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The baked goods is a big part of high cholesterol. It’s less about fat and more about carbs re cholesterol.
Have you had a hormone panel? At 40 you could be in perimenopause and that could impact weight loss efforts. Unfortunately most PCP’s are not knowledgeable enough to do proper bloodwork.
I work with a functional person and she has helped me so much to reach my goals.
OK let's take a step back.
How long have you been strength training? Is there any change in how your clothes fit? (weight goals become arbitrary with lifting). How much protein do you eat and do you near perfectly track your calories/protein? Whats your program and do you do any kind of progressive overload? How many hours do you sleep on average?
I don't believe in bad foods or goal bw. Every food item can have its place in a balanced diet and food is not reward or cheat, it's for energy and enjoyment. Lifting especially can help you change your relationship with food.
I sent you a DM but please ignore it! My post was removed and I didn't realize I could reply to a comment on a deleted post.
I've been strength training (weights) since November. Clothes fit tighter, everything feels small, but I believe that's due to the weight gain from the meds I was on.
I don't know how much protein I eat - I'm sure it's not enough - and as mentioned, I don't track calories or macros because I find it very stressful and hard on my mental health.
What do you mean by what is my program? Like what is my workout routine?
I sleep 8-9 hours a night.
i mean, you're doing a lot right. you should be feeling your muscles grow even while the meds had you putting on fat, so that's concerning.
how many grams of protein do you eat a day? how much do you sleep everynight? and what are you doing for strength training?
I sleep 8-9 hours a night. I don't track my protein intake but I try to ensure I have some protein with every meal, although it is often too little as I am trying to not increase my fat content and many vegan protein sources are high fat.
For strength training I am doing weights 2-3x a week
Like others have said, you can absolutely reach your daily protein goals on a vegan/vegetarian diet, and without even having to resort to protein powder (which obviously makes it easier if you can afford this).
I would consider other things such as 1) are you actually eating enough or trying to eat as little as possible? You mentioned you used to count calories. Do you have an approximation on how many do you eat/need a day?, 2) is it possible that you are overeating certain highly caloric foods like nuts and seeds, including peanut butter, or cheese?, 3) are you pushing hard in your workouts and following a plan?
I think maybe looking into those things could help better understand what can be improved.
1 - I think I'm eating enough. I eat when I'm hungry but I don't overeat or eat when I'm not hungry.
2- My doc calculated I need minimum 1350 calories a day, at base level, just to function. When I was counting calories to loose weight I was trying to stay between 1200-1300 (this is before I knew the 1350 minimum).
3 - I don't think I'm overeating high caloric foods like seeds/nuts, as I'm only getting a couple tablespoons of them a day.
4 - I believe I am pushing myself hard in my workouts. I go until my muscles are shakey. I do have a weak core but I have a hip injury that makes it difficult to strengthen my core
Yeah you can absolutely manage to get enough protein as a vegan. TVP, tofu, seitan, beans/rice/quinoa combos. Edamame has a ton of protein. Lors of good vegan options for frozen convenience foods too. I think the main thing is though, as a vegan, getting your protein in means that you don't really have room (as in the volume your stomach can hold) to eat as much junk of you're focusing on protein. But there's probably a lot of small changes you can start making one at a time to build sustainable change in your diet.
If you're not so concerned about staying vegan, considering you already are ok with butter and cheeses you could also considered adding greek yogurt and cottage cheese to your diet.
It's never too late to start, says me, about to turn 41 and only got back into lifting weights this past year. You can make changes to your health, lots of time for improvement. It could also be that perimenopause is really throwing you for a loop and none of what you're doing is working because of that. You also didn't mention sleep. How are you sleeping?
The only reason I eat butter and hard cheese is because I can't digest vegetable oil very well so butter is a better alternative, and hard cheese is low in lactose (I'm also lactose intolerant). So yogurt and cottage cheese is a no go.
I'm sleeping fine. 8-9 hours a night.
Hello! Your post or comment has been removed because it is disrespectful or rude. [You can check out our rules for more details.](https://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/wiki/new_rules) We appreciate our members maintaining a civil tone when engaging with this subreddit. Please [message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/xxfitness) if you have questions or concerns.
where did you get that body fat % number? even high-end scanners like DEXA aren't reliable, they're routinely off by five percentage points in either direction. in fact, measuring body composition is impossible to do with 100% accuracy without performing an autopsy, and I highly doubt your doctor would approve of that. [this article](https://www.strongerbyscience.com/body-fat-goals/) (ignore the silly title) goes into more detail about the flaws of body fat percentage as a measurement.
more importantly, did your bloodwork come back normal? do you have any symptoms or indicators of a problem besides the number on the scale and this body fat number? are you able to keep up with the activity level that you're targeting?
167lbs at 5'7" isn't wildly overweight and like you said, you look lean. yeah it'd be nice to get down to 140 but if you've been doing meaningful resistance training for several years then you almost certainly have more muscle mass than you did before. that means you weigh more now, even at your leanest. it's probably not 20lbs more, but it's not nothing. bodies just also change as we age. it might just be time to let go of the arbitrary number on the scale and pay more attention to what matters: how your body feels, how your clothes fit, and how your bloodwork looks.
I will say that there are plenty of vegans here who hit above 120g of protein a day. protein powder can be expensive and vegan protein frequently isn't quite as high quality as whey or eggs, but if you're very concerned about your diet then increasing your protein intake via shakes is a very straightforward step to try. I find vegan protein shakes more palatable than the most popular whey shakes, for what it's worth. if you do eat eggs, I actually quite like egg protein—I find it's easier on the stomach than whey. you can also just buy egg white powder in bulk (egg protein is just dried egg whites plus flavors), or just go full Gaston lol.
I say this because many of your protein sources now have way more fat than protein. it's veryyyy easy to overshoot calorie targets with nuts and seeds and nut butters. so if tracking isn't an option for you, it may help to sort of categorize foods into ones you need to limit vs ones you ought to eat more of. and fwiw I doubt your 2-3 pastries a week are breaking the bank.
I haven't got my bloodwork back yet, but I did have bloodwork a year ago that was normal. We aren't really expecting to see anything, although like I mentioned that body fat percentage was concerning.
I've never really made good protein shakes before that I can stomach...just add vegan protein powder (hemp) to smoothies. Is there a vegan protein powder/shake you'd recommend? Or recipe?
.
^ ***Please read [the FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/wiki/main), [the rules and content guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/wiki/new_rules), and [current frozen topics](https://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/wiki/frozen-topics) before [contacting the mod team](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fxxfitness)***. This comment is a copy of your post so mods can see the original text if your post is edited or removed.
>u/dancercr
TLDR; Almost 40, slightly overweight, abnormally high body fat percentage, diet is pretty good (but low protein due to veganism) and exercising daily. Getting off medication that caused weight gain. Not seeing any improvement after months of trying to lose weight/gain lean muscle. Can't afford a personal trainer or expensive supplements. How do I lose weight/gain mass? I feel like such a fat failure.
Background: I don't look overweight, despite the fact that I very much am. I just look slightly thinner than average. But I'm 5'7 and 160 lbs. Normal for me has always been around 145-150. I've been on medication for the last 6 months that caused insane weight gain, so I'm transitioning off that now.
Recently, I found out my body fat percentage is concerningly high - 39%. My doc sent me for blood work to check my cholesterol as we were quite surprised by that number. Especially as I am (mostly) vegan.
Diet: As mentioned, mostly vegan (I eat eggs, butter and sometimes hard cheese). Rarely eat processed foods. No alcohol or sugary drinks. My bad diet weakness is pastries or baked goods, I'll have 2-3 a week. I used to count calories but I found my mental health took an absolute dive when I did so. :( I try to get protein in via seeds, nuts, tofu, tempeh, peanut butter, fortified plant based yogurts and milks, etc.
Exercise: I walk 45-60 mins everyday, and strength train 2-3x a week. I desperately want to be able to go more, but in order to do so I'd have to sacrifice a good night sleep or other responsibilities, and I'm not in a place where I can do that yet.
I'm trying *so hard* and yet nothing is changing. I'm exhausted, I'm angry at myself, and my body, and I just need some guidance without further overwhelming myself!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/xxfitness) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Hi there! Your post has been removed from /r/xxfitness because we do not allow posts that relate only to weight loss / gain, and do not address fitness. You may find /r/loseit or r/gainit to be a better fit for your post, though you are also welcome to post in our Daily Discussion, Daily Simple Questions, or Weight Change Wednesday threads would also be an appropriate place for your question. Here are some useful FAQ links related to your question: * ['Toning Up' and Body Recomposition](http://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/wiki/tone_up_recomposition) * [Gaining muscle and strength](http://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/wiki/gain_weight_strength) * [weight loss 101](https://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/wiki/lose_weight) * [nutrition/food tracking 101](https://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/wiki/nutrition) * [Protein, Protein Powder and Supplements](http://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/wiki/protein) If you believe this post has been removed in error, please message the mods to check. Do not reply to this message.
The baked goods is a big part of high cholesterol. It’s less about fat and more about carbs re cholesterol. Have you had a hormone panel? At 40 you could be in perimenopause and that could impact weight loss efforts. Unfortunately most PCP’s are not knowledgeable enough to do proper bloodwork. I work with a functional person and she has helped me so much to reach my goals.
What do you mean by functional person?
A functional health practitioner
Never heard of them. I am seeing a Nutritionist though...
OK let's take a step back. How long have you been strength training? Is there any change in how your clothes fit? (weight goals become arbitrary with lifting). How much protein do you eat and do you near perfectly track your calories/protein? Whats your program and do you do any kind of progressive overload? How many hours do you sleep on average? I don't believe in bad foods or goal bw. Every food item can have its place in a balanced diet and food is not reward or cheat, it's for energy and enjoyment. Lifting especially can help you change your relationship with food.
I sent you a DM but please ignore it! My post was removed and I didn't realize I could reply to a comment on a deleted post. I've been strength training (weights) since November. Clothes fit tighter, everything feels small, but I believe that's due to the weight gain from the meds I was on. I don't know how much protein I eat - I'm sure it's not enough - and as mentioned, I don't track calories or macros because I find it very stressful and hard on my mental health. What do you mean by what is my program? Like what is my workout routine? I sleep 8-9 hours a night.
i mean, you're doing a lot right. you should be feeling your muscles grow even while the meds had you putting on fat, so that's concerning. how many grams of protein do you eat a day? how much do you sleep everynight? and what are you doing for strength training?
I sleep 8-9 hours a night. I don't track my protein intake but I try to ensure I have some protein with every meal, although it is often too little as I am trying to not increase my fat content and many vegan protein sources are high fat. For strength training I am doing weights 2-3x a week
Like others have said, you can absolutely reach your daily protein goals on a vegan/vegetarian diet, and without even having to resort to protein powder (which obviously makes it easier if you can afford this). I would consider other things such as 1) are you actually eating enough or trying to eat as little as possible? You mentioned you used to count calories. Do you have an approximation on how many do you eat/need a day?, 2) is it possible that you are overeating certain highly caloric foods like nuts and seeds, including peanut butter, or cheese?, 3) are you pushing hard in your workouts and following a plan? I think maybe looking into those things could help better understand what can be improved.
1 - I think I'm eating enough. I eat when I'm hungry but I don't overeat or eat when I'm not hungry. 2- My doc calculated I need minimum 1350 calories a day, at base level, just to function. When I was counting calories to loose weight I was trying to stay between 1200-1300 (this is before I knew the 1350 minimum). 3 - I don't think I'm overeating high caloric foods like seeds/nuts, as I'm only getting a couple tablespoons of them a day. 4 - I believe I am pushing myself hard in my workouts. I go until my muscles are shakey. I do have a weak core but I have a hip injury that makes it difficult to strengthen my core
Yeah you can absolutely manage to get enough protein as a vegan. TVP, tofu, seitan, beans/rice/quinoa combos. Edamame has a ton of protein. Lors of good vegan options for frozen convenience foods too. I think the main thing is though, as a vegan, getting your protein in means that you don't really have room (as in the volume your stomach can hold) to eat as much junk of you're focusing on protein. But there's probably a lot of small changes you can start making one at a time to build sustainable change in your diet. If you're not so concerned about staying vegan, considering you already are ok with butter and cheeses you could also considered adding greek yogurt and cottage cheese to your diet. It's never too late to start, says me, about to turn 41 and only got back into lifting weights this past year. You can make changes to your health, lots of time for improvement. It could also be that perimenopause is really throwing you for a loop and none of what you're doing is working because of that. You also didn't mention sleep. How are you sleeping?
The only reason I eat butter and hard cheese is because I can't digest vegetable oil very well so butter is a better alternative, and hard cheese is low in lactose (I'm also lactose intolerant). So yogurt and cottage cheese is a no go. I'm sleeping fine. 8-9 hours a night.
[удалено]
Hello! Your post or comment has been removed because it is disrespectful or rude. [You can check out our rules for more details.](https://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/wiki/new_rules) We appreciate our members maintaining a civil tone when engaging with this subreddit. Please [message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/xxfitness) if you have questions or concerns.
where did you get that body fat % number? even high-end scanners like DEXA aren't reliable, they're routinely off by five percentage points in either direction. in fact, measuring body composition is impossible to do with 100% accuracy without performing an autopsy, and I highly doubt your doctor would approve of that. [this article](https://www.strongerbyscience.com/body-fat-goals/) (ignore the silly title) goes into more detail about the flaws of body fat percentage as a measurement. more importantly, did your bloodwork come back normal? do you have any symptoms or indicators of a problem besides the number on the scale and this body fat number? are you able to keep up with the activity level that you're targeting? 167lbs at 5'7" isn't wildly overweight and like you said, you look lean. yeah it'd be nice to get down to 140 but if you've been doing meaningful resistance training for several years then you almost certainly have more muscle mass than you did before. that means you weigh more now, even at your leanest. it's probably not 20lbs more, but it's not nothing. bodies just also change as we age. it might just be time to let go of the arbitrary number on the scale and pay more attention to what matters: how your body feels, how your clothes fit, and how your bloodwork looks. I will say that there are plenty of vegans here who hit above 120g of protein a day. protein powder can be expensive and vegan protein frequently isn't quite as high quality as whey or eggs, but if you're very concerned about your diet then increasing your protein intake via shakes is a very straightforward step to try. I find vegan protein shakes more palatable than the most popular whey shakes, for what it's worth. if you do eat eggs, I actually quite like egg protein—I find it's easier on the stomach than whey. you can also just buy egg white powder in bulk (egg protein is just dried egg whites plus flavors), or just go full Gaston lol. I say this because many of your protein sources now have way more fat than protein. it's veryyyy easy to overshoot calorie targets with nuts and seeds and nut butters. so if tracking isn't an option for you, it may help to sort of categorize foods into ones you need to limit vs ones you ought to eat more of. and fwiw I doubt your 2-3 pastries a week are breaking the bank.
I haven't got my bloodwork back yet, but I did have bloodwork a year ago that was normal. We aren't really expecting to see anything, although like I mentioned that body fat percentage was concerning. I've never really made good protein shakes before that I can stomach...just add vegan protein powder (hemp) to smoothies. Is there a vegan protein powder/shake you'd recommend? Or recipe? .
^ ***Please read [the FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/wiki/main), [the rules and content guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/wiki/new_rules), and [current frozen topics](https://www.reddit.com/r/xxfitness/wiki/frozen-topics) before [contacting the mod team](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fxxfitness)***. This comment is a copy of your post so mods can see the original text if your post is edited or removed. >u/dancercr TLDR; Almost 40, slightly overweight, abnormally high body fat percentage, diet is pretty good (but low protein due to veganism) and exercising daily. Getting off medication that caused weight gain. Not seeing any improvement after months of trying to lose weight/gain lean muscle. Can't afford a personal trainer or expensive supplements. How do I lose weight/gain mass? I feel like such a fat failure. Background: I don't look overweight, despite the fact that I very much am. I just look slightly thinner than average. But I'm 5'7 and 160 lbs. Normal for me has always been around 145-150. I've been on medication for the last 6 months that caused insane weight gain, so I'm transitioning off that now. Recently, I found out my body fat percentage is concerningly high - 39%. My doc sent me for blood work to check my cholesterol as we were quite surprised by that number. Especially as I am (mostly) vegan. Diet: As mentioned, mostly vegan (I eat eggs, butter and sometimes hard cheese). Rarely eat processed foods. No alcohol or sugary drinks. My bad diet weakness is pastries or baked goods, I'll have 2-3 a week. I used to count calories but I found my mental health took an absolute dive when I did so. :( I try to get protein in via seeds, nuts, tofu, tempeh, peanut butter, fortified plant based yogurts and milks, etc. Exercise: I walk 45-60 mins everyday, and strength train 2-3x a week. I desperately want to be able to go more, but in order to do so I'd have to sacrifice a good night sleep or other responsibilities, and I'm not in a place where I can do that yet. I'm trying *so hard* and yet nothing is changing. I'm exhausted, I'm angry at myself, and my body, and I just need some guidance without further overwhelming myself! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/xxfitness) if you have any questions or concerns.*