When to start cutting? Or continue 'recomp'

Raegold

I'm driving myself a bit crazy about whether to continue to recomp or to start a deficit. I originally stopped WW to work on strength and muscle gain. Because of a recent shoulder injury, u can't lift heavy right now, but I'm still doing my best to get a challenging workout in.

I haven't weighed myself in a long time, but I'm guessing I'm around 138-140 and I'm 5'3, and I don't have a muscular build. I can see visually the excess fat on my upper arms, thighs, hips and midsection. My 'happy' weight is like 125, where I feel awesome and look great in clothes. Right now I feel just ok in clothes, obviously not terrible but not awesome. I probably need to buy new clothes because everything I have is too big or too small.

The trouble is that I'm still nursing my 20 month old, and... just life. I like having some wine sometimes, halo top, etc. So I can't decide, do I focus on a deficit right now and try to get to 125. Or do I continue to attempt maintenance/recomp and deal with the weight loss when I'm done nursing?

I know it's a personal decision, but I'd be curious any advice/opinions. I need to decide one way or the other, so I can live more in the moment of whatever my focus is.

Thanks for listening and any advice!!

sardelsa

How are you feeling now eating at maintenance? (hunger, gym performance, adherence, etc)

Do you find your hunger out of control when you are in a deficit? Do you cut cals too low, deprive yourself too much of the foods you love? Are you able to fit small quantities in without eating all of it?

Everyone is different, especially since you are nursing it can be tricky. And like you said, it will be a personal decision. I have no problem in a deficit while nursing, yea, I am hungry and grouchy but I find high volume, high protein and fibre to fill me up.. and lots of distractions. But what works for me, may not for you.

If you want to, try a very small deficit. Or stay where you are and maintain until you wean. Honestly, cutting is usually uncomfortable no matter what, nursing or not!

RoxieDawn

Oh yeah the mental battles we have within. Like you said it is a personal decision, however, ask yourself how much compromise do you really want to do right now? Is there any hurry or time frame?

Your deficit does not have to be a huge one, you can make it as small as you want or need; or make a plan down the road, this way you can mentally and physically recharge now, maybe work on organizing or planning things out to get ready for further dieting. Anytime you are 'dieting' to cut, its gonna be a little uncomfortable.

I usually get to a point when I have met my uncomfy point and need to make changes so that 'life' is actually better.

not_a_runner

My thoughts on recomp- if that's something you want to try, it's important to give it a fair shot. You can't just attempt it for a month or two and give up, as it will most likely take many months before you see much progress. A huge key is committing to it, whatever you decide.

Personally, I know I need to take a long diet break before cutting again, so I've committed to recomp/maintenance until at least January. For a while I was literally changing my mind every single day... Now that I have committed to that time frame, I have stopped the back and forth between "I want to lose fat, but I want to eat food, but but but but."

I agree with sardelsa, cutting is usually uncomfortable no matter what. Actively maintaining a weight higher than what you would like is also somewhat uncomfortable.

Building muscle can be equally important when it comes to improving body composition though. You may be surprised with the body comp changes you see after dedicating some time to muscle building.

Raegold

Thank you for your thoughts and advice! I guess I am at a point where I'm feeling uncomfortable, so I need to make some kind of change, even if it's a small deficit.

Part of the recomp issue is that a shoulder injury makes it difficult for me to lift heavy. I'm definitely still working out, plus doing PT for my shoulder, but I can't lift heavy... I basically can't lift much weight period, so I'm doing bodyweight or low weight things. So I know I can improve on some strength and stability stuff, but I doubt I'm actually building much muscle right now. I guess thats why i'm wondering if now would be a good time for a little deficit, since I'm not in a hardcore muscle building mode.

ck2d

Why not add some cardio? Taking your baby for walks maybe.

Raegold

yeah, I do cardio already- stroller walks, and either bike or stairclimber at the gym. I try not to go overboard with cardio or it makes my appetite crazy.

sijomial

Two aspects....

You are saying you are 13 - 15lbs above the weight you want to be.
Your training is hampered by your shoulder injury.

Are you really hoping to recomp 13 - 15lbs of muscle? That would be seriously ambitious and very long term.

Seems clear you should be dieting off some of your excess fat but as you are nursing then a small deficit would obviously be sensible.

Recomp isn't as special as you seem to think it is - your training doesn't have to change in a deficit, you don't have to be at perfect maintenance calories, it can be a goal on its own (physique competitors for example, getting visible abs or whatever) or it can just be a happy by product of living a healthy and active lifestyle. You don't need to "focus on it".

You seem to be way over-thinking this to be honest - it you are heavier then you want to be then lose some weight but do it the right way. You also don't have to diet right down to 125lbs. You could do it in a series of steps or stop whenever feels right.

In Spring I lose very slowly to lose some winter chub and get ready for the cycling season, it has no impact on my life or training beyond reducing some food intake here and there.

Raegold

Thanks, I probably am overthinking it. I'm honestly in information overload. I also don't want my workouts to suffer because of my deficit, which I have definitely felt that way in the past when I was in an ambitious deficit (like 1200 calories a day). I obviously wouldn't go that far right now since I'm nursing.

I basically have two goals- lose 8-15 lbs AND increase strength and stability. So the question is, how do I do this and can I do both at the same time.

Raegold

Also I should point out, I'm not sure if I can get to my ultimate goal while I'm nursing, my body seems to want to hold onto some fat, especially in certain areas. So I don't want to drive myself crazy. Maybe I'll have a goal of losing 5-8lbs right now and deal with the rest when I'm done nursing...?

sardelsa

The key is to not go extreme and have that steep of a deficit. Will your workouts and strength suffer? I mean, maybe since everyone is different, but I personally never found that to be the case... I actually gained significant strength in a deficit.

Well you won't know if you can get to goal until you get closer. Again, some women do, some don't. I don't know how long you are planning to continue nursing, but maybe when you get closer you will have weaned so it won't be a problem? ie. I wouldn't worry about it right now.

I have very stubborn areas as well that barely changed at all while I lost weight while nursing. However, was it hormones or was it just stubborn fat being stubborn, who knows!

Raegold

sardelsa wrote: »

The key is to not go extreme and have that steep of a deficit. Will your workouts and strength suffer? I mean, maybe since everyone is different, but I personally never found that to be the case... I actually gained significant strength in a deficit.

Well you won't know if you can get to goal until you get closer. Again, some women do, some don't. I don't know how long you are planning to continue nursing, but maybe when you get closer you will have weaned so it won't be a problem? ie. I wouldn't worry about it right now.

I have very stubborn areas as well that barely changed at all while I lost weight while nursing. However, was it hormones or was it just stubborn fat being stubborn, who knows!

Thanks, that definitely makes sense. I think I'll do a small deficit and see how that goes. My daughter is 20 months, so I know we will probably wean in the next year. She's our last, most likely, so I'm just putting off weaning... want her to be a baby forever!

I'm going to try for a 250-ish deficit and see if that is doable

heybales

Saw a recommendation years ago from 2 new moms, passed the info on to 2 more who saw success, and I know others have too.

Figure out best you can maintenance WITHOUT accounting for nursing.

Eat that almost-maintenance level - and nursing creates the deficit.

Larger now when more to lose, it automatically gets smaller with less to lose.

That way you don't have to attempt to figure out how much it is adding to account for, and can just add workouts as normal to your likely Lightly-Active activity level, if using the MFP method.

If doing TDEE method and you already have a handle on total maintenance, then skip this idea and keep on with 250 deficit.

Raegold

That does make sense... I'm not sure how many calories I'm burning nursing my 20 month old. She nurses 3-4 times a day, but I'm obviously not making as much milk as when she was 6 months. I'm not sure if it's like 300-400 or just 100. That's part of why it's tough now bc it's all a rough estimate, it's hard to be exact.

I'm trying to do 1650ish yesterday and today, and I'm STARVING. Deficits suck

sijomial

You don't have to be exact - that thought will just cause you stress.
You don't need a consistent weight loss - ditto stress again.

You just have to find a small and sustainable deficit, it doesn't have to be every day or every week either. If you have maintenance days or weeks it really doesn't matter.

Raegold

But wouldn't that be very frustrating to lose so so slowly or not at all? Especially if you're someone who finds even maintenance calories challenging because of hunger?

Nikitazilla

Raegold wrote: »

But wouldn't that be very frustrating to lose so so slowly or not at all? Especially if you're someone who finds even maintenance calories challenging because of hunger?

Seems like you're still overthinking it very good advice given above. Couldn't you just try it for a couple months and see how it goes? With nursing and barely able to handle maintenance , you've got to expect it to be frustrating, and accept a slow loss. I say this in kindness.

Raegold

I appreciate the feedback... I feel like I'm not overthinking it though, because I've been trying the recomp sort of thing and I've gained weight instead of maintaining or losing. So I'm obviously doing something wrong. Just trying to figure out how to make it work for me

Nikitazilla

Like I said, the above posters had great advice. I'd give them a second or third read. Good luck!

heybales

Raegold wrote: »

But wouldn't that be very frustrating to lose so so slowly or not at all?

Especially if you're someone who finds even maintenance calories challenging because of hunger?

If your total being as a person is tied to that number on the scale that no one can even see unless you tell them - yes it likely could be frustrating.
But if you can look more at how you feel and look - frankly I'd suggest you'll have a happier life anyway.


If you find maintenance calories challenging because of the hunger - then you are eating the wrong things.

Because you'll never maintain goal weight because you'll always be wanting to eat more.

I really don't understand what this comment means though - if you don't like the level of calories that maintenance provides with current level of activity - then you will of course have to increase that level.

Just as there are many short women that run a lot - I don't know if purposeful or just gravitated to it naturally - but it sure allows them to eat at a level to probably match others around them.

Now of course your current level of activity is temporary with baby, you will be able to get going more probably.

If recomp caused weight gain - then you were eating too much - or not moving enough for the amount of eating you want to consider minimum.

sijomial

Raegold wrote: »

But wouldn't that be very frustrating to lose so so slowly or not at all? Especially if you're someone who finds even maintenance calories challenging because of hunger?

Not in the slightest.
You are terribly focused on your weight if you don't mind me saying so! (Sorry trying to be helpful not rude.)
Your weight is just one small piece of the jigsaw of your life. I feel like you have let it become far too big a piece for you and some balance is missing. You are young, healthy weight and have a baby - life should be good!

Every Spring I cut a few pounds of weight gained over the winter at about 1lb/month. It's such a small difference I don't even notice it, just a few hundred cals nibbled off here and there. No precision, no obsession, no raging hunger.

Some experimentation with macros, food choices, eating patterns may help you resolve/manage your hunger but maybe just thinking less about it might help?

Raegold

I mean, I agree to an extent, but I actually haven't weighed myself in over 2 months. I'm going by how my clothes fit. I don't know many women who want to buy all new jeans because nothing fits right.

I should mention that I have PCOS, so I suspect that is a part of why I struggle with this and feel so hungry all the time, despite eating whole, filling foods.

heybales

Even better for not taking what could be a reasonable deficit for someone else with a body not as stressed as yours with a disease then.

You might consider then you have less wiggle room, a finer line, between safe and desired effects, and unsafe and undesired effects.

So it will be slower - just the nature of body already under stress.

Great job on not tied to scale, clothes (that don't get washed in hot water) are great measure of progress.

If through recent months there has been no reduction in size anywhere (just as you can't spot reduce, you may not notice the spots that are reducing first, so have to be watchful to decide) then it would appear you are eating right at maintenance.

You must eat less than, as SIJomial mentioned - cut a few 100 from current diet somewhere daily.

That actually is best method - start high and work yourself lower.
Starting at some minimum number because you have no clue what the real maintenance is can be prone to issues, as you've likely noticed on the forums with all those starting at 1200, which isn't some standard magical starting diet number.

And then you may find activity level increasing too - there's a potential other 100 of more burning, if you keep eating level the same.

It's the extreme eating tons less and doing tons more that gets people into trouble.

Raegold

Thank you, I totally agree, I have less wiggle room for sure... which is why I end up overthinking everything! Yeah, I think everyone's comments basically add up to... attempt a small deficit or around maintenance, don't drive yourself crazy, don't cut too many calories. I want to cut myself a break since I am still nursing and dealing with a toddler (plus a 5 year old), plus the PCOS on top of it.

I guess my guess-timate of maintenance that I've been trying was a little high. I'll try cutting like 100 from my maintenance, and trying some slightly lower days to slowly cut the weight a bit and see how that goes.

Thanks to everyone for your help and insight. It is a tough subject for me, since I've been dealing with the yo-yoing for years, so I do tend to overthink it, because it isn't easy for me. I really want to do the work and figure out how to maintain my weight loss (and ideally cut 5-15, but that's a bonus). I guess this trial and error is all part of the deal.