Recomposition nutrition advice

singletrackmtbr
singletrackmtbr Posts: 644 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Hello all,

I can only imagine how many different answers I'll get on this topic! I'm 45 years old and I would consider myself pretty fit. I do a consistent combination of HIIT, strength training, and mountain biking to stay in shape.

I joined MFP almost 2 months ago and I'm getting pretty close to my goal weight. Now that I'm in range I want to start recomp. I'm currently stuck between 18-19% BF by calipers, and would like to get below 15%.

While I was trying to lose my macros were 40C/35P/25F. Now that I'm close to my goal I've shifted to 45C/30P/25F. I feel good energy-wise and time my carbs in the morning and after workouts.

Am I on the right path here? For those who have had a successful recomp, tell me about your experiences. Thanks for your help!

Replies

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    You don't have to be too precise when maintaining/recomping.

    Personally I hate macro percentages as they feel very restrictive - I go for protein and fat as minimum goals and carbs fall wherever they fall within my calorie goal on the day.
    Rough minimums are:
    Protein at 1g / 1lb of approximate lean mass.
    Fat at 0.4g / 1lb of bodyweight.

    It's the same I used when losing weight although protein requirements can be a bit lower when not in a deficit (which I guess was your driver to change your goals?). I'm not fanatical about hitting them - a guideline not a rule if you like.

    The major part of your recomp will come from your strength training of course.
  • singletrackmtbr
    singletrackmtbr Posts: 644 Member
    Got it. Thanks for the help!
  • singletrackmtbr
    singletrackmtbr Posts: 644 Member
    So if you exercise do you eat back all those calories as carbs, since you have set protein and fat intake?
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    betheriver wrote: »
    So if you exercise do you eat back all those calories as carbs, since you have set protein and fat intake?

    No not at all - once the minimums are reached the rest of my calorie allowance goes wherever it happens to go depending on food choices, happy to exceed the minimums amounts. That's where the flexibility comes from.
    On a big cycling day (3+ hours) then carbs are king but otherwise I'm not bothered if they are low/medium/high.
  • singletrackmtbr
    singletrackmtbr Posts: 644 Member
    edited April 2016
    OK thanks! Sorry I missed the words "rough minimums."
  • Gun4a
    Gun4a Posts: 68 Member
    I'd say you need to up your protein intake and lower the carbs. Taking into account your age, building muscle is not as easy as when we were 20 :smile: Also, it's a bit more difficult to lose fat % for a female, especially if you want to get them below average. Good luck with reaching your goals though, I think you're doing a great job.
  • Gun4a
    Gun4a Posts: 68 Member
    So sorry @betheriver , don't know why I assumed you were female! Comment about protein still stands though.
  • griffinca2
    griffinca2 Posts: 672 Member
    Gun4a, so here goes, I'm female, over 60 and trying to reduce body fat to 19/20% (I'm currently abt 23%) and trying to get back some muscle mass that I lost after not working out for abt four months due to an injury (that I didn't get in the gym). What should my protein/carb % intake be to increase muscle mass and reduce body fat (my weight is fine (abt 117) so don't need to lose any)? Many thanks. Since I'm over 60 I am realistic and realize that I'll never get it all back, but would like to re-gain as much as possible. Many thanks! B)
  • sarahmammarella
    sarahmammarella Posts: 1 Member
    You should go see a dietitian....not just people who work out and think they're experts
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    sarahmammarella wrote: »
    You should go see a dietitian....not just people who work out and think they're experts

    Yea, go see a surgeon for your hangnail while you're there.

    OP, your macros look fine and @sijomial is on point. Muscle and fat loss/gain is mostly impacted by amount of calories and training regimen.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    griffinca2 wrote: »
    Gun4a, so here goes, I'm female, over 60 and trying to reduce body fat to 19/20% (I'm currently abt 23%) and trying to get back some muscle mass that I lost after not working out for abt four months due to an injury (that I didn't get in the gym). What should my protein/carb % intake be to increase muscle mass and reduce body fat (my weight is fine (abt 117) so don't need to lose any)? Many thanks. Since I'm over 60 I am realistic and realize that I'll never get it all back, but would like to re-gain as much as possible. Many thanks! B)

    I'm afraid you have it back to front - it's your exercise/training that provides the stimulus for growth, your diet (calories, macros etc) merely supports that.

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