Need Advice on Body Recomposition: I Can't Lose Body Fat and Gain Muscle - What am I Doing Wrong?

LadyDaenerys

Hello all!

Let me just start this by telling you a bit about my health and fitness journey so far.

I was 210 lbs at 5ft 6in and thanks to MFL, Fitbit, and Beachbody On Demand workouts (not a coach... I hate MLM) I'm now about 130lbs. (I did get down to 124, but I can't seem to get back.)

Regardless... I have some loose skin and based on my Fitbit Aria scale I have a Body Fat percentage of about 29 percent.

I want to have a lean body... 20-22 percent body fat... I feel all of my muscles under this layer of fat though and I love to lift... But, I feel like I LOOK skinny fat, not fit. I can't see all my hard work... and it breaks my heart... It makes me feel discouraged. As though all my hard work isn't worth it anymore.

I've worked so hard to get to where I am now and I feel like I can't get any farther in my journey. I've been stuck at this stage for almost three years now and I feel like what I'm doing isn't working. My inches are going up, my weight went from 124 to 130, I heard to eat more calories, but that scares me. I'm afraid of being 210 again or even 140... It terrifies me.

Stats:

• 5ft6in
• 130 lbs
• 36-year-old female
• 29% body fat percentage
• I work out 30 to 60 mins a day (30 min of LIIFT4 and 30 min of Barre Blend for strength training and cardio) Some days I will walk 2.5 miles uphill if I can't get to a BBOD workout.
• I eat about 1350 calories per day and burn about 200-300 calories a day on average.
• my macros are 40 Carb 30 Fat 30 Protein
• Chest: 35in
• Waist: 28.5in
• Hips: 39in
• Arms: 11in
• Legs: 22.5

I don't eat gluten, grains, or dairy (unless I'm treating myself to pizza/bagel once a month and I do put some parmesan Romano cheese in my morning omelet). Other than that, I eat whole foods. (For medical reasons, I have autoimmune issues that concern GI and my nervous system, etc...)

I don't understand what I'm doing wrong. I'm not gaining muscle or losing fat, just fluctuating in weight. I have muscle but it's not showing through my softer outer fat layers... I'm worn out and need some advice. Feel free to scour my diary. I fell off the wagon last week due to the frustration of seeing no changes, but I typically stay rather consistent. I'm actually more consistent than my diary, as sometimes I forget to log everything, but stick to my diet, etc...

Anyways!

Thank you for any help and advice you can share!

Lily~

kshama2001

1. The Fitbit Aria scale is a bioimpedance scale, which may work for tracking trends over time, if you weigh under identical circumstances, including hydration level each time, but are notoriously inaccurate. So you may not be 29% BF. However, if you were close to your goal of 15%, you'd probably know it.

Can you post some pictures? There are people here who are very good at estimating BF.

https://www.builtlean.com/body-fat-percentage-men-women/



...Body Fat Percentage Women 15-17%

This is still considered a very low body fat for women, which is similar to the 6-7% body fat for range men. Many bikini and fitness models will reach this body fat level and some may not be able to menstruate. Muscle definition in the abs, legs, arms, and shoulders is apparent, there is some vascularity and some separation between muscles. Hips, buttocks, and thighs generally have a little less shape because of the low body fat.

Body Fat Percentage Women 20-22%

This is body fat percentage is usually in the “fit” category of most body fat charts and is typical of many female athletes. Some definition in the abs is apparent, there is body fat on the arms and legs, but it’s not too pronounced. There is minimal, but some separation between muscles.

Body Fat Percentage Women 25%

This is on the low end of what’s average for most women and is characterized by a shape that is neither too slim, nor overweight. Curves in the hips are usually more apparent along with more fat in the buttocks and thighs. A 5’4” women who weighs 130lb and has 97lb of lean body mass has 25% body fat.

LadyDaenerys

Based on that info I think I would want to be around 20-22 for sure. I feel like I look in between the 25 and 30 percent

JBanx256

First of all, the scales that claim to tell you your bodyfat % are notoriously inaccurate. Don't put too much (read: any, really) faith in that number.

I'm not trying to tell ya what to do because it is ultimately your body, but I'm gonna suggest that you MAY want to reconsider your idea of getting (and staying) at 15% bodyfat. For a female, that's kinda dangerous territory and is, for the vast majority of women, not going to be healthy/sustainable. At 15% bodyfat, you're looking at some pretty significant hormonal issues - amenorrhea, loss of bone density, etc (I can provide sources if you're skeptical or you can utilize our old friend Google ("Female Athlete Triad" is a good starting point)).

Eating whole foods is nifty neat-o and all that, but it really doesn't determine your body composition. Unless you have medical reasons to eliminate entire food groups, or it's a personal preference, there's really no reason to skip ____(insert demonized food/group here)_____.

kshama2001

LadyDaenerys wrote: »

Hello all!

Let me just start this by telling you a bit about my health and fitness journey so far.

I was 210 lbs at 5ft 6in and thanks to MFL, Fitbit, and Beachbody On Demand workouts (not a coach... I hate MLM) I'm now about 130lbs. (I did get down to 124, but I can't seem to get back.)

Regardless... I have some loose skin and based on my Fitbit Aria scale I have a Body Fat percentage of about 29 percent.

I want to have a lean body... 15 percent body fat... I feel all of my muscles under this layer of fat though and I love to lift... But, I feel like I LOOK skinny fat, not fit. I can't see all my hard work... and it breaks my heart... It makes me feel discouraged. As though all my hard work isn't worth it anymore.

I've worked so hard to get to where I am now and I feel like I can't get any farther in my journey. I've been stuck at this stage for almost three years now and I feel like what I'm doing isn't working. My inches are going up, my weight went from 124 to 130, I heard to eat more calories, but that scares me. I'm afraid of being 210 again or even 140... It terrifies me.

Stats:

• 5ft6in
• 130 lbs
• 36-year-old female
• 29% body fat percentage
• I work out 30 to 60 mins a day (30 min of LIIFT4 and 30 min of Barre Blend for strength training and cardio) Some days I will walk 2.5 miles uphill if I can't get to a BBOD workout.
• I eat about 1350 calories per day and burn about 200-300 calories a day on average.
  [snip]

2. I suggest you get "The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess" from your library system, read the intro, and see if your workouts have you lifting "like a man" or not. There are newer editions out so I'm just recommending it for the intro.

If you have a Kindle, you can get a sample from Amazon, which may be enough to answer that question.

https://smile.amazon.com/New-Rules-Lifting-Women-Goddess-ebook/dp/B004IE9RGC/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

And again I would like to see some pictures of you, because the more I reread your post, the more I want to see if you are being more critical of yourself than we would be.

LadyDaenerys

yea ill stick to 20 to 22% as a goal for sure. As far as food... Gluten hates me lol but I love it! same with dairy etc. I have an autoimmune issue and those foods hurt. I just wish I knew how to get from looking like I do now to a lot leaner.

LadyDaenerys

sure... I'll post some more pics. Let me take a few I have been told that I may have body dysmorphia due to the weight loss etc, so who knows.

LadyDaenerys

ok here they come...

LadyDaenerys

kshama2001

@ninerbuff: your thoughts on her BF and training program?

LadyDaenerys

I just wanna tone up... I don't want to have thigh cellulite from my heavy years making me feel like a flat pancake... I want to be tight... I still idk... maybe I'm being mean to myself ..heh but I have this vision of what id like to look like... and its a bit more firmer than this look.

LadyDaenerys

These are the two workout programs I follow:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXaBif2T1H4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isrcbhywojg

I'd LOVE to have a similar body composition like the instructor from Barre Blend... IDK how though

AnnPT77

Congratulations: You've accomplished so much - literally amazing! Good show!

Have you checked out the thread on recomposition here?

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat

Lots of good info there.

I'm not any kind of expert, so I'm talking through my hat, here: I would consider that your strength program may be a relatively slower route to what's already a slow kind of goal. It sounds like you're doing programs that are mix of cardio and strength, probably the strength being more on the higher rep/lower weight side, maybe? It's good exercise, and potentially fairly well rounded, but maybe not optimum for building muscle mass.

I've accidentally done a little bit of recomposition myself in the increasingly-distant past, by a quite non-efficient method, and it was a thing of years and years. (I wasn't trying for recomposition, I had other reasons for what I was doing, but I lost a couple of sizes/gained muscle at consistent body weight . . . reeeaaalllly slooooowwllly. Soooo slowly! Once I lost from obese to healthy weight, there was a surprising amount of muscle underneath, but I'd been doing what I did athletically for around 12 years at that point. I got down to mid-120s at 5'5", think I'm probably somewhere lower 20s BF%, but it's unevenly distributed: Upper body looks more teens-ish, lower more high 20s. That's not self-criticism, I don't have aesthetic goals, just intended to be a comment on getting *some* progress by *very* inefficient means. I don't look like the Barre Blend instructor. 🤣)

I'd bet the Barre Blend instructor has done more focused lifting at some point in her history, and she's quite thin besides.

russellholtslander1

It appears that you don't really want that much more muscle. If you do, just lift heavier, but the Barre Blend person doesn't really have a lot of muscle.. she simply has less fat.

That's diet. now 40/30/30 has a few less carbs, and some extra protein, but not too much different than what a lot of " normal sized " people eat.. but like you, they look great in clothes, but are what you call skinny fat, not fit.

We hear that all the time.. Mom jeans, Dad bods.. these people are not obese, and are healthier than average, but they don't think they LOOK " fit ".. amazingly, you are in the same place, eating similarly. Healthy, but you want to look more toned/fit.

So ask what people who are very lean are eating. What are their macros. See a dietitian, and discuss what you want. 40/30/30 is a macro range your regular doctor might give you.. not something meant to make you leaner than average.. just make you healthy.

My guess, is, a dietitian will change not only your macros, but what foods from those macros you eat, if they make you a menu to get down to 20% BF, which is in the athlete range for women. You need to be on an athletes diet to see their results. They can also test you, and give you an accurate body fat %, instead of guessing.

Think of it this way.. you got to healthy all on your own.. with diet and exercise. Now you want more. So why wouldn't you need to do more, do something different. If it was just a small change to make it happen, we would ALL be very lean.

I think at this point, some PROFESSIONAL help, might be wise. I think most people would be happy where you are, but if you want a bit more, stop and realize that most people do not look like that, after turning 30. To do so, requires more, and since so few actually achieve the results you desire, you can't really get the answers from those of us, who aren't there ourselves. How would we know how to get real lean?

I do agree that to build more muscle, lift like a man.. meaning lift heavy, then rest. You gain 5 lbs. of muscle, and that will be plenty. The look you want though, comes from diet, and I think you will find it will require a pretty strict one.

natasor1

Looking at your exercise routines I noticed, that first complex devotes too much time to the single muscle training. The women training should be concentrated around legs, butt. Only if you start and repetitively include legs exercises between any routine will deliver results of great definition. The difference between women and men musculature in lack of muscle mass in the back, chest, arms, shoulder in the women. Even very well trained woman can be 40% of any man muscles mass in those areas.
Though, on your place I would not waist time on doing single muscle training of arms, shoulders, chest. Instead devote more time to legs, butt exercises. These are places in women body where we have muscles capable to release hormones, adrenaline, testosterone and HGH necessary for building new tissues of muscles. In opposite, arms, chest, back are small and not going release anything equivalent to man. If you want to train arms and chest, that day still start with legs/butt, just for sake of hormones, and then switch between arms and legs. It will continue to have hormonal make up high enough for arms to build new tissue. Put as much weight on arms to make only 8-10 reps per session. For legs may be OK to continue multyrep training, (20-50reps) it should feel like burning. When you use high weight it feels like total exhaustion when you are not able to do one more rep. Use this technique for arms and legs. For legs you use both multyrep and exhaustion.
Another advise, come to train on empty stomach. If it is too hard for you, try several times with very tiny snack and continue to work your way to water only before and during training. Also try abstain from food near hour after workout. Unfortunately, if you really want to look thin you have to eat less and don t indulge in 40% of carbs. At least not every day.

LadyDaenerys

Ok.. so I need to reconsider my macro split... Hmmm .. I do feel like I need to work my big muscles for sure... Liift4 is a lot of upper work... I wish I could afford a dietitian... I went to one once who said what I eat is perfect but I need bcaas??? Idk .. I think it's macro related... What's good macros for this? If u know anyways... Ty for the help!!!

ninerbuff

kshama2001 wrote: »

@ninerbuff: your thoughts on her BF and training program?

Body fat seems to be in the 25%-28% range. As for the workout program, after looking at it, I DON'T believe the sequence is designed the best. It DOESN'T make sense to work arms so early in an workout program because they are a much smaller muscle than leg muscles. And since energy is HIGHEST at the beginning of a workout, you SHOULD be working the largest muscles with the most weight resistance you can use for sets and reps. For a lot of clients looking to change physique I do more volume training, usually an 8x8 system for every exercise.

As for HIIT, it was good. But I wouldn't necessarily do HIIT with a lifting day. But that's my opinion on it.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

ninerbuff

LadyDaenerys wrote: »

Ok.. so I need to reconsider my macro split... Hmmm .. I do feel like I need to work my big muscles for sure... Liift4 is a lot of upper work... I wish I could afford a dietitian... I went to one once who said what I eat is perfect but I need bcaas??? Idk .. I think it's macro related... What's good macros for this? If u know anyways... Ty for the help!!!

You can buy BCAA's at any supplement store. But if you're eating a variety of good protein sources, you should be able to get them as well. And some RTD's have them as well. Labrada Lean protein RTD's are a favorite of mine, although they are 280 calories per serving.


A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

cupcakesandproteinshakes

OP I think you want a bit more muscle and a bit less fat. Your training isn’t optimal IMO. Get on a beginners body building programme. Strong curves, thinner leaner stronger are two ok ones. There are others. You won’t look like a body builder all of a sudden, that takes years of hard work and dieting that most of us mortals can’t/ won’t be willing to put in.

Be patient.
Don’t compare urself to people on the internet. They do this stuff for a living.

LadyDaenerys

Thank you all for your input! one day.

I wanna do this stuff for a living one day... id love to be a personal trainer.. Ive been obsessed with this stuff since I lost the 85lbs. I crave to have all the muscle Ive built to be visible.

I'm hearing you all say to lift heavy and lift legs first in a workout then upper body later on... (Not sure if you mean later on in the same workout that day or later on in the week as the workouts I follow start off Monday chest and triceps Tuesday back and biceps Thursday shoulders Friday legs hit almost every day abs everyday...)

That macros might matter... And to seek a professionals help...

Tbh I want a program laid out for me, tailored for me specifically based off of my current, well, everything....

Depending on the cost I would definitely be willing to have someone tell me exactly step by step what I need to do to build muscle and lose body fat.

Like how many calories do I need during recomposition?

What should my macro stack be?

Do I just do HIIT on certain days?

What muscles do I work on certain days or every day?

Should I ever do cardio?

What happens if I gain muscle and dont lose the fat and gain wait and look puffier and not lean (tbh this is why I never up my calories.. it honestly scares me...

I guess I'll need to pay for some major hand holding to get what I really want... I'm obsessed with scheduling... Following through being competitive.. I've been working out for over 10 years I'm no newbie to weight loss and how to lose ... But the muscles.... It's all Greek to me.

ninerbuff

LadyDaenerys wrote: »

Thank you all for your input! one day.

I wanna do this stuff for a living one day... id love to be a personal trainer.. Ive been obsessed with this stuff since I lost the 85lbs. I crave to have all the muscle Ive built to be visible.

I'm hearing you all say to lift heavy and lift legs first in a workout then upper body later on... (Not sure if you mean later on in the same workout that day or later on in the week as the workouts I follow start off Monday chest and triceps Tuesday back and biceps Thursday shoulders Friday legs hit almost every day abs everyday...)

That macros might matter... And to seek a professionals help...

Tbh I want a program laid out for me, tailored for me specifically based off of my current, well, everything....

Depending on the cost I would definitely be willing to have someone tell me exactly step by step what I need to do to build muscle and lose body fat.

Like how many calories do I need during recomposition?

What should my macro stack be?

Do I just do HIIT on certain days?

What muscles do I work on certain days or every day?

Should I ever do cardio?

What happens if I gain muscle and dont lose the fat and gain wait and look puffier and not lean (tbh this is why I never up my calories.. it honestly scares me...

I guess I'll need to pay for some major hand holding to get what I really want... I'm obsessed with scheduling... Following through being competitive.. I've been working out for over 10 years I'm no newbie to weight loss and how to lose ... But the muscles.... It's all Greek to me.

PM me for more info.


A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

cupcakesandproteinshakes

Honestly u could do better than pay for 2 books. Muscle and strength training pyramid
Muscle and strength nutrition pyramid.
No need for a coach. IMO. If ur serious, U need some base line knowledge. From
A trustworthy source. Worth the time investment to read these 2 books.

kshama2001

LadyDaenerys wrote: »

Ok.. so I need to reconsider my macro split... Hmmm .. I do feel like I need to work my big muscles for sure... Liift4 is a lot of upper work... I wish I could afford a dietitian... I went to one once who said what I eat is perfect but I need bcaas??? Idk .. I think it's macro related... What's good macros for this? If u know anyways... Ty for the help!!!

40/30/30 is a fine macro split. If people are "skinny fat" on 40/30/30 it is simply due to their proportion of body fat, not proportion of macros. The posters who questioned your macros are eating 1. zero carb and 2. keto. I'm happy this works for them, but it is not a universal truth. I'm sure you could find via a google image search a number of vegans (high carb) with the aesthetic you seek. (Which is not to say you should eat vegan either.)

sijomial

That macros might matter... And to seek a professionals help...
- Be careful who in this thread you take advice from, there's a couple of people who should be ignored. Apart from a decent amount of protein there's many ways to tailor your fat and carb intake.

Tbh I want a program laid out for me, tailored for me specifically based off of my current, well, everything....
- You can simply pick a suitable weight training program. As recomp progress is driven by hypertrophy then picking a solid hypertrophy program as you main focus makes sense. First decide your goals and then your priorities and then select training programs that match.

Depending on the cost I would definitely be willing to have someone tell me exactly step by step what I need to do to build muscle and lose body fat.
- Might well be a good investment for you. In broad terms it's simply getting in shape by training effectvely and controlling your weight.

Like how many calories do I need during recomposition?
- Depends what you want your weight to do. If your main aim is leaning out quicker then a slight deficit/slow rate of weight loss. If building muscle is a higher immediate priority then maintain weight. You need to work out your calories that result in your desired weight loss or maintenance.

What should my macro stack be?
- Percentages are a poor way to manage macros. Once you have hit a decent protein goal (in grams) fat and carbs can be very individualised. And if you hit a decent protein goal you really shouldn't need to supplement BCAAs (over-hyped and unecessary or simply a poor choice for most).

Do I just do HIIT on certain days?
- Are you actually doing HIIT? Can you describe what you actually do? (HIIT is really short duration bursts of maximal, or close to maximal, effort cardio with recovery periods but it's become a label to hang on calisthenics or circuit training sessions.)
- What is your goal from doing this type of exercise and is it the best choice? (Most likely not.)

What muscles do I work on certain days or every day?
- A program tells you that.

Should I ever do cardio?
- If you have any interest in fitness and cadiovascular health then yes you should. (It's not going to drive recomp in anything but a very limited way though.)

What happens if I gain muscle and dont lose the fat and gain wait and look puffier and not lean (tbh this is why I never up my calories.. it honestly scares me...
- Don't eat in a sustained surplus and you won't get fatter. If you gain muscle and stay the same weight you are getting leaner.

springlering62

OT, but I’m a bit puzzled how you’re at 1350 calories. That seems awfully low. I’m only an inch taller and maintain at 2500.

Lietchi

springlering62 wrote: »

OT, but I’m a bit puzzled how you’re at 1350 calories. That seems awfully low. I’m only an inch taller and maintain at 2500.

Well, I'm 5ft5 and I'm losing weight at 2000+, so I'm a bit perplexed too. I think some reverse dieting might be in order, along with the strength training. Perhaps your body has adapted to this low amount of calories, but with reverse dieting you might be able to increase your intake gradually without gaining weight.

AnnPT77

Ditto to the surprise about 1350, especially even if it's before-exercise (though it sounds like OP's eating that amount, total, maybe?). At 5'5" and 125 pounds, I maintain around 2000 or so *plus* exercise calories, so 2200-2500 or so intake, depending on season. That's admittedly mysteriously high for my demographic (I'm 65), but OP is substantially younger. Standard BMR estimates for her, even at 29%BF, ought to be 1300ish +/- 50ish depending on estimating formula, and that's for being alive in a coma, basically. That's assuming accurate calorie logging as a context, of course.

She's lost a lot of weight (good for her!) so possible there may be some adaptive thermogenesis. If that's so, it's beyond my pay grade to understand what impact that would have on recomposition, but it's hard to believe it wouldn't impair progress. So, maybe reverse diet? Dunno.

OP, I agree with much of what was said, except for a couple of people (see the disagree count).

Sijomial's point by point summary of advice/answers was very useful, IMO, and the only tiny quibble I have with it is that I think hitting a fat minimum is important (not for recomp, but general health/nutrition), especially for women. OP, for a woman like you (and me), I like 0.35-0.45g fats daily per pound of bodyweight, as a minimum. So, yeah, figure out a protein minimum in grams, a fat minimum in grams, get plenty of varied, colorful veggies/fruit for micros and fiber. Using percents is convenient, and fine for general health goals for average people at non-extreme calorie levels (high or low), but that's not your full story. You have specific body comp goals.

This is a good evidence-based source for protein info:

https://examine.com/nutrition/protein-intake-calculator/
https://examine.com/guides/protein-intake/

They're general regarded as neutral (they don't sell supplements, for example), and they cite their sources clearly (in the 2nd link, which is a guide/analysis).

FWIW, OP, the recomposition thread I linked upthread goes into a lot of your questions in fair detail. The initial post is a pithy statement of key points, but what follows is Q&A, progress photos, useful videos, etc. - worth chipping away at reading, when you have time, if you haven't already done so.

LadyDaenerys

springlering62 wrote: »

OT, but I’m a bit puzzled how you’re at 1350 calories. That seems awfully low. I’m only an inch taller and maintain at 2500.

Yeah I see a lot of people who are around my size who are very lean instead of puffy and they eat thousands and thousands of more calories than me and I don't understand how they look thinner but they eat more and I also don't understand why I'm not losing more weight than I'm just sitting here maintaining and I work out everyday

LadyDaenerys

AnnPT77 wrote: »

Ditto to the surprise about 1350, especially even if it's before-exercise (though it sounds like OP's eating that amount, total, maybe?). At 5'5" and 125 pounds, I maintain around 2000 or so *plus* exercise calories, so 2200-2500 or so intake, depending on season. That's admittedly mysteriously high for my demographic (I'm 65), but OP is substantially younger. Standard BMR estimates for her, even at 29%BF, ought to be 1300ish +/- 50ish depending on estimating formula, and that's for being alive in a coma, basically. That's assuming accurate calorie logging as a context, of course.

She's lost a lot of weight (good for her!) so possible there may be some adaptive thermogenesis. If that's so, it's beyond my pay grade to understand what impact that would have on recomposition, but it's hard to believe it wouldn't impair progress. So, maybe reverse diet? Dunno.

OP, I agree with much of what was said, except for a couple of people (see the disagree count).

Sijomial's point by point summary of advice/answers was very useful, IMO, and the only tiny quibble I have with it is that I think hitting a fat minimum is important (not for recomp, but general health/nutrition), especially for women. OP, for a woman like you (and me), I like 0.35-0.45g fats daily per pound of bodyweight, as a minimum. So, yeah, figure out a protein minimum in grams, a fat minimum in grams, get plenty of varied, colorful veggies/fruit for micros and fiber. Using percents is convenient, and fine for general health goals for average people at non-extreme calorie levels (high or low), but that's not your full story. You have specific body comp goals.

This is a good evidence-based source for protein info:

https://examine.com/nutrition/protein-intake-calculator/
https://examine.com/guides/protein-intake/

They're general regarded as neutral (they don't sell supplements, for example), and they cite their sources clearly (in the 2nd link, which is a guide/analysis).

FWIW, OP, the recomposition thread I linked upthread goes into a lot of your questions in fair detail. The initial post is a pithy statement of key points, but what follows is Q&A, progress photos, useful videos, etc. - worth chipping away at reading, when you have time, if you haven't already done so.

Thank you!! I'll deff be looking into that thread. And those links. I've always ate 1200 to 1400 calories that's how I lost the weight but I've hit a plateau. I have health anxiety and when I was younger I was told by a doctor all these scary things... I panicked... Cried... And changed my life.... Food I love scares me (pizza, bagels, Chinese food, sushi... anything with artificial anything, non natural sugar... I don't even take medication because of some other horror story regarding Cipro and waking up not being able to bend my legs one morning.. changed my life and mental health forever)

Anyways! I'm scared to eat too much. And when I see others who are my size and are getting lean are eating soooooo much more blows mind... I know I've been psyched out .. but I'm afraid that if I try a plan.. eat more... But gain in fat again I'll never get back to where I'm at now.

I prob sound silly.. lol

I'll have a look at all this info and see what I can learn!

Thanks again!

LadyDaenerys

What really annoys me is my boyfriend eats fast food every day doesn't work out at all and he lean and ripped! 😩

AnnPT77

LadyDaenerys wrote: »

What really annoys me is my boyfriend eats fast food every day doesn't work out at all and he lean and ripped! 😩

Comparing ourselves to guys is kinda non-productive, I think. Different hormone profile, body comp, and more. I get that that's frustrating. (I'm widowed now, but was married for a couple of decades to a strong guy, taller than me, natural athlete . . . a thing I'm emphatically *not*!)

You've achieved difficult, incredible things so far . . . and I hope you know you look amazing already. Don't sell yourself short: You've done what thousands, maybe millions of people would like to do but haven't or won't or can't. You're already a superstar.

Sure, going further will take whole new insights, present new difficulties. It's OK to take your time moving on to the next steps, but you have the strength (I'm certain), and eventually you will.

Read up on recomposition, watch videos from good sources (some of those in the linked thread), learn about reverse dieting from some of those same good sources. Just sponge in some of that info, sort out the good stuff from the charlatans (ask people here if you're not sure which are which, you'll get multiple opinions, but you can sort it out). Eventually, you'll feel ready to take some of those next, difficult steps, I'm betting.

Wishing you long-term success!