Recomposition: Maintaining weight while losing fat

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Replies

  • AdamAussie34
    AdamAussie34 Posts: 168 Member
    ghudson92 wrote: »
    ghudson92 wrote: »
    How is everyone getting on with their recomp? I was seeing good results October to early December of last year, but had to take time out due to injury and illness. During that time I simply focused on maintaining as couldn't be active. This week I am back to recomp and loving it! This time round I am focusing more on the quality of nutrition and upping my protein levels too.

    Good luck with your recomp! Hope the injury is okay now..

    Thank you. I very nearly broke my wrist so it was slow to get better, but I'd say it is 90% recovered now. Love your post upthread, congrats on the amazing progress!

    Many 🙏 love the positive vibes
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,400 Member
    I'll just bump this. Some people are looking for it. :)
  • mustb60
    mustb60 Posts: 1,090 Member
    edited February 2020
    Bump
  • Akboudicae
    Akboudicae Posts: 2 Member
    Hi, I am returning to weight lifting in my exercise regimen after taking a few years off. (Had elbow tendinitis, had to re-structure program, got busy with other activities like riding horses and barn chores.) I am 57, with arthritis and currently around 23-24% bodyfat at 5'5" and 127 pounds. I have been trying to lift every other (but sometimes every 3rd) day and follow kind of a "BodyPump" style of warm-up, squats, chest, deadlifts and rows, triceps, biceps, lunges, abs and stretching. The whole thing takes about 45-55 minutes, but I am slower and more focused on technique than the BodyPump "in-time-with-the-music-always" approach. I also do cardio 3-5x per week 20-40 minutes. I basically use this app to make sure I am hitting all of my nutrients on the pre-determined settings for my age and goal weight of 125. Any suggested tweaks? (I also work and have a family in addition to the horses so I cannot spend hours and hours on body-building.)
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Akboudicae wrote: »
    Hi, I am returning to weight lifting in my exercise regimen after taking a few years off. (Had elbow tendinitis, had to re-structure program, got busy with other activities like riding horses and barn chores.) I am 57, with arthritis and currently around 23-24% bodyfat at 5'5" and 127 pounds. I have been trying to lift every other (but sometimes every 3rd) day and follow kind of a "BodyPump" style of warm-up, squats, chest, deadlifts and rows, triceps, biceps, lunges, abs and stretching. The whole thing takes about 45-55 minutes, but I am slower and more focused on technique than the BodyPump "in-time-with-the-music-always" approach. I also do cardio 3-5x per week 20-40 minutes. I basically use this app to make sure I am hitting all of my nutrients on the pre-determined settings for my age and goal weight of 125. Any suggested tweaks? (I also work and have a family in addition to the horses so I cannot spend hours and hours on body-building.)

    For your body to feel the need to grow more muscle and not just make it stronger, you have to overload it in some specific ways.

    Which means anything that might make that not happen well will not help recomp.

    That's great you aren't trying to match beat of music - you'd have to be light enough on the weight to accomplish that most likely.

    But how many reps you end up doing, how many sets, how much rest time between sets?

    You'll know the eating level is right when weight stays the same over about a month of fluctuations.
  • MidlifeCrisisFitness
    MidlifeCrisisFitness Posts: 1,106 Member
    ghudson92 wrote: »
    ks7hizrnzrzl.jpg

    Recomp progress. Left picture was mid November 2019 - right picture was yesterday. Feeling quite happy with how it is going.

    You should. Looking great.
  • ghudson92
    ghudson92 Posts: 2,061 Member
    KHMcG wrote: »
    ghudson92 wrote: »
    ks7hizrnzrzl.jpg

    Recomp progress. Left picture was mid November 2019 - right picture was yesterday. Feeling quite happy with how it is going.

    You should. Looking great.

    Thanks so much!
  • Pipsqueak1965
    Pipsqueak1965 Posts: 397 Member
    Ok. Been recomping for a fair while. Both fat may 22%? Or what?
  • Pipsqueak1965
    Pipsqueak1965 Posts: 397 Member
    Oh I can't attach a photo.
  • MidlifeCrisisFitness
    MidlifeCrisisFitness Posts: 1,106 Member
    4pinux9u73fo.jpg

    Are you asking for a bf% estimate?
    I would say your closeat mid 20s to 22..
  • richiechowns
    richiechowns Posts: 155 Member
    Bookmarked, lots to go through.

    Can anyone link me to how this work if you have changeable exercise patterns please? For example, I don't go to the gym and follow a weights program as such, I run and do differing distances and intensity some days, others I'll do a T25 type HIIT/weights type program, others I'll do body weight training.

    Is it a case of setting your activity levels as a week view, rather than a day view? I work on my backside around 8 hours a day, I do get up and walk a bit but most of the time it is early exercise and then later walking, cycling or running.
  • Nacho_Daddy
    Nacho_Daddy Posts: 846 Member
    Bookmarked, lots to go through.

    Can anyone link me to how this work if you have changeable exercise patterns please? For example, I don't go to the gym and follow a weights program as such, I run and do differing distances and intensity some days, others I'll do a T25 type HIIT/weights type program, others I'll do body weight training.

    Is it a case of setting your activity levels as a week view, rather than a day view? I work on my backside around 8 hours a day, I do get up and walk a bit but most of the time it is early exercise and then later walking, cycling or running.

    What works for me is to not use MFP's somewhat arbitrary "Active / Inactive" type of activity setting, and instead work directly with actual logged activity. By setting your MFP Activity Level to Sedentary, MFP won't load caloric expenditure into your days unless YOU log calories burned. To me, this keeps the whole thing 'honest' and then your caloric burns will guide the "Calories out" portion of your CI=CO equation, rather than having MFP pre-load some calorie number into that equation for me so my daily energy output (logged) is calculated into the "eat these calories" calculation displayed here on MFP.

    Again, that's how I make it work, but as @usmcmp says " The only way to know for sure is to monitor your weight and calories over time while adjusting calories when you have an up or down trend. " (emphasis on trend)
  • richiechowns
    richiechowns Posts: 155 Member
    Bookmarked, lots to go through.

    Can anyone link me to how this work if you have changeable exercise patterns please? For example, I don't go to the gym and follow a weights program as such, I run and do differing distances and intensity some days, others I'll do a T25 type HIIT/weights type program, others I'll do body weight training.

    Is it a case of setting your activity levels as a week view, rather than a day view? I work on my backside around 8 hours a day, I do get up and walk a bit but most of the time it is early exercise and then later walking, cycling or running.

    What works for me is to not use MFP's somewhat arbitrary "Active / Inactive" type of activity setting, and instead work directly with actual logged activity. By setting your MFP Activity Level to Sedentary, MFP won't load caloric expenditure into your days unless YOU log calories burned. To me, this keeps the whole thing 'honest' and then your caloric burns will guide the "Calories out" portion of your CI=CO equation, rather than having MFP pre-load some calorie number into that equation for me so my daily energy output (logged) is calculated into the "eat these calories" calculation displayed here on MFP.

    Again, that's how I make it work, but as @usmcmp says " The only way to know for sure is to monitor your weight and calories over time while adjusting calories when you have an up or down trend. " (emphasis on trend)

    Just so I understand this, you set your calories to maintenance based on estimated TDEE, then set activity to Sedentary, then (I use Garmin) log everything you do, such as walking and running, lifting etc to get the proper adjustments?

  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,937 Member
    Bookmarked, lots to go through.

    Can anyone link me to how this work if you have changeable exercise patterns please? For example, I don't go to the gym and follow a weights program as such, I run and do differing distances and intensity some days, others I'll do a T25 type HIIT/weights type program, others I'll do body weight training.

    Is it a case of setting your activity levels as a week view, rather than a day view? I work on my backside around 8 hours a day, I do get up and walk a bit but most of the time it is early exercise and then later walking, cycling or running.

    What works for me is to not use MFP's somewhat arbitrary "Active / Inactive" type of activity setting, and instead work directly with actual logged activity. By setting your MFP Activity Level to Sedentary, MFP won't load caloric expenditure into your days unless YOU log calories burned. To me, this keeps the whole thing 'honest' and then your caloric burns will guide the "Calories out" portion of your CI=CO equation, rather than having MFP pre-load some calorie number into that equation for me so my daily energy output (logged) is calculated into the "eat these calories" calculation displayed here on MFP.

    Again, that's how I make it work, but as @usmcmp says " The only way to know for sure is to monitor your weight and calories over time while adjusting calories when you have an up or down trend. " (emphasis on trend)

    Just so I understand this, you set your calories to maintenance based on estimated TDEE, then set activity to Sedentary, then (I use Garmin) log everything you do, such as walking and running, lifting etc to get the proper adjustments?

    Yes, essentially. But it is not T.D.E.E. As I explained just a couple minutes ago i your thread, MFP uses the N.E.A.T. method (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis. It does not take intentional exercise into account. Thus you log it and it will give you additional calories based on your exercise on a given day.

    As happens with many people, you seem to be confusing T.D.E.E.(Total Daily Energy Expenditure) with N.E.A.T. They are 2 different models to get to a similar place. N.E.A.T. can be more precise for a person in your circumstances.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Bookmarked, lots to go through.

    Can anyone link me to how this work if you have changeable exercise patterns please? For example, I don't go to the gym and follow a weights program as such, I run and do differing distances and intensity some days, others I'll do a T25 type HIIT/weights type program, others I'll do body weight training.

    Is it a case of setting your activity levels as a week view, rather than a day view? I work on my backside around 8 hours a day, I do get up and walk a bit but most of the time it is early exercise and then later walking, cycling or running.

    What works for me is to not use MFP's somewhat arbitrary "Active / Inactive" type of activity setting, and instead work directly with actual logged activity. By setting your MFP Activity Level to Sedentary, MFP won't load caloric expenditure into your days unless YOU log calories burned. To me, this keeps the whole thing 'honest' and then your caloric burns will guide the "Calories out" portion of your CI=CO equation, rather than having MFP pre-load some calorie number into that equation for me so my daily energy output (logged) is calculated into the "eat these calories" calculation displayed here on MFP.

    Again, that's how I make it work, but as @usmcmp says " The only way to know for sure is to monitor your weight and calories over time while adjusting calories when you have an up or down trend. " (emphasis on trend)

    Just so I understand this, you set your calories to maintenance based on estimated TDEE, then set activity to Sedentary, then (I use Garmin) log everything you do, such as walking and running, lifting etc to get the proper adjustments?

    You don't have to log anything though since the Garmin is already picking it up.

    And if syncing an activity tracker - it's reporting TDEE to MFP already, MFP corrects itself to that figure, and then figures your eating goal.
    So no need to manually adjust anything on MFP for eating goal.

    Set MFP to maintain, activity level to Sedentary or Not active as app calls it now - and Garmin will send over workouts logged, and daily burn figure.

    MFP will do the math, and you should be able to observe your eating goal at end of day is what Garmin said you burned TDEE.

    Done.

    Adjust as needed - Garmin will inflate calorie burn for some things like lifting possibly. But daily distance walking activity is likely fine - unless you do a ton of steps and the stride length is off decent amount.
    Notice issues like correcting a workout on Garmin for calories doesn't seem to push the change through.
    And even on Garmin it takes awhile for their TDEE value to change after you make a correction like that, anything correcting down especially.
  • richiechowns
    richiechowns Posts: 155 Member
    heybales wrote: »
    Bookmarked, lots to go through.

    Can anyone link me to how this work if you have changeable exercise patterns please? For example, I don't go to the gym and follow a weights program as such, I run and do differing distances and intensity some days, others I'll do a T25 type HIIT/weights type program, others I'll do body weight training.

    Is it a case of setting your activity levels as a week view, rather than a day view? I work on my backside around 8 hours a day, I do get up and walk a bit but most of the time it is early exercise and then later walking, cycling or running.

    What works for me is to not use MFP's somewhat arbitrary "Active / Inactive" type of activity setting, and instead work directly with actual logged activity. By setting your MFP Activity Level to Sedentary, MFP won't load caloric expenditure into your days unless YOU log calories burned. To me, this keeps the whole thing 'honest' and then your caloric burns will guide the "Calories out" portion of your CI=CO equation, rather than having MFP pre-load some calorie number into that equation for me so my daily energy output (logged) is calculated into the "eat these calories" calculation displayed here on MFP.

    Again, that's how I make it work, but as @usmcmp says " The only way to know for sure is to monitor your weight and calories over time while adjusting calories when you have an up or down trend. " (emphasis on trend)

    Just so I understand this, you set your calories to maintenance based on estimated TDEE, then set activity to Sedentary, then (I use Garmin) log everything you do, such as walking and running, lifting etc to get the proper adjustments?

    You don't have to log anything though since the Garmin is already picking it up.

    And if syncing an activity tracker - it's reporting TDEE to MFP already, MFP corrects itself to that figure, and then figures your eating goal.
    So no need to manually adjust anything on MFP for eating goal.

    Set MFP to maintain, activity level to Sedentary or Not active as app calls it now - and Garmin will send over workouts logged, and daily burn figure.

    MFP will do the math, and you should be able to observe your eating goal at end of day is what Garmin said you burned TDEE.

    Done.

    Adjust as needed - Garmin will inflate calorie burn for some things like lifting possibly. But daily distance walking activity is likely fine - unless you do a ton of steps and the stride length is off decent amount.
    Notice issues like correcting a workout on Garmin for calories doesn't seem to push the change through.
    And even on Garmin it takes awhile for their TDEE value to change after you make a correction like that, anything correcting down especially.

    So just to throw something else into the mix, Garmin has 8 levels of activity I think, what do I set that to?

    I did do a mile counting strides, I may have lost count a few times...
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    edited May 2020
    heybales wrote: »
    Bookmarked, lots to go through.

    Can anyone link me to how this work if you have changeable exercise patterns please? For example, I don't go to the gym and follow a weights program as such, I run and do differing distances and intensity some days, others I'll do a T25 type HIIT/weights type program, others I'll do body weight training.

    Is it a case of setting your activity levels as a week view, rather than a day view? I work on my backside around 8 hours a day, I do get up and walk a bit but most of the time it is early exercise and then later walking, cycling or running.

    What works for me is to not use MFP's somewhat arbitrary "Active / Inactive" type of activity setting, and instead work directly with actual logged activity. By setting your MFP Activity Level to Sedentary, MFP won't load caloric expenditure into your days unless YOU log calories burned. To me, this keeps the whole thing 'honest' and then your caloric burns will guide the "Calories out" portion of your CI=CO equation, rather than having MFP pre-load some calorie number into that equation for me so my daily energy output (logged) is calculated into the "eat these calories" calculation displayed here on MFP.

    Again, that's how I make it work, but as @usmcmp says " The only way to know for sure is to monitor your weight and calories over time while adjusting calories when you have an up or down trend. " (emphasis on trend)

    Just so I understand this, you set your calories to maintenance based on estimated TDEE, then set activity to Sedentary, then (I use Garmin) log everything you do, such as walking and running, lifting etc to get the proper adjustments?

    You don't have to log anything though since the Garmin is already picking it up.

    And if syncing an activity tracker - it's reporting TDEE to MFP already, MFP corrects itself to that figure, and then figures your eating goal.
    So no need to manually adjust anything on MFP for eating goal.

    Set MFP to maintain, activity level to Sedentary or Not active as app calls it now - and Garmin will send over workouts logged, and daily burn figure.

    MFP will do the math, and you should be able to observe your eating goal at end of day is what Garmin said you burned TDEE.

    Done.

    Adjust as needed - Garmin will inflate calorie burn for some things like lifting possibly. But daily distance walking activity is likely fine - unless you do a ton of steps and the stride length is off decent amount.
    Notice issues like correcting a workout on Garmin for calories doesn't seem to push the change through.
    And even on Garmin it takes awhile for their TDEE value to change after you make a correction like that, anything correcting down especially.

    So just to throw something else into the mix, Garmin has 8 levels of activity I think, what do I set that to?

    I did do a mile counting strides, I may have lost count a few times...

    That is used in calculating calorie burn from workouts when HR is used.
    So be honest with it.

    That's all that is used for. And some devices don't even use the FirstBeat technology as Garmin has to pay them for use.

    As to steps - if you start a workout on the device, it'll count the steps. But you have to walk a trustworthy 1 mile to confirm it's right or wrong.
    And for it to dynamically adjust up or down the distance of each stride impact correctly - walk 2 mph, which is usually mid-point grocery store shuffle to exercise pace.

    So if you can find that past workout where you walked a track or such @ 2 mph, maybe a treadmill though they aren't always calibrated as often as they should be - you should be able to get a step count for that workout.

    Now that I think about it - Garmin has made some changes - I'm hoping you can look or make a walking workout and display the steps they saw.

    Then from there, the device user settings for steps in the 5280 ft.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,937 Member
    edited May 2020
    heybales wrote: »
    Bookmarked, lots to go through.

    Can anyone link me to how this work if you have changeable exercise patterns please? For example, I don't go to the gym and follow a weights program as such, I run and do differing distances and intensity some days, others I'll do a T25 type HIIT/weights type program, others I'll do body weight training.

    Is it a case of setting your activity levels as a week view, rather than a day view? I work on my backside around 8 hours a day, I do get up and walk a bit but most of the time it is early exercise and then later walking, cycling or running.

    What works for me is to not use MFP's somewhat arbitrary "Active / Inactive" type of activity setting, and instead work directly with actual logged activity. By setting your MFP Activity Level to Sedentary, MFP won't load caloric expenditure into your days unless YOU log calories burned. To me, this keeps the whole thing 'honest' and then your caloric burns will guide the "Calories out" portion of your CI=CO equation, rather than having MFP pre-load some calorie number into that equation for me so my daily energy output (logged) is calculated into the "eat these calories" calculation displayed here on MFP.

    Again, that's how I make it work, but as @usmcmp says " The only way to know for sure is to monitor your weight and calories over time while adjusting calories when you have an up or down trend. " (emphasis on trend)

    Just so I understand this, you set your calories to maintenance based on estimated TDEE, then set activity to Sedentary, then (I use Garmin) log everything you do, such as walking and running, lifting etc to get the proper adjustments?

    You don't have to log anything though since the Garmin is already picking it up.

    And if syncing an activity tracker - it's reporting TDEE to MFP already, MFP corrects itself to that figure, and then figures your eating goal.
    So no need to manually adjust anything on MFP for eating goal.

    Set MFP to maintain, activity level to Sedentary or Not active as app calls it now - and Garmin will send over workouts logged, and daily burn figure.

    MFP will do the math, and you should be able to observe your eating goal at end of day is what Garmin said you burned TDEE.

    Done.

    Adjust as needed - Garmin will inflate calorie burn for some things like lifting possibly. But daily distance walking activity is likely fine - unless you do a ton of steps and the stride length is off decent amount.
    Notice issues like correcting a workout on Garmin for calories doesn't seem to push the change through.
    And even on Garmin it takes awhile for their TDEE value to change after you make a correction like that, anything correcting down especially.

    Heybales makes a good point that I hadn't picked up. Your Garmin will log the workouts. Garmin has a good reputation for accuracy. I'd eat back all the exercise calories and see what that looks like in 6 or 8 weeks.