Gennaro,
I was a vegetarian up until recently because I found that doing the whole 6 meals a day diet with high protein intake was really upsetting my gut and all the chicken, steak and tuna wasn’t digesting in my stomach, it felt like a rock, so I couldn’t sleep and then had no energy for my workouts. I was so very hungry after each meal as I found the protein made me very hungry ( I know protein is supposed to fill you up, but not in my case).
However I have found that being on the vego diet which made me feel less hungry and filled me up for many hours, made me lose my hard earned muscle, so I have gone back to eating meat but will try to eat a small amount at each meal to see if I can cut up and retain my muscle.
I work out 5 times a week and sometimes do cardio for 40 minutes, but weights I do religiously. Wondering if you deal with vegetarian diets (with small amounts of meat) to lose body fat but put on muscle at the same time. I am still going to the gym but I am 45 now and put on fat much quicker than ever. I would like to see my abs again. I look forward to your response. Thankyou,
Walter.

Walter,
I have and still do train quite a few vegetarians. In fact one of my vegetarian clients packed on 15 pounds of muscle and lost 8% body fat at 52 years of age (See client Richard Glasgow on my success story page).
Vegetarian diets can be very healthy but if your goal is to build a lean, muscular and athletic physique with a well defined mid-section, you need to start incorporating quality protein in to your nutrition plan.

Here is what I propose:
Even before you eat breakfast begin your day with two glasses of water. Then go off on 45 minutes of outdoor Power-walking or an intensive indoor cardio session combining 12 minutes of each of elliptical, stationary upright bike and treadmill, constantly varying the level and speed. Eat a banana or apple immediately after your cardio session, and shortly thereafter have your traditional oatmeal and whey protein shake, or 6-8 egg white omelet (with1 yolk), and brown rice cream hot cereal. Weight train either after breakfast or later in the day for 45 minutes to one hour with intensity and complete your routine with 15 minutes of Powerpose®. Resistance training and Powerpose should be performed at least 4 - 5 days per week and cardio at least 5 days per week. Train your abs in fast circuit formation every other day 3 days a week for no more than 15 minutes each session, and vary your workouts.

Make sure each meal contains a complete protein . A complete protein is a source of protein that contains an adequate proportion of all of the essential amino acids for your growth needs. This does not mean you have to eat huge amounts of meat or fish at each meal. However, moderate amounts of lean, organic protein need to be present in meals and snack. Don’t feel you have to eat red meat or chicken every day to grow either. These sources of protein do take longer to digest and can cause bloating for some. You can build a great body just as effectively by eating a variety of fish, eggs and whey protein concentrate or Isolate, which all have very high biological values and are digested and assimilated in the body easier.
Do not consume chocolate coated protein bars, sugary drinks or packaged meals no matter how healthy (the producers) say they are. Stick with whole foods. Fresh fruits, raw nuts, dark chocolate, and brown rice cakes are great snacks, but limit your portion size and frequency.

Do not consume any starchy carbohydrates after 5 pm and supplement your nutrition program with L- carnitine which you can have before your cardio sessions on an empty stomach. You can also energize your mornings with some green tea or yerba mate.
Mid-morning should be a whey protein shake with almond milk or water and a tablespoon of organic raw almond butter.
For lunch you can eat lean grilled chicken breast or a turkey patty with sweet potato or brown rice and 2 green veggies. Mid-morning - 3 bean salad with 2 boiled eggs. Finally, for dinner treat yourself to organic and/or wild salmon with cruciferous vegetables.
Record all your meals in a food journal and eat them diligently every 3 hours. Drink 3 to 4 quarts or litres of water daily and limit alcohol content to 1 unit per week. Eat at home as often as you can as you’ll be better able to control your portion sizes, and additional fat, salt and sugar, that restaurants often add in to foods to make them tastier.

Most importantly, without consistently adhering to these guidelines over a period of months, and ideally incorporating them as part of your lifestyle, the results you seek will not be evident.
Start today and continue for life, and I know you will see your abs soon and experience life changing results!
Keep me posted and have fun with it!

Gennaro