Recomposition: Maintaining weight while losing fat
Replies
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I was hoping for some advice about whether or not I'm in a good place to try a recomp instead of losing. I'm currently at 137 lbs and 5 ft 4 in tall. I'm 28 years old. I was planning on trying to get down to 125 or so, but after doing some research I'm wondering if I should just go the recomp route. I've recently started the strong curves program and either do pilates or circuit style training on the other days. (If anyone happens to peak at my diary, I've sick with the flu this week so that's why the logging is sparse)
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I think I’ve made the decision to start eating at maintenance. I do have a bit of fat that I want to go away but I’m at a healthy weight and look pretty ok how I am now in my opinion, plus I’ve been having a hard time staying within my calorie goal lately for whatever reason. I will just get over the fact that my belly fat will probably stick around for a while longer lol.
I've been doing the same. I just can't cut. My body has changed drastically at maintenance though.
I have failed two attempts at cutting this year!
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lolothedragon wrote: »I was hoping for some advice about whether or not I'm in a good place to try a recomp instead of losing. I'm currently at 137 lbs and 5 ft 4 in tall. I'm 28 years old. I was planning on trying to get down to 125 or so, but after doing some research I'm wondering if I should just go the recomp route. I've recently started the strong curves program and either do pilates or circuit style training on the other days. (If anyone happens to peak at my diary, I've sick with the flu this week so that's why the logging is sparse)
You are at the PERFECT place to recomp!2 -
mom23mangos wrote: »
You are at the PERFECT place to recomp!
Thanks for responding! I was thinking so. I remember when I was 125lbs my body didn't look that different, especially my stomach and I got frustrated. It can't hurt to try and getting to eat a little more would be a huge plus.0 -
Timely post by Brad Schoenfeld on Facebook today about recomp. Here's the infographic he posted, along with his initial comments on it:
"It absolutely is possible to gain muscle while losing body fat; the extent to which this can be achieved depends on several factors"
A couple of the comments/questions and his responses:Q: How can you lose fat and build muscle at the same time when one thing requires you to be in a calorie deficit and the other requires you to be in a calorie surplus?
Schoenfeld: Because you don’t need to be in a surplus to gain muscle.
Q: are you saying here that a proper training stimulus and eating enough protein is enough to build muscle?
Schoenfeld: Yep; sufficient to build, not to maximize gainz.8 -
lolothedragon wrote: »I was hoping for some advice about whether or not I'm in a good place to try a recomp instead of losing. I'm currently at 137 lbs and 5 ft 4 in tall. I'm 28 years old. I was planning on trying to get down to 125 or so, but after doing some research I'm wondering if I should just go the recomp route. I've recently started the strong curves program and either do pilates or circuit style training on the other days. (If anyone happens to peak at my diary, I've sick with the flu this week so that's why the logging is sparse)
I think you are! You look good1 -
lolothedragon wrote: »I was hoping for some advice about whether or not I'm in a good place to try a recomp instead of losing. I'm currently at 137 lbs and 5 ft 4 in tall. I'm 28 years old. I was planning on trying to get down to 125 or so, but after doing some research I'm wondering if I should just go the recomp route. I've recently started the strong curves program and either do pilates or circuit style training on the other days. (If anyone happens to peak at my diary, I've sick with the flu this week so that's why the logging is sparse)
mg]
@lolothedragon
I think you are in a great place to recomp.
To me you look to be a good weight with just some fine tuning to do if you wish.
(Almost flat stomach to perfectly flat stomach perhaps?)
I honestly don't know where you would have 12lbs to lose without looking underweight/scrawny so glad you are rethinking your goal weight.
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I am so glad to finally join the recomp group! I am different as I'm maintaining after gaining a lot of weight that I lost due to a Crohn's flare a while back. 5'11", initial weight was 92lbs, now at 142-145 for the last few weeks.
Incredibly tough to gain, especially since I have been yoyoing since I was diagnosed 15 years ago, and I can't tolerate a lot of food at the moment. I have been weight lifting from the beginning, but I know a cut/bulk cycle would be detrimental to my health and my sanity, so recomp it is!
Luckily, I read this entire thread a while back, and typed up tips to help me be successful. Fingers crossed.
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lolothedragon wrote: »I was hoping for some advice about whether or not I'm in a good place to try a recomp instead of losing. I'm currently at 137 lbs and 5 ft 4 in tall. I'm 28 years old. I was planning on trying to get down to 125 or so, but after doing some research I'm wondering if I should just go the recomp route. I've recently started the strong curves program and either do pilates or circuit style training on the other days. (If anyone happens to peak at my diary, I've sick with the flu this week so that's why the logging is sparse)
Another vote for recomp. Strong curves is a good program, I hope you enjoy doing it.
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lolothedragon wrote: »I was hoping for some advice about whether or not I'm in a good place to try a recomp instead of losing. I'm currently at 137 lbs and 5 ft 4 in tall. I'm 28 years old. I was planning on trying to get down to 125 or so, but after doing some research I'm wondering if I should just go the recomp route. I've recently started the strong curves program and either do pilates or circuit style training on the other days. (If anyone happens to peak at my diary, I've sick with the flu this week so that's why the logging is sparse)
Off topic, but darn, it amazes me how different bodies can look at the same height and weight! I'm also 5'4 and posted a picture above, I'm only 115! and I look about the same, and even slightly bigger than you at 137. At 137 I would be a rolling chub ball, I was 140 at 9 months pregnant lol! One reason it annoys me when people roll their eyes when I say anything about my body because my BMI is already on the low side. Clearly people carry weight very differently! Maybe depends on bone structure?3 -
nettiklive wrote: »lolothedragon wrote: »I was hoping for some advice about whether or not I'm in a good place to try a recomp instead of losing. I'm currently at 137 lbs and 5 ft 4 in tall. I'm 28 years old. I was planning on trying to get down to 125 or so, but after doing some research I'm wondering if I should just go the recomp route. I've recently started the strong curves program and either do pilates or circuit style training on the other days. (If anyone happens to peak at my diary, I've sick with the flu this week so that's why the logging is sparse)
Off topic, but darn, it amazes me how different bodies can look at the same height and weight! I'm also 5'4 and posted a picture above, I'm only 115! and I look about the same, and even slightly bigger than you at 137. At 137 I would be a rolling chub ball, I was 140 at 9 months pregnant lol! One reason it annoys me when people roll their eyes when I say anything about my body because my BMI is already on the low side. Clearly people carry weight very differently! Maybe depends on bone structure?
It can depend on bone structure, but body composition (amount of muscle base) has a lot to do with it. I have photos of myself 3 years apart at around the same weight, but I look completely different because I have more muscle. My bone structure didn't change between the two photos.4 -
nettiklive wrote: »lolothedragon wrote: »I was hoping for some advice about whether or not I'm in a good place to try a recomp instead of losing. I'm currently at 137 lbs and 5 ft 4 in tall. I'm 28 years old. I was planning on trying to get down to 125 or so, but after doing some research I'm wondering if I should just go the recomp route. I've recently started the strong curves program and either do pilates or circuit style training on the other days. (If anyone happens to peak at my diary, I've sick with the flu this week so that's why the logging is sparse)
Off topic, but darn, it amazes me how different bodies can look at the same height and weight! I'm also 5'4 and posted a picture above, I'm only 115! and I look about the same, and even slightly bigger than you at 137. At 137 I would be a rolling chub ball, I was 140 at 9 months pregnant lol! One reason it annoys me when people roll their eyes when I say anything about my body because my BMI is already on the low side. Clearly people carry weight very differently! Maybe depends on bone structure?
It can depend on bone structure, but body composition (amount of muscle base) has a lot to do with it. I have photos of myself 3 years apart at around the same weight, but I look completely different because I have more muscle. My bone structure didn't change between the two photos.
That's obvious but the poster above said she has just started a lifting program and recomp so it doesn't appear as though she has a huge muscle base built up quite yet, which is why I was surprised.
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nettiklive wrote: »nettiklive wrote: »lolothedragon wrote: »I was hoping for some advice about whether or not I'm in a good place to try a recomp instead of losing. I'm currently at 137 lbs and 5 ft 4 in tall. I'm 28 years old. I was planning on trying to get down to 125 or so, but after doing some research I'm wondering if I should just go the recomp route. I've recently started the strong curves program and either do pilates or circuit style training on the other days. (If anyone happens to peak at my diary, I've sick with the flu this week so that's why the logging is sparse)
Off topic, but darn, it amazes me how different bodies can look at the same height and weight! I'm also 5'4 and posted a picture above, I'm only 115! and I look about the same, and even slightly bigger than you at 137. At 137 I would be a rolling chub ball, I was 140 at 9 months pregnant lol! One reason it annoys me when people roll their eyes when I say anything about my body because my BMI is already on the low side. Clearly people carry weight very differently! Maybe depends on bone structure?
It can depend on bone structure, but body composition (amount of muscle base) has a lot to do with it. I have photos of myself 3 years apart at around the same weight, but I look completely different because I have more muscle. My bone structure didn't change between the two photos.
That's obvious but the poster above said she has just started a lifting program and recomp so it doesn't appear as though she has a huge muscle base built up quite yet, which is why I was surprised.
Looking at her photos, I can see that she has a pretty good muscle base. If she were to lose weight, she could lean down and the definition would show, however, she may lose some of her existing muscle. Since she is doing Strong Curves I'd imagine she doesn't want to lose more glutes, but wants to build them up along with the rest of her body.
Right now for example I am not very lean. My bodyfat is higher than usual. However I have a decent muscle base under it. I could recomp if I wanted to no problem. But I prefer bulk/cut cycles.0 -
Thank you for taking the time to respond! My stomach doesn't look awful and maybe it's not super obvious in the photos, but I have that dreaded lower stomach flab. Granted, it's gotten smaller since losing some weight (I started at about 150lbs) and since I have started lifting I have noticed some improvement as well. I'm going to give it a go, I would really like to improve my over all strength as well.
@lolothedragon
I think you are in a great place to recomp.
To me you look to be a good weight with just some fine tuning to do if you wish.
(Almost flat stomach to perfectly flat stomach perhaps?)
I honestly don't know where you would have 12lbs to lose without looking underweight/scrawny so glad you are rethinking your goal weight.
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lolothedragon wrote: »
Thank you for taking the time to respond! My stomach doesn't look awful and maybe it's not super obvious in the photos, but I have that dreaded lower stomach flab. Granted, it's gotten smaller since losing some weight (I started at about 150lbs) and since I have started lifting I have noticed some improvement as well. I'm going to give it a go, I would really like to improve my over all strength as well.
@lolothedragon
I think you are in a great place to recomp.
To me you look to be a good weight with just some fine tuning to do if you wish.
(Almost flat stomach to perfectly flat stomach perhaps?)
I honestly don't know where you would have 12lbs to lose without looking underweight/scrawny so glad you are rethinking your goal weight.
You really are in the perfect place to recomp. Especially with Strong Curves, it is a wonderful program to run at maintenance and you will see great results if you keep up with it!1 -
lolothedragon wrote: »I was hoping for some advice about whether or not I'm in a good place to try a recomp instead of losing. I'm currently at 137 lbs and 5 ft 4 in tall. I'm 28 years old. I was planning on trying to get down to 125 or so, but after doing some research I'm wondering if I should just go the recomp route. I've recently started the strong curves program and either do pilates or circuit style training on the other days. (If anyone happens to peak at my diary, I've sick with the flu this week so that's why the logging is sparse)
I hired a pro bodybuilder to help me with my lifting form early on in this process. She used to kill herself with cardio and struggling to stay at 115 lbs. She decided she needed a change and shifting to resistance training and put on ~ 20 lbs of muscle. The before after pictures are inspiring.
This is one trend I'm in full support of. There is nothing scary about resistance training - it's just what your familiar with.1 -
I am so glad to finally join the recomp group! I am different as I'm maintaining after gaining a lot of weight that I lost due to a Crohn's flare a while back. 5'11", initial weight was 92lbs, now at 142-145 for the last few weeks.
Incredibly tough to gain, especially since I have been yoyoing since I was diagnosed 15 years ago, and I can't tolerate a lot of food at the moment. I have been weight lifting from the beginning, but I know a cut/bulk cycle would be detrimental to my health and my sanity, so recomp it is!
Luckily, I read this entire thread a while back, and typed up tips to help me be successful. Fingers crossed.
Oh my goodness, that is exciting news to hear! Congratulations for getting your weight up. I know it had to have been incredibly difficult.2 -
nettiklive wrote: »nettiklive wrote: »lolothedragon wrote: »I was hoping for some advice about whether or not I'm in a good place to try a recomp instead of losing. I'm currently at 137 lbs and 5 ft 4 in tall. I'm 28 years old. I was planning on trying to get down to 125 or so, but after doing some research I'm wondering if I should just go the recomp route. I've recently started the strong curves program and either do pilates or circuit style training on the other days. (If anyone happens to peak at my diary, I've sick with the flu this week so that's why the logging is sparse)
Off topic, but darn, it amazes me how different bodies can look at the same height and weight! I'm also 5'4 and posted a picture above, I'm only 115! and I look about the same, and even slightly bigger than you at 137. At 137 I would be a rolling chub ball, I was 140 at 9 months pregnant lol! One reason it annoys me when people roll their eyes when I say anything about my body because my BMI is already on the low side. Clearly people carry weight very differently! Maybe depends on bone structure?
It can depend on bone structure, but body composition (amount of muscle base) has a lot to do with it. I have photos of myself 3 years apart at around the same weight, but I look completely different because I have more muscle. My bone structure didn't change between the two photos.
That's obvious but the poster above said she has just started a lifting program and recomp so it doesn't appear as though she has a huge muscle base built up quite yet, which is why I was surprised.
Some people's genetics, plus their activity level, means they can have a higher muscle mass than others without lifting.
You have said in other threads that you don't like exercise etc, so you move less, and engage your muscle less than someone who has a more active lifestyle and does some form of exercise.
This is why everyone is telling you to recomp, not lose more weight, and muscle along with it.
Like @sardelsa, but to a much smaller extent, my body composition has changed for the better as I am working through a long term recomp.
Cheers, h.3 -
nettiklive wrote: »
I've been told I carry weight well. I'm pretty pear shaped, so I've always had decent shape in my hips and butt without trying. Even when I was at my biggest, 180lbs, I carried most of it there. As others have mentioned bone structure can have a lot to do with it, so can natural body type.
Edited to add I've been practicing pilates for quite a while, and I feel like that gave me a good base to work with when I decided to start lifting a few months ago.4 -
124 pounds
122 pounds
119 pounds
I thought I would share some results. At 5'3.75" I turn 50 in 4 months. I am 124 pounds working on fat loss after bulking over winter. But as you can see in the past couple of years the physique changes with only a few pounds apart.
So ladies don't think you have to stick to a scale weight. Building muscle changes everything. I have changed physique again with legs/glute focus so I can update progress after my cut at the end of summer. My back and upper body still remains my best assets and legs/glutes my hardest, I just keep working on them.40 -
Oh Roxie, you just made my day. Haven't see a progress pic in a while. I love seeing the composition changes.3
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mom23mangos wrote: »Oh Roxie, you just made my day. Haven't see a progress pic in a while. I love seeing the composition changes.
I will have more updates by September, maybe when I turn the magic 5 0 I will be inspired that day to update!
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You’re turning 50??? You look sooo much younger. You are so inspiring lol hope this isn’t sounding rude 4
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I thought I would share some results. At 5'3.75" I turn 50 in 4 months. I am 124 pounds working on fat loss after bulking over winter. But as you can see in the past couple of years the physique changes with only a few pounds apart.
So ladies don't think you have to stick to a scale weight. Building muscle changes everything. I have changed physique again with legs/glute focus so I can update progress after my cut at the end of summer. My back and upper body still remains my best assets and legs/glutes my hardest, I just keep working on them.
Wow!
You don't just look great "for your age" (I hate that phrase) you look fantastic for any age.
Well done you, a lot of hard work has gone into getting those results.
:flowerforyou:
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You’re turning 50??? You look sooo much younger. You are so inspiring lol hope this isn’t sounding rude
Aww that's not rude, this ole gal appreciates that very much!
P.S. I don't normally plaster myself on the internet like this, but it seems that some ladies could use a boost of confidence. Just wanted to give a little inspiration, I understand what its like to be new at this and all the fears that come with it.10 -
I thought I would share some results. At 5'3.75" I turn 50 in 4 months. I am 124 pounds working on fat loss after bulking over winter. But as you can see in the past couple of years the physique changes with only a few pounds apart.
So ladies don't think you have to stick to a scale weight. Building muscle changes everything. I have changed physique again with legs/glute focus so I can update progress after my cut at the end of summer. My back and upper body still remains my best assets and legs/glutes my hardest, I just keep working on them.
Wow!
You don't just look great "for your age" (I hate that phrase) you look fantastic for any age.
Well done you, a lot of hard work has gone into getting those results.
:flowerforyou:
Thanks. I have enjoyed and continue to enjoy it and gosh all the things I have learned here in MFP to get to this point has been amazing as well.
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You’re turning 50??? You look sooo much younger. You are so inspiring lol hope this isn’t sounding rude
Aww that's not rude, this ole gal appreciates that very much!
P.S. I don't normally plaster myself on the internet like this, but it seems that some ladies could use a boost of confidence. Just wanted to give a little inspiration, I understand what its like to be new at this and all the fears that come with it.
We're about the same height -- I'm half an inch taller -- and a close BMI, and seeing your pictures is *amazing*. I've been encouraged to pick up strength training while we try to get a health condition under control, and honestly, if I could have your abs and waist, I would be totally on board with riding out my physician's "You're going to gain five more pounds, and it'll take time to come off" verdict.6 -
Holy smokes @RoxieDawn .. you look amazing in each but you at 124lbs is just.. wow! Fantastic work, always such an inspiration 4
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