Recomposition: Maintaining weight while losing fat
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I've been recomping about 6months and have seen some change. 43 yr old woman 5'10 68 kg/150lb about 24% bf. Lifting heavy for me deadlift 75 kg/155lb, bench 40kg/80lb, front squat 52.5kg/ 115lb, leg press 90kg/198 lb oh press 20kg/40lb, progressive overload. My question is the last few weeks my tummy looks all soft and squidgy again and I'm not sure if that's just part of the weight/fat lose. Was nice tight 4weeks. Just wonder if anyone else experiences this?0
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I've been recomping about 6months and have seen some change. 43 yr old woman 5'10 68 kg/150lb about 24% bf. Lifting heavy for me deadlift 75 kg/155lb, bench 40kg/80lb, front squat 52.5kg/ 115lb, leg press 90kg/198 lb oh press 20kg/40lb, progressive overload. My question is the last few weeks my tummy looks all soft and squidgy again and I'm not sure if that's just part of the weight/fat lose. Was nice tight 4weeks. Just wonder if anyone else experiences this?
Sometimes when certain parts of my body lean out other parts just seem huge by comparison. Could that be what is going on?
The other thing that happens to me is if I have a high sodium meal or drink enough booze to get drunk the water weight seems to settle in my thighs. The sodium weight comes off pretty quickly but the booze weight seems to stick around for many weeks.0 -
If I gained 15 pounds in 2 months I would cut. That is a lot! It probably is mostly fat and a tiny bit of muscle (if you were following a progressive lifting program).
Are you happy with the weight you put on? How lean were you ? You say you don't mind the number on the scale. What are your goals?
Just to be clear recomp is maintaining your weight (not gaining!) and following a progressive lifting program.
Yeahhh maybe I did gain little too much so I think I will cut. I am just worried that I'll lose all the muscles. Is -500 too big deficit to keep them? Do you think that I could have abs again in a year?Obviously I regret the fat gain because I had around 16%bf. But all that delicious food finished my looong clean recomp
I don't have goal weight, but I'd like to build more muscles (michelle lewin). Is recomp enough or should I cut and than do clean bulk0 -
BeatriceCroacia wrote: »If I gained 15 pounds in 2 months I would cut. That is a lot! It probably is mostly fat and a tiny bit of muscle (if you were following a progressive lifting program).
Are you happy with the weight you put on? How lean were you ? You say you don't mind the number on the scale. What are your goals?
Just to be clear recomp is maintaining your weight (not gaining!) and following a progressive lifting program.
Yeahhh maybe I did gain little too much so I think I will cut. I am just worried that I'll lose all the muscles. Is -500 too big deficit to keep them? Do you think that I could have abs again in a year?Obviously I regret the fat gain because I had around 16%bf. But all that delicious food finished my looong clean recomp
I don't have goal weight, but I'd like to build more muscles (michelle lewin). Is recomp enough or should I cut and than do clean bulk
I personally would find a 500 calorie deficit too much to maintain while lifting. You may have to play around with it to see what works for you.
16% body fat is really lean for women. That might be difficult to maintain. How did you have this tested?
You might like the results of a few bulks and cut cycles more than recomp. Start a bulk around 19- 24% body fat. Cut when you are around 24-27% (these numbers are for women).0 -
BeatriceCroacia wrote: »If I gained 15 pounds in 2 months I would cut. That is a lot! It probably is mostly fat and a tiny bit of muscle (if you were following a progressive lifting program).
Are you happy with the weight you put on? How lean were you ? You say you don't mind the number on the scale. What are your goals?
Just to be clear recomp is maintaining your weight (not gaining!) and following a progressive lifting program.
Yeahhh maybe I did gain little too much so I think I will cut. I am just worried that I'll lose all the muscles. Is -500 too big deficit to keep them? Do you think that I could have abs again in a year?Obviously I regret the fat gain because I had around 16%bf. But all that delicious food finished my looong clean recomp
I don't have goal weight, but I'd like to build more muscles (michelle lewin). Is recomp enough or should I cut and than do clean bulk
Only 15 lbs to lose to healthy, or lower than healthy weight - 500 would be aggressive - and risky to your desire.
Reasonable deficit, resistance training, enough protein - 3 things to keep the muscle.
There is some trading balance there - like enough resistance training can allow reasonable deficit to be bigger along with enough protein.
But why not just do 500 for a month to drop the 4 lbs, then go to 250. You don't have to keep the same deficit all the way down.1 -
I think I will do so. Thanks to all of you I don't feel lost anymore
you really helped 0 -
This is from an article from Lyle (http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/initial-body-fat-and-body-composition-changes.html).
Thanks for the article.
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Can someone help explain this bolded part?
"3. Only try to add mass/bulk until you hit the top end body fat percentage listed in #1 above. So that’s about 15% body fat for men and 24-27% body fat for women. What this would mean in practice is that you diet to 10-12% body fat for men (22-24% for women), eat at maintenance for two weeks to try and normalize things, and
then add mass until you hit 15% body fat for men (22-24% for women) and then diet back down. Over a number of cycles, you should be able to increase your muscle mass while keeping body fat under control.
I'm currently dieting to get down to 24% bf.
Once there, I'll eat at maintenance for 2weeks.
-->> THEN what do I do? Try to add mass? How? Until I hit 24% bf? But I will already be 24% bf.
Still don't understand the bulk/cut world.
Appreciate your teachings (planning ahead for the next steps).
Amanda
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This is from an article from Lyle (http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/initial-body-fat-and-body-composition-changes.html).
Thanks for the article.
--
Can someone help explain this bolded part?
"3. Only try to add mass/bulk until you hit the top end body fat percentage listed in #1 above. So that’s about 15% body fat for men and 24-27% body fat for women. What this would mean in practice is that you diet to 10-12% body fat for men (22-24% for women), eat at maintenance for two weeks to try and normalize things, and
then add mass until you hit 15% body fat for men (22-24% for women) and then diet back down. Over a number of cycles, you should be able to increase your muscle mass while keeping body fat under control.
I'm currently dieting to get down to 24% bf.
Once there, I'll eat at maintenance for 2weeks.
-->> THEN what do I do? Try to add mass? How? Until I hit 24% bf? But I will already be 24% bf.
Still don't understand the bulk/cut world.
Appreciate your teachings (planning ahead for the next steps).
Amanda
For bulking and cutting (which recomposition is kind of the opposite of) you diet down below 24% before you'd bulk. The idea is that as you get your body fat lower, your insulin sensitivity changes and your body will partition calories differently with it favoring a higher percentage of the excess calories of a bulk going to muscle building than it would in person with more fat.
If you plan to be at 24% bf, you're already at the top of the recommendations. You would not bulk. If you're not interested in dieting below 24% to start with, you're better off looking at recomposition (eating a maintenance while lifting to gain muscle, while slowly losing equivalent mass of fat) or you'd have to accept that bulking will not work as well and involve being at a high body fat percentage at the end of the bulking cycle.0 -
This is from an article from Lyle (http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/initial-body-fat-and-body-composition-changes.html).
Thanks for the article.
--
Can someone help explain this bolded part?
"3. Only try to add mass/bulk until you hit the top end body fat percentage listed in #1 above. So that’s about 15% body fat for men and 24-27% body fat for women. What this would mean in practice is that you diet to 10-12% body fat for men (22-24% for women), eat at maintenance for two weeks to try and normalize things, and
then add mass until you hit 15% body fat for men (22-24% for women) and then diet back down. Over a number of cycles, you should be able to increase your muscle mass while keeping body fat under control.
I'm currently dieting to get down to 24% bf.
Once there, I'll eat at maintenance for 2weeks.
-->> THEN what do I do? Try to add mass? How? Until I hit 24% bf? But I will already be 24% bf.
Still don't understand the bulk/cut world.
Appreciate your teachings (planning ahead for the next steps).
Amanda
Add mass until up at 27% level. He got the numbers wrong, but did refer to #1 where he used them first.
Eat 250-500 calories extra daily over what you ate for maintenance for 2 weeks.
The more time you have for progressive overload weight lifting routine - the higher that surplus can be.
Or like the this topic is on, you may not wish to add fat back on, and what closer to recomp, so just 250 more for minimal fat added.0 -
What's considered a small deficit? I'm maintaining on around 1550/day, so how much is generally taken off of that?
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RunRutheeRun wrote: »
Well....I tend to agree, but that's where I seem to be settling in.
I'm 44yo, and my job/lifestyle are sedentary. I lift 3xs/wk and do 30mins cardio 2-3xs/wk. I'm 5'4 and am trying to maintain at 125lbs. My weight bounces between 124.5-126lbs on 1550cals, so I figure that's about what it is....
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I'm reading this with keen interest. I've been on a cut consistently since October 2015 (5 months). I'm almost 47, 5'2" went from 137-115. I went after fat loss like it was my job, lol. I lift heavy 4x week (PHUL) & HIIT cardio 1-2x. I did lose a lot of fat and am pretty lean. I have visible abs, some vascularity on abs, arms. Problem is, my bust is also practically gone. And I still haven't leaned out on my lower body. I can't afford to lose any more on top so I'm switching to maintenance to see if I can balance out my fat. Will continue to lift heavy. Does this sound feasible, OP? I already do a Leangains 16:8 IF (it fits my lifestyle) & am doing calorie/macro cycling.0
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I'm reading this with keen interest. I've been on a cut consistently since October 2015 (5 months). I'm almost 47, 5'2" went from 137-115. I went after fat loss like it was my job, lol. I lift heavy 4x week (PHUL) & HIIT cardio 1-2x. I did lose a lot of fat and am pretty lean. I have visible abs, some vascularity on abs, arms. Problem is, my bust is also practically gone. And I still haven't leaned out on my lower body. I can't afford to lose any more on top so I'm switching to maintenance to see if I can balance out my fat. Will continue to lift heavy. Does this sound feasible, OP? I already do a Leangains 16:8 IF (it fits my lifestyle) & am doing calorie/macro cycling.
Perhaps you just do not have as much lower body development as compared to your upper body (that's not a jab). I show separation in my legs easier than my abs, mostly because I haven't ever really focused much attention on abs, while I have with legs.0 -
LolBroScience wrote: »I'm reading this with keen interest. I've been on a cut consistently since October 2015 (5 months). I'm almost 47, 5'2" went from 137-115. I went after fat loss like it was my job, lol. I lift heavy 4x week (PHUL) & HIIT cardio 1-2x. I did lose a lot of fat and am pretty lean. I have visible abs, some vascularity on abs, arms. Problem is, my bust is also practically gone. And I still haven't leaned out on my lower body. I can't afford to lose any more on top so I'm switching to maintenance to see if I can balance out my fat. Will continue to lift heavy. Does this sound feasible, OP? I already do a Leangains 16:8 IF (it fits my lifestyle) & am doing calorie/macro cycling.
Perhaps you just do not have as much lower body development as compared to your upper body (that's not a jab). I show separation in my legs easier than my abs, mostly because I haven't ever really focused much attention on abs, while I have with legs.
Here's the thing though, I was a figure skater in my youth. It's all legs and butt work. Since dieting & lifting I've seen some hamstring definition & I can see my quad muscles are looking leaner but I have more fat there than anywhere else. The women in my family are pear shaped-heavy thighs and big butts. I have improved my form in squats and DL because I wasn't doing them properly for some time. I hope that helps but I need to lose fat from my lower body to see the muscle that is there.0 -
I know it sounds basic, but each person gains and loses fat differently and in different places, and when you lose the weight it comes off in the reverse order that you put it on. So if you tend to start putting it on in your lower body (like you said, due to genetics) and your upper body last, then when you started losing in October, you lost it up top first and now its down to the "Last 5-10 Pounds" we all struggle with. For me its the spare tire look.
So as you enter the recomp mode, the idea is to keep your weight the same, but start very slowly losing the fat and adding muscle. But its a long process, takes patience. But I think your goals are right and your plan sounds good, its just going to take time.
You won't see progress on the scale like in weight loss mode, so use pictures to gauge your progress.
This is the fun part! Getting fit, healthy, setting new goals, and looking good in the process!0 -
Happy to see this thread. I'm currently losing the last 12 pounds slowly via a small deficit, but by mid-summer I'll be ready to start recomp. I didn't know it even had a name - I just knew that I would be at the point that I would want to stay the same weight but decrease body fat percentage. My workouts are already in place. I'll just need to increase my calories to discontinue the loss of weight and continue to focus on getting in enough protein.
I'm excited about having a name and a plan, as I have failed at "maintenance" over and over.
This time is different because I am focusing on strength and fitness. I'll never be "finished."1 -
Happy to see this thread. I'm currently losing the last 12 pounds slowly via a small deficit, but by mid-summer I'll be ready to start recomp. I didn't know it even had a name - I just knew that I would be at the point that I would want to stay the same weight but decrease body fat percentage. My workouts are already in place. I'll just need to increase my calories to discontinue the loss of weight and continue to focus on getting in enough protein.
I'm excited about having a name and a plan, as I have failed at "maintenance" over and over.
This time is different because I am focusing on strength and fitness. I'll never be "finished."
This is a wonderful way and a great mindset to have when entering maintenance. I think it's going to be so much easier when you have performance goals to focus on. Body composition follows! Good luck!1 -
LolBroScience wrote: »I'm reading this with keen interest. I've been on a cut consistently since October 2015 (5 months). I'm almost 47, 5'2" went from 137-115. I went after fat loss like it was my job, lol. I lift heavy 4x week (PHUL) & HIIT cardio 1-2x. I did lose a lot of fat and am pretty lean. I have visible abs, some vascularity on abs, arms. Problem is, my bust is also practically gone. And I still haven't leaned out on my lower body. I can't afford to lose any more on top so I'm switching to maintenance to see if I can balance out my fat. Will continue to lift heavy. Does this sound feasible, OP? I already do a Leangains 16:8 IF (it fits my lifestyle) & am doing calorie/macro cycling.
Perhaps you just do not have as much lower body development as compared to your upper body (that's not a jab). I show separation in my legs easier than my abs, mostly because I haven't ever really focused much attention on abs, while I have with legs.
Here's the thing though, I was a figure skater in my youth. It's all legs and butt work. Since dieting & lifting I've seen some hamstring definition & I can see my quad muscles are looking leaner but I have more fat there than anywhere else. The women in my family are pear shaped-heavy thighs and big butts. I have improved my form in squats and DL because I wasn't doing them properly for some time. I hope that helps but I need to lose fat from my lower body to see the muscle that is there.
How long ago was that0 -
So I'm 5'7" and currently right around 130 lbs. I'm doing YAYOG and might try Strong Lifts in a few months once I've made some progress with body weight workouts. I'm below my original GW of 133 and weight loss has really slowed. I've been torn between trying to lose a bit more weight or start a recomp. I think my BF% might still be around 27-28%; does that seem too high to start a recomp? Since I have a tendency toward "skinny fat" it can be easy for me to get overly thin in some places while trying to lose more of my stubborn belly fat. (I'd love to get BF% to 24% or so while also getting stronger.)0
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macchiatto wrote: »So I'm 5'7" and currently right around 130 lbs. I'm doing YAYOG and might try Strong Lifts in a few months once I've made some progress with body weight workouts. I'm below my original GW of 133 and weight loss has really slowed. I've been torn between trying to lose a bit more weight or start a recomp. I think my BF% might still be around 27-28%; does that seem too high to start a recomp? Since I have a tendency toward "skinny fat" it can be easy for me to get overly thin in some places while trying to lose more of my stubborn belly fat. (I'd love to get BF% to 24% or so while also getting stronger.)
I don't think 27-28% body fat for a woman would be to high. Your BMI is 20.4 and the normal range is 18.5–24.9. If you do decide to lose more weight you probably do not want to lose very much because you will be getting close to the underweight range. Recomp is appropriate when you do not want to lose any more weight but are unhappy with your body composition.0 -
[
Here's the thing though, I was a figure skater in my youth. It's all legs and butt work. Since dieting & lifting I've seen some hamstring definition & I can see my quad muscles are looking leaner but I have more fat there than anywhere else. The women in my family are pear shaped-heavy thighs and big butts. I have improved my form in squats and DL because I wasn't doing them properly for some time. I hope that helps but I need to lose fat from my lower body to see the muscle that is there.[/quote]
How long ago was that[/quote]
Heh, it was a long time ago. I guess I always thought that my athletic history helped me retain some muscle into adulthood. But I'm sure I lost a lot once I stopped practicing in the rink 3-4 days a week. I never was sedentary, though. In my early 20s through early 40s I was a decorative painter. Hand painting huge walls with brushes, lots of ladder work, carrying supplies, being on my feet for 6-7 hours a day. But except for the ladder climbing I guess most of that still benefitted my upper body most. I did always have good arm muscle definition. I'm going to have "glute day" in addition to regular lifting. Will dust off Strong Curves. I feel good about recomp. I don't need to lose more weight but could continue with reshaping. I want more calories for my lifts, too. Thanks for the input!0 -
following this post as I am getting a bit lost for what or where to go next in my weight loss. I have always found it easy to diet but never managed to maintain and I have also never really got to a point when I think I look good. I like the idea of having better definition so i think a recompostion will help me refocus and give me a plan to go forward with.
I have never tried anything like this before so any help or information would be appreciated.
I am 44 years old, 5ft 4, current weight 148lbs and i worked my body fat out on iifym calculator to 26%.
My workout routines include kickboxing (structured classes), Kickboxercse which includes core, cardio and strength work (punching/situps etc with hand weights and use of free weights) and circuit training.0 -
macchiatto wrote: »So I'm 5'7" and currently right around 130 lbs. I'm doing YAYOG and might try Strong Lifts in a few months once I've made some progress with body weight workouts. I'm below my original GW of 133 and weight loss has really slowed. I've been torn between trying to lose a bit more weight or start a recomp. I think my BF% might still be around 27-28%; does that seem too high to start a recomp? Since I have a tendency toward "skinny fat" it can be easy for me to get overly thin in some places while trying to lose more of my stubborn belly fat. (I'd love to get BF% to 24% or so while also getting stronger.)
I don't think 27-28% body fat for a woman would be to high. Your BMI is 20.4 and the normal range is 18.5–24.9. If you do decide to lose more weight you probably do not want to lose very much because you will be getting close to the underweight range. Recomp is appropriate when you do not want to lose any more weight but are unhappy with your body composition.
Thank you. And yeah, I was thinking about aiming for 125-128, but once I got to around 133, my weight loss slowed way down so it seems like further cutting might not actually be faster or less frustrating than recomp at this point anyway.
And I was surprised to notice in a few recent pictures that I almost looked too thin in places. Belly is still an issue but loose skin from carrying twins to full term doesn't help. Hopefully I'll have good results from recomp and in the meantime, I'll keep choosing my clothes and swimsuits carefully to minimize the disproportionate belly. 0 -
I finished reading through this thread yesterday, finally. I want to thank everyone who posted.
Then I asked the amazingly awesome James Fell if he'd written anything on body recomposition, and he sent me a reply (woot).
"The quick answer to your question is that muscle can't turn into fat and fat can't turn into muscle. You can lose fat by creating a caloric deficit of 3,500 calories per pound, and gain muscle at roughly 2,500 calories per pound. The weird part is that they can be done at the same time. You CAN gain muscle in a caloric deficit. The food that comes in can go towards building muscle, and this actually contributes to the overall larger caloric deficit that burns fat. Think of building muscle like burning calories. Every pound of muscle gained was another 2,500 calorie deficit that burned more fat."
Thought I'd post that since it helped me understand recomp better, and it might help others.1 -
Since this has been asked a few times - did anyone want to weigh in on what an appropriate body fat % would be for recomp?
My opinion is that as long as you are at a healthy weight the low to mid point of average is a decent place to start.
If you are on the higher side of average and can lose a few more pounds without being underweight - lose a few more pounds.
You absolutely do not need to wait to start lifting weights. You can eat at a deficit and still follow a progressive lifting program.0 -
I am pretty much where I want to be weight wise; my problem is body fat (I'm close to 24% and would like to get it down to abt 21%). Thing of it is, right now I can't do much exercising; broke my right arm (near the wrist) and can't put any weight on it. Have started walking (as weather permits) and started doing some yoga poses that don't require me to put any weight on it. Any suggestions on how to reduce my body fat would be appreciated.
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Thanks, @bioklutz, I do think that's a good question and I'm curious what others say as well.
I also find it interesting that there's no "overweight" on that chart; just jumps right from average (or I've seen it phrased "acceptable") to "obese."0 -
I'm in the Fitness category, according to Bodpod. But I don't like how fluffy my lower body is0
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