Body Recomposition help?!

jessicahinton98 · June 2021

I have been using MFP the past few months to lose weight so was in a deficit. However, I have now been going to the gym and want to gain muscle whilst still losing fat. I have tried to find the relevant advice online and have confused myself

I am 22 years old, 5'5, weigh 10st 9 and MFP has calculated my maintenance calories at 2010 per day.
in order to fulfil my goal of losing weight but growing muscle (particularly my glutes) do I need to be eating maintenance or a surplus on my training days?
Really confused and don't want to undo all my hard work.
I am going to be training 5 x a week (resistance training).
Any advice would be appreciated thank you!!

ExpressoLove11 · June 2021

There is a recomp thread in the stickies of the maintenance forum. I'd highly recommend you read it as it has a wealth of information.

sijomial · June 2021

It's as simple as you want to make it. And a lot more simple that people struggling to sell services and boost traffic on their sites make it out to be!

Just eat at or around maintenance on average and train effectively. That is all you need to do, the rest you read is just over-complicating something that is totally ordinary and a normal response to training. Think of it as "getting in shape", that really is all it is when you take away the fancy name.

The diet part doesn't need to be at all complicated, eat same every day or zig-zag calories if you want - unlikely to make a significant difference to your results so just make life easy for yourself. Sensible to target a decent amount of protein though.

It's the training that drives the process, that's where to focus on.

DoubleG2 · June 2021

Here's the recomp thread: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat

Recomp is a slow process. Essentially you need to be in a slight calorie deficit and working a progressive lifting plan. It's also recommended to consume 0.7 - 1.0 grams of protein/day per 1lb lean body mass to aid recovery and muscle growth. You didn't mention how much additional weight you want to lose. It may be appropriate for you to continue to cut to get to goal weight then begin recomp.

Without knowing your history or lifting experience, it's difficult to say whether a 5X/week lifting schedule is appropriate. I'd start here: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

Also check out the Body Building forum - there are several threads that will be relevant for you, plus there are many experienced members who are happy to give advice.

Body Recomposition help?!

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