New and Confused

At 5'1" and 111 pounds, you're already toward the lower end of the normal BMI range (BMI 21). It's not impossible to be skinny fat at that level, but it would be somewhat unusual for someone who's been lifting with a good program and sound nutrition for around a year, especially while relatively young (as you appear to be to me, but heck, I'm 65, so I have kind of a wide view of "young" 😉). But if the HIIT is what you've been doing for the year, and the strength training is new, it might be a little more likely.

It would be useful to get an estimate of your body fat percent. There are calculators to estimate it (very approximate), bioelectrical impedence devices (like some scales or handheld devices - also very approximate), some skilled people can do decent estimates with calipers (skinfold tests), or there are test (like DEXA) that are more accurate but more expensive. Sometimes having an idea of the numbers is helpful, as sometimes our own self-perception of our bodies can be skewed, especially if we come from a different history body-wise (you don't really say).

Depending on where you are, you'd have a couple of options, at a healthy weight but wanting to shift to more muscle and less fat.

One would be recomposition, which is a slow process of maintaining weight (more or less) while adding muscle and simultaneously losing fat. There's a good thread about it here:

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

Another option (perhaps not hugely different from recomp in your case) would be to run a very small calorie deficit (100-250 calories daily, maybe), get excellent nutrition, and keep strength training. That should let you maintain current muscle or maybe (if all the stars align) continue to make slow gains on the muscle front, but ultra-slowly lose fat. Your muscle loss with a very small deficit, a good strength program, and sound nutrition (especially but not exclusively protein) should be very negligible.

Regardless, key factors are going to be good nutrition (especially protein), and a good, progressive strength training program faithfully performed. You don't mention what strength program you're running now, but if you don't have a formal one, there's a list of options here that others have found beneficial:

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

That thread can be a good place to get advice on programs, specifically.

These are just some very general suggestions, and your current level of knowledge may already be beyond all this. There are certainly more detailed, advanced strategies that can be used, if you're at a more advanced level, but I'm way, way not the person to advise you on them. You might find people like that in the Gaining Weight & Bodybuilding part of the forum (even if you're not thinking of Gaining or Bodybuilding as exactly what you're doing, I think you'd find similarly inclined people over there). Direct link:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/categories/goal-gaining-weight

Wishing you all the best!

Ginitea wrote: »

I have been doing some research into body recomposition but I am still a beginner when it comes to having a program or knowing how to put one together.

I realize I have to consume more protein than I currently do so I changed my macros around to 40% protein and 30% on carbs and fat.

The HIIT training worked for me at the start but the results have started to fade and I haven’t been able to maintain my physique I achieved in the beginning.

I have just started to incorporate some strength training into my routine and I was wanting to focus more on that route. I don’t have a structured program or idea of what exercises would target certain muscle groups. However, I am putting the effort into learning and really trying to understand the process.

Thank you for the useful links and resources, I will be sure to check them out.

Something like 0.6-0.8g protein daily per pound of goal weight (or in your case, current weight) should be adequate. That's equivalent to 0.8-1g per pound of lean body mass, or close enough, for most of us. 40% ought to be enough, but depending on your calorie level, could be unnecessarily much. More than needed won't hurt you, but can make it harder to get the other nutrients you want, or just to let you have some flexibility. (I'm 5'5", maintain weight on around 2200 or so calories most days, and target a minimum of 100g protein, which is only around 20% protein in round numbers, FWIW. Seems to work OK, but of course we're all individuals!)

The link I suggested (the lifting program one) will help you with the strength training part. Generally, a good professionally designed program will give you better results than trying to put together a routine yourself (and it's easier, too, for the double win!).

Best wishes!

I didn’t pick up on your duplicate thread that you’d been lifting for a couple of weeks.

Patience, Grasshopper. I’ve been training nearly two years It took me months to see visible improvement, and it’s only been
In the past two or three months I can look at my guns in the gym mirror......and even begin to say that with a straight face..