First Post: Please Critique My Plan and Advise on Nutrition

I am new to veganism and am trying to get back into shape after a two year layoff. I had surgeries two years in a row and I let myself get very sedentary. I'd like to lose 30 pounds and gain

some muscle - not huge mass gains, but I want to be toned like I was before I got sick. I used to be 16% bodyfat and now I'm at least double that (FYI I'm a 49 yo female).

I've got a couple of issues:1) my joints are tight and my core weak. I have a 2mm herniated disc at L-4 that tends to flare because of things like weak/tight hip flexors, weak hamstrings,

weak external rotaters, tight calves, etc. I need to work on my flexibility and my core for sure, not just the "show" muscles. 2) I had moderate carpal tunnel in my right wrist that healed thanks

to a lot of PT and babying on my part. Like an idiot, when I tried to go back to the gym I ruined my wrist in a matter of days. Now it hurts again and I think I have to stick to unilateral upper body exercises for now.

My plan is to alternate unilateral upper body exercise days with lower body/core exercise days, plus. flexibility (daily) as much as I can fit. When my wrist calms down I want to

add wrist/forearm strengthening to my upper body days. I'm thinking of a three day split (MWF), upper-lower-upper, lower-upper-lower, upper-lower-upper, repeat.

For cardio I plan to do intervals, the best I can on a stationary bike. I'm hoping to do 20 minutes, or at least work up to that.

What do you think?

Re: Diet I'm kind of stumped. I should be eating around 1400-1500 calories, but I can't find examples of plans that tailor to calorie counts that low.

It seems like it's going to be a challenge tracking macros, going vegan. I'm currently using protein powder 3X a day, but what else can I do to up

my protein that won't push my calorie count too high? The powder adds up to 75gs of pro and I know I should be consuming more but 1)I don't eat

processed food like tofu dogs 2) I'm gluten-free so I can't have seitan, and 3) I'm wary of soy. I'd be OK with unprocessed soy in moderation but I'm uneasy

with using soy a lot on a daily basis. And I don't like soymilk. I never liked real milk! I'm hoping I still have options for losing bodyfat and regaining my muscle.............

EDIT: I don't seem to do well on low-carb diets. The lowest carb percentage I can go and still have physical energy and brainpower is 45%.

explore asian black bean spaghetti or soy bean spaghetti....high protein, moderate on carbs...

The first thing I would recommend is using http://cronometer.com/ You'll thank me if you do, and it's free. It tells you everything you are getting for both micro and macro nutrients, assuming you plug your foods into it. Secondly, conventional bodybuilders recommend 1-1.5 g's of protein for every ib. of body weight which is very general. If you are 30 ibs over weight, you most certainly don't need to eat protein to support that fat. You also don't need to eat protein to support water and bone mass. If you are for some reason trying a low carb lifestyle (I know you're not, but just say you are) then there is a much larger priority on protein because of the carb deficiency, which is what most conventional bodybuilders are doing, high protein, low carb.

On a vegan diet, you are most likely going to experience weight loss whether you want it or not. I used to eat 1800-2000 cal's a day on a meat eaters diet, and when I became a vegan I started losing a lot of weight really quickly, so I eat around 4000 calories a day to keep my weight at 180 ibs.

I get 900 (g) of carbs a day, 100 (g) of protein, and 50 (g) of fat (4000 cals). Most of those from raw fruits vegetables nuts and seeds, but I also eat rice and beans daily too. I supplement with vitamin b12 since it's very low in a vegan diet, and I'm not a massive bodybuilder, but I've had some moderate success.

The idea behind your lifting routine seems pretty reasonable, but without specifics as to what you are doing on a daily basis it's hard to say. Try not to make too many changes all at once. You want to make sure what you do is sustainable for a lifetime, not just for a short period of time.