Recomposition: Maintaining weight while losing fat

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Replies

  • ddsb1111
    ddsb1111 Posts: 885 Member
    briscogun wrote: »
    ddsb1111 wrote: »
    @mtaratoot Why wouldn’t I want to shoot for one calorie goal instead of a range? I’m okay with fluctuations, that’s what I’ve been experiencing during the whole weight loss process, as long as the weight trend is the same over time. What I don’t understand is having a variation of calories. Why would we do that? Shooting around maintenance is broad, such as 1430-1580. Shooting for a maintenance number like 1480, and then adjusting, seems more clear.

    You are probably getting a range because its not an easily specific number. You might need to experiment a bit to find YOUR exact calorie goal. My understanding of recomp has always been to eat just at maintenance or slightly below, depending on the person and the circumstances and the goal.

    In order to lose fat you either have to burn more calories than you take in (slight deficit) or create enough muscle that your BMR increases so much that your body naturally burns more calories (long and hard process). Recomp is by definition a very long and arduous endeavor, but you will probably have to experiment a bit and see what works for you. There's no exact formula (X calories + Y exercise = Z recomp look).

    But you will have to gauge your success in months not days and weeks, and it won't be on the scale. There are some great examples in here of people recomping over 2 years or so and staying the same weight but losing inches and multiple sizes.

    Start by seeing what works (or doesn't) for you and adjust as needed. It's art not science sometimes! (Well, it is science, but... you know what I mean!) ;)

    I see, they were speaking in generalities. Thanks so much, I completely understand now. 🤦🏼‍♀️
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 14,386 Member
    ddsb1111 wrote: »
    @mtaratoot Why wouldn’t I want to shoot for one calorie goal instead of a range? I’m okay with fluctuations, that’s what I’ve been experiencing during the whole weight loss process, as long as the weight trend is the same over time. What I don’t understand is having a variation of calories. Why would we do that? Shooting around maintenance is broad, such as 1430-1580. Shooting for a maintenance number like 1480, and then adjusting, seems more clear. Maybe a variation and 1 calorie goal is the exact same thing and I just didn’t realize it! 😳

    You will get a target of caloric intake to strive for. The odds of you getting exactly that number of calories each day is tiny. Some days you will be over, and some days under. Then, for example, if you run every other day and don't do exercise the other days, the days you run you need more fuel, so you'll eat more.

    Or just settle on one goal for calorie intake. Get as close as you can, but don't stress if you are a little over or under on any given day. Step back and look at it on a weekly basis and try to be very close. Then observe your weight changes and make adjustments.

    Many people say maintenance is harder than weight loss. Maybe so, maybe no. But it's the same thing - you have a calorie goal, and you try to hit it while getting adequate nutrition. Do your best, and track as much as you can. That will provide you with data to make adjustments in the future. Give it six weeks; things are slow.

    Don't stress about it - just keep sticking to it.
  • claireychn074
    claireychn074 Posts: 1,655 Member
    Someone else has mentioned it but do also think about your weekly calorie total: some days you will eat a bit more and some days you might not hit your target. That’s totally normal, and so many of us in maintenance do track every day but we are more concerned with the weekly total than the daily total. For instance, when I get up at 5am to travel to work I know I will eat more that day. That’s fine, as I won’t eat as much on the days I get up at 7am, so it evens out over the week.
  • ddsb1111
    ddsb1111 Posts: 885 Member
    edited September 2023
    Thank you all for your patience. Autism is such a frightening issue at times. It’s unbelievably sad tbh not being able to understand what people mean or say. It’s my own failings. Thank you so much for trying to break things down for me.
  • ddsb1111
    ddsb1111 Posts: 885 Member
    edited September 2023
    claireychn074 wrote: »
    Someone else has mentioned it but do also think about your weekly calorie total: some days you will eat a bit more and some days you might not hit your target. That’s totally normal, and so many of us in maintenance do track every day but we are more concerned with the weekly total than the daily total. For instance, when I get up at 5am to travel to work I know I will eat more that day. That’s fine, as I won’t eat as much on the days I get up at 7am, so it evens out over the week.

    Thank you. I feel super comfortable with that as well. To keep things simple I start with a calorie goal target. I follow that trend to see what happens over time, and then I reassess. The only reason I have found success is by following that target, even though it may not be exact. When someone like me hears “around that” I can’t follow a trend concisely. But this must be a me issue :(
  • herringboxes
    herringboxes Posts: 259 Member
    As the NT mom of an ND person, I chuckled over the comminucation gap of the last couple of pages!

    @ddsb1111, you’ve got it, you can ignore “around” and use “at.” There are some reasons “around” would have worked better as a term for some people, as some people would have found it stressful to feel like they had to target an exact number every day and felt unable to do so precisely.

    For you, “at” is the way to go!

    I’m on the recomp journey with you 💪
  • ddsb1111
    ddsb1111 Posts: 885 Member
    herringboxes wrote: »
    As the NT mom of an ND person, I chuckled over the comminucation gap of the last couple of pages!

    @ddsb1111, you’ve got it, you can ignore “around” and use “at.” There are some reasons “around” would have worked better as a term for some people, as some people would have found it stressful to feel like they had to target an exact number every day and felt unable to do so precisely.

    For you, “at” is the way to go!

    I’m on the recomp journey with you 💪

    This is awesome, thanks so much. Im glad you laughed, that’s all we can do sometimes lol.

    I feel a lot more prepared and relaxed to start maintenance. Sounds like you’ve found a rhythm, I look forward to hearing about your gains.

    I’ll be taking measurements and picture as I start a 12 week Pilates program as well, as soon as I get back from a trip. I think switching one goal for another will help me focus. I’m looking forward to it.
  • herringboxes
    herringboxes Posts: 259 Member
    Looking forward to your updates!
  • claireychn074
    claireychn074 Posts: 1,655 Member
    ddsb1111 wrote: »
    claireychn074 wrote: »
    Someone else has mentioned it but do also think about your weekly calorie total: some days you will eat a bit more and some days you might not hit your target. That’s totally normal, and so many of us in maintenance do track every day but we are more concerned with the weekly total than the daily total. For instance, when I get up at 5am to travel to work I know I will eat more that day. That’s fine, as I won’t eat as much on the days I get up at 7am, so it evens out over the week.

    Thank you. I feel super comfortable with that as well. To keep things simple I start with a calorie goal target. I follow that trend to see what happens over time, and then I reassess. The only reason I have found success is by following that target, even though it may not be exact. When someone like me hears “around that” I can’t follow a trend concisely. But this must be a me issue :(
    No, it’s not “your” issue. It’s simply that the English language has lots of unexpressed rules or conventions, which many of us assume everyone understands. But to ND individuals and often people to whom English is not the first language, those constructs are confusing. So do keep clarifying and asking - if someone is using terminology which confuses you, pick them up. I work with several autistic people (and strongly suspect my father is on the spectrum) and I realised recently I adjust my language with different people. But it still remains that it’s not your problem - you are right to ask questions if you don’t understand the semantics.

    Good luck with the maintenance!
  • fitnessgirly4321
    fitnessgirly4321 Posts: 13 Member
    How long did it take for you all to see results from recomposition??
  • anxietyfairy
    anxietyfairy Posts: 36 Member
    If you wait until you are at your goal weight to do recomp, will your loose skin tighten up with strength training?

    I'm 35 btw
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,336 Member
    anxietyfairy wrote: »
    If you wait until you are at your goal weight to do recomp, will your loose skin tighten up with strength training?

    I'm 35 btw

    There are so many factors when it comes to loose skin that there is not really a simple answer. Generally, loose skin will continue to tighten up for about 2 years once your weight stabilizes. It is debatable if weight training will tighten it more or faster.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,617 Member
    anxietyfairy wrote: »
    If you wait until you are at your goal weight to do recomp, will your loose skin tighten up with strength training?

    I'm 35 btw

    I don't think that's exactly how it works, @anxietyfairy. Loose skin can't much start to shrink until enough fat is depleted from an area so that it's not conspiring with gravity to keep the skin stretched. After that point, IMU it's more about time, and overall good health practices, plus some influence of genetics and age.

    The "overall good health practices" thing is because skin is an organ, and its health (including elasticity and willingness to adjust) can be affected by things like:

    * avoiding fast loss (because it's a physical stress to lose fast),
    * getting good well-rounded nutrition (macros and micros, especially but not exclusively protein),
    * getting regular exercise (both cardiovascular and strength),
    * managing all-source life stress,
    * hydrating adequately (not crazy much, but enough),
    * avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol,
    * specific to skin, also avoiding tanning.

    So strength training, either during loss or later, can help in that general-health way; and in some cases, muscle mass gain (slow!) can fill out skin a little during recomposition.

    Time is a big deal. My loose skin kept shrinking into at least year 2 of maintenance, and the total shrinkage was quite significant, even though I was 60 y/o when I reached goal.

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