Help, can't make gains!

[DannyT]

Hi, I am new to this excellent forum and would really appreciate some advice.

I am a 35 year old male that works out pretty regularly. I weigh roughly 160 pounds. My arms have quite good definition, my chest I find very difficult to increase in size and keep looking good, although I look fitter than most people my age.

My problem is two fold. First I have developed a small belly, too much sweet tooth snacking has caught up with me i'm afraid, it never used to show. Whilst it's hardly even visible in a t-shirt, I would like to get rid of it. The advice I was given was to run, two or three times a week.

The problem I am finding is that I now play 5-A side football once a week for 50 minutes and have tried jogging once a week too, to burn off the fat. However, I seem to get the impression that the stomach is staying the same but I am burning off muscle instead of fat, especially from my chest, which is the last thing I want to do.

All my weight lifting gains seem to be going down the drain and I have the feeling that whilst the football and jogging might eventually rid me of my belly, I am also losing muscle size in the process.

How can I get rid of my belly and gain muscle at the same time? I heard that crunches were pointless as the belly will disguise the abs anyway. I was wondering whether the use of Creatine Serum before playing football would help prevent muscle loss.

For the record, I am on a high protein diet, so I am not eating any junk that would normally make me put on weight. An average day would consist of the following:

Breakfast:
1 bowl of wholegrain cereal
1 Kiwi Fruit
1 Handful of Almonds

Lunch:
I can of Tuna with Wholemeal Bread
1 Carrot
1 Apple

Dinner:
Two chicken breasts, or lean mince meat
Rice or Pasta
1 portion of Mushrooms
1 portion of Broccoli
1 Orange

Snack:
Wholemeal bread with peanut butter

I try to drink 2 litres of water a day, although sometimes I only manage 1 litre

Is my diet the reason why I am not making gains? Could jogging/soccer be responsible for burning off more muscle than fat? Or am I simply not working out hard enough to increase muscle?

Sorry if it's too much information, but it seems to be tied in together. Your advices would be very much appreciated
Danny

 

[hustler11]

well right off the bat, i notice you're eating 3 meals a day. in order to keep your body nourished with nutrients and your metablism up you should be eating smaller but more frequent meals throughout the day. 5-6 meals a day (or every 2-3 hours).

You need an adequate amount of protein at every meal as well.

I'm no guru at this but I'm sure the others on here can help you create a meal plan. Nutrition is KEY.

If you're looking to bulk up, you should eschew the jogging or any kind of cardio activities since this will burn more calories that are needed to gain mass.

 

[tjwes]

Eat at least 6 small meals a day ,and have 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight ,minimum.You are not eating enough protein to retain your muscle mass.IMO Do cardio 3-4 times a week and drink more water.Do crunches and a leg raise type exercise for abs.The abs will not show if you have a lot of bodyfat,cardio and diet will help this.

 

[DannyT]

Thanks for the advice. But one of you is advising I do cardio and the other isn't I can pinch about an inch of fat on my stomach, so body fat is not a major problem, more a minor nuisance

I suppose the question I am really asking is, is it possible to get rid of fat through cardio, whilst at the same time building muscle on a high protein diet. I appreciate I am not eating nearly enough protein. I weigh 160 pounds and am only taking in 90g protein per day. I am somewhat restricted by my budget though. What are the cheapest high protein foods? Protein drinks cost a fortune and taste like shit.

 

[tjwes]

I think you should definately incorporate cardio into your routine it works beleive me.Tuna fish is a very cheap source of great protein eat about two cans a day ,minus the mayo.Eggs are another .The whites are pure protein try to eat at least 7 egg whites with one whole egg every day .

 

[PB&J]

Protein is good

Hey Danny, just to comment on the protein shake part. You say they are expensive and taste like shit, well that may have been years ago but today there are plenty that taste great and are very cost effective. I use Champion's pure whey protein stack(Chocolate) It tastes very good. For 5lbs I pay 25.89 at DPSNUTRITION.NET. you defeinately need to eat more protein.Optimum is another good brand. These are very cheap (money wise, not quality) products.

You also said you were on a high protein diet, I don't see it. Usually a high protein diet to lose fat means cutting down on the carbs. I look at it and see just a regular diet. It looks healthy but it's not High protein/low carb by any means. Try fixing your diet a bit and give it a few weeks. Good luck