Recomposition: Maintaining weight while losing fat
Replies
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@poolycodJust started reading the mfp forums, great thread and I'm slowly working my way through these pages. I think this is where I need to be, doing recoup rather than the weight loss, I'm quite happy with my weight (82kg at present) but want to lose body fat. Current bf is 19 to 20% and I'm looking to drop under 15% in the next 7 weeks (1 week in to a new plan). I do resistance work 4 times a week, 3 circuits classes and 2 to 3 karate classes per week. My bf is all over the place at the moment. It's going up even during a deficit week. Any advice would be appreciated.
Bold is going to be a measurement issue rather than reality.
If you are using BIA scales then they are confused by changes in hydration. A bit like body weight fluctuations - the trend is more useful than individual measurements.6 -
I’m 5’7, 135 lbs and about 19% BF. Deciding to stick to recomp instead of bulk/cut. It’s more sustainable for the long term. There are times though when I’m so indecisive and feel like I should bulk more and other times where I feel like I need to cut. Ugh! Would love to have friends on here with recomp experience
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I’m 5’7, 135 lbs and about 19% BF. Deciding to stick to recomp instead of bulk/cut. It’s more sustainable for the long term. There are times though when I’m so indecisive and feel like I should bulk more and other times where I feel like I need to cut. Ugh! Would love to have friends on here with recomp experience
Lol I go through the same struggle. I’m always like maybe I should be cutting. I think for me it’s just a mind game bc I was used to being in a deficit for so long, not staying the same size, etc.
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I’m 5’7, 135 lbs and about 19% BF. Deciding to stick to recomp instead of bulk/cut. It’s more sustainable for the long term. There are times though when I’m so indecisive and feel like I should bulk more and other times where I feel like I need to cut. Ugh! Would love to have friends on here with recomp experience
I feel the same way. Similar stats to you. Finally decided to stop cutting as I was losing in places I'd rather not, so I am going to maintain for a while. Not sure I would call it recomp since I have no intention to lower my bodyfat further, we will see what happens.3 -
It seems I can't resist stealing the chocolate left over from Halloween, BF% is continuing upward. Current maintenance calories are 1810 and I've set my macros 40% protein 30% for carbs and fats. I'm also not eating back my exercise calories too much so getting a deficit. Any advice on how to get my BF% to get on the downward slope again. I've already cut the sugary treats out, as I know they're bad for me.
I could do with a few friends on MFP, no one I know is on here. I've tried to get friends and family to track but they just end up on weight watchers or slimming world diets, not at all in the same place as me.0 -
Fortunately the medium gym shorts I bought while at the same weight have drawstrings and have been getting washed a lot.
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It seems I can't resist stealing the chocolate left over from Halloween, BF% is continuing upward. Current maintenance calories are 1810 and I've set my macros 40% protein 30% for carbs and fats. I'm also not eating back my exercise calories too much so getting a deficit. Any advice on how to get my BF% to get on the downward slope again. I've already cut the sugary treats out, as I know they're bad for me.
I could do with a few friends on MFP, no one I know is on here. I've tried to get friends and family to track but they just end up on weight watchers or slimming world diets, not at all in the same place as me.I’m 5’7, 135 lbs and about 19% BF. Deciding to stick to recomp instead of bulk/cut. It’s more sustainable for the long term. There are times though when I’m so indecisive and feel like I should bulk more and other times where I feel like I need to cut. Ugh! Would love to have friends on here with recomp experience
Hello all,
We pretty much have similar maintenance calories or starting body fat %. I also started at 19% BF and am now 10 weeks into a strict recomp. Aside from going camping for 4 days and a business trip for 3 days I've pretty much hit my macros consistently over the last 2.5 months. Consider me your future self if you decide to continue on this plan. Here's my progress after 10 weeks of diet and 8 weeks of circuit training 3x per week. My goal was to maintain weight, cut fat, and grow muscle over a consistent period of time with a resulting body fat percentage of 13% without any crazy supplements, pre-workout, energy bars etc. - basically a normal food diet.
I'm 152 lbs in each of these photos.
DEXA
Trend Weight
I have managed to stay within 1.5 lb trend range since starting week over week. I'm happy to answer any questions relating to strategy, macros, etc. if you have any.13 -
Team Recomp — seriously, how do you know if this is working? I know it takes a long time and I need to keep the faith, but I’ve seen zero change in 3 months. Same weight (+/- 5# or so), getting stronger but no visible signs of improvement or change. What gives?7
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I wasn't too sure if I would clearly see a difference at first so I measured in every way I could:
- Scale Weight
- DEXA Scan (to be taken again at 3 months)
- Body Measurements (hips, chest, biceps, thighs, neck)
- Progress Photos (roughly every 2-3 weeks)
- Lift Numbers (progressive overload)
Then of course there's simply, 'do my clothes fit better?' or "do I like the way I look?" I'd say Dexa scan is the ultimate way to truly know then progress photos ranking right behind that.1 -
Team Recomp — seriously, how do you know if this is working? I know it takes a long time and I need to keep the faith, but I’ve seen zero change in 3 months. Same weight (+/- 5# or so), getting stronger but no visible signs of improvement or change. What gives?
Was the start of the 3 months also the start or near the start of a serious effort lifting program?
Or you had a well established program already going on and just went to recomp?
Because the first potentially many months of lifting is about increasing strength not from the body feeling the need to spend extra energy building muscle, but tapping out muscle you already have, and from form improvements.
So it could be in the scheme of things, you could only have no to 1 month of actually recomping going on.
So it would be hard to see progress.0 -
Team Recomp — seriously, how do you know if this is working? I know it takes a long time and I need to keep the faith, but I’ve seen zero change in 3 months. Same weight (+/- 5# or so), getting stronger but no visible signs of improvement or change. What gives?
Part of that is the natural higher body fat level you will have as a woman - it doesn't take much of a layer of fat to mask what's happening underneath. As you are gaining strength something is happening, maybe not much growth but a sign nevertheless.
As I'm an incidental recomper (a by product of my exercise/training rather than a particular goal) and old and with years of serious training changes are very subtle for me,
Like when I got my winter cycling kit out and found my cycling tights are now like compression garments around my quads and calves and my compression top is now so tight around my chest/arms/shoulders that I couldn't get the damn thing off without help!4 -
Team Recomp — seriously, how do you know if this is working? I know it takes a long time and I need to keep the faith, but I’ve seen zero change in 3 months. Same weight (+/- 5# or so), getting stronger but no visible signs of improvement or change. What gives?
Another belt hole without any additional weight loss and abs starting to pop. I think my shoulders and biceps are a little bigger but that is more subjective. The abs are sort of subjective, but I am sure they are more defined. That's my answer to your first question; I am not educated/experienced enough to give you a good answer on your second question.0 -
Team Recomp — seriously, how do you know if this is working? I know it takes a long time and I need to keep the faith, but I’ve seen zero change in 3 months. Same weight (+/- 5# or so), getting stronger but no visible signs of improvement or change. What gives?
Hey, you're not alone. I've been lifting for like 7 months now and my weight has been pretty steady and I don't really see much of a difference. I take pictures every so often and upload them into the "Progress" section, and I look back at them frequently and just don't see much going on. But I guess I'm fine with that, I like being active and healthy so that's my main goal, not as much aesthetics. Every so often I'll look at myself in the mirror and think my arms look a little more muscular (but I have puny little girl arms so it wouldn't take much lol)0 -
Team Recomp — seriously, how do you know if this is working? I know it takes a long time and I need to keep the faith, but I’ve seen zero change in 3 months. Same weight (+/- 5# or so), getting stronger but no visible signs of improvement or change. What gives?
I always have the same issues. I recomped for about 3 months two years ago. I know that is really a blip of time in the recomp world, still I was frustrated. Keep in mind I was very lean already so I didn't have much to work with. I think if my bodyfat had been higher it may have been better for me.
Now I am maintaining again, not sure I would consider it recomp since I will be happy if I maintain my current bodyfat the way it is and not get leaner.
What kind of changes are you hoping for? Are you already quite lean looking for more definition, are you wanting a bit more size in areas?0 -
Still not going by the scale. I feel mostly the same but notice from time to time my wast looks a tad bit smaller, and there are times I’ve noticed my stomach doesn’t poke out as much as it used to. These are subtle changes but it feels good to see some. Recomping can be slightly frustrating because of the slow progress! Or sometimes feeling like you’re either not making any progress or moving backwards.5 -
Thanks gang. Quick stats, I’m 5-7”, 135 and 24% bf. I’d really like to build muscle in my shoulders arm and back to balance out my my large butt and thighs (where I hold the vast majority of fat). I’ve been lifting for 3 years during my losing phase, but got periodically sidetracked due to shoulder injuries resulting in deloads. Typically, I lift more seriously in the winter and prefer to run in the summer.
I was hoping that lifting during maintenance would produce some clear evidence of muscle and then maybe a quick cut next spring would get everything to pop. But so far I look exactly the same, clothes fit the same, no little bulges popping out. Nuthin.0 -
Thanks gang. Quick stats, I’m 5-7”, 135 and 24% bf. I’d really like to build muscle in my shoulders arm and back to balance out my my large butt and thighs (where I hold the vast majority of fat). I’ve been lifting for 3 years during my losing phase, but got periodically sidetracked due to shoulder injuries resulting in deloads. Typically, I lift more seriously in the winter and prefer to run in the summer.
I was hoping that lifting during maintenance would produce some clear evidence of muscle and then maybe a quick cut next spring would get everything to pop. But so far I look exactly the same, clothes fit the same, no little bulges popping out. Nuthin.
Gaining strength isn't "nuthin".
Realistically what rate of muscle gain would you expect? Quarter of a pound per month maybe?
If aesthetics are your priority then reducing your BF% with a very small deficit could make a big difference. Why wait until Spring? A cut doesn't have to be a big deficit, just a small tweak is also an option.
You might find that a certain BF% suddenly reveals what's going on underneath. For me that was 17% - started to see vascularity, muscle separation etc.... !9% to 17% was frustrating, couldn't see anything happening despite working hard, 17%-15% while losing 1lb/month and I was wearing out the mirror and enjoying what I was seeing.
@stdyh4nd remarkable progress pictures also show it to a degree. Week 1 to week 4 = subtle changes, week 6-10 = dramatic progress.
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Hello all,
We pretty much have similar maintenance calories or starting body fat %. I also started at 19% BF and am now 10 weeks into a strict recomp. Aside from going camping for 4 days and a business trip for 3 days I've pretty much hit my macros consistently over the last 2.5 months. Consider me your future self if you decide to continue on this plan. Here's my progress after 10 weeks of diet and 8 weeks of circuit training 3x per week. My goal was to maintain weight, cut fat, and grow muscle over a consistent period of time with a resulting body fat percentage of 13% without any crazy supplements, pre-workout, energy bars etc. - basically a normal food diet.
I'm 152 lbs in each of these photos.
DEXA
Trend Weight
I have managed to stay within 1.5 lb trend range since starting week over week. I'm happy to answer any questions relating to strategy, macros, etc. if you have any. [/quote]
@stdyh4nd great results, this is what I'm aiming for. What was your calorie goal, macro split and strategy over the 10 weeks? I'm currently 2 weeks into a new routine and paying more attention to my diet, the lifting and exercise stuff is the easy bit, I'm trying like crazy to stick to my macros this time but struggling with the high protein/lower carbs.6 -
@sijomialsijomial Thanks for noticing. While we're always looking at abs and chest to determine body fat % the truth of the matter is a lot of fat in the back and hips/gluts goes away first before that pesky stomach fat can start to disappear.
@poolycod Thanks and I'm happy to help.
Training
I'm doing circuit training 3 times a week with personal trainer. I manage to do a lot of walking at least once a week whether it be a hike or Halloween, camping etc. but that's basically it for cardio.
Macros
The dexa scan spit out my RMR (resting metabolic rate) at an estimated 1,678 Cal/Day. I don't have much daily activity as I sit as a desk and don't walk very much. My estimated daily Maintenance calories are 1840 cal/day (but that's not where I started).
I like carb/calorie cycling along with intermittent fasting so I decided to program that into my diet. It feels really good eating massive amounts of potatoes and protein after a work out and it equally feels great to fast a little on my rest days as It's a massive reward to return to the gym. I leave one day open (sunday) to eat generally whatever I want but still stay within the limits of my calories.
Basic structure for my macros was based on what worked well for me in the past. I tend to not do very well on very low fat diets. Anything under 35g of fat/day and I'll end up feeling depressed or "off". I found that 50g of fat daily is the sweet spot for me. I can manage 200g of carbs as I happen to love potatoes. On workout days I eat roughly 330 grams of shredded potatoes with eggs and another lean protein choice like top round steak or fat free greek yogurt. Protein is kept to above 90g/day which averages to about 1.35g/kg of body weight. I've seen people claim that you need 2g/kg or I've even seen some recommend 1.5g/lb of body weight which is just silly to me. I stick the minimum necessary since protein is expensive. I've yet to fail a lift or recover on my rest days so far, so this amount seems to work for me.
Recomp Overview
1840 x 7 = 12,880 (maintenance calories per week)
(1840 x 3) + (967 x 4) = 9,388 (recomp calories per week)
12,880 - 9,388 = 3,492 (Total Weekly Deficit)
Now I know what you're thinking. How could you be maintaining weight if you're eating at a deficit. 3,492 deficit should be a lb of weight loss per week. There's a couple reasons this is not happening. First off, calculators and macros are only starting point suggestions - they are never perfect to start. Also it's been a while since I've lifted so my newbie gains are still at a max. Also eating at bit more at a deficit makes me not feel bad for going slightly over or indulging in a glass of wine or an extra handful of fries on Sunday etc. So there's some wiggle room programmed in psychologically.
My original training day calories were 2065 and rest day calories were 1192 and I was still gaining weight (gaining .45 lbs a week). I decided to make an adjustment in the third week.
(2065 x 3) + (1192 x 4) = 10,963 cal/week
3500 x .45 = 1575 calories per week I needed to lose to maintain current weight
1575/7 = 225 cal/day to cut
2065-225 = 1840
1192-225 = 967
This type of adjustment is common as calculators are generic and everybody is different. If you're weighing yourself everyday and taking the trend along a moving average you'll be able to tell if you're on track after a couple weeks. After several weeks of this adjustment I've found the perfect calories for my recomp.
Training Days M, W, F
Rest Days T, Th, Sa
Other Notes:
As I'm monitoring my weight and the trainer is tracking my lifts I imagine there will be a point sometime soon where I will reach the threshold of how much I can lift and how little I can eat. Once I start losing weight on an average or start failing lifts I will add those calories back from before.
Hope this was helpful.
Cheers!6 -
@sijomial good points. Why wait til Spring? Because I’m literally hanging on by my fingernails to maintain as it is. If spring comes and goes and I’m still near todays’s weight, that alone will be a huge win!
Is it possible that you're trying to maintain at a weight that isn't right for your body and lifestyle?6 -
im starting to get pretty happy with my recomp results, havent been doing it for too long either.
Same weight and have gotten the results mostly from martial arts and not the gym. I have noticed among the others that i train with that recomping with martial arts seems like a fun and pretty effective training method to do it with. Havent measured my bodyfat % but i would say from the pictures that it must have gone down some and my muscle mass have clearly increased.
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Hi there! Some people directed me to this thread so hopefully you guys can help me with below:
I eat pretty healthy and exercise regularly (5-6x weekly), mainly HIT, cardio, strength classes that involve heavy weights with low reps at equinox. I can feel my abs, but don’t know what’s the best way to trim the fat so I can actually see them.
Is there something I can do as a starting point to work towards this goal?
I’m 5’3 and weigh around 103-105 (it fluctuates).3 -
So already a healthy weight for your height.
So the original post and first page is what you need to do, did you review it?
Eating at maintenance, your body has no need to use the fat as extra fuel unless it's expending more of what you eat on growing more muscle.
And that's only going to happen if your strength training is telling body it needs more - so everything focused on that being as effective as it can be.
If these HIIT and cardio classes take away from that, then they may be helpful for overall health, but not great for the desired goal.
If the strength classes aren't a progressive overload routine, then that's not as useful as it could be.
Link even in there for the topic about weight lifting routines to choose from.7 -
Recomp over 3.5 months. I got down to 180 pounds from 195 pounds in March by doing excessie cardio(running 8-12 miles per day and lifting. I was happy with my progress but now realize the high amount of cardio was detrimental to my body composition goals. I was training for a Tough Mudder which is why I was running so much. Anyway, now that I quit running and am lifting more which includes a leg day now(I didn't want sore legs when running), I have had even better progress in even less time.
August 7th 2018-180 pounds
November 25th-187.6 pounds
I'm still a work in progress and plan to keep recomping until I am lean enough for a bulk or maybe I will keep recomping throughout the summer.
I know since the weight went up some would call this a lean bulk but I was definitely in a deficit and I have muscle memory working in my favor so adding muscle while losing fat was very doable. All of the running stopped me from gaining my leg muscle back so I think a good amount of weight came from the leg mass increasing. I also added size to my upper body.
Glad I found this thread! Thanks to the OP!
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Recomp over 3.5 months. I got down to 180 pounds from 195 pounds in March by doing excessie cardio(running 8-12 miles per day and lifting. I was happy with my progress but now realize the high amount of cardio was detrimental to my body composition goals. I was training for a Tough Mudder which is why I was running so much. Anyway, now that I quit running and am lifting more which includes a leg day now(I didn't want sore legs when running), I have had even better progress in even less time.
August 7th 2018-180 pounds
November 25th-187.6 pounds
I'm still a work in progress and plan to keep recomping until I am lean enough for a bulk or maybe I will keep recomping throughout the summer.
I know since the weight went up some would call this a lean bulk but I was definitely in a deficit and I have muscle memory working in my favor so adding muscle while losing fat was very doable. All of the running stopped me from gaining my leg muscle back so I think a good amount of weight came from the leg mass increasing. I also added size to my upper body.
Glad I found this thread! Thanks to the OP!
That’s what I call a recompbulk. You look freaking amazing. Great job! 👏👏👏👏8 -
Thank you so much, @mom23mangos ! 1
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Quick update on 3 month resuslts. Probably would have done better if I scanned pre Thanksgiving but this is more accurate to life. Enjoy:
Dexa
Lost 4.5 lbs of fat
Gained 5.1 lbs of muscle
Reduced bf by 3% from 19.9 to 16.9
Total weight gain of .7 lbs I imagine due to fluids I drank in the morning
Progress Photos
Shoulders, clavicle, arms very noticeable. Lost a lot of fat in my legs, hips and glute.
Pretty stoked so far. Again this is 3 months of training 3x a week with no supplements - just food. Intermittent fasting and carb cycling.
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Quick update on 3 month resuslts. Probably would have done better if I scanned pre Thanksgiving but this is more accurate to life. Enjoy:
Dexa
Lost 4.5 lbs of fat
Gained 5.1 lbs of muscle
Reduced bf by 3% from 19.9 to 16.9
Total weight gain of .7 lbs I imagine due to fluids I drank in the morning
Progress Photos
Shoulders, clavicle, arms very noticeable. Lost a lot of fat in my legs, hips and glute.
Pretty stoked so far. Again this is 3 months of training 3x a week with no supplements - just food. Intermittent fasting and carb cycling.
@stdyh4nd Nice!!
Have you still been in a deficit in this period?0 -
Following ! I’m about to start my fat % loss / getting fit routine. My starting numbers are 5’7 , 146, 34% fat ( yikes ) My goal for this year is to be in the 20’S % fat and show some definition. So I think i need to start My macros with : 260g carbs - 120g protein - 55g fat Give and take . Moderate excercise with Weights, some cardio, and yoga : ). I’m always learning, suggestions and corrections are always welcome !1
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