48M kind of disappointed in 2-years' gym progress. Maybe I need some help

[nowhereman]

So this is me (48 years old) before and after a little over two years of weightlifting at the gym.

First off, I love going to the gym. I don't have a problem with motivation. 4, sometimes 5 days a week, I go in for 90 minutes or so, and I put in real work when I'm there. I don't just F around the whole time. I follow programs. I track every set.

To look at me though, most people wouldn't guess I go to the gym much at all. The photos on the left were taken in June 2022, a few months after I started lifting. The photos on the right were taken just the other day. Over that time period, the only body measurement that has gone up noticeably is my waist. Chest, hips, and shoulders have increased about an inch. Thighs and biceps half an inch. Neck and calves haven't changed at all. Weight in the latest photos is up about 8 pounds.

My strength has increased some. My 1RM in the big lifts has gone up anywhere from 20-28%.

I eat a balanced diet, but not super healthy. Let's just say better than the average American. I take creatine each day and supplement with one or two scoops of whey protein powder each day, as well.

Programs I've followed include MAPS Symmetry, MAPS Anabolic, 5/3/1, and GZCL Jacked & Tan.

My goal hasn't been to get super lean but to gain more size, and it just doesn't seem to be happening. I don't feel like I'm wasting time at the gym, because mentally I love doing it. But then again, I kind of feel like I'm wasting my time at the gym.

What am I doing wrong?

https://preview.redd.it/i5vb2nxayll...bp&s=3dae4e9c2bac775a87190b15d0684886db6c7aee

 

[producer1]

@nowhereman It doesn't sound like you're tracking calories or macros at all which is what's holding you back. Those couple scoops of protein probably only add up to 50 grams total, and an average American diet is mostly carbs.

 

[nowhereman]

@producer1 You’re right. I tried tracking calories and couldn’t keep it up. I like to cook and eat a variety of types of meals, so it got to be a lot of fiddly work I didn’t like. I do make a point of getting a good amount of protein in each meal, but I could do better for sure.

 

[ash777]

@nowhereman Do you drink much alcohol? Everyone here is mentioning protein but drinking at all can very much hinder: recovery, muscle growth, and fat loss. If I take a break from drinking I see improvement in about a month, but when I drink my normal (3-4 days a week, 3-4 drinks per on average - too much, I know) all progress immediately stops

 

[nowhereman]

@ash777 Typically, one or two nights a week. Two to four beers each time, tops.

 

[dawn16]

@nowhereman My understanding is that alcohol inhibits protein synthesis. Even though your intake might seem reasonable, perhaps it is more than enough to derail your gain train. Everyone is different and you might want to experiment with going dry for X months and see what occurs.

 

[parkenstein]

@nowhereman You will be surprised how much protein is actually in things. Especially when you’re trying to hit 150-170g per day.

 

[teddy2468]

@parkenstein Don’t sleep on that daily can of tuna. Easy 40g.

 

[lyndam]

@teddy2468 Too much mercury. Chicken breast is where it's at.

 

[teddy2468]

@lyndam Low mercury tuna puts you right at the fda limit.

 

[teddy2468]

@bgaskin Yeah which is why it’s full speed ahead on the tuna train.

It should be flipped upside down so meat is the bottom but that’s not profitable for big farma.

 

[yeshuabride]

@teddy2468 The problem I have with that is that it tastes like tuna.

 

[teddy2468]

@yeshuabride I just mix a tasty mayo with it and down it real quick. Takes 90 seconds to eat a can if I’m in a rush

 

[awkwardsmile]

@lyndam Rhonda Patrick from Found My Fitness podcasts says the benefits of fatty fish for the omega 3s outweighs the heavy metals ... In the blue zones which have the highest amount of centenarians, they eat a lot of fish. Though you could also just take a high quality omega 3 and get your protein from other sources

 

[lyndam]

@awkwardsmile Tuna isn't a fatty fish, but farmed salmon is and it won't have the mercury in it.

 

[colleen05]

@teddy2468 Deep sea fishing be too exploitative

 

[montexss]

@colleen05 Herring/sardines and mackerel much better than tuna. Much higher omega 3's, lower mercury, tons of vitamin D.

Herring is how traditional Nordic/Scandinavian people lived through 6 months of darkness in winters without getting D deficiency/brittle bones.

Herring is also the most plentiful fish in the ocean/much more sustainable than Tuna.

herring or sardines in tomato or mustard sauce or just olive oil are great, some of the tins come in canola oil which I try to avoid due to high PUFAs

 

[udguig]

@nowhereman It might be worth just tracking protein to make sure you're on track. It will be way easier than full calorie and macro tracking and you've clearly not gained a huge amount of fat in 2 years so your diet isn't way off base anyway.

Even if it's just a sense check for a couple of weeks I would recommend tracking your protein intake daily to try and make sure that's not contributing to holding you back.

 

[lautze]

@nowhereman Yeah your protein is probably fine, track it a bit to check if you're well over 100g every day but otherwise don't stress about it.

Ideal is to be at or above 1.6g/kg per day but who cares, it's not gonna be a huge difference if it's already close to adequate.

 

[yeshuabride]

@nowhereman 40 days later… how’s it going?