Advice for body recomposition? Ladies?

BuildaBetterBody4

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jessicaliujiexin

Hi Jessica,

I've been lifting heavy weights at the gym for the past year and eating at maintenance. I try to eat a gram of protein per pound of weight so am aiming for 130 grams of protein a day. I weightlift 2-3 times a week, and I try to lift as heavy as I can.

I weigh more than you do and am 5'4". I've added some pictures below; I weigh the same amount (~130 pounds) in the middle and right pictures, but as you can see my body has changed a fair amount over the past year. I have more muscle, look more toned, and feel great.



Good luck on your journey, there's a book called New Rules of Lifting for Women that I found helpful to get my head wrapped around this strength training business.

Emma

Holy crap you look great !!!!

Agree!!! :drinker:

Completely agree! thank you for the advice, I will definitely check out the book!

jessicaliujiexin

So I guess it is true what they say about beginners - it's a "holy grail" stage where fat loss and muscle gain are possible simultaneously. Definitely gonna make the best of it haha. The discussion in here is so great, thanks to all contributors!

Petrusilly

Try signing up for bodybuilding.com and picking a program for beginners. Using their bodyspace app, you'll be a pro in no time... that totally sounded like a commercial... haha but it's true. The community there is really good also, has helped me a lot to stay motivated!

Just a note about BB.com - you'll want to stick to the Women's forum, or tread carefully in some others (as in, take what you read and feedback you receive with a grain of salt and a bit of your own research). There is great information there, but a lot of young, inexperienced people posting misinformation as well (not unlike here, I guess).

And whatever you do, DO NOT GO THE THE "MISC" FORUM!

I meant more their official stuff rather than the forums...

chele1028

Bumping

hookilau

Try signing up for bodybuilding.com and picking a program for beginners. Using their bodyspace app, you'll be a pro in no time... that totally sounded like a commercial... haha but it's true. The community there is really good also, has helped me a lot to stay motivated!

Just a note about BB.com - you'll want to stick to the Women's forum, or tread carefully in some others (as in, take what you read and feedback you receive with a grain of salt and a bit of your own research). There is great information there, but a lot of young, inexperienced people posting misinformation as well (not unlike here, I guess).

And whatever you do, DO NOT GO THE THE "MISC" FORUM!

I meant more their official stuff rather than the forums...

:blushing: yanno I HAD to go look right?...:laugh: :laugh:

CoachSarahB

Only eat at a 250 calorie deficit and you may actually up your calories a bit considering how active you are, probably around 1300ish. But if you eat at maintenance level, you will get results too. As far a changing body comp, getting enough protein is the KEY to gaining muscle and losing fat. You need 1 g of protein per pound of Lean Body Mass(muscle) that you have, in order to gain muscle, up that a little. FOr example i have 105 lbs of muscle so I take in around 120g per day. I would also keep carbs on the lower side (DONT OMIT!!), around 1 g per lbs of LBM. THat alone will cause you to gain muscle and the more muscle you have the more fat you burn! I lost 11% body fat and gained 8lbs of muscle in just a couple months, WITH OUT much exercise! If you want faster results, cardio will target the fat, some weights if you want. In my opinion, I would cut fat first, then work on doing weights and upping cals in order to gain muscle. that is if you want more muscle gain then you will already get from adjusting your diet.

MelissaPhippsFeagins

Eat at TDEE. If you were overweight, then eat at a very slight deficit. You are NOT overweight, so should not be eating at a deficit. Concentrate on the FOOD vs. calories. Get a handle on what your TDEE is. I'm pretty sure it will be higher than 1200 cals.

Lift HEAVY. Heavy is a relative term. Heavy means challenging for you. You must train so that you are challenging your muscles. Training is different than exercising - you will need to push past your comfort zone. Progressively consistently train - lift heavy. Eat at TDEE. Concentrate on protein. Keep your carbs complex. Have some healthy fats from whole foods. Stay the course. Your body WILL transform. It is a slow process, but it will happen.

Get After It !

This. I started with body weight training, but have moved on to weight work in the gym 3x/week, Barre class and yoga 2-3x/week. Weightlifting for strength; Barre and yoga for flexibility and balance. I have just added barbell to the weight machines and thought I would feel silly in "the guy's room", but my husband goes with me and all the men are impressed that I am trying at 45 and with 4 kids. I have not lost weight since January, but everyone at work is commenting on how much skinnier I look. I don't care what they think, but I like looking in the mirrors and seeing definition replacing flab.

Good luck, OP

arewethereyet

The feedback here is so great, I hope others are also getting something useful from this discussion. I have adjusted my intake to maintenance, which is about 1700-1800. Oh, and also, lots of protein! But part of me is still reluctant, because the flab on my belly and upper arms is instinctively making me want to remain in a deficit...

I am about the same size, but 53 yrs old. At 122 I am not interested in losing weight per se, just to get rid of the remaining body fat. I have been working out for 2 months now, started quite slow so didn't get into full mode until recently. I have gone done a full size!

This is with dancing 2 hours 2-3 times a week and doing body weight exercises every day. Push ups, planks, a few crunches, lunges and squats. As well as bicep curls (up to 10lbs now from nothing) and tricep dips on a chair.

People are starting to notice the change in my body. It is slight, but it is real. I cannot wait to see what happens at the end of a full year!

Slow and steady wins the race in this stage of the game. :flowerforyou:

arewethereyet

Hi Jessica,

I've been lifting heavy weights at the gym for the past year and eating at maintenance. I try to eat a gram of protein per pound of weight so am aiming for 130 grams of protein a day. I weightlift 2-3 times a week, and I try to lift as heavy as I can.

I weigh more than you do and am 5'4". I've added some pictures below; I weigh the same amount (~130 pounds) in the middle and right pictures, but as you can see my body has changed a fair amount over the past year. I have more muscle, look more toned, and feel great.



Good luck on your journey, there's a book called New Rules of Lifting for Women that I found helpful to get my head wrapped around this strength training business.

Emma

Holy crap you look great !!!!

Well, in case I had any misgivings on weightlifting, you just took care of THAT!! WOW :noway:

jessicaliujiexin

The feedback here is so great, I hope others are also getting something useful from this discussion. I have adjusted my intake to maintenance, which is about 1700-1800. Oh, and also, lots of protein! But part of me is still reluctant, because the flab on my belly and upper arms is instinctively making me want to remain in a deficit...

I am about the same size, but 53 yrs old. At 122 I am not interested in losing weight per se, just to get rid of the remaining body fat. I have been working out for 2 months now, started quite slow so didn't get into full mode until recently. I have gone done a full size!

This is with dancing 2 hours 2-3 times a week and doing body weight exercises every day. Push ups, planks, a few crunches, lunges and squats. As well as bicep curls (up to 10lbs now from nothing) and tricep dips on a chair.

People are starting to notice the change in my body. It is slight, but it is real. I cannot wait to see what happens at the end of a full year!

Slow and steady wins the race in this stage of the game. :flowerforyou:

Wow congrats, that's awesome! Keep up the good work. I have a feeling my path of progress will be very similar to yours, since I made the commitment of getting in shape 3 weeks ago, but have only been watching my diet and doing bodyweight stuff. Best of luck!

allie_00p

bump

kelly_e_montana

I have lost 8% bodyfat since January eating at maintenance (for me 2500-2700 calories) and have gained 13 pounds of muscle. I used a program called Eat to Perform. I don't recommend subscribing to their forums, but their book is worthwhile. I have never done a bulk and cut. I like recomp because you're not hungry while doing it. Also, I'm a mesomorph so maybe I put on muscle more easily.

Get your body fat tested and set a body fat goal instead of a weight goal. For example, in January I was at 33% BF. Now I am at 25% and I weigh the same. I am going for 20% and will see if I want to drop more (I doubt I will because I like a curvy-fit look).

I am 5'5" 170ish @25% BF. I just got a group pic taken of me and I am standing next to a girl same height who I know weighs 15 pounds less than me and she looks like she weighs more. I wear a size 8-10 or medium bottoms/large top and previously I wore these sizes at 140-152.

MscGray

I have some time before this will become an issue for me as I still have a long way until I even approach my goal weight...but I guess...Is it advisable to start lifting heavy even being obese? I guess I was using the school of thought (with absolutely NO backing) that I would lose majority of the weight and then focus in on getting definition....but based on some of the answers I don't know if that's the correct thinking...any thoughts or words of advise would be awesome ..thanks!!! And good luck OP, it seems like you have received some awesome advise, thanks for posing the question :drinker:

CallMeCupcakeDammit

I have some time before this will become an issue for me as I still have a long way until I even approach my goal weight...but I guess...Is it advisable to start lifting heavy even being obese? I guess I was using the school of thought (with absolutely NO backing) that I would lose majority of the weight and then focus in on getting definition....but based on some of the answers I don't know if that's the correct thinking...any thoughts or words of advise would be awesome ..thanks!!! And good luck OP, it seems like you have received some awesome advise, thanks for posing the question :drinker:

I used to think I would wait until I was closer to goal before I started lifting heavier. I'm glad my friends here changed my thinking. I still have about 60 lbs to lose. There's no reason you shouldn't start now. Just be sure to watch videos on form if you don't have a trainer, and use a beginner's routine like the ones mentioned on the first page of this thread.

Praying_Mantis

BUMP for awesomeness. Thanks OP for starting this.

Holla4mom

Emma, you look amazing!!

I am actually really interested in achieving more of the middle picture physique. Is that around 22% body fat, may I ask?

Hi Jessica,

I've been lifting heavy weights at the gym for the past year and eating at maintenance. I try to eat a gram of protein per pound of weight so am aiming for 130 grams of protein a day. I weightlift 2-3 times a week, and I try to lift as heavy as I can.

I weigh more than you do and am 5'4". I've added some pictures below; I weigh the same amount (~130 pounds) in the middle and right pictures, but as you can see my body has changed a fair amount over the past year. I have more muscle, look more toned, and feel great.



Good luck on your journey, there's a book called New Rules of Lifting for Women that I found helpful to get my head wrapped around this strength training business.

Emma

kelly_e_montana

If you didn't get your body fat tested in the middle pic, I can say that's about what I look like (slightly narrower waist/straight up and down) and I am 25%.

Liftng4Lis

Wanted to say this is my 5th day with upping my calories and I haven't GAINED, so I'm thinking this is a positive in the right direction. I was told to up them about 3-4 weeks ago by the members of this community but I was too afraid to. I mean really, how could one UP your calories and lose??? Well sitting under 1300 for 3 weeks and not budging moved me to try something different.
Incidentally, someone may be scraping me off the floor if this doesn't work, but until them, I'M ALL IN!

jessicaliujiexin

Calories can be so fussy!

dkeckley426

I also wanted to add that lifting heavy is important for women to keep bone mass. It’s even more important when small-framed to begin to truly concentrate on both heavy lifting and impact exercise prior to menopause. Protein is necessary to keep the bone matrix strong as well. It’s easy for women to simply focus on being skinny, losing both muscle and bone mass in the process. It’s time to stop thinking about being skinny but thinking about being strong. That’s what weight lifting does for me. The body recomposition comes just as many others here have explained. Then you become lean — not just skinny.