Body recomp vs weight loss

Bulldogs1717

Hello

I am feeling stuck in my journey. I have been trying to lose fat and also increase my strength training to reduce my body fat percentage. I have doubled the days I strength train to 4 days/week. Run usually 20-25 miles each week (cardio is my passion!) but I’m feeling discouraged because my weight has creeped up and I’m feeling a lot of fluctuations in my energy and cravings despite maintaining a 500 calorie deficit after exercise. I’m feeling discouraged and wondering if that is normal? Am I messing up my hormonal response or something? I just don’t understand how I can increase training, maintain calorie deficit, and not see results on the scale. Should I be looking more at body comp instead of weight? I am at 15% body fat but heavier than I’d like to be on the scale for 5’2. Just not sure if I am looking at all of this the right way or should i be revising my overall goals?
If anyone has had similar issues or any insight I’d love to hear from you! Feeling discouraged.

middlehaitch

Without more information it is hard to give any guidance.

15%body fat is average-ish for a guy, and low for a woman. Not knowing which you are makes it a bit of a guessing game.

Maybe let us know your cal intake history, MFP’ NEAT or an off site TDEE calculator. (Inc how you manage your exercise cals)
If you are using a food scale.
The method used for your body fat calculation.
Previous, current, and goal weight.
Lifting programme.

And anything else that will help clarify your situation.

Cheers, h.

Justin_7272

If you're gaining weight you're not in a defecit. Do you weigh everything you eat?

firef1y72

As you are 5'2" I'm guessing you're female, which means that 15% bodyfat is pretty low. So if you genuinely are overweight, then it would most likely be muscle.

How much do you actually weigh??? Are you actually overweight??

kimny72

How much do you weigh?
Is the assumption that you're female correct?
How are you measuring your bf%?
For how long has your weight been trending up?

Bulldogs1717

Hi there

My weight has been trending up for the last 6 months or so which Is why I thoufgt it might help to mix things up. I am female and 125 lbs now at 5’2. The body fat percentage I obtained from a scan at a local university where my friend works- measures fat lbs, muscle, skeletal,etc.

I just don’t feel great anymore plus I’m gaining weight even though body fat % is lower- it just seems like 10 lbs is a lot of fluctuation for muscle alone. My energy sucks and I’m just frustrated because all these elements combined make me feel like I’m not getting anywhere towards becoming a healthier me.

Any thoughts based on those extra details would be appreciated for sure. Thank you

surfbug808

Checking in with your doctor might help clarify if there are any other issues affecting the weight gain, hormones etc... a friend of mine gained weight despite being very active and on a diet, turned out to be a thyroid issue. My sister also starting gaining unexpected weight (extreme) and it turned out to be a complication with some medication she was taking. As soon as they both made adjustments under the direction of their doctors, they were both able to get their weight under control. Always good to rule it out at least.

kimny72

Bulldogs1717 wrote: »

Hi there

My weight has been trending up for the last 6 months or so which Is why I thoufgt it might help to mix things up. I am female and 125 lbs now at 5’2. The body fat percentage I obtained from a scan at a local university where my friend works- measures fat lbs, muscle, skeletal,etc.

I just don’t feel great anymore plus I’m gaining weight even though body fat % is lower- it just seems like 10 lbs is a lot of fluctuation for muscle alone. My energy sucks and I’m just frustrated because all these elements combined make me feel like I’m not getting anywhere towards becoming a healthier me.

Any thoughts based on those extra details would be appreciated for sure. Thank you

I agree with the above post that it's not a bad idea to schedule a physical, considering your lack of expected results coupled with low energy. You are in the healthy weight range for your height. 15% bf is actually quite low for a woman, like pro athlete low, it's possible there is some kind of hormonal thing going on, either due to being quite lean, or completely unrelated.

Having said that, it also can't hurt to revisit your logging and see if there is any chance logging errors are part of the problem. I suspect it's highly unlikely you're off the @ 600 cals per day you'd need to be, but if nothing else, having an accurate picture of what and how much you're eating will be useful for your physical.

I will be honest and say that your very low bf % taken with your weight being in the upper half of the healthy weight range taken with your desire to continue to lower your bf confuses me I hope you find some answers! Meanwhile, consider taking a couple of weeks to take it easy and stay off the scale. Sometimes physical and psychological stress can cause the body to do weird things. Hang in there!

cupcakesandproteinshakes

I think the scan result is likely inaccurate. Was it a dexa scan or some other type of scan?

The most likely explanation for a weight gain is you are in a surplus.

But, as others have said, if you aren’t feeling great, go and see your doctor.

mom23mangos

If you are 15% BF, screw what the scale says. Why would you care? And why would you want to lose even more body fat unless you are prepping for a competition? You are at the threshold of essential body fat for women, which could be why you are feeling less energy and having cravings. You must have a massive amount of muscle. Like Stefi Cohen amounts or else your test may have been wrong. In that case, I agree with seeing a Dr. Regardless a diet break may be in order.

Stefi is 5' and weighs between 115-125 depending whether she's trying to make weight for a comp. Do you look somewhat like this?

amyorbash

I was in the same boat as you not too long ago. The best thing I ever did was I started working with a sports nutritionist abt a year ago.

I'm a runner too & turns out I was eating way below what I needed to be (I was shorting myself 700 cals/day trying to slim down on my own). The nutritionist made a tailored meal plan for me & given my body metrics & workout plan. I now focus more on my body composition vs a number on the scale & in the year I've been working with him I'm down 8% body fat (22% currently) & my running continues to improve.

I banged my head against the wall for years trying to see results from working out/eating right on my own & I can't tell you how invaluable it is to have things custom tailored to your goals/lifestyle!

cupcakesandproteinshakes

mom23mangos wrote: »

If you are 15% BF, screw what the scale says. Why would you care? And why would you want to lose even more body fat unless you are prepping for a competition? You are at the threshold of essential body fat for women, which could be why you are feeling less energy and having cravings. You must have a massive amount of muscle. Like Stefi Cohen amounts or else your test may have been wrong. In that case, I agree with seeing a Dr. Regardless a diet break may be in order.

Stefi is 5' and weighs between 115-125 depending whether she's trying to make weight for a comp. Do you look somewhat like this?

I got some serious quad envy. Sorry to derail the thread.

erickirb

If you are 15% BF% as a woman, why are you eating at a deficit on 500 cals/day... if you want to lose weight and are already low BF% , you should only aim for 0.5 lbs/week (250 cal deficit) those extra cals should help with your energy levels

that said, at 15% BF%, I would actually suggest recomp and eat maintenance. if you are gaining weight, that isn't water weight, then you are eating at a surplus, not a deficit

Androoke

amyorbash wrote: »

I was in the same boat as you not too long ago. The best thing I ever did was I started working with a sports nutritionist abt a year ago.

I'm a runner too & turns out I was eating way below what I needed to be (I was shorting myself 700 cals/day trying to slim down on my own). The nutritionist made a tailored meal plan for me & given my body metrics & workout plan. I now focus more on my body composition vs a number on the scale & in the year I've been working with him I'm down 8% body fat (22% currently) & my running continues to improve.

I banged my head against the wall for years trying to see results from working out/eating right on my own & I can't tell you how invaluable it is to have things custom tailored to your goals/lifestyle! [/quote

This post is spot on! Not to hijack the post, but I have a question. Has your weight decreased along the way? I've been working out 5-7x a week burning on average 600cals per session.. my weight has jumped up 10lbs since I started. As a female, 5"3.. I'm freaking out. How was your meal plan revamped? How many cals/day? Any insight is much appreciated!

tcunbeliever

Increased strength training is going to increase water retention.

You said your body fat percentage was dropping, but your weight was up. This is consistent with building muscle, and also consistent with some of the extra weight being water (muscle repair).

Are you doing measurements in addition to tracking the scale? Your measurements should be dropping, so maybe stop obsessing about the scale number if you are less fat and more muscle?

If you want a real weight, without the added water, stop lifting for about 3 days...usually that's all it takes for the water to come off.

ElizabethKalmbach

If you're down at 15% body fat and suddenly everything's changed and you're putting weight back ON and the deficit isn't helping, hit up the doctor. More deficit will not help.

It sounds like you're over-training, but the fact that you've upped your training from what was previously working in response to a change in your body has me concerned.

This has happened to me about 3x in the last 20 years when I was near 18% body fat, which is where I'm generally content to settle. First time it was my thyroid, second time it was a B12 deficiency, this time (current) it's iron deficiency. None of these can be identified by looking at my diet - all of them needed to be diagnosed by blood test.

Good news is, they're all treatable, and once they are, everything should go back to working the way you're used to.

amyorbash

Androoke wrote: »

amyorbash wrote: »

I was in the same boat as you not too long ago. The best thing I ever did was I started working with a sports nutritionist abt a year ago.

I'm a runner too & turns out I was eating way below what I needed to be (I was shorting myself 700 cals/day trying to slim down on my own). The nutritionist made a tailored meal plan for me & given my body metrics & workout plan. I now focus more on my body composition vs a number on the scale & in the year I've been working with him I'm down 8% body fat (22% currently) & my running continues to improve.

I banged my head against the wall for years trying to see results from working out/eating right on my own & I can't tell you how invaluable it is to have things custom tailored to your goals/lifestyle! [/quote

This post is spot on! Not to hijack the post, but I have a question. Has your weight decreased along the way? I've been working out 5-7x a week burning on average 600cals per session.. my weight has jumped up 10lbs since I started. As a female, 5"3.. I'm freaking out. How was your meal plan revamped? How many cals/day? Any insight is much appreciated!

Androoke wrote: »

amyorbash wrote: »

I was in the same boat as you not too long ago. The best thing I ever did was I started working with a sports nutritionist abt a year ago.

I'm a runner too & turns out I was eating way below what I needed to be (I was shorting myself 700 cals/day trying to slim down on my own). The nutritionist made a tailored meal plan for me & given my body metrics & workout plan. I now focus more on my body composition vs a number on the scale & in the year I've been working with him I'm down 8% body fat (22% currently) & my running continues to improve.

I banged my head against the wall for years trying to see results from working out/eating right on my own & I can't tell you how invaluable it is to have things custom tailored to your goals/lifestyle! [/quote

This post is spot on! Not to hijack the post, but I have a question. Has your weight decreased along the way? I've been working out 5-7x a week burning on average 600cals per session.. my weight has jumped up 10lbs since I started. As a female, 5"3.. I'm freaking out. How was your meal plan revamped? How many cals/day? Any insight is much appreciated!

Androoke wrote: »

amyorbash wrote: »

I was in the same boat as you not too long ago. The best thing I ever did was I started working with a sports nutritionist abt a year ago.

I'm a runner too & turns out I was eating way below what I needed to be (I was shorting myself 700 cals/day trying to slim down on my own). The nutritionist made a tailored meal plan for me & given my body metrics & workout plan. I now focus more on my body composition vs a number on the scale & in the year I've been working with him I'm down 8% body fat (22% currently) & my running continues to improve.

I banged my head against the wall for years trying to see results from working out/eating right on my own & I can't tell you how invaluable it is to have things custom tailored to your goals/lifestyle! [/quote

This post is spot on! Not to hijack the post, but I have a question. Has your weight decreased along the way? I've been working out 5-7x a week burning on average 600cals per session.. my weight has jumped up 10lbs since I started. As a female, 5"3.. I'm freaking out. How was your meal plan revamped? How many cals/day? Any insight is much appreciated!

My weight has decreased some, I’m 5’9” & was 181 & 30% body fat when I started working with the nutritionist. I’m currently 176 but down to 22% body fat, so not a lot of weight dropped but I’m definitely a lot leaner.

The quality of my diet wasn’t bad, I just wasn’t eating enough. I was working out 60-90 min/ day or alternating running with strength training & only eating 1100-1200 cals/day. He had to reverse diet me (gradually increase my calories over weeks) & now I eat 1800-2000/day while still continuing to lose body fat.

It’s been a lot of trial & error but I can take some solice in knowing that if something isn’t working out for me, I have someone to help me move in the right direction.