!

First off, I love your screen name.

Second, I also go to the gym on a regular basis. It probably varies with different gyms but my gym has the highest concentration of myths per square foot in the universe.

According to the author of Strenght Training Over 5o, the rate of diminishing returns for strength training kicks in at 2 sessions a week. And you are probably doing too much per session, too. Buy or borrow the book. Every claim in the book is supported by research.

You almost never will lose muscle before fat. (I only use the conditional "almost" because I don't know everything). But metabolically and biologically speaking, it's just so much easier for our bodies to convert fat to energy. It takes energy to break down protein into energy. It's just not a good idea. Heck, the whole purpose of storing fat is for energy.

You can use a calorie calculator to determine how many calories your body requires. Yes, they are not totally accurate. but who can eat exactly 1875 calories a day anyway? It provides you with a good range as a goal. and monitor your weight and measurements. If you are not making adequate progress - adjust.

Cardio is essential. and again the only way you will lose muscle is if you have already lost almost all your fat. I do cardio every time I go to the gym. but only strength train twice a week. There is also a lot of research that supports the idea that longer less intensive workouts are better for weight loss than higher intensity workouts. And anyway the recovery period for high-intensity workouts is longer.

As far as a vegan weight loss diet goes, I've been trying to follow the 6-week program in Dr. Fuhrman's book Eat To Live. Its a pretty extreme diet and I'm having trouble sticking to it - but its working anyway. Besides being vegan it eliminates sugar and oil.
 
HI everyone - 49 year old male here, did vegan about 20 years ago, and it lasted a couple of years. Started again about a year ago - but succumbed to chicken because of the protein myth (because of my workouts). NOW, I'm fully ready to commit again forever.
Problem is weight loss - it just really isn't happening. I need to drop 50 pounds. I do cardio, and lift at the gym 4-5 times per week. There's so much info overload - I'm getting discouraged. I'm told bc I'm not getting enough calories, I'm losing muscle and not fat. I'm told too much cardio isn't burning fat - it's burning muscle. I'm told my muscles aren't recovering from lifting bc I'm not eating enough.

Do I just stop going to the gym? Is the gym keeping my weight up? PLEASE HELP!

Hi Grateful Eddie,

It sounds like you are overwhelmed with the info and a bit lost because of things you have read and what you've been told. I believe that you are the best person to judge if you are overtraining or not eating enough, or doing too much cardio.

Do you look forward to going to the gym or go to get things done/push yourself to burn calories to lose those 50 pound? Weight loss is also a mental game as much as it is a calorie game.

What you could do is:
  1. Track your food for a week and figure out your actual calorie intake.
  2. Check in with your body - are you tired? muscles feeling tight or sore?
  3. Simplify. We tend to complicate things too much sometimes. Are you enjoying your fitness and diet regime? Do you have a regime? This could help you to eliminate unnecessary thinking every day about meals/meal times/ vegan or animal products.
These are just a couple of thoughts I have. I see your frustration and wanted to help.
 
I just wanted to point out that muscle weighs more than fat.
 
Hi Grateful Eddie and all:
I was just going to say, as AmberFunk did that muscle weighs more than fat. The idea of doing less weightlifting and
being more gentle with yourself may help. You sound like a super go-getter.
I would not eat less, just do the weights 2 times per week and do cardio. Good luck.
Buddhatree
 
Actually... muscle doesn't weigh more than fat. 1 pound of fat is the same as 1 pound of muscle where weight is concerned. It's that 1 pound of muscle takes up significantly less volume than 1 pound of fat.

That said, I think it would be smart for GratefulEddie to get signed in with a weight-loss account like Cronometer or SparkPeople to help him get a better grasp on weight loss if that's the overall goal. He needs to determine what his BMR is, figure out what his overall desired goal weight is, then tweak his calorie intake to start working towards those goals.

Weight loss is usually 80% what you put in your mouth and 20% physical fitness.

I would absolutely NOT cease strength training as yes, it's one way to help insure you don't lose muscle while losing weight. I wouldn't ditch cardio altogether, either, as it plays an important role in overall respiratory health.

Definitely monitor what you're consuming. Vegan does not automatically equate perfect health. If your diet consists of a lot of processed junk foods like cookies, beer, potato chips, mock meats, etc., then your body's not going to cooperate with healthy weight loss. Stick with whole foods as was suggested earlier - lots of fresh fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds. etc.
 
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