Thread: body recomp question/advice

6ft 220lbs and very out of shape before starting this journey for the next 3 months at least, 7 years inactive - want to lose about 15-25 pounds but want to have some muscle visible once that is done so body recomposition plans is where I was pointed to, right now I'm working out a decent amount on a consistent basis for 2 weeks now. high protein diet but trying to keep a 500 calorie deficit daily

My question 1) - basically is the approach wrong for what i want to achieve, which is being a muscly/toned 200lbs.... should I just prioritize losing the weight first and then trying to add muscle afterwords or am i going about it the right way. What would you recommend, continue on the way im going or pivot to a high cardio plan.

2) more on the diet, how important is eating healthy when in calorie deficit, or is it just simply about being in the calorie deficit as some suggest.

Originally Posted by bax123

before starting this journey for the next 3 months at least

3) get it out of your head that this might only be a 3-month journey

Originally Posted by air2fakie

3) get it out of your head that this might only be a 3-month journey

ah yes, that was just a throw away comment, iv 3 months off for the summer so gonna work super hard and after find a way to incorporate it into my every day working life.

You likely will not get there in one phase. If you want to be around 195lbs, you might never get enough muscle (as a natural) to look lean. You probably need to set your target weight lower. More like 175-180lbs.

While you are dieting, muscle growth is blunted so when you first arrive at your target you likely will not have enough for your final objective. You may have to go lower than your target and then sustained mass gain to get back up there.

Originally Posted by SuffolkPunch

You likely will not get there in one phase. If you want to be around 195lbs, you might never get enough muscle (as a natural) to look lean. You probably need to set your target weight lower. More like 175-180lbs.

While you are dieting, muscle growth is blunted so when you first arrive at your target you likely will not have enough for your final objective. You may have to go lower than your target and then sustained mass gain to get back up there.

yeah i fully understand it will take longer than one phase, just wanted to put in a block of 3 months of work and then rejig the goals and objectives from there. easier to see what's possible when you aren't overweight/unfit and unable to do the required cardio. but that's interesting to read about lowering my initial target weight, I had a feeling that I might have to take the "cut and bulk" route, even though I was initially told that a body recomp plan would bypass that.

Originally Posted by bax123

yeah i fully understand it will take longer than one phase, just wanted to put in a block of 3 months of work and then rejig the goals and objectives from there. easier to see what's possible when you aren't overweight/unfit and unable to do the required cardio. but that's interesting to read about lowering my initial target weight, I had a feeling that I might have to take the "cut and bulk" route, even though I was initially told that a body recomp plan would bypass that.

Body recomp can be inefficient and can actually take longer than bulk and cut. Just remember that 'bulk' doesn't mean piling the weight on unless you are very skinny and underweight, it's more like a slow mass gain on a very small surplus.

Cutting to 12 percent and slowly going up to 15 percent over the course of 6-8 months is what I have found to work best. Recomp just isn’t ideal for naturals imo.

Originally Posted by TolerantLactose

Recomp means your weight stays roughly the same during the process, ie. the goal is a muscular and lean 220lbs. Not realistic for the vast majority of people.

okay I was fed the wrong information then from my local gym guy clearly. It does make sense now that I've been hovering around 215-220 for the last while. but the muscle is adding so i feel like what I'm doing is "working" but its clearly not what I want. 220 is a bit too much for a 6ft guy or is that just a outdated way to look at things?

Originally Posted by Tommy W.

Forget recomp it will take forever if it even happens at all plus if it does work you’ll see very slow visual changes which can be very de motivating. Concentrate on Fatloss with muscle maintenance. A good deficit with enough protein and a solid beginners proven weight training program. Food choice IS a factor as being in a deficit you need to be satiated to fight hunger so that means minimizing things like ultra processed foods and alcohol.

agree it is slightly de motivating and hard to notice any losses. I may switch to a more cardio based program, talk to me about muscle maintenance when you don't got none? lol - judging off reading a few of the replies, seems like I really should just focus on losing pounds first, but feel like I'm not being effective just focusing on the one.