Recomposition: Maintaining weight while losing fat

Goals change?

I've got a feeling @Samm471 had a goal weight but the reflection in the mirror is not what she anticipated.

rybo wrote: »

You are at goal but want to continue cutting?

Yeah rybo but only to drop body fat I'm still not happy with my bf % and thought cutting will make me lose it quicker than a recomp but it obvs means I will need to sacrifice losing more weight too

A recomp doesn't necessarily have to take forever. Its also a lot more tolerable than trying to cut down to the bf% you want.

Samm471 wrote: »

rybo wrote: »

A recomp doesn't necessarily have to take forever. Its also a lot more tolerable than trying to cut down to the bf% you want.

I'm not sure what way to go do you have a suggestion? I don't even know what's maintenance calories are yet I'm upping them slowly but still losing 1lb per week just now I'm in two minds some people suggest to keep cutting till I get the bf% I would like others suggest maintaining and others suggested losing 0.5lbs per week so I'm confused haha .. Can you tell I'm a total newbie?

@Samm471 if you are not getting the aesthetic result - is this not so much a matter of body fat % reduction, but one of target muscle development?

Ditto's to comments above.

Plus - think about this.

If at healthy weight already, but BF% is higher than you want, you want athletic level - then what exactly will you be seeing if you lose this fat - doesn't sound like much - you will be a stick figure it sounds like.

Do the maintenance and see how fast performance improves eating more - and how much faster the body transforms.

Right now you are treading BF% the same way some treat scale weight - as some end-all figure that is important.

But unless you tell someone - will they know?

Or will they rather SEE you, and you and they could see a body that may not be at a scale weight or BF% you think is important - but looks totally great anyway. Perhaps even better.

Samm471 wrote: »

heybales wrote: »

Ditto's to comments above.

Plus - think about this.

If at healthy weight already, but BF% is higher than you want, you want athletic level - then what exactly will you be seeing if you lose this fat - doesn't sound like much - you will be a stick figure it sounds like.

Do the maintenance and see how fast performance improves eating more - and how much faster the body transforms.

Right now you are treading BF% the same way some treat scale weight - as some end-all figure that is important.

But unless you tell someone - will they know?

Or will they rather SEE you, and you and they could see a body that may not be at a scale weight or BF% you think is important - but looks totally great anyway. Perhaps even better.

Okay thanks so you think eating at maintenance would be best rather than still cutting? Also is there anyone who went from a deficit and jumped straight to maintenance calories how did it go? Should I just up my cals slowly? I'm hearing so many different things from people. Some say maintain weight now , some say keep cutting then bulk

When people give advice like this they are usually speaking to what they would do. You need to be as specific as possible to let people know what your goals are. While a lay person may not understand the need for specifics, a knowledgeable person will be able to help tailor your strategy to your goals.

tagging to read later

Samm471 wrote: »

heybales wrote: »

Ditto's to comments above.

Plus - think about this.

If at healthy weight already, but BF% is higher than you want, you want athletic level - then what exactly will you be seeing if you lose this fat - doesn't sound like much - you will be a stick figure it sounds like.

Do the maintenance and see how fast performance improves eating more - and how much faster the body transforms.

Right now you are treading BF% the same way some treat scale weight - as some end-all figure that is important.

But unless you tell someone - will they know?

Or will they rather SEE you, and you and they could see a body that may not be at a scale weight or BF% you think is important - but looks totally great anyway. Perhaps even better.

Okay thanks so you think eating at maintenance would be best rather than still cutting? Also is there anyone who went from a deficit and jumped straight to maintenance calories how did it go? Should I just up my cals slowly? I'm hearing so many different things from people. Some say maintain weight now , some say keep cutting then bulk

Ditto's to slowly, because if you have actually been losing 1 lb weekly still - you have a 500 cal deficit in place, and at healthy weight already, that means your body has probably kept a decently depleted store of glucose in the muscle.
That's part of the first big water weight drop when starting a diet - and it'll come back as soon as you stop.
But never fear - it's part of LBM since attached to glucose, and the body expends energy (BMR) managing it.
So metabolism will go up instantly too.

So that's going to be a water weight gain fast or slow - your mental state will decide how you can handle it.

it's NOT fat though. Same type of water weight you get going in to summer and sweating more and blood volume increases.
Hopefully no one would actually thing that needs a fix - by draining blood.

People that say keep cutting are probably going on generic advice that when there is weight to still be lost to healthy weight, then keep cutting and lifting at same time.

But once at healthy weight, body is going to put up a fight trying to go lower. That additional stress ain't needed if you want the stress from workouts to have max effect.

belimawr wrote: »

Hey guys,
Have been watching this and other recomp threads, and notice the warnings of the slow progress. That doesn't bother me, as it took me 35 years to decide to lose the weight, a few months or years recomp won't hurt me.

Is there a downside (as far as health/fitness) to the slow progress, or is it just a matter of preference? It's just that getting to a gym is a PITA with my work hours and commute, whereas recomp seems something more doable between home and lunch break with bodyweight and equipment I can keep at each.

No downside - just mental state.
Some also don't like the idea of bulking and purposely gaining fat they'll have to lose again - after perhaps losing a great amount already.

Your "whereas" statement makes me think you think recomp is easier.

As soon as your muscles are NOT stressed by the weight load on them - your body will have no need or desire to create more muscle.
If that is not happening - there is no recomp going on.

That's why this thread is all about comments on lifting - that is required. You gotta have the body build something new (muscle) to use up something old (fat).

Bodyweight for a bunch of resistance training will no longer be effective after some point. It'll turn in to fatigue from use, not failing because of load.

belimawr wrote: »

Hey guys,
Have been watching this and other recomp threads, and notice the warnings of the slow progress..

@belimawr
You need to put it in context of the individual not a very broad brush statement about speed.
Age, history, current status and genetics all play a part.

E.g. an 18 year old male new to lifting and miles below their genetic potential will be able to make spectacular progress, an old fart like me who started lifting in 1975 and currently not far off lifetime bests is going to make slow progress.

hiitsscott wrote: »

Hi, been directed here by a very helpful poster on a thread I started yesterday. I was just wondering if someone who is a bit wiser than me can tell me how to go about setting maintenance on my goals please? I mean I know how to do it, but as someone who doesn't exactly lead a busy lifestyle but works out rather intensively in the gym about four times a week, plays an hour of 5-a-side football, does general things like walk the dog a few times a day, go to the shops, etc, what activity levels should I be picking? Because two of them have a difference of several hundred calories and I can't decide which one is best for me.

I am a fan of Alan Aragon's formula...

Goal Weight x (hours of exercise + 9.5)

mirrim52 wrote: »

J72FIT wrote: »

I am a fan of Alan Aragon's formula...

Goal Weight x (hours of exercise + 9.5)

Wow, such a simple formula, but this comes amazingly close to my calculated TDEE based on my logged calories and measured weight loss over an 8 week period!

All of them more or less are educated guesses. Like you said, this one is pretty simple and comes as close as the rest...

andylllI wrote: »

Is that weekly or daily hours of exercise? If I use weekly it is very close to my TDEE. If i use daily I would be very hungry.

Weekly...

DoreenaV1975 wrote: »

The more I read this thread the more stupid I feel... is there a "Recomp For Dummies" edition? LOL!

Just ask usanything you don't understand @DoreenaV1975