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Recomposition: Maintaining weight while losing fat

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Replies

  • jerb00
    jerb00 Posts: 155 Member

    sijomial wrote: »
    @jerb00

    I am hoping someone can give me some advice.
    Here's my opinion/advice....

    I weighed myself yesterday and I am 96 lbs. that kinda freaked me out and while that is still within true healthy range I am uncomfortable with that low number.
    So raise your calories.

    So, my dilemma: I keep reading that to reduce body fat and Gail muscle it will be slow but k should eat at a 10-20% caloric deficit.
    Yes you would lose fat in that kind of deficit - but highly doubt you would gain muscle at 20% deficit.
    But it's a moot point as you want to be heavier so need to raise calories not have a deficit.
    For info: I'm sure our situations are different but I could only gain muscle at a miniscule deficit - 1lb a month!
    1lb a week saw my lean mass decline slowly.
    But again if you are underweight - eat more!

    I recalculated my tdee based on my new weight and estimating body fat based on pics (25% I'd say from looking at pics) and it put me at 1463. I don't want to really eat much under that at all, but if I follow the program will I lose body fat not eating at a deficit.
    Far better to use your own logging data and actual weight results than a calculator.
    Yes recomp is all about gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time. Recomp is what Bret Contreras does with some of his female physique competitors who are at the right weight but needs their physiques honing.

    Everything says if your fat % isn't low enough you won't see the definition and more sculpted look which is what I am going for.
    Yes that's true. Definition comes mostly from low body fat but of course the more muscle you have the more you have to show and earlier it will show.

    Thanks s-

    I don't actually want to be heavier, exactly, I just didn't think I'd get that low. Make sense? I am tiny and so the number freaked me out a likely but I still got that junk - in - my - trunk look. Super slender and firm torso but jiggle bottom half. Am hoping to tighten and tone and just see what I can do with lifting (something I have never done before). Don't want to screw my body up not eating enough cals but don't want to work hard for nothing if I have too much fat on the bottom half to make a difference. Does that make sense? I get that if you are low you need to eat more calories, but i wasn't sure it was as simple as that in my situation. But maybe it is...

  • robininfl
    robininfl Posts: 1,137 Member
    jerb00 wrote: »
    Thanks so much for your quick reply. I freaked a little because right after college I was 96 lbs and I stopped getting my period. But you are right it is still in the healthy range and you are also right that there may be other factors at play. Especially since I don't weigh myself every day. In fact, I don't own a scale and only weigh myself every couple/several weeks when I get to my parents house.

    I reread the first post and understand it but everything I have read elsewhere states that if you still have a good % of body fat then you can't get deduced without a deficit. But I'll follow the advice here and try out no deficit.

    So, just to clarify, when you say I can eat 100 cals more do you mean above my tdee or above the deficit which would have been 1100 something...

    Really appreciate your help!

    Think about it this way:

    You want to weigh more, and want fat as a % to be lower?

    But that doesn't mean you need to lose any of the fat you have - if you gain muscle, fat will be lower as a % of that higher weight. Your body will be leaner, even if you keep all your fat. You have to eat some extra calories to gain that muscle, your body can't build it out of nothing. (If you get to the higher weight and still feel fat, you can then diet to lose some of the fat, but maybe all you need is some muscle to put things in shape.)

    Does that make sense?
  • fmosracing
    fmosracing Posts: 3 Member
    Hornsby wrote: »
    Measurements
    Biceps - Before 13" - After 15.75".
    Chest - Before 38.5" - Now 42.75"
    Waist - Before 35.5" - Now 31"

    These numbers and your avatar are definitely inspiring. I'm doing everything body weight, so I may never see the kind of numbers you have, plus I'm 50 years old, 5'7 and have an average bone structure. I've added about three-quarter inch to my arms (12.75" to 13.5"), inch and a half to my chest (40" to 41.5"), waist really hasn't changed (34"). My goals are 14.5", 42.5", 32". I'm trying to avoid having a time frame, just keep doing what I'm doing and one day be able to say, "I made it!"

    I'm trying to to do it recomp for the same reason you stated - I don't trust myself to bulk and cut after losing 60 lbs last year.

  • bioklutz
    bioklutz Posts: 1,365 Member
    @jerb00 A TDEE calculator is a good starting point for a daily calorie goal. Reality will trump a calculator though. If you eat what the calculator is telling you and you are losing/gaining weight you will need to adjust your calories up or down.

    If you read what some people are posting they are eating maintenance calories and losing body fat. People see results in 6-12 months.
  • jerb00
    jerb00 Posts: 155 Member
    robininfl wrote: »
    jerb00 wrote: »
    Thanks so much for your quick reply. I freaked a little because right after college I was 96 lbs and I stopped getting my period. But you are right it is still in the healthy range and you are also right that there may be other factors at play. Especially since I don't weigh myself every day. In fact, I don't own a scale and only weigh myself every couple/several weeks when I get to my parents house.

    I reread the first post and understand it but everything I have read elsewhere states that if you still have a good % of body fat then you can't get deduced without a deficit. But I'll follow the advice here and try out no deficit.

    So, just to clarify, when you say I can eat 100 cals more do you mean above my tdee or above the deficit which would have been 1100 something...

    Really appreciate your help!

    Think about it this way:

    You want to weigh more, and want fat as a % to be lower?

    But that doesn't mean you need to lose any of the fat you have - if you gain muscle, fat will be lower as a % of that higher weight. Your body will be leaner, even if you keep all your fat. You have to eat some extra calories to gain that muscle, your body can't build it out of nothing. (If you get to the higher weight and still feel fat, you can then diet to lose some of the fat, but maybe all you need is some muscle to put things in shape.)

    Does that make sense?

    Yes. That makes a lot of sense. Thank you!
  • jerb00
    jerb00 Posts: 155 Member
    bioklutz wrote: »
    @jerb00 A TDEE calculator is a good starting point for a daily calorie goal. Reality will trump a calculator though. If you eat what the calculator is telling you and you are losing/gaining weight you will need to adjust your calories up or down.

    If you read what some people are posting they are eating maintenance calories and losing body fat. People see results in 6-12 months.

    You are right. I'll just eat maintenance and see how it goes. Thanks.
  • clucklucky
    clucklucky Posts: 8 Member
    Bumping to follow as well. I'm 5lbs above where I'd like to be before I start recomping, so my plan is to keep dieting throughout the summer and start recomping when winter hits. I'll be wanting to spend more time on lifts (and eating ;) ) and less time outside by then anyway!
  • nodm
    nodm Posts: 264 Member
    Hello. I am at goal and maintaining. This is very helpful to me. I am not a bodybuilder so do all this stuff applies to me? What changes do I make in my plan other than the obvious of bulking up to gain more muscle? Thank you. Very informative thread.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    nodm wrote: »
    Hello. I am at goal and maintaining. This is very helpful to me. I am not a bodybuilder so do all this stuff applies to me? What changes do I make in my plan other than the obvious of bulking up to gain more muscle? Thank you. Very informative thread.

    Do you want to bulk (i.e clean bulk small calorie surplus) or just maintain (recomp at maintenance calories or with a very small deficit)?

    Do you have a progressive strength training program you would like to follow or are you following one now?

    You do not have to be a bodybuilder and certainly everyone can reap the benefits of recomping.. so to answer your question this can or does apply to you if you want to...

    Really no changes to your plan is needed accept getting adequate protein in your diet.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    nodm wrote: »
    Hello. I am at goal and maintaining. This is very helpful to me. I am not a bodybuilder so do all this stuff applies to me? What changes do I make in my plan other than the obvious of bulking up to gain more muscle? Thank you. Very informative thread.
    @nodm

    I'm an elderly cyclist - recomp applies to me as well. :)
    Applies to anyone that wants to improve their strength and body composition.

    What is your plan?
    "Bulking up" would more commonly be a term used when you are deliberately gaining weight.
  • nodm
    nodm Posts: 264 Member
    RoxieDawn and sijomial, since I lost weight, I noticed that I could use to add a little muscle all around. It is so hard to see an upward movement on the scale :) and so I do not intend to "bulk up" too much. I'll probably continue to stay on maintenance with a small deficit. I am currently at about 16-17% body fat (?) according to a hand held gadget and I do not know if it is possible to do this. Much appreciate the input! Thank you.
  • DebSozo
    DebSozo Posts: 2,578 Member
    edited July 2016
    I'm interested in recomp and have a body fat scale. It says I am 22.9% F and 61.2% W and 32.7% M I am assuming that those are fat and water percentages. What do the M % abbreviation and 3.4% B abbreviations stand for? Why does the total come to over 100% ? (120.2%)

    Edited typo
  • griffinca2
    griffinca2 Posts: 672 Member
    The "M" probably stands for muscle mass. As for the "B" I have no idea; are you getting the stats from??
  • gatorsong
    gatorsong Posts: 7,000 Member
    DebSozo wrote: »
    I'm interested in recomp and have a body fat scale. It says I am 22.9% F and 61.2% W and 32.7% M I am assuming that those are fat and water percentages. What do the M % abbreviation and 3.4% B abbreviations stand for? Why does the total come to over 100% ? (120.2%)

    Edited typo

    Might "B" be for bone density? I know some show that. If so, that seems really low.
  • DebSozo
    DebSozo Posts: 2,578 Member
    gatorsong wrote: »
    DebSozo wrote: »
    I'm interested in recomp and have a body fat scale. It says I am 22.9% F and 61.2% W and 32.7% M I am assuming that those are fat and water percentages. What do the M % abbreviation and 3.4% B abbreviations stand for? Why does the total come to over 100% ? (120.2%)

    Edited typo

    Might "B" be for bone density? I know some show that. If so, that seems really low.

    Okay-- figures it out to be "Bone Mass".

    http://www.scalesexpress.com/blog/body-fat-monitors-what-you-need-to-know/
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    DebSozo wrote: »
    I'm interested in recomp and have a body fat scale. It says I am 22.9% F and 61.2% W and 32.7% M I am assuming that those are fat and water percentages. What do the M % abbreviation and 3.4% B abbreviations stand for? Why does the total come to over 100% ? (120.2%)

    Edited typo
    @DebSozo
    Maybe the 61.2% is water and the 32.7% is muscle and as there's water in muscle tissue it might explain why it adds up to more than 100% ???
    Make and model of the scales would help.
  • DebSozo
    DebSozo Posts: 2,578 Member
    I guess my bone density is good because it is in the positive.
    http://www.niams.nih.gov/health_info/bone/bone_health/bone_mass_measure.asp
  • griffinca2
    griffinca2 Posts: 672 Member
    You can find info on the make & model of scale on-line; just type it in and it should come up. I have a Weight Watchers that my husband bought over 10 yrs ago and I couldn't find the info in the house so looked it up on-line and downloaded to my computer. And, BTW 3.4% for bone mass is not good; you may want to have your doc check it out if that is what the B on your scale means. B)
  • DebSozo
    DebSozo Posts: 2,578 Member
    edited July 2016
    The body fat has body water in it which is why the total is greater than 100%.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    So is your scale saying you are 22.9% body fat?