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Men over 40 (tell me about your bellies)

tommib

Banned
I was lucky enough to be graced with the ectomorph genes all my life, meaning I’ve been able to basically eat everything I wanted without worrying about my body. I’ve always worked out, mind you, and kept a weight of 77 to 78 quilos at a height of 1.82 metres. Shredded abs for the whole life.

Fast forward to 2022 and at 41 years old I’m starting to see a small belly develop.

I was doing something stupid that I stopped 2 months ago: since I started CrossFit half a year ago I was doubling down on the MASS CALORIES supplement - taking two shakers a day, even before bed. This is not the protein shake, just the full calories one since I always thought my body could take it.

I’m currently at 85 quilos and my belly is definitely not as flat as it used to be. I think it’s a mix of getting old, 2 years working from home because of the pandemic, and a calorie excess. With age, we all know our calorie burning mechanisms start to slow down.

Anyone going through something similar? Any tips?

I stopped the calorie shakers, and I’ve been cutting on food and managed to take 2 quilos off in a month but that belly is getting hard to get back into shape. Bear in mind I workout 6 times a week with a mix of CrossFit and gym. With the pandemic, I barely touched my bike and I just don’t walk as much anymore so I’m sure that also has an impact. We won’t go back to the office so I’ll be WFH indefinitely.
 
D

Deleted member 1159

Unconfirmed Member
If you've cut back on your calories and dropped 2kg it sounds like you're doing what you should be doing, just keep at it until you're at your goal. Don't overthink it.
 

tommib

Banned
Don’t mind me I’m just here looking for my next daddy!
amy sedaris daddy GIF by truTV’s At Home with Amy Sedaris
 

Mikado

Member
Old man ecto here:
Sounds like you're on the right track. You can't do anything about getting older, and you're already working out (which won't really help with weight, but is good for tone/cardio/strength etc).
Get your calories back under control (counting them if you must) and you'll probably see results PDQ.
 

Raven117

Member
I’m an ectomorph, close to that age. Have a flat stomach, starting to have a six pack come in.

Quit eating as many calories. Probably start doing more HIIT than heavy lifts.

You will shred the weight.
 
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DavidGzz

Gold Member
I'm closing in on 41 and no belly. I lift and watch my calories. Plan to stay like this for a looong while.

Somatotypes aren't real. Your body is based on your habits.
 
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Star-Lord

Member
Not quite 40 yet, but I'm getting pretty damn close, and I've not so much got a six pack as I do a keg.

I need to lose weight fast.
 

pesaddict

Banned
Year and half of sheilding fucked me up mentally and physically, diagnosed with non alcoholic fatty liver diesase, trying to cut down the red meat but its soooo tasty 😋😪
 

jufonuk

not tag worthy
I have a belly. Want to make it smaller. So now I am watching what I eat. Also exercising.

So I’ll see how it goes.
 

V1LÆM

Gold Member
me reading this, still in my 30s:
dd0.png
i'm not 31 yet and suddenly i have a belly lol only a few years ago i had a slim stomach and a bit of muscle. i mean i wasn't ripped but i walked a lot, cycled, and went swimming. the pandemic/lockdowns didn't help at all and neither did the alcohol :messenger_tongue: when i try hold my belly in i can't do it anymore. it's always sticking out a little now no matter how hard i try to hide it lol.

i think i could get rid of it if i went back to swimming. i still do a lot of walking. infact i'm walking a lot more now these days. i done about 12,000 steps by 10am today. some days i can get to about 20,000. the thing is i feel like i have more of an appetite now so even though i'm walking more i'm also eating more :pie_dfws: i'm going to try get to the swimming. i haven't been since 2019.
 
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nkarafo

Member
Mine is tighter now compared to my 30s since i take my exercise more seriously now and i'm also doing much heavier labor work that requires me to move, climb, lift, pull, etc, 8 hours/day so my body doesn't have the time to store the fat i suppose.
 
I'm 42 and have been working out regularly (weightlifting and judo) ever since I quite smoking at 28. I try to eat healthily but I've always had a huge appetite. As a result, I've got a bit of a belly and generally a small amount of excess fat all round. I've never been obese but it's been a constant struggle to keep it that way.

I love exercising but it's getting hard to keep the eating under control as I get older. I know I'll never have a six pack.
 

M1chl

Currently Gif and Meme Champion
/assholePost
I have been exactly opposite whole life, so it warms my heart, that people are going to get it eventually.
//

I can't eat basically anything, due to very low blood pressure, body temperature and few other situation, my basal metabolism is around 1400 kcal. I have to do the intermittent fasting (currently on 20:4) to keep weight up to 90kg (1.91m tall). Life is fucking pain. Only good thing is that I simply have to keep the weight like this/or below, otherwise hospital puts me in the regime, which isn't great.

I lost 40lbs with GABA supplements.
From Benzo w/d?
 
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p_xavier

Authorized Fister
/assholePost
I have been exactly opposite whole life, so it warms my heart, that people are going to get it eventually.
//

I can't eat basically anything, due to very low blood pressure, body temperature and few other situation, my basal metabolism is around 1400 kcal. I have to do the intermittent fasting (currently on 20:4) to keep weight up to 90kg (1.91m tall). Life is fucking pain. Only good thing is that I simply have to keep the weight like this/or below, otherwise hospital puts me in the regime, which isn't great.


From Benzo w/d?
Not Gabapentin but just regular gamma-aminobutyric acid.
 

Raven117

Member
I'm a xenomorph. No telling how old I am really. I stay in the dark and out of sunlight, so I look young. Haven't had trouble keeping off the weight, even when eating several people. Just gotta stay active.
That’s really the key, ya know? Plenty of iron in the diet, try to eat fresh protein. Active lifestyle. Will live forever!
 

TGO

Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
I'm 14.7 stone but I don't look it I look more beefy then anything, The weight is spread out I guess
My six pack is still there but I'm not toned
I am losing weight mind you, I was 14.11 last month.
I think I mainly gain weight because being busy at work but not actually being as active as I was.
I can still do a Kip-up but not as flawlessly as I used to and can feel the extra power I need to do it so it definitely a weight thing
So yeah I'm working out more at the moment and that seems to be doing something.
Dieting don't work, I cut down on everything and remain the same weight.
Only physical workout has worked so far.
 

reezoo

Member
Pure dad bod now :S. I think it has to do with the food at home which is based on kids preference and interests and obviously not suited for my age.
At office I usually eat "saladish" stuff, when family is not around, food is a very controlled thing.
 

p_xavier

Authorized Fister
Interesting, well I am on Lyrica, for GAD and that it's known for causing weight gain. But it improved my mental health 1000%
I had gained 50lbs on effexor. And it didn't do much to my mental health, I felt stupid and was doing impulse buys. I take L-Theanine supplements at night and I feel like I would be slightly drunk and it helps healing the liver it seems.
 

M1chl

Currently Gif and Meme Champion
I had gained 50lbs on effexor. And it didn't do much to my mental health, I felt stupid and was doing impulse buys. I take L-Theanine supplements at night and I feel like I would be slightly drunk and it helps healing the liver it seems.
Anti-depressants (which also can be used on my condition) have severe side effects. Always. Interesting about that L-T stuff. But I wouldn't want to tempt something which would made me feel drunk, given my history.
 

Bartski

Gold Member
Not 40 yet but getting there.
Redundant protein shakes, especially carb-heavy do that to you man. I always had this problem, I really REALLY like them. With lactose-free milk, perfect desert!
The problem is on non-training days it's a big mistake that will grow your gut faster than a daily dinner at McDonalds.
I've grown a huge one last winter after twisting my ankle and then playing Elden Ring for a month straight eating haribos and milka.
I'm just about to go for serious cutting after 2 months of strength and mass heavy lifting. Wanna drop around 5-6kilos by the end of summer

R1XQ71L.jpg

The fastest way to do it for me is High Intensity Interval Training on a treadmill with a diet of small kCal deficiency (circa 2k kCal a day max).
HIIT can be painful at first but it's only about 4h a week and 2 weeks are enough to see results.


The scenarios outlined above need to be adjusted to your own stamina to make sure you're going way above cardio. I usually go with 10/10 split of increasing speed on flat, starting from 12km/h. More than enough to soak my pants.

You need to know your anaerobic threshold, get a good heart rate meter (none of that smartwatch bullshit, one with a band over your chest as wrist measurements are simply incorrect), and learn how your heart rate translates to treadmill speeds and inclines to plan this shit. Or ask someone at your gym to help you out planning it. Good luck!
 

GloveSlap

Member
Just a smidge here. I was immune, but the combination of covid and getting into edibles got me a bit. I lose weight fast when i eat well at least.
 

Raven117

Member
Not 40 yet but getting there.
Redundant protein shakes, especially carb-heavy do that to you man. I always had this problem, I really REALLY like them. With lactose-free milk, perfect desert!
The problem is on non-training days it's a big mistake that will grow your gut faster than a daily dinner at McDonalds.
I've grown a huge one last winter after twisting my ankle and then playing Elden Ring for a month straight eating haribos and milka.
I'm just about to go for serious cutting after 2 months of strength and mass heavy lifting. Wanna drop around 5-6kilos by the end of summer

R1XQ71L.jpg

The fastest way to do it for me is High Intensity Interval Training on a treadmill with a diet of small kCal deficiency (circa 2k kCal a day max).
HIIT can be painful at first but it's only about 4h a week and 2 weeks are enough to see results.


The scenarios outlined above need to be adjusted to your own stamina to make sure you're going way above cardio. I usually go with 10/10 split of increasing speed on flat, starting from 12km/h. More than enough to soak my pants.

You need to know your anaerobic threshold, get a good heart rate meter (none of that smartwatch bullshit, one with a band over your chest as wrist measurements are simply incorrect), and learn how your heart rate translates to treadmill speeds and inclines to plan this shit. Or ask someone at your gym to help you out planning it. Good luck!
I don’t know how many protien shakes you were drinking. But usually it’s a bad idea to cut protien on off days. (Unless it’s just the pre-workout shake).
 

Bartski

Gold Member
I don’t know how many protien shakes you were drinking. But usually it’s a bad idea to cut protien on off days. (Unless it’s just the pre-workout shake).
That's a broad subject, it is a bad idea when going for mass and having a stable gain-oriented training schedule but I'd advise against it when trying to stay lean, especially carb heavy ones.
 

ÆMNE22A!C

NO PAIN TRANCE CONTINUE
Yeah in could lose 6 to 10 kg (8 will suffice in think)

Its mostly the beer and food afterwards


And not working out anymore.

Used to have veins on my whole torso after a hot bath. Now I avoid the mirror.

Turning 40 begin August
 

ResurrectedContrarian

Suffers with mild autism
I gained a little weight across my 30s, and am now in my early 40s. But it's pretty mild, no large beer gut effect or anything--just a typical dad look. Anyhow my wife likes it so 🤷‍♂️ who cares.
 

SafeOrAlone

Banned
If you eat one large, bad meal a day, you're pretty much maxed out on calories.

I started counting calories over the last few years as my metabolism slowed down and this way a big eye-opener for me.

I thought that if I had one bad meal for lunch, and then just ate some snacks in the evening, or maybe even ice cream, that'd be a "deficit day" - only one full meal and some dessert/snack ain't much, I figured - but I was very wrong.
 
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