I'm stuck and confused. I need help/advice

NIcholasOfNick · November 2019

So I have the body type one would call skinny fat. My arms are small and I look small compared to other people my height. Side note - 5'7, 151lbs, 16.7%bf according to bio impedance scale

I've tried bulking, maybe I overestimated my calories (another thing i'll talk about soon) but I didn't like what I saw in the mirror. And cutting isn't an option simply because there's nothing for me to cut down to.

I recently heard of body recomp but i'm having trouble following through with that as well because I might have been over estimating my activity level. I was following a guide on body recomp from MyFitnessPal blog found here and here but once again, I am not sure of my activity level.

-> If my day consists of just walking (let's say about 8000 steps), what activity level is that?

-> If my day consists of walking and doing a part of Strong lifts 5x5, what activity level is that?

-> I work part time in general labour and sometimes, I have to load boxes (either 30, 50 or 60lbs) boxes into a truck (we're about 4 people and we take turns). what activity level will that fall under?

-> If I stay at home all day and I only head out for a gym session (SL 5X5), what activity level would that fall under?

Speaking of general labour, how do I pair it with working out? Do I count the days I do heavy lifting as a gym session?

Also, is SL 5x5 okay for a recomp? I'm not after a crazy ripped physique. I just wanna be able to fight against the wind so I don't get blown away (i.e build muscle).

I feel like i'm overthinking everything.

rheddmobile · November 2019

First of all your BMI is in the middle of healthy weight. Also if you are normal weight and have no visible muscle it’s highly unlikely you’re 16% body fat. So many people are overweight today that a person of normal weight looks pretty thin in comparison.

The simplest way I’ve found to handle activity on MFP is to set yourself as sedentary then add activity. If you have something like a Fitbit you could sync it and that would take care of the steps. Estimate the other activity as it happens.

It’s fairly common to overestimate exercise burn - the best way to get a correct estimate is to check it against your rate of loss or gain.

If you’re a beginning lifter SL 5x5 is as good a place as any to start recomp. Just keep working at a progressive lifting program for long enough and you will eventually see changes in body composition.

As far as heavy labor counting as a gym session, it sounds good in theory, but in practice it hasn’t gotten you the results you wanted so far, as far as muscle building.

PaytraB · November 2019

Activity level is your average day with no added exercise.
If you have a job where you sit down most of the time, put your activity level at sedentary. Add any intentional exercise in your exercise log and add that to your day. This will add calories to your food diary for the exercise.

If you lift boxes at work every day for a lengthy period of time, put your activity level to lightly active. As above, add any intentional exercise.

I've found it easiest to put my activity level to sedentary and add intentional exercise. If my work day gets busy, I don't add that but use it as an invisible buffer for any logging errors I may have in my diary. I've found that my progress was on track with this method.

One way to check yourself is set your activity level, log all your food & exercise. Follow this for 6 weeks, then check your progress. If you're losing more than expected, your activity level is too low. If you're not losing as expected, your activity level is too high.
Everyone is different. It's really a matter of trial and error. An activity level of sedentary is a good place to start.

I don't know about recomping.

sijomial · November 2019

You are over thinking for sure but haven't actually made the first decision which will allow you to answer your own questions....
How are you intending accounting for your exercise?

1/ MyFitnessPal method of setting your activity level to account for your general lifestyle and job ONLY (would suggest Active) and then you estimate your exercise calories on the days you train and get calories added to your base goal. With this method there is zero crossover between activity setting and exercise volume. People could be Sedentary and do loads of exercise or Very Active and do no purposeful exercise and every other combination.

2/ TDEE method - in which case you select a COMBINED exercise and activity setting and eat the same calorie level every day which then includes an average of your predicted exercise. In which case follow the descriptors on the site you use ( Have a look at this one for example - https://www.sailrabbit.com/bmr/ )

But in both cases you don't change the activity or activity/exercise setting daily - it's a long term average.

As for training....
SL isn't a hypertrophy program. It's a simple beginner's program to build a base of strength and teach you the major compound lifts. IMHO if you are a beginner then it's sensible to invest perhaps a few months in building that strength foundation before switching to a more hypertrophy focussed program.
Simply put - if you are a beginner do a program aimed at beginners, if you aren't it may well be sub-optimal.

Those blogs you have read are simply awful, completely over-complicated and stressing less important factors. No diet isn't crucial, no there isn't one particular macro setting, no it's not in the slightest bit complex or unusual.....
It's just your body's normal reaction to a training stimulus when supported by an adequate diet - but that doesn't sell books and get advertising revenue online!
Just think of it as "getting in shape" - gyms are full of people doing just that without hanging a handle on it.

Just eat at/around maintenance with an overall healthy diet you enjoy and train well consistently and persistently. That's it, but it's the effectiveness of your training that drives the process.

cupcakesandproteinshakes · November 2019

What he said in the last post but also make sure you try and eat enough protein. .8 to 1 g per pound of body weight is good.

neugebauer52 · November 2019

Sometimes one's mind can play terrible tricks on us. With everything happening around us 24 hours a day, we have forgotten to take time out for ourselves. I know, this is terribly selfish and there will be 99 fingers wagging, pointing, poking and accusing - but hey, we need to take care of our own inner happiness to keep mentally healthy and before we can associate with others. Look around, take a walk, relax, think of a couple of things which make you really happy and content. Once in a while I see a virtual quadriplegic getting ready to get into the gym's pool. It takes him about half an hour, but when he is finally in, he swims like a fish! How lucky am I ? I only have to lose 70 or 80 kg - but I can still walk and I don't constantly depend on others just to survive. Cheer up, there is real life out there and there is always tomorrow!

I'm stuck and confused. I need help/advice

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