How important are macros for body recomp?
kendallnick70
Posts: 7 Member
Quick question. I'm a 20 year old female, 5'10", about 145lbs. I am just starting my body recomp after losing 20lbs. Just wondering how important macros are for body recomp or if the focus should be on calories?
Also, anybody with a similar build and weight feel free to share tips and success stories!
Also, anybody with a similar build and weight feel free to share tips and success stories!
1
Replies
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for recomp, IMHO, more important - you need to be eating at maintenance and ensuring you are getting adequate protein (.8-1g per goal LMM is recommended, I personally do a bit higher because I find protein to be more satiating but my BF% is going down)0
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Agreed, you need to be getting enough protein.0
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kendallnick70 wrote: »Quick question. I'm a 20 year old female, 5'10", about 145lbs. I am just starting my body recomp after losing 20lbs. Just wondering how important macros are for body recomp or if the focus should be on calories?
Also, anybody with a similar build and weight feel free to share tips and success stories!
A recomp is when macros and meal timing become more important.5 -
Macros are less important when maintaining weight than when losing plus you have a higher total calorie allowance which should make hitting adequate amounts of your macros easier.
But your focus should first of all be on your training (which you haven't mentioned).
You don't recomp because of calories or macros - it all starts with your training, diet supports your training and recovery.4 -
Macro's are important to a recomp. Make sure you get 1 g protein/lb bodyweight in protein, 0.3-0.5 g fat/lb bodyweight and fill in the rest with carbs based off your total calorie goal. Obviously a progressive lifting program is needed.2
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RAD_Fitness wrote: »kendallnick70 wrote: »Quick question. I'm a 20 year old female, 5'10", about 145lbs. I am just starting my body recomp after losing 20lbs. Just wondering how important macros are for body recomp or if the focus should be on calories?
Also, anybody with a similar build and weight feel free to share tips and success stories!
A recomp is when macros and meal timing become more important.
Nope - recomp is a perfectly natural response to a training stimulus. It doesn't require forcing or extreme attention to food let alone food timing.2 -
Macros are less important when maintaining weight than when losing plus you have a higher total calorie allowance which should make hitting adequate amounts of your macros easier.
But your focus should first of all be on your training (which you haven't mentioned).
You don't recomp because of calories or macros - it all starts with your training, diet supports your training and recovery.
I did fail to mention I am lifting with a personal trainer.. 4 lifting days/1 active recovery day. I guess my question was more in terms of should I focus a ton on only 35% of calories from carbs, 35% from protein, and 30% from fat etc. considering how tedious that can be or is it okay to just focus on calorie count.1 -
Set a calorie goal consistent with your training, make sure you get enough protein, the rest can fall to personal preference.1
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RAD_Fitness wrote: »kendallnick70 wrote: »Quick question. I'm a 20 year old female, 5'10", about 145lbs. I am just starting my body recomp after losing 20lbs. Just wondering how important macros are for body recomp or if the focus should be on calories?
Also, anybody with a similar build and weight feel free to share tips and success stories!
A recomp is when macros and meal timing become more important.
Nope - recomp is a perfectly natural response to a training stimulus. It doesn't require forcing or extreme attention to food let alone food timing.
If you say so bud.
Most people greatly underestimate what it takes to successfully recomp once your past 1 year into training.5 -
@RAD_FitnessRAD_Fitness wrote: »RAD_Fitness wrote: »kendallnick70 wrote: »Quick question. I'm a 20 year old female, 5'10", about 145lbs. I am just starting my body recomp after losing 20lbs. Just wondering how important macros are for body recomp or if the focus should be on calories?
Also, anybody with a similar build and weight feel free to share tips and success stories!
A recomp is when macros and meal timing become more important.
Nope - recomp is a perfectly natural response to a training stimulus. It doesn't require forcing or extreme attention to food let alone food timing.
If you say so bud.
Most people greatly underestimate what it takes to successfully recomp once your past 1 year into training.
Do they really?
I've been training for well over 40 years, in my experience most people realise if you train well your body changes. That process didn't even used to have the name recomp, mostly people would say something like "getting in shape".
The only people who really need precision and ultra care over recomp are those who are very close to their genetic potential. A tiny percentage of people - those trying to get to very low body fat or competition levels for example.
For the vast majority recomp, whether as a standalone body composition goal or as a nice by product of training, simply eating at or around maintenance and training effectively is all that's required.3 -
kendallnick70 wrote: »Macros are less important when maintaining weight than when losing plus you have a higher total calorie allowance which should make hitting adequate amounts of your macros easier.
But your focus should first of all be on your training (which you haven't mentioned).
You don't recomp because of calories or macros - it all starts with your training, diet supports your training and recovery.
I did fail to mention I am lifting with a personal trainer.. 4 lifting days/1 active recovery day. I guess my question was more in terms of should I focus a ton on only 35% of calories from carbs, 35% from protein, and 30% from fat etc. considering how tedious that can be or is it okay to just focus on calorie count.
One of the joys of successfully getting to goal weight should be a little more freedom around food choices and flexibility. I think fixed macros are pretty hateful and restrictive - really it's like dieting but with a slightly higher calorie allowance. Long term is that what you want?
If you struggle to meet your protein goal then setting a minimum goal (in grams) is nice and simple but still gives you more flexibility around how you fill the rest of your calorie allowance.1 -
@RAD_FitnessRAD_Fitness wrote: »RAD_Fitness wrote: »kendallnick70 wrote: »Quick question. I'm a 20 year old female, 5'10", about 145lbs. I am just starting my body recomp after losing 20lbs. Just wondering how important macros are for body recomp or if the focus should be on calories?
Also, anybody with a similar build and weight feel free to share tips and success stories!
A recomp is when macros and meal timing become more important.
Nope - recomp is a perfectly natural response to a training stimulus. It doesn't require forcing or extreme attention to food let alone food timing.
If you say so bud.
Most people greatly underestimate what it takes to successfully recomp once your past 1 year into training.
Do they really?
I've been training for well over 40 years, in my experience most people realise if you train well your body changes. That process didn't even used to have the name recomp, mostly people would say something like "getting in shape".
The only people who really need precision and ultra care over recomp are those who are very close to their genetic potential. A tiny percentage of people - those trying to get to very low body fat or competition levels for example.
For the vast majority recomp, whether as a standalone body composition goal or as a nice by product of training, simply eating at or around maintenance and training effectively is all that's required.
Have you successfully recomped? Not many people have. Successfully recomp would take more precision and detail in your diet to genuinely drop fat and build muscle while keeping the same weight. It's easy to do when you first start training because anything you do will build muscle, not after a couple years.2 -
RAD_Fitness wrote: »
@RAD_FitnessRAD_Fitness wrote: »RAD_Fitness wrote: »kendallnick70 wrote: »Quick question. I'm a 20 year old female, 5'10", about 145lbs. I am just starting my body recomp after losing 20lbs. Just wondering how important macros are for body recomp or if the focus should be on calories?
Also, anybody with a similar build and weight feel free to share tips and success stories!
A recomp is when macros and meal timing become more important.
Nope - recomp is a perfectly natural response to a training stimulus. It doesn't require forcing or extreme attention to food let alone food timing.
If you say so bud.
Most people greatly underestimate what it takes to successfully recomp once your past 1 year into training.
Do they really?
I've been training for well over 40 years, in my experience most people realise if you train well your body changes. That process didn't even used to have the name recomp, mostly people would say something like "getting in shape".
The only people who really need precision and ultra care over recomp are those who are very close to their genetic potential. A tiny percentage of people - those trying to get to very low body fat or competition levels for example.
For the vast majority recomp, whether as a standalone body composition goal or as a nice by product of training, simply eating at or around maintenance and training effectively is all that's required.
Have you successfully recomped? Not many people have. Successfully recomp would take more precision and detail in your diet to genuinely drop fat and build muscle while keeping the same weight. It's easy to do when you first start training because anything you do will build muscle, not after a couple years.
I haven't personally recomped (more of a cut/bulk type person) but I have successfully helped a handful of women recomp and I'd agree with @sijomail. I put them at maintenance, and had protein range from .6-1g per lb of weight (that was their goal) and had them on weight lifting programs ranging from dumbbells, barbell routines or even crossfit. Only one of those clients worried about timing nutrients and that was because she was on a ketogenic diet (and had a variety of health issues) and I wanted to take a little extra percaution when it came to energetic needs for training. Both women got <16% body fat (starting ranged from 22% bf to 28%). Ironically, the one client that started at 28% got to 14.1% (with no adverse hormonal effects) in 2 years. All the clients confirmed their results with either a Dexa scan or Hydrostatic. My last client (the one on keto) got some help as she was a complete noob to lifting and responded well to a dumbbell routine, despite being in her 40's (in 6 months she went from 22% down to 16%).
So protein probably has some importance (as long as you hit an appropriate range), but not nearly as much as having some sort of active progressive training stimulus.
ETA: I will note, that some others who have more training than the women I work with, might find a need to do other things. Largely, I am not working with people who are advanced lifters but rather more in the beginning to intermediate (up to 5 years). So it's possible, that they still might have some noob gains left in them. Or it's possible they are more compliant.
Whether or not macros are more, less or as important as training will vary by person.3 -
OP, what workout program are you following? What do your macros look like? What does your training program look like?0
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RAD_Fitness wrote: »
@RAD_FitnessRAD_Fitness wrote: »RAD_Fitness wrote: »kendallnick70 wrote: »Quick question. I'm a 20 year old female, 5'10", about 145lbs. I am just starting my body recomp after losing 20lbs. Just wondering how important macros are for body recomp or if the focus should be on calories?
Also, anybody with a similar build and weight feel free to share tips and success stories!
A recomp is when macros and meal timing become more important.
Nope - recomp is a perfectly natural response to a training stimulus. It doesn't require forcing or extreme attention to food let alone food timing.
If you say so bud.
Most people greatly underestimate what it takes to successfully recomp once your past 1 year into training.
Do they really?
I've been training for well over 40 years, in my experience most people realise if you train well your body changes. That process didn't even used to have the name recomp, mostly people would say something like "getting in shape".
The only people who really need precision and ultra care over recomp are those who are very close to their genetic potential. A tiny percentage of people - those trying to get to very low body fat or competition levels for example.
For the vast majority recomp, whether as a standalone body composition goal or as a nice by product of training, simply eating at or around maintenance and training effectively is all that's required.
Have you successfully recomped? Not many people have. Successfully recomp would take more precision and detail in your diet to genuinely drop fat and build muscle while keeping the same weight. It's easy to do when you first start training because anything you do will build muscle, not after a couple years.
Yes I've recomped. Even in my fifties, it's not difficult. Sure I'm not going to add slabs of muscle quickly but that's because I'm an old fart with a lot of training behind me.
Of course many people have also recomped - it's not at all unusual. You have a huge knowledge gap if you believe it's at all rare or complex. Knowledge of calling it "recomp" is more rare than actually doing it.
In all my years of training for different sports, events and goals I've never had the need to do cut/bulk cycles.
There seems to be a generational misunderstanding around recomp. It's not new or strange or complex. When I started training in the 70's almost no-one outside of serious body builders actually did anything else. We just picked up heavy stuff and ate roughly the right amount of food. No supplements or macro counting required.3 -
RAD_Fitness wrote: »
@RAD_FitnessRAD_Fitness wrote: »RAD_Fitness wrote: »kendallnick70 wrote: »Quick question. I'm a 20 year old female, 5'10", about 145lbs. I am just starting my body recomp after losing 20lbs. Just wondering how important macros are for body recomp or if the focus should be on calories?
Also, anybody with a similar build and weight feel free to share tips and success stories!
A recomp is when macros and meal timing become more important.
Nope - recomp is a perfectly natural response to a training stimulus. It doesn't require forcing or extreme attention to food let alone food timing.
If you say so bud.
Most people greatly underestimate what it takes to successfully recomp once your past 1 year into training.
Do they really?
I've been training for well over 40 years, in my experience most people realise if you train well your body changes. That process didn't even used to have the name recomp, mostly people would say something like "getting in shape".
The only people who really need precision and ultra care over recomp are those who are very close to their genetic potential. A tiny percentage of people - those trying to get to very low body fat or competition levels for example.
For the vast majority recomp, whether as a standalone body composition goal or as a nice by product of training, simply eating at or around maintenance and training effectively is all that's required.
Have you successfully recomped? Not many people have. Successfully recomp would take more precision and detail in your diet to genuinely drop fat and build muscle while keeping the same weight. It's easy to do when you first start training because anything you do will build muscle, not after a couple years.
I haven't personally recomped (more of a cut/bulk type person) but I have successfully helped a handful of women recomp and I'd agree with @sijomail. I put them at maintenance, and had protein range from .6-1g per lb of weight (that was their goal) and had them on weight lifting programs ranging from dumbbells, barbell routines or even crossfit. Only one of those clients worried about timing nutrients and that was because she was on a ketogenic diet (and had a variety of health issues) and I wanted to take a little extra percaution when it came to energetic needs for training. Both women got <16% body fat (starting ranged from 22% bf to 28%). Ironically, the one client that started at 28% got to 14.1% (with no adverse hormonal effects) in 2 years. All the clients confirmed their results with either a Dexa scan or Hydrostatic. My last client (the one on keto) got some help as she was a complete noob to lifting and responded well to a dumbbell routine, despite being in her 40's (in 6 months she went from 22% down to 16%).
So protein probably has some importance (as long as you hit an appropriate range), but not nearly as much as having some sort of active progressive training stimulus.
ETA: I will note, that some others who have more training than the women I work with, might find a need to do other things. Largely, I am not working with people who are advanced lifters but rather more in the beginning to intermediate (up to 5 years). So it's possible, that they still might have some noob gains left in them. Or it's possible they are more compliant.
Whether or not macros are more, less or as important as training will vary by person.
So you're telling me that you had a client that worked with you for 6 months and they dropped (I am assuming the woman's ending weight was 135 for numbers sake) about 9 pounds of fat and also put on 9 lbs on muscle? This seems a little hard to believe for a woman in her 40's if I am being honest.
The other woman seems more reasonable with a lot of hard work over two years, although putting on 18 pounds of lean mass while dropping 18 pounds of fat is not easy to do in 2 years.
I am not trying to discredit you or saying you're lying, just being honest and saying I do find it a bit hard to believe.2 -
RAD_Fitness wrote: »RAD_Fitness wrote: »
@RAD_FitnessRAD_Fitness wrote: »RAD_Fitness wrote: »kendallnick70 wrote: »Quick question. I'm a 20 year old female, 5'10", about 145lbs. I am just starting my body recomp after losing 20lbs. Just wondering how important macros are for body recomp or if the focus should be on calories?
Also, anybody with a similar build and weight feel free to share tips and success stories!
A recomp is when macros and meal timing become more important.
Nope - recomp is a perfectly natural response to a training stimulus. It doesn't require forcing or extreme attention to food let alone food timing.
If you say so bud.
Most people greatly underestimate what it takes to successfully recomp once your past 1 year into training.
Do they really?
I've been training for well over 40 years, in my experience most people realise if you train well your body changes. That process didn't even used to have the name recomp, mostly people would say something like "getting in shape".
The only people who really need precision and ultra care over recomp are those who are very close to their genetic potential. A tiny percentage of people - those trying to get to very low body fat or competition levels for example.
For the vast majority recomp, whether as a standalone body composition goal or as a nice by product of training, simply eating at or around maintenance and training effectively is all that's required.
Have you successfully recomped? Not many people have. Successfully recomp would take more precision and detail in your diet to genuinely drop fat and build muscle while keeping the same weight. It's easy to do when you first start training because anything you do will build muscle, not after a couple years.
I haven't personally recomped (more of a cut/bulk type person) but I have successfully helped a handful of women recomp and I'd agree with @sijomail. I put them at maintenance, and had protein range from .6-1g per lb of weight (that was their goal) and had them on weight lifting programs ranging from dumbbells, barbell routines or even crossfit. Only one of those clients worried about timing nutrients and that was because she was on a ketogenic diet (and had a variety of health issues) and I wanted to take a little extra percaution when it came to energetic needs for training. Both women got <16% body fat (starting ranged from 22% bf to 28%). Ironically, the one client that started at 28% got to 14.1% (with no adverse hormonal effects) in 2 years. All the clients confirmed their results with either a Dexa scan or Hydrostatic. My last client (the one on keto) got some help as she was a complete noob to lifting and responded well to a dumbbell routine, despite being in her 40's (in 6 months she went from 22% down to 16%).
So protein probably has some importance (as long as you hit an appropriate range), but not nearly as much as having some sort of active progressive training stimulus.
ETA: I will note, that some others who have more training than the women I work with, might find a need to do other things. Largely, I am not working with people who are advanced lifters but rather more in the beginning to intermediate (up to 5 years). So it's possible, that they still might have some noob gains left in them. Or it's possible they are more compliant.
Whether or not macros are more, less or as important as training will vary by person.
So you're telling me that you had a client that worked with you for 6 months and they dropped (I am assuming the woman's ending weight was 135 for numbers sake) about 9 pounds of fat and also put on 9 lbs on muscle? This seems a little hard to believe for a woman in her 40's if I am being honest.
The other woman seems more reasonable with a lot of hard work over two years, although putting on 18 pounds of lean mass while dropping 18 pounds of fat is not easy to do in 2 years.
I am not trying to discredit you or saying you're lying, just being honest and saying I do find it a bit hard to believe.
Just found the original hydrostatic scans, below are the results.
Client 1 - Starting- 139 @ 23.6%, lbm - 106; Current - 132 @ 16.2%; lbm - 111 (6 months, new lifter, dumbbell 3day full body)
Client 2 - Starting - 153 @ 26%, lbm - 113; Current 150lbs @ 14%; LBM - 129 (prior experience 1 year of crossfit, recomp for 2 years with cross).
That is directly from their scan results. Take it as you will. That is changes in lean body mass, which is not exactly muscle, but still impressive. Both women, both over 35.3 -
RAD_Fitness wrote: »RAD_Fitness wrote: »
@RAD_FitnessRAD_Fitness wrote: »RAD_Fitness wrote: »kendallnick70 wrote: »Quick question. I'm a 20 year old female, 5'10", about 145lbs. I am just starting my body recomp after losing 20lbs. Just wondering how important macros are for body recomp or if the focus should be on calories?
Also, anybody with a similar build and weight feel free to share tips and success stories!
A recomp is when macros and meal timing become more important.
Nope - recomp is a perfectly natural response to a training stimulus. It doesn't require forcing or extreme attention to food let alone food timing.
If you say so bud.
Most people greatly underestimate what it takes to successfully recomp once your past 1 year into training.
Do they really?
I've been training for well over 40 years, in my experience most people realise if you train well your body changes. That process didn't even used to have the name recomp, mostly people would say something like "getting in shape".
The only people who really need precision and ultra care over recomp are those who are very close to their genetic potential. A tiny percentage of people - those trying to get to very low body fat or competition levels for example.
For the vast majority recomp, whether as a standalone body composition goal or as a nice by product of training, simply eating at or around maintenance and training effectively is all that's required.
Have you successfully recomped? Not many people have. Successfully recomp would take more precision and detail in your diet to genuinely drop fat and build muscle while keeping the same weight. It's easy to do when you first start training because anything you do will build muscle, not after a couple years.
I haven't personally recomped (more of a cut/bulk type person) but I have successfully helped a handful of women recomp and I'd agree with @sijomail. I put them at maintenance, and had protein range from .6-1g per lb of weight (that was their goal) and had them on weight lifting programs ranging from dumbbells, barbell routines or even crossfit. Only one of those clients worried about timing nutrients and that was because she was on a ketogenic diet (and had a variety of health issues) and I wanted to take a little extra percaution when it came to energetic needs for training. Both women got <16% body fat (starting ranged from 22% bf to 28%). Ironically, the one client that started at 28% got to 14.1% (with no adverse hormonal effects) in 2 years. All the clients confirmed their results with either a Dexa scan or Hydrostatic. My last client (the one on keto) got some help as she was a complete noob to lifting and responded well to a dumbbell routine, despite being in her 40's (in 6 months she went from 22% down to 16%).
So protein probably has some importance (as long as you hit an appropriate range), but not nearly as much as having some sort of active progressive training stimulus.
ETA: I will note, that some others who have more training than the women I work with, might find a need to do other things. Largely, I am not working with people who are advanced lifters but rather more in the beginning to intermediate (up to 5 years). So it's possible, that they still might have some noob gains left in them. Or it's possible they are more compliant.
Whether or not macros are more, less or as important as training will vary by person.
So you're telling me that you had a client that worked with you for 6 months and they dropped (I am assuming the woman's ending weight was 135 for numbers sake) about 9 pounds of fat and also put on 9 lbs on muscle? This seems a little hard to believe for a woman in her 40's if I am being honest.
The other woman seems more reasonable with a lot of hard work over two years, although putting on 18 pounds of lean mass while dropping 18 pounds of fat is not easy to do in 2 years.
I am not trying to discredit you or saying you're lying, just being honest and saying I do find it a bit hard to believe.
Just found the original hydrostatic scans, below are the results.
Client 1 - Starting- 139 @ 23.6%, lbm - 106; Current - 132 @ 16.2%; lbm - 111 (6 months, new lifter, dumbbell 3day full body)
Client 2 - Starting - 153 @ 26%, lbm - 113; Current 150lbs @ 14%; LBM - 129 (prior experience 1 year of crossfit, recomp for 2 years with cross).
That is directly from their scan results. Take it as you will. That is changes in lean body mass, which is not exactly muscle, but still impressive. Both women, both over 35.
That's awesome. The second I find VERYYYYY impressive, especially with a training background. 16 pounds of lean mass in 2 years for a woman over 35. Awesome job to her and you, well coached!
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