Can someone help me with recomp queries

The_evildead
The_evildead Posts: 15 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I have about 5-8 lbs left to lose I’m a 5ft6 male 162lbs Down from 220lbs. Am I a good candidate for a recomp and am I correct in thinking I just eat at maintenance calories everyday plus my excercise calories And lift 3-4 times a week ? I have read the other threads but don’t understand how I can lose fat this way without being in a deficit Can someone enlighten me please.

Replies

  • The_evildead
    The_evildead Posts: 15 Member
    I should add I have been dieting since September last year and working out recently started lifting heavier weights and eating at a 250 cal Deficit per day but I can’t seem to get below 161lbs for the last few weeks
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,223 Member
    Without seeing pictures it's hard to say definitively. Based on your height you could probably cut down into the 140s and still be fine. If you're not lifting already I strongly suggest you start, regardless if you want to pursue "recomp" as you described or continue cutting.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    Here's a very good thread on here about this:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1

  • The_evildead
    The_evildead Posts: 15 Member
    cmriverside wrote: »
    Here's a very good thread on here about this:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1

    Thank you I did read this but was still confused about how it actually works with no deficit and if i should still be eating back my excercise calories as I had been
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,223 Member
    The_evildead wrote: »
    cmriverside wrote: »
    Here's a very good thread on here about this:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1

    Thank you I did read this but was still confused about how it actually works with no deficit and if i should still be eating back my excercise calories as I had been

    I'm really meticulous about my data collection, in the 1044 days between 8/20/2017 and 6/29/2020 my 7-day-trailing-average weight ranged between 171 lbs and 180 lbs (average and median at 176 lbs) while my overall daily calories averaged 15 calories higher than my observed TDEE (aka maintenance + exercise normalized over 7 days) and, based on my skuplt body fat scanner, I dropped 5 lbs of fat while maintaining my lean muscle mass and thus improving my body composition while averaging little-to-no caloric deficit.

    Daily Weight BF% Muscle Mass Fat Mass
    8/20/2017 178 14.30% 152.546 25.5
    6/29/2020 172.8 11.70% 152.5824 20.2

    Now, there are certainly variations day-to-day within that but over time, coming close to true maintenance calories while lifting consistently and prioritizing protein, I was able to recomp pretty successfully. It's worth noting this includes welcoming our first child in 12/2018 on top of seasonal variations in activity, holidays, and other special occasions you'd expect over a nearly-three-year span. My lifting program has varied over that time as well, ranging from Powerbuilding-focus with a PHUL-type program, 3 day full-body splits, and currently following one of Arnold's bodybuidling plans, though always based in barbell compounds with little cardio.

    For reference, I'm male, 31 y/o and 6'1".
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    edited July 2020
    The_evildead wrote: »
    cmriverside wrote: »
    Here's a very good thread on here about this:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1

    Thank you I did read this but was still confused about how it actually works with no deficit and if i should still be eating back my excercise calories as I had been

    What confuses you precisely? What do you think would stop "getting in shape" (as it used to be called) from working?
    You train well and you gain muscle, if you stay the same weight you lose fat at roughly the rate you gain muscle - simple! :smiley:

    Exercise calories are simply part of your total daily calorie needs - when people eat at weight maintenance level it has to include exercise calories whether implicitly or accidentally.
    However, recomp also doesn't have to be exactly at maintenance calories so if you still want to lose some weight a very small deficit can still work - your age, how lean you are, your training history, how well you respond to stimulus are all factors in your progress but the big thing in your control is the quality of how you train.

    Whether you are a good candidate or not isn't possible to judge without knowing more about you.
    Young or old?
    Previously well trained or not?
    Lean and muscular or still a fair bit of fat to lose?




  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    The_evildead wrote: »
    cmriverside wrote: »
    Here's a very good thread on here about this:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1

    Thank you I did read this but was still confused about how it actually works with no deficit and if i should still be eating back my excercise calories as I had been

    It works (slowly compared to just fat loss) because you are asking your body through a progressive lifting routine to make more muscle.

    That takes energy and extra calories and nutrients from the food you eat.
    That means your daily non-exercise body functions that require energy/calories has to rely on the stored fat.


    So to eat at maintenance, means no deficit.
    You eat what you burn.

    Did you burn more on the day you exercised?
    Of course - so yes you would eat more.

    Or as has been shared - if very regular lifestyle and workout routine, you may be able to use the TDEE method (weekly activity calorie burn averaged out to daily) and just eat the same amount daily.
    Some days is literally a deficit, some days is a surplus.
    For some that means the recovery day after a good workout is actually in surplus, when body is making the repairs/rebuilding - right when you need it anyway.
  • The_evildead
    The_evildead Posts: 15 Member
    Thanks for all the reply’s I feel like I understand it a lot more now! I guess it’s the slight freak out of being in a deficit for so long eating more seems kind of scary somehow haha
  • steveko89
    steveko89 Posts: 2,223 Member
    The_evildead wrote: »
    Thanks for all the reply’s I feel like I understand it a lot more now! I guess it’s the slight freak out of being in a deficit for so long eating more seems kind of scary somehow haha

    That's totally normal. I'm still low-key terrified to get fat again despite never being more than ~10-15 lbs outside of "normal" by BMI standards and having been at a healthy weight consistently for over 8 years. I can't imagine the mental impact of a bigger loss.

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