Body Recomposition - How to lose fat and build muscle
Is Body Recomposition Possible? What should I eat to lose fat & build muscle at the same time? How long can I do it for?
Summary for the attention deficit;
Is body recomposition possible? Yes, it is possible if you are (1) New to the gym/nutrition/recovery, (2) overweight, or (3) you’ve been taking training advice from influencers who used to sell Fit Tea. Honorary fourth mention for people who are none of the above but willing to make progress at a painfully slow pace.
What should I eat? you need to figure out how to eat a high protein, well balanced, nutrient dense diet at maintenance calories without going insane eating chicken and rice 3x a day… or sign up for our newsletter to hear when Miloza launches where you’ll just add your height, weight, goals, etc. and we’ll give you 20+ meal plans that’ll get you to your goal.
How long can I do it for? The timeline is different for everyone but you will reach a point where progress comes to a halt. If you’ve been training hard (I’m talking face red, eyes watering during the last rep, hard) and keeping up with your nutrition for 4+consecutive weeks without any improvements on any of your lifts, it is probably time to make a change.
The Details
The question “is body recomposition possible?” is most commonly asked by people who are new to the gym, and I don’t blame them. If you asked anyone on the planet if they wanted to lose body fat and gain muscle they would probably say yes. Fortunately, the people who are asking this question are most often the ones who do have the ability to lose fat and build muscle at the same time. This is a touchy topic depending on who you talk to; A lot of body builders and coaches will tell you that it is not possible, or at least not possible at a rate that is worth the effort required. The confusing part is, they are often right. This is because body recomposition is really only possible if you are:
New to the gym/nutrition
Overweight or obese
Getting back into fitness after a long time off/have not been training hard enough, or
Willing to make progress at a painfully slow pace
There are a thousand other articles that will tell you the exact same thing (a few are linked below) so I’m going to skip past the fluff and tell you if you should, how long you should, and how to lose fat and build muscle at the same time.
Should I try to build muscle and lose fat at the same time?
This is controversial in many circles but if someone is new to the gym, with a body type that can be described as anything other than very skinny or very overweight, I believe the single best route they can go is body recomposition. The other options are to cut or bulk. If you cut, you have no muscle to show and you will build little to no muscle while cutting. If you bulk, you are only adding more body fat that you’ll want to cut down without knowing if you can stick to a cut long enough.
If you are very overweight you’ll be able to get away with a little extra fat loss while still building muscle due to the excess energy you have stored - meaning a slight calorie deficit (or cut) is an option for you. The opposite goes for people who are very skinny; you can get away with adding a little extra body fat while building muscle - meaning a slight calorie surplus (or bulk) is an option for you.
What should I eat to lose fat and build muscle?
Muscle growth is a result of combining hypertrophy training with an energy surplus and weight loss is a result of an energy deficit. So how can both happen at the same time? With a properly balanced diet at maintenance calories, your body will use the energy surplus already stored on your body (fat) as additional energy, allowing more of the protein you eat to be directed toward muscle growth and repair.
What does a “properly balanced diet” look like? The macro balance for muscle growth is widely debated but typically agreed to be around 30% protein, 20% fats, 50% carbs. The FDA recommended 2,000-calorie diet (please tell me you don’t listen to this) suggests that you eat 50 grams of protein per day; while if you want to build muscle, and if a 2,000-calorie diet is suitable for you, you should be eating between 140-160 grams of protein.
When the average person sits down at the dinner table with an adequate serving of non-processed protein for the first time they are likely going to question if they’ve lost their mind. Oftentimes this leads them to go out and buy protein powders, bars, pastas and anything else with protein on the label. While there is nothing wrong with using these as a supplement to non-processed protein sources, relying too much on them can be bad for gut health, bloating, inflammation, appetite control and energy efficiency (we have a whole article on this here: Gut Microbiome - How to control hunger while losing weight)
So in summary? It will look like an eye opening amount of protein when you start – this is normal, and if you focus on non-processed food sources, not only will you be heading in the right direction, you’ll feel good doing it.
Let’s Simplify It
Eat enough protein to support muscle growth
Get enough fats & carbs but stay at maintenance
Focus on non-processed foods
Do all of this without going insane eating bland chicken and rice
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