Recomposition: Maintaining weight while losing fat
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Just started reading the mfp forums, great thread and I'm slowly working my way through these pages. I think this is where I need to be, doing recoup rather than the weight loss, I'm quite happy with my weight (82kg at present) but want to lose body fat. Current bf is 19 to 20% and I'm looking to drop under 15% in the next 7 weeks (1 week in to a new plan). I do resistance work 4 times a week, 3 circuits classes and 2 to 3 karate classes per week. My bf is all over the place at the moment. It's going up even during a deficit week. Any advice would be appreciated.
Bold is going to be a measurement issue rather than reality.
If you are using BIA scales then they are confused by changes in hydration. A bit like body weight fluctuations - the trend is more useful than individual measurements.6 -
I’m 5’7, 135 lbs and about 19% BF. Deciding to stick to recomp instead of bulk/cut. It’s more sustainable for the long term. There are times though when I’m so indecisive and feel like I should bulk more and other times where I feel like I need to cut. Ugh! Would love to have friends on here with recomp experience1
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I’m 5’7, 135 lbs and about 19% BF. Deciding to stick to recomp instead of bulk/cut. It’s more sustainable for the long term. There are times though when I’m so indecisive and feel like I should bulk more and other times where I feel like I need to cut. Ugh! Would love to have friends on here with recomp experience
Lol I go through the same struggle. I’m always like maybe I should be cutting. I think for me it’s just a mind game bc I was used to being in a deficit for so long, not staying the same size, etc.
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I’m 5’7, 135 lbs and about 19% BF. Deciding to stick to recomp instead of bulk/cut. It’s more sustainable for the long term. There are times though when I’m so indecisive and feel like I should bulk more and other times where I feel like I need to cut. Ugh! Would love to have friends on here with recomp experience
I feel the same way. Similar stats to you. Finally decided to stop cutting as I was losing in places I'd rather not, so I am going to maintain for a while. Not sure I would call it recomp since I have no intention to lower my bodyfat further, we will see what happens.3 -
It seems I can't resist stealing the chocolate left over from Halloween, BF% is continuing upward. Current maintenance calories are 1810 and I've set my macros 40% protein 30% for carbs and fats. I'm also not eating back my exercise calories too much so getting a deficit. Any advice on how to get my BF% to get on the downward slope again. I've already cut the sugary treats out, as I know they're bad for me.
I could do with a few friends on MFP, no one I know is on here. I've tried to get friends and family to track but they just end up on weight watchers or slimming world diets, not at all in the same place as me.0 -
Fortunately the medium gym shorts I bought while at the same weight have drawstrings and have been getting washed a lot.3 -
It seems I can't resist stealing the chocolate left over from Halloween, BF% is continuing upward. Current maintenance calories are 1810 and I've set my macros 40% protein 30% for carbs and fats. I'm also not eating back my exercise calories too much so getting a deficit. Any advice on how to get my BF% to get on the downward slope again. I've already cut the sugary treats out, as I know they're bad for me.
I could do with a few friends on MFP, no one I know is on here. I've tried to get friends and family to track but they just end up on weight watchers or slimming world diets, not at all in the same place as me.I’m 5’7, 135 lbs and about 19% BF. Deciding to stick to recomp instead of bulk/cut. It’s more sustainable for the long term. There are times though when I’m so indecisive and feel like I should bulk more and other times where I feel like I need to cut. Ugh! Would love to have friends on here with recomp experience
Hello all,
We pretty much have similar maintenance calories or starting body fat %. I also started at 19% BF and am now 10 weeks into a strict recomp. Aside from going camping for 4 days and a business trip for 3 days I've pretty much hit my macros consistently over the last 2.5 months. Consider me your future self if you decide to continue on this plan. Here's my progress after 10 weeks of diet and 8 weeks of circuit training 3x per week. My goal was to maintain weight, cut fat, and grow muscle over a consistent period of time with a resulting body fat percentage of 13% without any crazy supplements, pre-workout, energy bars etc. - basically a normal food diet.
I'm 152 lbs in each of these photos.
DEXA
Trend Weight
I have managed to stay within 1.5 lb trend range since starting week over week. I'm happy to answer any questions relating to strategy, macros, etc. if you have any.13 -
Team Recomp — seriously, how do you know if this is working? I know it takes a long time and I need to keep the faith, but I’ve seen zero change in 3 months. Same weight (+/- 5# or so), getting stronger but no visible signs of improvement or change. What gives?7
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I wasn't too sure if I would clearly see a difference at first so I measured in every way I could:
- Scale Weight
- DEXA Scan (to be taken again at 3 months)
- Body Measurements (hips, chest, biceps, thighs, neck)
- Progress Photos (roughly every 2-3 weeks)
- Lift Numbers (progressive overload)
Then of course there's simply, 'do my clothes fit better?' or "do I like the way I look?" I'd say Dexa scan is the ultimate way to truly know then progress photos ranking right behind that.1 -
Team Recomp — seriously, how do you know if this is working? I know it takes a long time and I need to keep the faith, but I’ve seen zero change in 3 months. Same weight (+/- 5# or so), getting stronger but no visible signs of improvement or change. What gives?
Was the start of the 3 months also the start or near the start of a serious effort lifting program?
Or you had a well established program already going on and just went to recomp?
Because the first potentially many months of lifting is about increasing strength not from the body feeling the need to spend extra energy building muscle, but tapping out muscle you already have, and from form improvements.
So it could be in the scheme of things, you could only have no to 1 month of actually recomping going on.
So it would be hard to see progress.0 -
Team Recomp — seriously, how do you know if this is working? I know it takes a long time and I need to keep the faith, but I’ve seen zero change in 3 months. Same weight (+/- 5# or so), getting stronger but no visible signs of improvement or change. What gives?
Part of that is the natural higher body fat level you will have as a woman - it doesn't take much of a layer of fat to mask what's happening underneath. As you are gaining strength something is happening, maybe not much growth but a sign nevertheless.
As I'm an incidental recomper (a by product of my exercise/training rather than a particular goal) and old and with years of serious training changes are very subtle for me,
Like when I got my winter cycling kit out and found my cycling tights are now like compression garments around my quads and calves and my compression top is now so tight around my chest/arms/shoulders that I couldn't get the damn thing off without help!4 -
Team Recomp — seriously, how do you know if this is working? I know it takes a long time and I need to keep the faith, but I’ve seen zero change in 3 months. Same weight (+/- 5# or so), getting stronger but no visible signs of improvement or change. What gives?
Another belt hole without any additional weight loss and abs starting to pop. I think my shoulders and biceps are a little bigger but that is more subjective. The abs are sort of subjective, but I am sure they are more defined. That's my answer to your first question; I am not educated/experienced enough to give you a good answer on your second question.0 -
Team Recomp — seriously, how do you know if this is working? I know it takes a long time and I need to keep the faith, but I’ve seen zero change in 3 months. Same weight (+/- 5# or so), getting stronger but no visible signs of improvement or change. What gives?
Hey, you're not alone. I've been lifting for like 7 months now and my weight has been pretty steady and I don't really see much of a difference. I take pictures every so often and upload them into the "Progress" section, and I look back at them frequently and just don't see much going on. But I guess I'm fine with that, I like being active and healthy so that's my main goal, not as much aesthetics. Every so often I'll look at myself in the mirror and think my arms look a little more muscular (but I have puny little girl arms so it wouldn't take much lol)0 -
Team Recomp — seriously, how do you know if this is working? I know it takes a long time and I need to keep the faith, but I’ve seen zero change in 3 months. Same weight (+/- 5# or so), getting stronger but no visible signs of improvement or change. What gives?
I always have the same issues. I recomped for about 3 months two years ago. I know that is really a blip of time in the recomp world, still I was frustrated. Keep in mind I was very lean already so I didn't have much to work with. I think if my bodyfat had been higher it may have been better for me.
Now I am maintaining again, not sure I would consider it recomp since I will be happy if I maintain my current bodyfat the way it is and not get leaner.
What kind of changes are you hoping for? Are you already quite lean looking for more definition, are you wanting a bit more size in areas?0 -
Still not going by the scale. I feel mostly the same but notice from time to time my wast looks a tad bit smaller, and there are times I’ve noticed my stomach doesn’t poke out as much as it used to. These are subtle changes but it feels good to see some. Recomping can be slightly frustrating because of the slow progress! Or sometimes feeling like you’re either not making any progress or moving backwards.5 -
Thanks gang. Quick stats, I’m 5-7”, 135 and 24% bf. I’d really like to build muscle in my shoulders arm and back to balance out my my large butt and thighs (where I hold the vast majority of fat). I’ve been lifting for 3 years during my losing phase, but got periodically sidetracked due to shoulder injuries resulting in deloads. Typically, I lift more seriously in the winter and prefer to run in the summer.
I was hoping that lifting during maintenance would produce some clear evidence of muscle and then maybe a quick cut next spring would get everything to pop. But so far I look exactly the same, clothes fit the same, no little bulges popping out. Nuthin.0 -
Thanks gang. Quick stats, I’m 5-7”, 135 and 24% bf. I’d really like to build muscle in my shoulders arm and back to balance out my my large butt and thighs (where I hold the vast majority of fat). I’ve been lifting for 3 years during my losing phase, but got periodically sidetracked due to shoulder injuries resulting in deloads. Typically, I lift more seriously in the winter and prefer to run in the summer.
I was hoping that lifting during maintenance would produce some clear evidence of muscle and then maybe a quick cut next spring would get everything to pop. But so far I look exactly the same, clothes fit the same, no little bulges popping out. Nuthin.
Gaining strength isn't "nuthin".
Realistically what rate of muscle gain would you expect? Quarter of a pound per month maybe?
If aesthetics are your priority then reducing your BF% with a very small deficit could make a big difference. Why wait until Spring? A cut doesn't have to be a big deficit, just a small tweak is also an option.
You might find that a certain BF% suddenly reveals what's going on underneath. For me that was 17% - started to see vascularity, muscle separation etc.... !9% to 17% was frustrating, couldn't see anything happening despite working hard, 17%-15% while losing 1lb/month and I was wearing out the mirror and enjoying what I was seeing.
@stdyh4nd remarkable progress pictures also show it to a degree. Week 1 to week 4 = subtle changes, week 6-10 = dramatic progress.
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Hello all,
We pretty much have similar maintenance calories or starting body fat %. I also started at 19% BF and am now 10 weeks into a strict recomp. Aside from going camping for 4 days and a business trip for 3 days I've pretty much hit my macros consistently over the last 2.5 months. Consider me your future self if you decide to continue on this plan. Here's my progress after 10 weeks of diet and 8 weeks of circuit training 3x per week. My goal was to maintain weight, cut fat, and grow muscle over a consistent period of time with a resulting body fat percentage of 13% without any crazy supplements, pre-workout, energy bars etc. - basically a normal food diet.
I'm 152 lbs in each of these photos.
DEXA
Trend Weight
I have managed to stay within 1.5 lb trend range since starting week over week. I'm happy to answer any questions relating to strategy, macros, etc. if you have any. [/quote]
@stdyh4nd great results, this is what I'm aiming for. What was your calorie goal, macro split and strategy over the 10 weeks? I'm currently 2 weeks into a new routine and paying more attention to my diet, the lifting and exercise stuff is the easy bit, I'm trying like crazy to stick to my macros this time but struggling with the high protein/lower carbs.6 -
@sijomialsijomial Thanks for noticing. While we're always looking at abs and chest to determine body fat % the truth of the matter is a lot of fat in the back and hips/gluts goes away first before that pesky stomach fat can start to disappear.
@poolycod Thanks and I'm happy to help.
Training
I'm doing circuit training 3 times a week with personal trainer. I manage to do a lot of walking at least once a week whether it be a hike or Halloween, camping etc. but that's basically it for cardio.
Macros
The dexa scan spit out my RMR (resting metabolic rate) at an estimated 1,678 Cal/Day. I don't have much daily activity as I sit as a desk and don't walk very much. My estimated daily Maintenance calories are 1840 cal/day (but that's not where I started).
I like carb/calorie cycling along with intermittent fasting so I decided to program that into my diet. It feels really good eating massive amounts of potatoes and protein after a work out and it equally feels great to fast a little on my rest days as It's a massive reward to return to the gym. I leave one day open (sunday) to eat generally whatever I want but still stay within the limits of my calories.
Basic structure for my macros was based on what worked well for me in the past. I tend to not do very well on very low fat diets. Anything under 35g of fat/day and I'll end up feeling depressed or "off". I found that 50g of fat daily is the sweet spot for me. I can manage 200g of carbs as I happen to love potatoes. On workout days I eat roughly 330 grams of shredded potatoes with eggs and another lean protein choice like top round steak or fat free greek yogurt. Protein is kept to above 90g/day which averages to about 1.35g/kg of body weight. I've seen people claim that you need 2g/kg or I've even seen some recommend 1.5g/lb of body weight which is just silly to me. I stick the minimum necessary since protein is expensive. I've yet to fail a lift or recover on my rest days so far, so this amount seems to work for me.
Recomp Overview
1840 x 7 = 12,880 (maintenance calories per week)
(1840 x 3) + (967 x 4) = 9,388 (recomp calories per week)
12,880 - 9,388 = 3,492 (Total Weekly Deficit)
Now I know what you're thinking. How could you be maintaining weight if you're eating at a deficit. 3,492 deficit should be a lb of weight loss per week. There's a couple reasons this is not happening. First off, calculators and macros are only starting point suggestions - they are never perfect to start. Also it's been a while since I've lifted so my newbie gains are still at a max. Also eating at bit more at a deficit makes me not feel bad for going slightly over or indulging in a glass of wine or an extra handful of fries on Sunday etc. So there's some wiggle room programmed in psychologically.
My original training day calories were 2065 and rest day calories were 1192 and I was still gaining weight (gaining .45 lbs a week). I decided to make an adjustment in the third week.
(2065 x 3) + (1192 x 4) = 10,963 cal/week
3500 x .45 = 1575 calories per week I needed to lose to maintain current weight
1575/7 = 225 cal/day to cut
2065-225 = 1840
1192-225 = 967
This type of adjustment is common as calculators are generic and everybody is different. If you're weighing yourself everyday and taking the trend along a moving average you'll be able to tell if you're on track after a couple weeks. After several weeks of this adjustment I've found the perfect calories for my recomp.
Training Days M, W, F
Rest Days T, Th, Sa
Other Notes:
As I'm monitoring my weight and the trainer is tracking my lifts I imagine there will be a point sometime soon where I will reach the threshold of how much I can lift and how little I can eat. Once I start losing weight on an average or start failing lifts I will add those calories back from before.
Hope this was helpful.
Cheers!6
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