I have a LOT of questions. :)

Findekano

So, this is sort of a multipart question, very long, and probably full of stupid. Bear with me, I'm new to this "actually caring about whether your weight is fat or muscle no matter if it's higher or lower" thing. I've already lost quite a bit of weight before mfp, but it has resulted in skinny-fatness. That's what I'm aiming to change now. I'm new to re-comping, and I'm finding all of the various and conflicting information out there to be a little overwhelming, so I thought I'd bring my specific situation to the table here, and see if I could get some opinions from you guys.

First, my stats:

5'1.5
23 years
115 pounds
BF% as estimated by bf scale: 25%
BF% as estimated by US navy method: 24%
Goal BF%: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uO_CNYidOw0 <--Whatever this is. I'm guessing about 10-15%.
TDEE based on an average of several calculators: 1650

Current workout: StrongLifts 5x5, modified for use with dumbbells instead of a barbell (can't afford a gym membership atm, and those are what I have on hand. But I do have a question about this. See #4).

Current diet: I have a history of chronic under-eating, and most days during my weight-loss, I wouldn't break 1000 calories. This, of course, caused a lot of damage, and for the past couple of weeks, I've just been working to get my appetite back and show my body that there is in fact, not a famine going on. I haven't paid attention to macros during this time, since my focus was mainly to restore appetite and metabolism. This has ended up at about 2000-3000 calories a day. Which is not sustainable in the long run if my goal is to NOT put on fat. See #3.

Goals: gain lean mass and lose fat (which, I know, must be a two-part process)

1) Should I aim to gain lean mass first, or lose fat first? My preference is towards gaining first, as I would rather that my CW was my lean mass, and it seems counter-productive to possibly lose MORE lean mass when I would desperately like to put some on. But if there is a good reason why losing first would be better, I'm open to that method.

2) What, in your opinion, is the optimal macronutrient ratio for fat loss? For muscle gain? Or are they the same?

3) Based on my TDEE, what should my calorie goal be for fat loss? For muscle gain? I don't log exercise because I built that into my TDEE, so I am not eating back any exercise calories, and I've always calculated my TDEE as "lightly active".

4) As far as working out goes, I know I will eventually need more weight. Right now, I am deadlifting with 2- 20lb dumbbells and squatting with 2- 15lb-ers, and going as low as 5-10 pounds for things like the overhead press. The 40lb deadlift is already getting a bit too easy, and that is the maximum amount of weight that I have for my dumbbells. My question here is, should I stick with the dumbbells and just buy heavier plates until I'm at at least 45lbs for each exercise, or invest in a barbell for my deadlifts now, then progress to using the barbell for other exercises later, even though the bar alone would be 5lbs heavier than what I'm currently deadlifting?

I'm sure there are some stupid questions in there, but thanks in advance for educating me!

nicleed

You can probably find most answers here: http://scoobysworkshop.com/

But I would like to point out that 10-15 percent BF for a woman is VERY low, even for an elite athlete.

Findekano

You can probably find most answers here: http://scoobysworkshop.com/

But I would like to point out that 10-15 percent BF for a woman is VERY low, even for an elite athlete.

Thanks for the link. Do you think her bf% is higher than that? She *is* a bodybuilder, but in that video, she looks like her bf% might be a bit higher than in her photos.

ETA: I'm not aiming for her look in her photos, but rather the video. Would you say 18-20% is more reasonable?

nicleed

I must admit, I didn't look at the youtube link But I think 18-20 percent is probably more realistic. I am 44 years old, 5'9" inches, 148 pounds and currently around 25 percent BF. Now I am at goal weight, my next goal 22-23 percent BF (which might mean an incease on the scales, but hopefully losing inches.


Someone posted here ages ago a good link that showed photos of people with different BF %. might have been this

http://www.builtlean.com/2012/09/24/body-fat-percentage-men-women/

BusyRaeNOTBusty

She's actually not that lean. I'd guess 20%. She just has a LOT of muscle (and fake boobs but that's besides the point). I really like her composition in that video, not too lean like you see them during competition.

1.) 115lbs IS pretty light. I agree that I think you should bulk first.

2.) Protein should be about 1gram for every pound of lean body weight, or just shoot for around 100 to make it easier. Fat should be about 1/3 of your total weight, so about 40grams. Those are minimums, going over is just great. There is no carb min. Just hit those, and fill in the rest of your calories with whatever you want.

3.) Try your TDEE + 10% for muscle gain. If you do decide to go with fat loss, at this weight I'd go with TDEE -10% (you are pretty small, don't want to do too big of a deficit), if you do gain some you can go with 20% later.

4.) I'd keep looking for a cheaper gym. Trying to get a decent set up at home can be very expensive and require a lot of space. Check for local public recreation centers, maybe the YMCA, college gyms that offer memberships, etc.

Findekano

She's actually not that lean. I'd guess 20%. She just has a LOT of muscle (and fake boobs but that's besides the point). I really like her composition in that video, not too lean like you see them during competition.

1.) 115lbs IS pretty light. I agree that I think you should bulk first.

2.) Protein should be about 1gram for every pound of lean body weight, or just shoot for around 100 to make it easier. Fat should be about 1/3 of your total weight, so about 40grams. Those are minimums, going over is just great. There is no carb min. Just hit those, and fill in the rest of your calories with whatever you want.

3.) Try your TDEE + 10% for muscle gain. If you do decide to go with fat loss, at this weight I'd go with TDEE -10% (you are pretty small, don't want to do too big of a deficit), if you do gain some you can go with 20% later.

4.) I'd keep looking for a cheaper gym. Trying to get a decent set up at home can be very expensive and require a lot of space. Check for local public recreation centers, maybe the YMCA, college gyms that offer memberships, etc.

Yeah, I think the size of her muscles was what was throwing me off.

Thanks for the advice. I'll keep doing what I'm doing for the time being, but keep my eyes out for a decent/afforable gym. I'm wary of gyms that I can afford - I had a bad experience with my town's Fitness 19 branch. No showers, no changing area, overcrowded, broken equipment, and they kept charging my bank card LONG after I was no longer a member, and refused to refund the SIX MONTHS they charged me for after I terminated my membership, even though it was a mistake on their part. But a new local place just opened, and I might take a tour there since the price is pretty reasonable.

LiftAllThePizzas

I just started the StrongLifts too. I found a barbell set with 250 lbs of weights for $20 on craigslist. Keep in mind, if you don't have a spotter/rack it is very unwise to do bench presses with a barbell.

Findekano

I just started the StrongLifts too. I found a barbell set with 250 lbs of weights for $20 on craigslist. Keep in mind, if you don't have a spotter/rack it is very unwise to do bench presses with a barbell.

Yeah, my bf and I work out together, so I've got a spotter. And I'd definitely invest in a rack if I got the barbell.