Recomposition: Maintaining weight while losing fat

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Replies

  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    digidoomed wrote: »
    sardelsa wrote: »
    digidoomed wrote: »
    sardelsa wrote: »
    digidoomed wrote: »
    Hey everyone. Still sticking to recomping and took previous advice to track progress via pictures. so far going good. I'm 5'2, 150lb, 32% body fat(last I checked about 3 weeks ago). HIIT cardio 2x week and weight lifting 3x week. Feel free to let me know if that sounds like a good schedule. My question is has anyone ever tried doing a cut for a week or two and then going back to a recomp or is that counter productive?

    Side note: what is the best thing to use to measure body fat? My gym has one of those devices where you hold it out in front of you after putting your age/weight. I use that right now

    What is your reason for recomp vs. weight loss at this point? Are you a bodybuilder with significant muscle mass and prefer not to cut down? I just ask because with your stats you might be better off cutting, then when you reach a healthy BMI go back to recomp. You will likely see more significant progress that way.

    I started recomp because I liked that you could lose fat and get muscle at the same time. I've been able to increase my weights on certain lifts while doing it. Forgive me if it's a dumb question, but can I still cut and keep the strength I have now? I was thinking about it before just so I could try to get my body fat down lower but I wasn't sure how I would have to change my workouts if I was cutting since I wouldn't be eating as much to fuel the workout. Still learning here lol.

    Typically recomp is done when you are already at a healthy weight but not happy with your body composition and bodyfat levels. Or if you don't want to lose more weight but want to get in shape or gain strength. It will be really difficult to lower your bodyfat significantly if you start off overweight, more recommended to run a deficit first.

    Many people can retain strength or even increase it when cutting. Some people cut down on volume but it really depends on your programming. Based on your stats I would say your main priority would be to eat in a deficit, continue to lift and get to a healthy BMI. You don't have to have a really steep deficit either. 0.5-1lb loss per week is fine.

    Thank you. I might just do that and come back to recomp once I'm low enough. Also thanks for the quick reply. I had added a side note from my post but I think it was after you replied. Could you please help me with this question?
    "Also, if I was to go to a traditional cut, MPF suggest 1200 cal daily. I just feel that is so different from the 1800 I've been eating for maintenance. Since I workout 5x week, should I be adding my exercise calories to that? So something like 14/1500?"

    Yes definitely want to eat at least some of even all of those exercise calories back. Around 1500 sounds like a good number to start. Even if you lose slowly you don't have too much to lose plus you will feel more comfortable and keep up your gym performance.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    edited April 2019
    digidoomed wrote: »
    sardelsa wrote: »
    digidoomed wrote: »
    Hey everyone. Still sticking to recomping and took previous advice to track progress via pictures. so far going good. I'm 5'2, 150lb, 32% body fat(last I checked about 3 weeks ago). HIIT cardio 2x week and weight lifting 3x week. Feel free to let me know if that sounds like a good schedule. My question is has anyone ever tried doing a cut for a week or two and then going back to a recomp or is that counter productive?

    Side note: what is the best thing to use to measure body fat? My gym has one of those devices where you hold it out in front of you after putting your age/weight. I use that right now

    What is your reason for recomp vs. weight loss at this point? Are you a bodybuilder with significant muscle mass and prefer not to cut down? I just ask because with your stats you might be better off cutting, then when you reach a healthy BMI go back to recomp. You will likely see more significant progress that way.

    I started recomp because I liked that you could lose fat and get muscle at the same time. I've been able to increase my weights on certain lifts while doing it. Forgive me if it's a dumb question, but can I still cut and keep the strength I have now? I was thinking about it before just so I could try to get my body fat down lower but I wasn't sure how I would have to change my workouts if I was cutting since I wouldn't be eating as much to fuel the workout. Still learning here lol.

    Also, if I was to go to a traditional cut, MPF suggest 1200 cal daily. I just feel that is so different from the 1800 I've been eating for maintenance. Since I workout 5x week, should I be adding my exercise calories to that? So something like 14/1500?

    MPF doesn't suggest anything - it's a calculator that you control by the options you choose and influenced by your height and gender. But the goal is plus exercise calories, it's always plus exercise calories if you are using this site as designed.
    Or your can simply create your own goal and enter that manually. There's a lot of numbers between 1200 & 1800!

    You don't have to change your workouts just because you are eating a bit less - which is one of the plusses of cutting slowly as opposed to a drastic cut that robs you of energy and impacts your recovery. Yes you should be retaining or increasing strength if you are relatively new to lifting irrespective of where you are in the scale of a modest cut. Unless you are an advanced lifter losing strength would perhaps be a sign you are cutting too severely.

    It's a persistent myth that recomp only happens at precise maintenance calories, your body doesn't "know" that and doesn't have a mode switch that stops muscle growth if you drop just below that level.

    With your stats and estimated BF% cutting (sensibly) while training well makes perfect sense.
  • digidoomed
    digidoomed Posts: 151 Member
    sardelsa wrote: »
    digidoomed wrote: »
    sardelsa wrote: »
    digidoomed wrote: »
    sardelsa wrote: »
    digidoomed wrote: »
    Hey everyone. Still sticking to recomping and took previous advice to track progress via pictures. so far going good. I'm 5'2, 150lb, 32% body fat(last I checked about 3 weeks ago). HIIT cardio 2x week and weight lifting 3x week. Feel free to let me know if that sounds like a good schedule. My question is has anyone ever tried doing a cut for a week or two and then going back to a recomp or is that counter productive?

    Side note: what is the best thing to use to measure body fat? My gym has one of those devices where you hold it out in front of you after putting your age/weight. I use that right now

    What is your reason for recomp vs. weight loss at this point? Are you a bodybuilder with significant muscle mass and prefer not to cut down? I just ask because with your stats you might be better off cutting, then when you reach a healthy BMI go back to recomp. You will likely see more significant progress that way.

    I started recomp because I liked that you could lose fat and get muscle at the same time. I've been able to increase my weights on certain lifts while doing it. Forgive me if it's a dumb question, but can I still cut and keep the strength I have now? I was thinking about it before just so I could try to get my body fat down lower but I wasn't sure how I would have to change my workouts if I was cutting since I wouldn't be eating as much to fuel the workout. Still learning here lol.

    Typically recomp is done when you are already at a healthy weight but not happy with your body composition and bodyfat levels. Or if you don't want to lose more weight but want to get in shape or gain strength. It will be really difficult to lower your bodyfat significantly if you start off overweight, more recommended to run a deficit first.

    Many people can retain strength or even increase it when cutting. Some people cut down on volume but it really depends on your programming. Based on your stats I would say your main priority would be to eat in a deficit, continue to lift and get to a healthy BMI. You don't have to have a really steep deficit either. 0.5-1lb loss per week is fine.

    Thank you. I might just do that and come back to recomp once I'm low enough. Also thanks for the quick reply. I had added a side note from my post but I think it was after you replied. Could you please help me with this question?
    "Also, if I was to go to a traditional cut, MPF suggest 1200 cal daily. I just feel that is so different from the 1800 I've been eating for maintenance. Since I workout 5x week, should I be adding my exercise calories to that? So something like 14/1500?"

    Yes definitely want to eat at least some of even all of those exercise calories back. Around 1500 sounds like a good number to start. Even if you lose slowly you don't have too much to lose plus you will feel more comfortable and keep up your gym performance.

    Thank you!
  • digidoomed
    digidoomed Posts: 151 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    digidoomed wrote: »
    sardelsa wrote: »
    digidoomed wrote: »
    Hey everyone. Still sticking to recomping and took previous advice to track progress via pictures. so far going good. I'm 5'2, 150lb, 32% body fat(last I checked about 3 weeks ago). HIIT cardio 2x week and weight lifting 3x week. Feel free to let me know if that sounds like a good schedule. My question is has anyone ever tried doing a cut for a week or two and then going back to a recomp or is that counter productive?

    Side note: what is the best thing to use to measure body fat? My gym has one of those devices where you hold it out in front of you after putting your age/weight. I use that right now

    What is your reason for recomp vs. weight loss at this point? Are you a bodybuilder with significant muscle mass and prefer not to cut down? I just ask because with your stats you might be better off cutting, then when you reach a healthy BMI go back to recomp. You will likely see more significant progress that way.

    I started recomp because I liked that you could lose fat and get muscle at the same time. I've been able to increase my weights on certain lifts while doing it. Forgive me if it's a dumb question, but can I still cut and keep the strength I have now? I was thinking about it before just so I could try to get my body fat down lower but I wasn't sure how I would have to change my workouts if I was cutting since I wouldn't be eating as much to fuel the workout. Still learning here lol.

    Also, if I was to go to a traditional cut, MPF suggest 1200 cal daily. I just feel that is so different from the 1800 I've been eating for maintenance. Since I workout 5x week, should I be adding my exercise calories to that? So something like 14/1500?

    MPF doesn't suggest anything - it's a calculator that you control by the options you choose and influenced by your height and gender. But the goal is plus exercise calories, it's always plus exercise calories if you are using this site as designed.
    Or your can simply create your own goal and enter that manually. There's a lot of numbers between 1200 & 1800!

    You don't have to change your workouts just because you are eating a bit less - which is one of the plusses of cutting slowly as opposed to a drastic cut that robs you of energy and impacts your recovery. Yes you should be retaining or increasing strength if you are relatively new to lifting irrespective of where you are in the scale of a modest cut. Unless you are an advanced lifter losing strength would perhaps be a sign you are cutting too severely.

    It's a persistent myth that recomp only happens at precise maintenance calories, your body doesn't "know" that and doesn't have a mode switch that stops muscle growth if you drop just below that level.

    With your stats and estimated BF% cutting (sensibly) while training well makes perfect sense.

    Thank you for your help! I think I'll try that out for now. Thanks for your patience
  • Icy_Fox
    Icy_Fox Posts: 90 Member
    Hey there, thinking of doing a recomp after losing a lot of weight, but not sure if I'm at a good enough weight yet and I also have a few questions. I'm currently at 182lbs (6'2 tall) and would consider myself skinny fat. Would it be okay for me to start a recomp? If so, should I eat at maintenance or a slight deficit? How much protein a day is needed for a recomp? Would a body weight program be enough to pull it off?
    Thanks!
  • ceiswyn
    ceiswyn Posts: 2,253 Member
    This question has probably been asked like a million times, but... is it possible to recomp through doing low-weight-high-rep classes such as BodyPump, or do you have to actively lift heavy? If the answer is 'you can recomp with BodyPump and plenty of other exercise but it will take forever' then that's fine :)
  • ceiswyn
    ceiswyn Posts: 2,253 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    ceiswyn wrote: »
    This question has probably been asked like a million times, but... is it possible to recomp through doing low-weight-high-rep classes such as BodyPump, or do you have to actively lift heavy? If the answer is 'you can recomp with BodyPump and plenty of other exercise but it will take forever' then that's fine :)

    @ceiswyn

    Trying to avoid saying "it depends". :)

    But it depends (aaaaargh!) if BodyPump, or any other exercise for that matter, takes you beyond your current capabilities by stressing your muscles beyond what they can currently do.

    Extreme example - severe muscle wastage from 3 months on crutches meant learning to walk again was enough stress on my (very low) capabilities that I saw muscle growth. Of course as my capabilities went up I needed to increase the stress (a.k.a. Progressive Overload).

    Higher weight is the more efficient training method but people can and do get good results from high volume lighter weights too - but for a more advanced lifter that's going to incur a lot of time and a lot of fatigue.

    Overload isn't just by weight, volume can also produce overload and hence impetus for growth.

    Long story short, if you enjoy it then do it. If/when you feel you are stagnating then consider changing or adding to it.

    Thankyou, that's a very helpful answer!
  • GaryRuns
    GaryRuns Posts: 508 Member
    ceiswyn wrote: »
    This question has probably been asked like a million times, but... is it possible to recomp through doing low-weight-high-rep classes such as BodyPump, or do you have to actively lift heavy? If the answer is 'you can recomp with BodyPump and plenty of other exercise but it will take forever' then that's fine :)

    Initially you'll get some gains from BodyPump, if you've never previously lifted. Unfortunately those classes are generally geared more toward cardio than progressive overload. I'm not saying it's impossible, but it's unlikely that you'll see muscle gains via classes like BodyPump after your body becomes used to the workout.

    If you want to gain strength and muscle you'd be much better off starting with something like StrongLifts 5x5 and then progressing to a lifting program that continues to incorporate progressive overloading that is tailored to your specific goals.
  • ceiswyn
    ceiswyn Posts: 2,253 Member
    GaryRuns wrote: »
    ceiswyn wrote: »
    This question has probably been asked like a million times, but... is it possible to recomp through doing low-weight-high-rep classes such as BodyPump, or do you have to actively lift heavy? If the answer is 'you can recomp with BodyPump and plenty of other exercise but it will take forever' then that's fine :)

    Initially you'll get some gains from BodyPump, if you've never previously lifted. Unfortunately those classes are generally geared more toward cardio than progressive overload. I'm not saying it's impossible, but it's unlikely that you'll see muscle gains via classes like BodyPump after your body becomes used to the workout.

    If you want to gain strength and muscle you'd be much better off starting with something like StrongLifts 5x5 and then progressing to a lifting program that continues to incorporate progressive overloading that is tailored to your specific goals.

    The reason I asked is that the gym bores me rigid. If I can get the same effect from BodyPump but it’ll just take longer and require me to do more classes, then I’d much rather do that. Additionally my main fitness goal at the moment is a 24-hour hike for charity in the autumn, and the recommended strength work for that is low weights high reps, which BodyPump fits in with pretty well.

    Fortunately I don’t have any specific goals beyond ‘look good in a dress’ and I seem to gain muscle fairly easily for a woman (I put on a bit doing BodyPump while eating in a deficit, so...)
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    I've seen ones to bring their own slightly heavier weights to the body pump classes.
    Or these little add on weights that clip to the bars - adds 5lbs - may allow it to be decent progress for longer.
  • 307114882
    307114882 Posts: 45 Member
    just doing aerobic exercise of 30 minutes.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    307114882 wrote: »
    just doing aerobic exercise of 30 minutes.

    No context to that except the topic you posted under.

    There will be little to no recomp from that type of workout - it's not asking the body to improve by building new muscle, it's asking the body to perhaps get more oxygen to working muscles to go slightly harder for the time done.
  • kingers0
    kingers0 Posts: 1 Member
    So I recently hit my goal weight and am looking to now tone and get stronger. Where do I start. Obviously I’m working with maintenance calories but what type of workout plan? I do a lot of cardio (running/Jazzercize/Barre...) Most of my classes involve weights but I don’t think enough to get the results I’m looking for.

    Also, I’m wondering what a realistic goal is for me? Can this flab turn into muscle? Lol
  • Cassandraw3
    Cassandraw3 Posts: 1,214 Member
    kingers0 wrote: »
    So I recently hit my goal weight and am looking to now tone and get stronger. Where do I start. Obviously I’m working with maintenance calories but what type of workout plan? I do a lot of cardio (running/Jazzercize/Barre...) Most of my classes involve weights but I don’t think enough to get the results I’m looking for.

    Also, I’m wondering what a realistic goal is for me? Can this flab turn into muscle? Lol

    If you are new to training, you should be able to see some pretty good progress. Make sure you follow a structured program. Going to the gym doing random movements may show some results, but they will be minimal. The below post is a good starting point to find a structured program for best results.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1