Body Recomposition?

[Sponty]

How possible is this? Right now I'm sitting at 30.6% bodyfat. I'm 6'3 248lbs altogether with 171lbs of lean mass. Right now my current regimen is 5 days a week swimming 1 mile. 3 days a week doing a full body workout of lifting.

My BMR is about 2574 calories just to maintain weight, for the last 2 weeks I've been eating 900 calories a day. Out of those 900 calories I been hitting 180g of protein and a decent amount of fiber. Also taking a multivitamin in case I'm missing something. I should be taking in enough protein to maintain the lean mass I already have. I'm at a 1,674 deficit not counting the exercised burned everyday. In theory I am getting the daily protein I need to maintain my lean mass and even build a little bit of muscle. I should be able to build 2lbs of muscle a month with the protein I'm getting while dropping anywhere from 14.55lbs to 19lbs a month with the deficit.

My biggest concerning is tanking my metabolism with such a calorie deficit and I was thinking of maybe doing a day of rest on sunday's possibly eating 3200 calories to try and keep it alive.

In 6 months I lost 125lbs and fell into a LTR for about 1-1/2 years and now that the LTR is over I want to finish goals of getting down to 8%-14% bodyfat. I figure if I can keep this routine up for 3-4 months I should hit my goals. Internally I'm extremely healthy low BP, low Cholesterol, very low visceral fat, heart and lungs look great I just look fat and it driving me insane. Any suggestions or should I just stay the course? I'm trying to take it easy not go to extremes the last time I did that I got Rhabdomyolysis and almost died of kidney failure because I broke down too much muscle mass back when I was young and fit, now I just have a steady easy going routine of swimming and some lifting.

 

[EyeBRollin]

In my opinion, if you can exercise 5 days per week you’re either taking steroids or your training sessions aren’t strenuous enough.

I’m not sure what your strength base is, but every person should work on that first. Pick up Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe. You’re naturally a big guy so work on getting to a 400 lb Squat and 500 lb Deadlift. Then you can worry about cutting down for aesthetics.

To get to this, you’re going to need to to eat a lot more than 900 calories. Cut out processed foods and sugar, but eat like a normal clean eating athlete would. That means eat when you’re hungry a diet of lean meats, fish, poultry, eggs, vegetables , and healthy fat.

 

[2Rocky]

You don't have enough calories to do the exercise you are describing. Not sure how long a mile takes you 48-60 minutes?

• A 130-pound person swimming freestyle for one hour will burn 590 calories swimming fast, and 413 calories swimming slower.
• A 155-pound person swimming freestyle for one hour will burn 704 calories swimming fast, and 493 calories swimming slower.
• A 180-pound person swimming freestyle for one hour will burn 817 calories swimming fast, and 572 calories swimming slower.
• A 205-pound person swimming freestyle for one hour will burn 931 calories swimming fast, and 651 calories swimming slower.

Let's assume you are burning 1000 calories per workout 5x a week

You need to be taking in 2000 calories just to have the energy to workout. You need a weekly deficit of 3500 calories per week to lose a pound of fat.

Eat your 2500 calories daily and burn 3500 with maintenance and workouts 5x a week for a 1.4 # a week weight loss.

 

[nicksaiz65]

In my opinion, if you can exercise 5 days per week you’re either taking steroids or your training sessions aren’t strenuous enough.

I’m not sure what your strength base is, but every person should work on that first. Pick up Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe. You’re naturally a big guy so work on getting to a 400 lb Squat and 500 lb Deadlift. Then you can worry about cutting down for aesthetics.

To get to this, you’re going to need to to eat a lot more than 900 calories. Cut out processed foods and sugar, but eat like a normal clean eating athlete would. That means eat when you’re hungry a diet of lean meats, fish, poultry, eggs, vegetables , and healthy fat.

In your experience how long does it take to reach the 400 lb squat? It was all I could do to hit 315 lol

 

[ImTheDoubleGreatest!]

In my opinion, if you can exercise 5 days per week you’re either taking steroids or your training sessions aren’t strenuous enough.

I’m not sure what your strength base is, but every person should work on that first. Pick up Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe. You’re naturally a big guy so work on getting to a 400 lb Squat and 500 lb Deadlift. Then you can worry about cutting down for aesthetics.

To get to this, you’re going to need to to eat a lot more than 900 calories. Cut out processed foods and sugar, but eat like a normal clean eating athlete would. That means eat when you’re hungry a diet of lean meats, fish, poultry, eggs, vegetables , and healthy fat.

Bruh, no. He needs to cut down FIRST. You can workout 5 days a week as a noob and when you are doing more cardio-oriented stuff. Strength-training is hard for 5 days a week, true. But he’s not doing that, nor should he.

~~~

To the OP, you’re actually a beast right now. Keep doing what you’re doing. There’s only 2 things I’d add if you’re not doing it already:

1) Take some cod liver oil by the spoonful (capsules hardly have any omega-3s tbh) just to keep your body in a less muscularly catabolic state. The calories won’t really do much since you’re already exercising, it’ll only be god for you since it’ll lubricate your joints more and prevent their degradation.
2) When you eat your food, eat it all at once (i.e. fasting). Basically, this will give you an increase in testosterone, cortisol, and especially HGH. The increase in testosterone and HGH will increase your metabolism (which will burn more fat), and prevent bone and muscular breakdown. As for the cortisol, that will also increase your metabolism. I know that cortisol is given a lot of bad rep as the ‘stress hormone’ and that it promotes belly fat, but understand that this is only true when insulin is present. If insulin is NOT present (which will be the case in fasting), then it increases lipolysis instead (fat breakdown). In addition, it will help destroy the fat cells themselves rather than just shrink them. This is useful because it means you will have less loose skin.

Just a side note: the hormonal increases from fasting start at around 16 hours from your last meal. However, the majority of the increase happens from 18 - 24 hours though, where it peaks at 24 hours and then declines at about the same rate that it rose.

 

[EyeBRollin]

Bruh, no. He needs to cut down FIRST. You can workout 5 days a week as a noob and when you are doing more cardio-oriented stuff. Strength-training is hard for 5 days a week, true. But he’s not doing that, nor should he.

Terrible advice. Build the strength first, always. Strength training causes neuromuscular adaptations that cardio doesn’t. There is an extreme metabolism difference between a person that can squat 400 lbs vs a person that squat 200 lbs. which one do you think can lose weight faster?

 

[EyeBRollin]

In your experience how long does it take to reach the 400 lb squat? It was all I could do to hit 315 lol

At 6’3, your target weight should be 200-220 lbs depending on build. A 400lb Squat is less than 2X body weight, so you should be able to get there in a year of consistent training. You’ll need to eat though... way more than 900 calories.

It’s easier not to count calories. Just eat when your body says you’re hungry. When you get to the point of cutting follow the same principle just remove carbs from the diet (you’ll need them though while building strength). Foods that hurt weight loss goals shouldn’t be consumed by an athlete anyway.

 

[ImTheDoubleGreatest!]

Terrible advice. Build the strength first, always. Strength training causes neuromuscular adaptations that cardio doesn’t. There is an extreme metabolism difference between a person that can squat 400 lbs vs a person that squat 200 lbs. which one do you think can lose weight faster?

Metabolic changes are better from hypertrophy than from strength though so that doesn’t make sense. Focus on being healthy first, not just being strong for no reason lol

 

[Epic Days]

Your diet.

 

[EyeBRollin]

Metabolic changes are better from hypertrophy than from strength though so that doesn’t make sense. Focus on being healthy first, not just being strong for no reason lol

Strength yields hypertrophy. Your comment in itself makes no sense. There is also no such thing as being strong for no reason. That’s what faux body builders get wrong. Other things being equal, the stronger man is the healthier man and the superior athlete.

 

[Poonstra]

Eating 900 calories a day is nothing short of plain stupid.

When cutting do not go below 25% of maintenance. If you do, you will ensure you're burning off muscle and this will bring out the skinny-fat guy in you, or already at 30% body fat, the obese guy.

Normally, I would agree with @EyeBRollin to first build up a strength base as a trained body uses more calories for maintenance, but seeing you already are at 30% fat, I get why you want to get rid of some of that first.

You are way to aggressive and will pay the price for your malpractice.

Do 3 days of lifting and 2 days of light (30min slowly jogging) cardio in between. Eat 25% of calories below maintenance until you reach a BF% you like, then start bulking.

 

[EyeBRollin]

You guys all have it backwards. You can’t increase strength while cutting. The OP does not have a sufficient strength base yet. Cutting is for after a “bulk,” not before.

 

[ImTheDoubleGreatest!]

Other things being equal, the stronger man is the healthier man and the superior athlete.

But our man was morbidly obese. 200 lbs of muscle is harder on your body than 200 lbs of fat. Ask any experienced bodybuilder and powerlifter. Right now he needs to lose the fat.

Strength yields hypertrophy.

Neural adaptations are not hypertrophy. Like what??? Hypertrophy is in an increase in volume of sarcoplasm.

You guys all have it backwards. You can’t increase strength while cutting. The OP does not have a sufficient strength base yet. Cutting is for after a “bulk,” not before.

Absolute lies. I have hardly any fat to lose and I still got stronger when I lost some weight

 

[Poonstra]

You guys all have it backwards. You can’t increase strength while cutting.

I never said you could. I agree with you on this. I was talking about dropping fat.

 

[EyeBRollin]

But our man was morbidly obese. 200 lbs of muscle is harder on your body than 200 lbs of fat. Ask any experienced bodybuilder and powerlifter. Right now he needs to lose the fat.

OP is not morbidly obese.

Neural adaptations are not hypertrophy. Like what??? Hypertrophy is in an increase in volume of sarcoplasm.

False. Strength increases do in fact cause hypertrophy. It’s called Myofibril hypertrophy. Have you ever seen some who can squat 400lbs have small, skinny legs? Nope.

Absolute lies. I have hardly any fat to lose and I still got stronger when I lost some weight

Your advice is terrible. It’s coming from a place of vanity. OP needs to develop a functional strength base, then he can worry about shedding that fat. Muscles are the best fat burners available.

 

[biggoal]

In my opinion, if you can exercise 5 days per week you’re either taking steroids or your training sessions aren’t strenuous enough.

I’m not sure what your strength base is, but every person should work on that first. Pick up Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe. You’re naturally a big guy so work on getting to a 400 lb Squat and 500 lb Deadlift. Then you can worry about cutting down for aesthetics.

To get to this, you’re going to need to to eat a lot more than 900 calories. Cut out processed foods and sugar, but eat like a normal clean eating athlete would. That means eat when you’re hungry a diet of lean meats, fish, poultry, eggs, vegetables , and healthy fat.

I run 6 days a week. About 6 miles each day. Sometimes 8. I'm barely 5-9 on a good day and 125lbs.

 

[ImTheDoubleGreatest!]

Have you ever seen some who can squat 400lbs have small, skinny legs?

Yeah there’s been a few, but it is pretty rare I’ll admit. They’re usually just freaks of nature tbh.

Your advice is terrible. It’s coming from a place of vanity. OP needs to develop a functional strength base, then he can worry about shedding that fat. Muscles are the best fat burners available.

But building muscle takes way more time than burning fat. Period.

 

[EyeBRollin]

Yeah there’s been a few, but it is pretty rare I’ll admit. They’re usually just freaks of nature tbh.

But building muscle takes way more time than burning fat. Period.

Correct, it does. But the name of the thread is body recomposition. Just burning fat doesn’t keep it off. That’s why dieters gain the weight back. Build the body underneath first then you can worry about sculpting. The process can’t be rushed.

 

[EyeBRollin]

I run 6 days a week. About 6 miles each day. Sometimes 8. I'm barely 5-9 on a good day and 125lbs.

We gotta bulk you up my friend. 50 lbs would do wonders for you

 

[biggoal]

We gotta bulk you up my friend. 50 lbs would do wonders for you

We're going to work on that!! I want to keep the slim waist but add some muscle to it.