How should I go about this?

faithc98

Hello everyone, I’m new to this.
I just wanted some input on what exactly I should do to improve my body. To start off, I’m 5’4 and 140lbs. I would say I’m kind of slim in the stomach and arms but I tend to carry my fat in my thighs and hips. I use to weigh 205lbs 4/5 years ago but lost it all from an illness that kept me from eating.

Fast forward to now, I have been able to maintain this weight and I workout 3 days a week, 3 days of strength training and cardio. Diet is pretty good also. I use to overeat and eat a lot of the wrong things. I’m unsure of what to do anymore. I really want to gain some muscle and not look so lanky in some places and also just look better, but, I also don’t want to gain weight lol.

I’ve heard of body recomposition and wondered if that was the route I should go? Or if I should keep eating 1400 calories a day (like I’m doing at the moment) and lose more fat. I’m only 21 and I don’t know too much about fitness and things, so any advice is welcome.
Hopefully these pictures help also:



Thank you 😊

ElizabethKalmbach

Recomp seems like a good route for you, indeed. Figure out your protein goal (Probably similar to mine 100-130g/day) and try to get sufficient protein every day to build and maintain muscle, pick out a respectable progressive weight lifting program, and keep an eye on your weight for losses, as you may need to gradually increase calories to keep up with your workouts.

There are a couple good threads on here about recomp if you run a search on the forums for "recomp" or "recomposition." They're worth reading through for guidance and a general feel.

Recomp is SLOW, so set your expectations appropriately. You look great already, so patience shouldn't be as difficult as it may have been in the past!

steveko89

Recomp can definitely be a slow gradual process but works well for some. Since I took up lifting with any level of seriousness on 2015 I’ve largely stayed in a 10-15lb weight range but added what I would consider to be a decent amount of muscle mass (approx 15 lbs by best metrics) and definitely improved my body composition (18+% to ~13% body fat). I’m bad about taking actual progress pictures but here’s a good SFW representation of the improvement I’ve seen wearing the same shirt.



Picture on the left is May 2014 at 166 lbs, I wasn’t lifting at all and running quite a bit. The picture is actually from a 10K. The picture on the right is September of 2019 at 175.

That said, I certainly have gone through phases of intentional weight change within the range I mentioned earlier but never a long/drastic bulk or cut cycle as some do. Since I started lifting I struggle to get lighter than 170 which doesn’t equate to be lean enough for a textbook bulk.

As far as methodology goes, don’t over complicate things
- ensure you get sufficient protein (0.8 g/lb is considered the upper limit of what can be attributed to muscle protein synthesis)
- follow a proven lifting program with progressive overload
- Be as consistent as possible

Here's a link to a large thread about recomp https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat

faithc98

Thank you so much for all the great info!
I’ll definitely look into this.