Starting over at 40

[acctingman]

Guess I posted this in the wrong forum, so....

Like the title says...I'm 40 (well, almost 42) and I'm over weight. I need to lose quite of bit of "baby fat"....like 60 lbs.

I haven't consistantly gone to a gym in years, so this is pretty new to me.

My goals are to lose weight and then get some definition.

I'm thinking for the first month....5 days of cardio (30 min at first, adding 5 min each week, topping off at 45-50 min and 2 days of lifting, breaking up my muscles into 2 groups)

Diet will consist of lean meats, egg white, veggies/fruit. Have to stay away from sugery drinks/fried foods....HUGE weakness!

I want to lose the weight. I've got 2 months goals, but in a year, I'd like to lose those 60 lbs.

Any advice as to the "definition" part? How to I go about achieving this? Is 2 days of lifting a week enough or will I have to go 3 days?

Thanks for any input for this old man

 

[Marat]

Hey, welcome to the forum.

Definition comes with losing fat and having sufficient muscle mass.

In regard to your diet (the most important factor determining the success of your fat loss): You can take measures to eat "healthier", however, I anecdotally find it to be easier to just dial it in from the beginning. That involves counting calories. Within the Getting Started link in my signature, there are some details to setting up the "do it yourself" diet.

In regard to training: KISS by Patrick Ward is good enough to get you started. However, I'd recommend in looking into a program such as Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe if you are interested in getting stronger and putting on some mass in the future.

Please feel free to ask questions.

 

[Flathead]

It looks like m11 has you headed in the right direction. I would reccomend 3 days of training per week, along with your cardio. Your diet will be the key element in all of this, you get that under control & your goal will be very doable.

 

[Zaphod]

Most important listen to your body. You don't heal as fast as you used to. Even five years ago you could have gotten away with popping a couple of aspirin for some ache or pain but now that ache or pain can more easily turn into something that sidelines your training for much longer than if you get it checked by a doctor or give yourself a couple extra days rest.

You'll need to train smarter, not just force your way through any plateaus.