Is it time for recomp?

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  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
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    sllm1 wrote: »
    I recomp with a slight deficit. I am 5'8", 142. I eat around 1,800-1,900 per day with a maintenance calculation of 2,050-2,100.

    I'm going to be pedantic and say i'ts not a recomp if you aren't eating at maintenance.
  • bfanny
    bfanny Posts: 440 Member
    edited January 2017
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    If you are so afraid that you'll gain fat overnight raise your cals little by little let your body adjust and find your "sweet" spot where you can maintain and train hard ;)
  • trudie_b
    trudie_b Posts: 230 Member
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    bfanny wrote: »
    If you are so afraid that you'll gain fat overnight raise your cals little by little let your body adjust and find your "sweet" spot where you can maintain and train hard ;)

    I'm not afraid that I'll gain fat, I just find it hard to accept that I can lose the fat I want to lose by doing recomp. I tried to take some photos for this thread to get opinions, but came to the conclusion that my body fat is still too high (below my waist) to attempt this yet.

    This is new territory for me, I've never lost this much weight, or got so close to my goal before, and I really don't want to mess it up.

    I think I'm still benefiting from newbie gains, since I only started seriously weight lifting 4 months ago. I'm definitely building visible muscle, as well as improving in strength. I would like to be able to eat more, I feel like I'm hungry all the time, but I don't want to derail so close to goal. So I'm going to keep going at deficit until I hit 140lbs (I'm 146 now), at which point I will have lost 70lbs. I'm thinking by then newbie gains will have slowed, and I'll commit myself to recomp.

  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    trudie_b wrote: »
    bfanny wrote: »
    If you are so afraid that you'll gain fat overnight raise your cals little by little let your body adjust and find your "sweet" spot where you can maintain and train hard ;)

    I'm not afraid that I'll gain fat, I just find it hard to accept that I can lose the fat I want to lose by doing recomp. I tried to take some photos for this thread to get opinions, but came to the conclusion that my body fat is still too high (below my waist) to attempt this yet.

    This is new territory for me, I've never lost this much weight, or got so close to my goal before, and I really don't want to mess it up.

    I think I'm still benefiting from newbie gains, since I only started seriously weight lifting 4 months ago. I'm definitely building visible muscle, as well as improving in strength. I would like to be able to eat more, I feel like I'm hungry all the time, but I don't want to derail so close to goal. So I'm going to keep going at deficit until I hit 140lbs (I'm 146 now), at which point I will have lost 70lbs. I'm thinking by then newbie gains will have slowed, and I'll commit myself to recomp.

    newbie gains are only built in the beginning usually. usually the gain tapers off when in a deficit. so I am sure by now that you arent gaining any muscle(i could be wrong-someone will come and correct me lol) and what you may be seeing is the muscle that was under the fat you had.if your strength improves it doesnt always mean muscle gain. being female it also takes longer to build muscle,and the older we get the longer it takes compared to someone half our age.But just keep doing what you are doing.you will get there
  • trudie_b
    trudie_b Posts: 230 Member
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    I should take a photo today while I'm in my gym kit - I must be the exception to the rule, because I've built a startling amount of muscle in 4 months, even though in a deficit, and trust me, it wasn't there before, my upper body was already very lean.

    I wonder how much of muscle gaining is genetic? My first cousin was a very successful body builder in her younger days.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    trudie_b wrote: »
    I should take a photo today while I'm in my gym kit - I must be the exception to the rule, because I've built a startling amount of muscle in 4 months, even though in a deficit, and trust me, it wasn't there before, my upper body was already very lean.

    I wonder how much of muscle gaining is genetic? My first cousin was a very successful body builder in her younger days.

    There's a huge range of genetic gifts. If you think of a bell curve the majority are in the middle but the range is very, very wide. When people say "I can't so you can't" or even "most people can't so you can't" it's not accurate for everyone.

    Elite athletes for example are to a great extent born not trained. Their particular gifts determine what sport they can excel at and that includes the ability to gain muscle easily.

    When I was coaching youth rugby (teenage males primed for rapid growth) the differences in response to training were enormous. From almost no results over months of training to getting hoooooge in no time at all.
    The fastest responder went on to give up rugby and take up bodybuilding.
  • trudie_b
    trudie_b Posts: 230 Member
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    Interesting!!! I think the one size fits all model is not generally accurate in fields that concerns the human body. It's tempting in its simplicity, but we are all so different, and our bodies respond in their own unique ways to how we feed and train them.
  • trudie_b
    trudie_b Posts: 230 Member
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    Okay, here's a bad selfie, to give you an idea of where I'm at. I wimped out on wearing shorts!

    lvow7oj0mjfy.jpg

    Does it look like, a) I'm ready for recomp, and b) my caliper fat % measurement was at all accurate?
  • __TMac__
    __TMac__ Posts: 1,665 Member
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    I know nothing about recomp, but you look great!
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    a) Flip the question around - do you still need to be at a deficit? (No, you're looking great!)

    b) You look more like the 20 - 22% picture on Builtlean. http://www.builtlean.com/2012/09/24/body-fat-percentage-men-women/
    You are far slimmer than the 25% picture on there.
  • everher
    everher Posts: 909 Member
    edited January 2017
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    OP, I will try to give advice on the one thing I feel I can.

    Have you ever been this small as an adult before? I ask because it seems it's your lower body you don't like, but even if you lose more weight much of it may not come from there depending on your 'shape' or overall build.

    I'm trying to explain this is clearly as I can, but not sure I am. For example, I'm an hourglass shape. No matter how much weight I lose my measurements stay the same in proportion. I would like to be more of a banana (can't stand my thighs and hips) but it's just not going to happen. Not the way my body is shaped or holds weight or whatever you want to call it.
  • trudie_b
    trudie_b Posts: 230 Member
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    sijomial wrote: »
    a) Flip the question around - do you still need to be at a deficit? (No, you're looking great!)

    b) You look more like the 20 - 22% picture on Builtlean. http://www.builtlean.com/2012/09/24/body-fat-percentage-men-women/
    You are far slimmer than the 25% picture on there.

    Really? Thanks.

  • trudie_b
    trudie_b Posts: 230 Member
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    everher wrote: »
    Have you ever been this small as an adult before? I ask because it seems it's your lower body you don't like, but even if you lose more weight much of it may not come from there depending on your 'shape' or overall build.

    No, I haven't. I was a very skinny teenager, but my weight battles started in my 20s. This is the leanest I've been. I mean, I know I'm always going to be bottom heavy - even as a super skinny teen (people were always asking if I was anorexic), my measurements were 32/24/37. But I can still see a good bit of visible fat over my hips & thighs, and I'd really like that to go. It would be nice to be confident enough to wear shorts, y'know? I haven't been able to for my whole adult life.

  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
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    I think you look fantastic and was going to guess 20-22% too. You're most definitely NOT 25%.
  • trudie_b
    trudie_b Posts: 230 Member
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    Thank you!
  • kkress92
    kkress92 Posts: 118 Member
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    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    I think you look fantastic and was going to guess 20-22% too. You're most definitely NOT 25%.

    I second this! You look amazing! If you *can't* wear shorts, no one can. Go buy yourself the most awesome pair of shorts and wear them with pride, girl!
  • cnbbnc
    cnbbnc Posts: 1,267 Member
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    You look amazing! Im smaller than you as far as stats (im a shorty...), but I also carry all my weight on the bottom. I chose to push my weight pretty low to get as much fat off as I could stand to, but I did get to where I looked skeletal on top and overall I felt like total crap. My opinion...it just ain't worth it to make the thighs a little smaller. I put a few pounds back on now and feel a million times better.

    Good luck with the recomp. You're ready! :wink:

  • trudie_b
    trudie_b Posts: 230 Member
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    Thanks everyone! It's a bit scary to switch to maintenance, but I'll give it a try. If it helps my lifting, then it's worth it, I need to focus on that goal.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
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    trudie_b wrote: »
    Thanks everyone! It's a bit scary to switch to maintenance, but I'll give it a try. If it helps my lifting, then it's worth it, I need to focus on that goal.

    There is no rush getting to maintenance. Work out roughly what calories you think it is and take a few weeks introducing more calories each week. The scale may jump up due to water and glycogen but its not fat. Use pictures as well as the scale for optimal monitoring.
  • trudie_b
    trudie_b Posts: 230 Member
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    That's a good idea, I will, thanks. That should help me adjust mentally too.

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