I think I'm recomping...

Sumiblue

I lost weight this past year-from 137-114 at my lowest. I'm 47 & 5'2".
My maintenance target was 116 & fluctuated from 114-119. I was very lean, prolly under 20% body fat. Then I went on vacation & ate all the carbs. I gained some fat back & now my weight is 120. It feels comfortable to me. I do a little cardio & mostly lift weights for workouts. I've looked at my measurements since January and I seem to be consistent with measurements. They got a little smaller pre-vacation but overall, the same since January. Thing is, I've noticed my legs are firmer and far more muscular than even at my lowest weight & body fat%. I can see definition in my quads. My body holds most of my fat on hips, legs, butt. Even though my abs have more fat (not a lot but I had very little ab fat pre vacation) my legs are leaner. It's interesting. I'm not totally sure what is going on but I think it's recomp.
I have been trying to eat up to my estimated tdee of 1900 but I'm a bit scared to gain too much fat back.
Any thoughts? I'm kind of mulling things over in my mind. First pic is pre vacation, second is now.

Sumiblue

Oops, the photos loaded out of order. Photo #1 is current & 2 is pre vacation.

nowine4me

Either way you look fantastic.

bioklutz

With recomp your weight stays pretty much the same but you slowly get leaner over time.

With a slight gain in weight you might have gained a tiny bit of muscle too. It is difficult to measure and a little hard to tell from the pics (you are standing differently in the pics). If you can tell that your legs look leaner than you probably did gain some muscle.

Every time I go on vacation I put on a little weight - once the water weight comes off it is usually 1-2 pounds (which comes off pretty quickly). I also take a lifting break on vacation. Perhaps it is observer error but I always feel like the lifting break plus calorie surplus leads to an awesome recovery where I end up looking leaner after.

You look really good in the current picture. Your butt has a nice shape and your legs are killer! Plus those socks...I adore them!

Sumiblue

Thanks. Yeah, I don't know what is going on. I'm a little heavier but my legs are leaner & have more muscle. My abs have a bit more fat. My stomach is flat but pre vacation the skin on my abs felt really thin. I've never been that lean before and my body grabbed those vacation carbs like they were going out of style, lol. I'm actually glad for the extra pounds 'cuz when I was so lean I lost my bust. It's back-yay!
My socks have sleeping bears in them! Love them!

sardelsa

You look fabulous! Sounds like you are doing amazing, keep it up.. yay!