Recomposition: Maintaining weight while losing fat

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  • susanp57
    susanp57 Posts: 409 Member
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    psuLemon wrote: »
    susanp57 wrote: »
    Yay me! I've read this whole thing.

    I'm about 2 lbs from goal, 127.2 this morning, goal is 125. I could quit on the deficit now, but I'm being stubborn. I gained my weight after a cycling accident, then an ailment, both of which turned me into something of a couch potato. In addition to to weight gain, I lost a lot of muscle mass.

    I recently started full body weight training 3x a week. Other days I try to do something cardio, but outdoors while the weather is still good and there is plenty of daylight. Once that is gone I will probably convert to 4x splits upper and lower. I have weight trained in years past so I have some grasp.

    BTW, I'm 62 y.o. if that matters (I don't think it does.)

    Just wanted to introduce myself, say Hi, and bump the thread. I'm sure I will have dumb and repetitive questions later.

    Id stick with a 3 day as long as you make progress, whether that is 3 months or a year, and as long as you can recover from it. Once you start to plateau on your lifts then id consider a 4 or 5 day intermediate routine.

    Thanks.
  • Maxxitt
    Maxxitt Posts: 1,281 Member
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    susanp57 wrote: »
    Yay me! I've read this whole thing.

    I'm about 2 lbs from goal, 127.2 this morning, goal is 125. I could quit on the deficit now, but I'm being stubborn. I gained my weight after a cycling accident, then an ailment, both of which turned me into something of a couch potato. In addition to to weight gain, I lost a lot of muscle mass.

    I recently started full body weight training 3x a week. Other days I try to do something cardio, but outdoors while the weather is still good and there is plenty of daylight. Once that is gone I will probably convert to 4x splits upper and lower. I have weight trained in years past so I have some grasp.

    BTW, I'm 62 y.o. if that matters (I don't think it does.)

    Just wanted to introduce myself, say Hi, and bump the thread. I'm sure I will have dumb and repetitive questions later.

    You said you started full body weight training. I am doing Strong (sequel to New Rules of Lifting For Women) and after 4 months I have found that as I add more weight and other complexities, I will need more recovery time. I am healing up from what I hope is a minor leg issue that I think probably came on because I was tired and got sloppy on form. I mention this only because I am an older critter and often forget when I am in "the zone" in the gym that my enthusiasm overshoots my capacity at times and I wanted to give you a cautionary tale :)
  • turtlemt20
    turtlemt20 Posts: 43 Member
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    female 5'4 maintaining 112-116. Should I try to cut down more or start recomp?
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
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    turtlemt20 wrote: »
    female 5'4 maintaining 112-116. Should I try to cut down more or start recomp?

    What's your bodyfat percentage?
    What's your goal?
    How do you think you look?
    How do you feel?
  • turtlemt20
    turtlemt20 Posts: 43 Member
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    turtlemt20 wrote: »
    female 5'4 maintaining 112-116. Should I try to cut down more or start recomp?

    What's your bodyfat percentage?
    What's your goal?
    How do you think you look?
    How do you feel?

    Currently 20%

    Goal: I want to look like the picture attached.

    I feel and look chubby ._.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,392 MFP Moderator
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    turtlemt20 wrote: »
    turtlemt20 wrote: »
    female 5'4 maintaining 112-116. Should I try to cut down more or start recomp?

    What's your bodyfat percentage?
    What's your goal?
    How do you think you look?
    How do you feel?

    Currently 20%

    Goal: I want to look like the picture attached.

    I feel and look chubby ._.

    You are going to be limited by your own genetics. Do you have a picture of yourself? Your weight is already fairly low. So its possible you will need to build up some muscle to get there.
  • mom23mangos
    mom23mangos Posts: 3,070 Member
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    psuLemon wrote: »
    turtlemt20 wrote: »
    turtlemt20 wrote: »
    female 5'4 maintaining 112-116. Should I try to cut down more or start recomp?

    What's your bodyfat percentage?
    What's your goal?
    How do you think you look?
    How do you feel?

    Currently 20%

    Goal: I want to look like the picture attached.

    I feel and look chubby ._.

    You are going to be limited by your own genetics. Do you have a picture of yourself? Your weight is already fairly low. So its possible you will need to build up some muscle to get there.

    I was going to say the same thing. The model is probably 18-20% BF too. But if you don't have the same genetic build and fat storage pattern, you'll never look like that.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,483 Member
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    Bump bump bump. h.
  • bribucks
    bribucks Posts: 431 Member
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    Hey all - sorry if this has already been covered in earlier posts. But who recommends calorie cycling vs a flat rate?

    If you google “recomp” it seems like everyone recommends cycling ... however a flat rate seems easier to me, especially for logging on MFP. Thoughts?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,392 MFP Moderator
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    Hey all - sorry if this has already been covered in earlier posts. But who recommends calorie cycling vs a flat rate?

    If you google “recomp” it seems like everyone recommends cycling ... however a flat rate seems easier to me, especially for logging on MFP. Thoughts?

    Personal preference.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Hey all - sorry if this has already been covered in earlier posts. But who recommends calorie cycling vs a flat rate?

    If you google “recomp” it seems like everyone recommends cycling ... however a flat rate seems easier to me, especially for logging on MFP. Thoughts?

    And you have to take into account if truly doing it MFP style - where the deficit is kept steady and the eating level does indeed change daily (perhaps) when you correctly log and eat back your exercise calories.

    But when doing it the method most sites use (and MFP can be used as too) - your daily eating level is kept steady, but your deficit literally changes every day, possibly even not being a deficit on some days. Which could be a good thing.

    If both are setup with equal parameters - the deficit taken and the amount eaten at the end of the week is the same.

    Depending on intensity of workouts and amount of recovery being given between hard workouts, bigger deficits on hard workout days may not be a good idea.

    I've seen several blogs on those ideas where they aren't even clear with the fact of what happens daily - shoot, some seem to be totally random (was a fad years ago on MFP) amounts eaten daily no matter what the workout was.
  • BeccaLoves2lift
    BeccaLoves2lift Posts: 375 Member
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    heybales wrote: »
    Hey all - sorry if this has already been covered in earlier posts. But who recommends calorie cycling vs a flat rate?

    If you google “recomp” it seems like everyone recommends cycling ... however a flat rate seems easier to me, especially for logging on MFP. Thoughts?

    And you have to take into account if truly doing it MFP style - where the deficit is kept steady and the eating level does indeed change daily (perhaps) when you correctly log and eat back your exercise calories.

    But when doing it the method most sites use (and MFP can be used as too) - your daily eating level is kept steady, but your deficit literally changes every day, possibly even not being a deficit on some days. Which could be a good thing.

    If both are setup with equal parameters - the deficit taken and the amount eaten at the end of the week is the same.

    Depending on intensity of workouts and amount of recovery being given between hard workouts, bigger deficits on hard workout days may not be a good idea.

    I've seen several blogs on those ideas where they aren't even clear with the fact of what happens daily - shoot, some seem to be totally random (was a fad years ago on MFP) amounts eaten daily no matter what the workout was.

    I thought with recomp you weren't supposed to end up with a deficit at all. Whether you cycle or eat stay calories, I thought at the end of the week your calories should be at maintenance not in a deficit.
  • susanp57
    susanp57 Posts: 409 Member
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    MrsBeccaM5 wrote: »
    heybales wrote: »
    Hey all - sorry if this has already been covered in earlier posts. But who recommends calorie cycling vs a flat rate?

    If you google “recomp” it seems like everyone recommends cycling ... however a flat rate seems easier to me, especially for logging on MFP. Thoughts?

    And you have to take into account if truly doing it MFP style - where the deficit is kept steady and the eating level does indeed change daily (perhaps) when you correctly log and eat back your exercise calories.

    But when doing it the method most sites use (and MFP can be used as too) - your daily eating level is kept steady, but your deficit literally changes every day, possibly even not being a deficit on some days. Which could be a good thing.

    If both are setup with equal parameters - the deficit taken and the amount eaten at the end of the week is the same.

    Depending on intensity of workouts and amount of recovery being given between hard workouts, bigger deficits on hard workout days may not be a good idea.

    I've seen several blogs on those ideas where they aren't even clear with the fact of what happens daily - shoot, some seem to be totally random (was a fad years ago on MFP) amounts eaten daily no matter what the workout was.

    I thought with recomp you weren't supposed to end up with a deficit at all. Whether you cycle or eat stay calories, I thought at the end of the week your calories should be at maintenance not in a deficit.

    That's correct, no deficit.
  • BeccaLoves2lift
    BeccaLoves2lift Posts: 375 Member
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    heybales wrote: »
    Correct, no deficit on MFP style when set to maintenance, and activity level correct and eating back exercise calories.

    When using the weekly avg TDEE method and eating the same amount daily - some days literally have a deficit, some are in surplus.

    Gotcha, but overall you should end up at maintenance.