Q: I am a 43 year old male, with a good metabolism. Currently I'm at 175 lbs, and 5'9". I have been off any weight training for over 16 month now, and have defintely not eaten as healthy. Subsequently I have put on fat primarily on my stomach, and waist. My primary goal is lose the little ponch while gaining back some muscle (and could do with more size). I thought I should follow your meal plan at 1500 calories to start., walk briskly in the mornings, and lift using a circuit program. I thought I would lose some fat this way first, then focus on higher calories and heavier weights with less reps after a few weeks. Is this the best course of action to achieve these goals?

A: That is a perfectly good approach if it feels more comfortable than jumping right into higher calories and heavier weights. 1500 daily calories is a little low for somebody like you, but not so much that you risk seriously crashing your metabolism. Circuit training is a good way to ease into lifting while learning different exercises. And of course, brisk walks are great for you as well. So it sounds like a great start and hopefully you'll soon be comfortable enough with heavier lifting as well.

If you are interested, you could start your fitness blog as well and that way I can check in on your progress and offer suggestions. It's completely free, of course. Good luck!