Starting a recomp above my "goal weight"- would love tips/ encouragement

healingnurtrer

I'm switching to maintenance!!

Starting weight 200lbs
current weight 141lbs
Goal weight was 131lbs.
Height 5' 5"

I'm technically not "overweight" anymore according to BMI but I still feel like I'm "over-fat." But I've decided to switch to maintenance because that just feels right. Losing is getting discouraging and exhausting.

I'm going to attempt a year of "recomp" and then see if I want to try to lose more weight or not.

So my goals now are
1. Maintain the same weight ~5 lb range
-daily weigh-ins and tracking on happy scale app,
-maintenance calories
-macros 50% carbs 20% protein 30% fat (that's the best I can do on protein)
2. Body recomp
-strength training program

I also meditate, do yoga and sleep well.

I feel good about my plan, I think the hardest part will be the mental game. Accepting my body at this weight for awhile, accepting the slow pace of recomp vs. losing.

Want to share any tips for success on maintaining, recomposition, or positive affirmation or encouragement for the mental game of accepting I'm not at "goal weight"? My goal is long-term success and I think switching to recomp for a year is the right path for that.

cwolfman13

Get on a good lifting program.

I'm not one to get hung up on some arbitrary weight on the scale. I never had a "goal weight". I went to maintenance and recomp when I more or less liked what I saw in the mirror and became far more interested in my fitness and fitness performance than a scale weight. Performance is much better when you are actually fueling it.

Some arbitrary weight on the scale isn't the be all and end all. Check out Stacy from Nerd Fitness...



In the picture on the left she is 131 Lbs...in the picture on the right she is 142 Lbs (11 Lbs heavier on the scale) and aesthetically looks much more fit. She eats...she lifts...

https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/female-powerlifters-meet-staci-ardison/

sijomial

healingnurtrer wrote: »

2. Body recomp
-strength training program

Your goal seems to be gaining muscle so why not a hypertrophy focussed program?

FYI - I did a purposeful recomp at a very small deficit after my main weight loss and found zero impact to my lifting performance or results compared to eating at weight maintenance dropping roughly 1lb a month for 6 months.
Recomp doesn't have to be exactly at maintenance.
I did think that an uneven eating patterned helped me with a very errartic deficit rather than trying to eat at a tiny daily consistent deficit.

AnnPT77

healingnurtrer wrote: »

(snip useful background info)

I feel good about my plan, I think the hardest part will be the mental game. Accepting my body at this weight for awhile, accepting the slow pace of recomp vs. losing.

Want to share any tips for success on maintaining, recomposition, or positive affirmation or encouragement for the mental game of accepting I'm not at "goal weight"? My goal is long-term success and I think switching to recomp for a year is the right path for that.

I assume you've checked out the recomp thread here:

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

There are varied opinions and approaches in there, which may be useful if you haven't read it.

I've only recomped by accident, while still obese at the time, and via a slow and idiosyncratic route, so I don't really have a perspective on recomp. Someone here, it may've been Sijomial up there, has said "we used to call it 'getting in shape'" . . . yeah. 😉

Goal weight: Not some kind of shining obelisk someplace, just a place where we've decided to stay for a while. We may eventually change our minds, and that's fine, too: That's a new goal weight. So, you're at goal weight. Goal weight now, for now.

I'm your height, 5'5". 141 seems pretty healthy and reasonable, for an active woman.

Further, you're right that it really needs to be a range. If the 5 pounds is how much your weight fluctuates day to day, normally - say, over the course of a week? That seems good. If you go over that more than briefly (few days or a week, perhaps), consider cutting back a bit. If you've been counting for a while, you probably know what creates temporary up-fluctuations for you, so you won't fret over those.

If you really intend to hold steady for a while, vs. it being OK with you if you lose super slowly, then set a lower boundary, too, and eat a bit more if you drop below it for a while. If you're good with slow loss, just make sure it doesn't speed up to a point that it will interfere with your recomp goal. (I agree with Sijomial that a small deficit can be OK.) The interference between weight loss and muscle gain is more of a continuum, i.e., turning up weight loss rate can turn down muscle gain rate. It's not a binary on/off switch.

Success at maintaining? IMO, personalization of reasonably easy, reasonably happy habits is the key. The more "will power" or "motivation" that's required, the higher the odds that things will slip if other parts of life get complicated. Find some happy ways of eating and moving that are practical, and support your goals - a balance - and groove in those habits so they're nearly automatic. If the context changes, you may need to tweak those habits (like if you start a new job, or move, or something), but starting from a non-struggle set of habits is really helpful.

You can probably tell: I don't like making things dramatic, inside my own head. Successful maintenance is kind of low drama, generically, IMO - sometimes people struggle with not seeing the scale drop. You have some other goals you want to achieve, which is a good way to approach that issue. Maybe your yoga/meditation practice will help you dig into how good strength/muscle gain feel, how useful and empowering the strength is, and that maybe not feel like such a slow pace?

Best wishes!

healingnurtrer

That is so motivating! Nice to see I can still make the changes I want without a calorie deficit at this point. Thanks.

cwolfman13 wrote: »

Get on a good lifting program.

I'm not one to get hung up on some arbitrary weight on the scale. I never had a "goal weight". I went to maintenance and recomp when I more or less liked what I saw in the mirror and became far more interested in my fitness and fitness performance than a scale weight. Performance is much better when you are actually fueling it.

Some arbitrary weight on the scale isn't the be all and end all. Check out Stacy from Nerd Fitness...



In the picture on the left she is 131 Lbs...in the picture on the right she is 142 Lbs (11 Lbs heavier on the scale) and aesthetically looks much more fit. She eats...she lifts...

https://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/female-powerlifters-meet-staci-ardison/

healingnurtrer

I'll look into hypertrophy focused, thanks! And thanks for sharing your experience. I'd be fine with a super slow loss if I was still seeing good performance in exercising. I'm ready to not feel like I'm on a calorie deficit anymore so whatever feels right and doesn't make me gain I'll go with.

sijomial wrote: »

healingnurtrer wrote: »

2. Body recomp
-strength training program

Your goal seems to be gaining muscle so why not a hypertrophy focussed program?

FYI - I did a purposeful recomp at a very small deficit after my main weight loss and found zero impact to my lifting performance or results compared to eating at weight maintenance dropping roughly 1lb a month for 6 months.
Recomp doesn't have to be exactly at maintenance.
I did think that an uneven eating patterned helped me with a very errartic deficit rather than trying to eat at a tiny daily consistent deficit.

healingnurtrer

Yes, used to be called "getting in shape" lol yes that's my goal! I need to remind myself I can get in shape now without the calorie deficit. Thanks for that link!

Easy, happy habits! Love that! Definitely helped during weight loss too.

And I like the idea of focusing on my new goals. I have been very focused on the scale while losing so shifting to being focused on having a great workout will hopefully help me still feel successful.

Thanks!

AnnPT77 wrote: »

healingnurtrer wrote: »

(snip useful background info)

I feel good about my plan, I think the hardest part will be the mental game. Accepting my body at this weight for awhile, accepting the slow pace of recomp vs. losing.

Want to share any tips for success on maintaining, recomposition, or positive affirmation or encouragement for the mental game of accepting I'm not at "goal weight"? My goal is long-term success and I think switching to recomp for a year is the right path for that.

I assume you've checked out the recomp thread here:

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

There are varied opinions and approaches in there, which may be useful if you haven't read it.

I've only recomped by accident, while still obese at the time, and via a slow and idiosyncratic route, so I don't really have a perspective on recomp. Someone here, it may've been Sijomial up there, has said "we used to call it 'getting in shape'" . . . yeah. 😉

Goal weight: Not some kind of shining obelisk someplace, just a place where we've decided to stay for a while. We may eventually change our minds, and that's fine, too: That's a new goal weight. So, you're at goal weight. Goal weight now, for now.

I'm your height, 5'5". 141 seems pretty healthy and reasonable, for an active woman.

Further, you're right that it really needs to be a range. If the 5 pounds is how much your weight fluctuates day to day, normally - say, over the course of a week? That seems good. If you go over that more than briefly (few days or a week, perhaps), consider cutting back a bit. If you've been counting for a while, you probably know what creates temporary up-fluctuations for you, so you won't fret over those.

If you really intend to hold steady for a while, vs. it being OK with you if you lose super slowly, then set a lower boundary, too, and eat a bit more if you drop below it for a while. If you're good with slow loss, just make sure it doesn't speed up to a point that it will interfere with your recomp goal. (I agree with Sijomial that a small deficit can be OK.) The interference between weight loss and muscle gain is more of a continuum, i.e., turning up weight loss rate can turn down muscle gain rate. It's not a binary on/off switch.

Success at maintaining? IMO, personalization of reasonably easy, reasonably happy habits is the key. The more "will power" or "motivation" that's required, the higher the odds that things will slip if other parts of life get complicated. Find some happy ways of eating and moving that are practical, and support your goals - a balance - and groove in those habits so they're nearly automatic. If the context changes, you may need to tweak those habits (like if you start a new job, or move, or something), but starting from a non-struggle set of habits is really helpful.

You can probably tell: I don't like making things dramatic, inside my own head. Successful maintenance is kind of low drama, generically, IMO - sometimes people struggle with not seeing the scale drop. You have some other goals you want to achieve, which is a good way to approach that issue. Maybe your yoga/meditation practice will help you dig into how good strength/muscle gain feel, how useful and empowering the strength is, and that maybe not feel like such a slow pace?

Best wishes!

healingnurtrer

Thanks, this is a good reframe for me- I am AT goal weight now. It is reasonable. I've been skinnier but I don't have to be, especially since I'd prefer to gain muscle. Thanks.

AnnPT77 wrote: »

Goal weight: Not some kind of shining obelisk someplace, just a place where we've decided to stay for a while. We may eventually change our minds, and that's fine, too: That's a new goal weight. So, you're at goal weight. Goal weight now, for now.

I'm your height, 5'5". 141 seems pretty healthy and reasonable, for an active woman.