Hi,
I have this god awful dad belly that just completely ruins the aesthetics of any muscular progress I've been making in the gym. So I figured it's time to go on a calory deficit, and get my fat percentages down, whilst simultaneously keep lifting (and hopefully keep gaining some).
I'm 40, 179cm, 83kg.
My workout routine is stronglifts 3 x per week + playing football/soccer 1 x per week (90 mins).
With that in mind, what would be a sensible calory deficit intake per day, if I want a slow but steady fat loss without stagnating in the gym? And how much protein would you recommend per day? I realize I probably need to up my protein intake if I'm to gain on a calory deficit.
According to MyFitnessPal (which I'm planning to use for tracking) I'm supposed to be on 1650 kcal per day, and I'm supposed to be eating 82 g of protein per day.
Does that sound about right to you, or would you up the calory and protein intake?
Coolguy1669 1y ago
1650 is wayyyy too low. Some people don't even go that low during their last week for competing.
Durek_The_Bald 1y ago
Thanks! Just what I needed. According to these, my maintenance is at about 2700 calories per day. I'll try to aim for 2400-2500, and up the protein to at least what you suggested, and see where that gets me. Pretty sure my main problem is I just eat too god damn much. Tracking should give me some oversight. Also, need to drink more water, probably part of the reason I'm hungry all the time.
Again, thanks for solid advice.
coolsocks00 1 1y ago
This advice is good. Your daily activity levels are important when calculating TDEE - the choices on the calc's are often quite vague so you will have to figure it out yourself (i would err on the side of setting it to more sedentary). I wouldnt worry too much about stagnating a bit on the big lifts while cutting. Get to a low BF% like 10% and only then start bulking and go for PRs if you want that. The health (and looks-) benefits are super worth it.
On top of that, make sure to get good sleep, solid 7+ hours. When you have the calorie + protein goals dialed in, start focusing on micronutrients more as well. Whole foods, while avoiding all the shit we are exposed to.
See this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaBl14KosaE
Hanscheezburger 1y ago
Start with 1700-1800. Im eating 1500 and I'm 66 kg. Sometimes I get lightheaded during heavy lifts so I'm upping that intake and add more carbs. Try it out for 2 weeks and see how your body reacts. We're all different.
82g of protein is also way too low. You need at least 0.7-0.8 g per POUND of bodyweight to stop muscle loss. If you need the studies I can link them
Durek_The_Bald 1y ago
According to one TDEE calculator I tried, I should be at about 200g of protein for my activity level and weight. So yeah, probably need to seriously up that. I've got no idea how much protein I've been eating for the last 18 months. I've just been thinking that apart from no sweets or fizzy drinks, my will simply crave whatever it needs. But clearly, that's not working too well with getting a flatter stomach.
But as for you, shouldn't you be eating more?? 1500 calories sounds awfully low. At 66 kg, you can't have enough excess fat to justify that, surely? Getting light headed during lifts really doesn't sound healthy either. You sure you aren't overdoing things a bit?
Hanscheezburger 1y ago
Yeah I think I was eating a bit too little, partly because I had a plateau and was not seeing results. The lightheadedness could have come from poor techniques - not breathing properly maybe. Mainly in deadlifts, squats or cleans.
I'm going to increase my calories regardless. The important thing is to listen to your body and adapt your diet and program
Karenzza 1y ago
I hink this article is informative
https://bryankrahn.com/bulking-after-40/
whytehorse2021 1y ago
I go on 100% calorie deficit 2 days/wk. Burns the shit out of fat if you're active. Also shrinks your stomach so you feel full when eating. Also shrinks your intestines so you lose waist inches. I call it intermittent fasting. Throw in a cheat day once every 2 weeks to keep your metabolism up. When you get to the point where you're losing muscle mass you can adjust.
Intrepid_Place53900 1y ago
I'd focus first on what you are eating, cut out some fat/carbs and eat/replace with more protein. 82grams/day is not enough , should be like 1g/pound
You are 40, I'd start with more cardio, fat burning cardio. treadmill or spin bike is great
I'm over 50, when I hit your age, I had to adjust my diet more, goes with age.
So, start with small adjustments, add some cardio, tweak the diet, and You'll see changes in a few weeks. You don't want to make big changes IMO, because you want something that is endurable, like you don't diet because it's (short term), you change your eating habits (long term).
I lost 15 pounds of dad pound in like 3 months, was pretty easy with the above and kept it off for more than a decade and still going.
kv2_0833 1y ago
Why caloric deficit? You are 179 cm and 83kg, just eat to maintain. I'm 181cm and a lean 82kg and I look very good so I'd just recommend not eating in a deficit and just continue lifting, give it a few months and you'll keep the same weight with less fat and more muscle mass