Body Recomp, also known as losing fat while building muscle, is possible but requires consistent nutrition, weight training with intensity, and moderate cardio. Our macro and calorie calculator can help get you on your body Recomp journey!
Recomp isn’t for everyone, but those with the potential can make great use of it. Let’s learn more!
Carbohydrates
Carbs are your body’s main energy source, accounting for most of its calories. Additionally, carbs provide essential fuel to support intense workouts such as plyometrics or power lifting sessions.
However, it would be unwise to cut all carbohydrates completely or adhere to extreme diets such as the Atkins Diet – these low-carbohydrate regimens often lack essential vitamins and nutrients necessary for muscle growth and fat loss.
Balance your carb intake by tracking how many carbohydrates you eat at each meal and striving to consume higher levels on training days and fewer during rest days. A food tracker or calculator may be useful in tracking this information for you each day.
It is helpful to have a firm grasp on the difference between simple and complex carbohydrates and their respective functions in your body when tracking carbs, so as to avoid overconsumption of simple carbs such as refined sugars or processed grains that could contribute to excessive weight gain and insulin resistance. This information will enable you to avoid indulging too heavily in simple carbohydrates like refined sugars and processed grains that could cause weight gain as well as insulin resistance.
Another key element in managing carb intake is how many calories you burn through exercise and daily activities, particularly weight training sessions. Aim for at least three weight training sessions each week – this will add 500-550 extra calories to your energy expenditure each week and you can use our online Calorie Burn Calculator to see exactly how much is being burnt off!
Once your protein and fat intakes have been established, carbohydrates should make up the remaining calories. In theory, more carbs should be eaten during training days to fuel muscles, while less should be consumed on rest days for fat loss. A body recomp calculator may help identify your ideal dietary targets or you can manually alter daily calories and macros for fat loss on your own. It is key that you stay on course with your calorie and macro goals over an extended period of time in order to increase chances of success; otherwise it will become increasingly challenging once lost opportunities are missed.
Protein
Building muscle while simultaneously losing fat can be an arduous endeavor that many struggle with, yet bodybuilders have managed to accomplish for centuries. To build muscle while losing fat, create a small calorie surplus on training days (to fuel training and promote muscle growth) while cutting back on rest days in order to promote fat loss.
Dieting requires diligent tracking and an effective workout routine, but can be daunting without either the time or budget to prepare meals yourself at home and track them. That is why purchasing pre-made meals such as the ones offered by Factor Meals may be helpful in meeting both macronutrient and caloric goals more easily.
Use of a body recomp calculator can also give you an edge, as it will recommend your daily calorie and macro allowances and ensure you meet your target amounts without wasted effort or wasted time.
After entering your weight, height, and body fat percentage into the calculator, it will suggest an optimal calorie, carb, protein and fat intake plan based on daily total or meal total consumption. Once you have this information at hand, you can tweak them further to maximize the results of your body recomp plan.
If your goal is to focus on fat loss instead of muscle gain, adjust the carb/protein ratio in favor of fat loss; this will reduce protein consumption and thus overall calories consumed. However, if muscle growth is your priority instead, increase the carb/protein ratio while simultaneously decreasing overall calories consumed.
Once your macros have been set, it’s important to adhere to them. While straying from your plan for a cheat meal might tempt you, this will only sabotage your progress and slow your results. Consistency and hard work at the gym every day are far superior to occasional indulgences that set back progress and put further distance between you and achieving your goals.
Fats
To effectively lose body fat, it is necessary to decrease overall body fat mass. This is best achieved through nutrition, weight training with intensity, and moderate cardio sessions. Many individuals become confused when trying to reach this goal as they believe it must involve long ab exercises or “low-carb” eating; this however is incorrect as fat loss occurs through multiple means; principally by decreasing calories while simultaneously increasing muscle mass.
For optimal muscle growth while simultaneously losing fat, a body recomposition diet has proven more successful than traditional bulking and cutting cycles. To do this, on training days you must consume more protein and carbohydrates and less on rest days – this strategy is known as body recomposition diet.
Our body composition calculator differs from others by taking both your goals to build muscle and shed fat as well as your current body composition into account. Based on scientifically accepted formulae for changing body composition, it then calculates your ideal protein, carbs and fat intake accordingly.
Once you understand your macros, using MyFitnessPal or another app like it to track them and make smart food choices to achieve your goals is the key to staying accountable and maintaining consistency.
As it will take time to recompose your body, be patient and stick to your program – the rewards will make the wait worthwhile! For guidance, check out this article about a simple training technique proven to double muscle growth and move you closer toward reaching your goals. Additionally, take our starting point quiz and discover your body type as well as any extra weight you may need to gain or shed!
Other Nutrients
Body recomp is the practice of eating more protein and carbs on training days to promote muscle growth, and less of both on rest days in order to aid fat loss. Achieve this is often challenging, and many struggle to strike a proper balance when undertaking this type of plan.
To make reaching your body recomp macros easier, focus on eating whole and natural foods high in health-supportive micronutrients. Doing this may also help you feel fuller for longer, which could prevent you from falling off or breaking your diet plan.
Additionally, incorperating healthy fats can help optimize hormonal function and keep you feeling satisfied for longer. At 30-40% of your caloric intake from fats, they may provide essential support and ensure you stay feeling full for longer.
Be sure to include quality sleep in your body recomp plan, according to studies that indicate getting sufficient amounts can help you lose more body fat and gain more muscle. Incorporating pre-workout supplements like Transparent Labs LEAN in your routine for an added dose of thermogenic energy and strength-building ingredients.
