To cut or maintain

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BeccaLoves2lift
BeccaLoves2lift Posts: 375 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Here's some background: I started this fitness journey in January with the intention of losing weight and dropping some pant sizes. I am 5'2", in Jan I was 137 lbs and barely fit into a size 10. I made it to my goal weight of 125lbs at the end of March. I keep eating at a deficit and kept up with exercising about 5 days per week, some cardio some resistance. Today I weigh 121 lbs and I'm a size 4. But I do not like the way my body looks. I'm skinny fat, I think. I got a caliper and according to that my BF% is 26.5%. I have no idea what it was when I started.
I think I'm at an acceptable weight for my height. Both my BMI and waist to height ratio are good. I know in order to look the way I want to I need to define and tone my body. I need more muscle. My question is because my BF% is still kind of high should I continue to eat at a deficit? Or should I eat at maintenance so I can start to build more muscle? And do I eat back my exercise calories? I started paying attention to macros and I have significantly cut my carbs and I'm making sure to hit my protein goal every day. My diary is public so feel free to offer constructive criticism. Here is a link to imgur with some photos of my progress. http://imgur.com/a/HR6aI Thanks!

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  • Chrismason944
    Chrismason944 Posts: 5 Member
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    You need normal day calories for day to day activities plus workout calories so you burn the extra calories and not the ones you need to have energy throughout the day. And maintain your weight just workout so your body looks firmer. So you'll have a fuller womans body and not end up with the skinny teen body. Weither man or woman everyone ideally needs to shed their teen body and get their "man" or "woman" body. If that makes since. Remember if you work out in the morning or mid day unless you over eat.(witch will make you get fat). You'll not gonna have enough calories in you and end up burning off day activitie calories. Witch will case at the end of the day you'll have less then needed calories in you and it could hurt your gains or even do to not enough extra calories in your body, your body might start breaking down muscle so make sure its before you go to bed so you can shower and get a good sleep. Sleep is when the body fixes itself. Im not a good speaker but i hope this helps. :)
  • Luna3386
    Luna3386 Posts: 888 Member
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    Recomp sounds perfect for you.
  • BeccaLoves2lift
    BeccaLoves2lift Posts: 375 Member
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    Luna3386 wrote: »
    Recomp sounds perfect for you.

    How exactly does it work?
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,572 Member
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    MrsBeccaM5 wrote: »
    Luna3386 wrote: »
    Recomp sounds perfect for you.

    How exactly does it work?

    Maintenance calories. Adequate protein. Lifting or bodyweight program with progressive overload. Not just any old thing. Must be a tried and true program.
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,572 Member
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    You look good. If you're tired of losing and want to get fit and eat, you'd be ready for a recomp.
  • bethany_rose8
    bethany_rose8 Posts: 102 Member
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    Eat at maintenance, eat your exercise calories back and lift heavy✌
  • BeccaLoves2lift
    BeccaLoves2lift Posts: 375 Member
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    Thanks everyone
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    MrsBeccaM5 wrote: »
    Luna3386 wrote: »
    Recomp sounds perfect for you.

    How exactly does it work?

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1
  • BeccaLoves2lift
    BeccaLoves2lift Posts: 375 Member
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    AnvilHead wrote: »
    MrsBeccaM5 wrote: »
    Luna3386 wrote: »
    Recomp sounds perfect for you.

    How exactly does it work?

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1

    Thank you
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
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    I think considering a bulk cycle would be ideal for you rather than a recomp. It would give you quicker result for your goal and you seem to have a grasp in how to lose weight efficiently at a good ratio.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
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    are you following a structured lifting program, or is it one that you designed on your own?
  • BeccaLoves2lift
    BeccaLoves2lift Posts: 375 Member
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    ndj1979 wrote: »
    are you following a structured lifting program, or is it one that you designed on your own?

    I'm doing Hammer and Chisel. But I'm looking into other options. Do you have any suggestions?
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
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    MrsBeccaM5 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    are you following a structured lifting program, or is it one that you designed on your own?

    I'm doing Hammer and Chisel. But I'm looking into other options. Do you have any suggestions?

    wendlers, PHUL, etc are good intermediate type programs...
  • loulamb7
    loulamb7 Posts: 801 Member
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    Great work. It's good you posted a photo, without it I might have suggested cutting further, but based on the photo, I agree that you should consider recomp. For lifting look at a beginner's full-body routine. Here's the link usually recommended for programs: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

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