Middle aged guy struggling to drop a few lbs in the belly area

[Szwampdonkey]

Thats called aging my guy. Really no way around it there is no fountain of youth.

Now, that being said you can try TRT if you want to extend your bodies ability to appear younger for another decade. The trade off though is the evidence is showing you likely won’t live as long.

Personally i think aging gracefully, staying active, eating right, and getting enough sleep is the way to go.

 

[Szwampdonkey]

Overall it sounds like you are doing a lot of things right.

How is your sleep? Duration? Consistent bed time? Easy to fall asleep/stay asleep?

I have noticed that making body composition changes like loosing 5 lbs of weight, mostly belly fat, happens a lot faster when I get 7+ hours of sleep instead of 5-6 hours.

Sleep deprivation alters the levels of the appetite-regulating hormones and increases cortisol levels. All of course work against you and everything good you’re doing during the day.

 

[socoalt]

I’ve just been reading on the new protein requirements for active people. The old belief was that to maintain or gain muscle while working out we need to consume 0.7-1.2 grams of protein per kg. of body weight. That is now old science and the current recommendation is 1- 1.3 grams of protein per POUND of body weight. That is a huge change. With the amount of activity you are doing per week and being middle aged protein is going to preserve muscle tissue, which will also burn fat.

I am in the same boat as you, mid to late 40’s and struggling to keep the body fat down. Keep doing what you’re doing but focus on fueling the muscle you have so that you can maintain or gain lean body mass. Like was stated earlier with the banana in the afternoon you can add a protein shake with it or drop the banana for the protein shake. Count macros, knowing that is a must but even more important is calories. You have to know how many calories are going in to know what you need to burn.