Hi. I am just getting back into daily exercise, and I would like some knowldegeable opinions if I am headed in the right direction (or not!).

My biggest worry is that I am overdoing it, even though I know better. I am hitting the gym pretty hard to regain my physique. I lift 4 or 5 days a week, (alternating upper/lower every other day) (early a.m./empty stomach) after a warm up, then followed by ~25 mins elliptical, cool down and LOTS of stretching. It takes me a bit of time to get through my sets, I go very slow, focusing on my form, concentrating more on the negative than positive (2s/12r). If I don't lift, it's still cardio, then one day off/week. I chase each workout with a shake (~30g rice protein/8g protein soy milk/apple/banana).

I used to run quite a bit, but no lifting at all (if I only knew then... I might have lived my life with some muscles in my upper body ;) ) Now it is a number of years, some unhealthy lifestyle choices, and 25 lbs later. My primary goal is to lower my BMI. I've recently gone from veggie to vegan, and I'm well educated about diet, no prob there.

I'm just a little concerned because I think my body remembers all too well how to go and go, setting me up for over-exertion. I've read the posts about losing muscle mass at the expense of cardio, I am trying to avoid the greatest extent of it. I am sure my calorie intake now is much less than what I burn, some days I indulge in a few generous spoons of nut butter or an avocado to make up for it.

I am also no stranger to interval training (my fave, BTW), as it is I don't think my body is fit enought to handle it without a week of soreness to follow, and where I live is TOO COLD now to run outside. I'm a little disappointed as I cannot get the full range of body motion I desire doing cardio in the gym (I refuse to run on a treadmill).

Also, I really "feel it" in my lower abs when I am benching, is this normal?

Thanks for reading, any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I don't see any problem with it at all. I'm sure you know, the biggest hump for vegans is protein, so as long as you have that covered, you should be okay.
I think as long as your lifting doesn't exceed 30-40 minutes and you're NO MORE than 1000 clories below what you consume for the day (in diet and in what you burn during daily activity and gym time) you should see good results and maintain your lean muscle. Slow reps is also a great way to keep musle mass.

...I think as long as your lifting doesn't exceed 30-40 minutes and you're NO MORE than 1000 clories below what you consume for the day (in diet and in what you burn during daily activity and gym time) ....

By no more than 1000K below -- do you mean consuming less/ burning more?

On the days when I do lower body I usually push over an hour, but any type of lifting I do with my legs I do each one separate so I know I work them both the same.

Oops, I had to read the sentence a few times, "what I consume FOR in a day".

It is just a little troubling for me to count calories, I know that my BMR is now EXTREMELY low as I metabolize everything very slowly (I've looked at the calculators online, too). When I was active before, my metabolic rate was so high that I was checked for hypoglycemia. I could not do anything sustained without first consuming a massive amount of calories, I had to eat all of the time.

Thank you for replying!

It's not too hard to get a "rough" idea. Use the USDA website to check. You don't have to be spot on, but if you're eating too little it's going to further contribute to slowing your metabolism and you absolutely do not want that.