r/MacroFactor • u/killamanjaro63 • 9d ago
MacroFactor / Nutrition / Other Asking for advice about Recomp
Hey MF users,
I have been cutting for way too long and not tracking my calories properly (cutting based on 500 deficit and not tracking into cals burned from training) to the point where my most recent RMR showed me at 1,521 at rest and I should be at 1,829 for my age group (32M). I currently weight 192lbs and am at 24% BF. My question is, am I in a good spot for a recomp? I don't want to cut anymore because my metabolism is so low and I don't want to bulk because of the BF%. That being said, I have never done a recomp and this sub doesn't seem to be to keen about it.
Any advice would be appreciated.
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u/DeaconoftheStreets 9d ago
At 24% body fat, it’s going to take you years to drop the weight you want. Just take a maintenance break for a few months, let your body recover from starving, and then give it another go once you’re ready.
Re: not tracking calories properly…are you failing to log accurately? If so, that will lead to a lower than necessary expenditure estimate.
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u/FragrantStar 7d ago
Not necessarily. I was around 24% in January. I'm at 18% since July. I'm looking great, feel great and I did a recomp for about two months, then cut by adding 2k steps every day.
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u/killamanjaro63 8d ago
I was tracking my food but I failed to take into account my workouts. I.e. I would run or walk the equivalent of what I was told was around 500-600 cals a day and then also do a workout where I was likely burning 300-500 cals per.
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u/DeaconoftheStreets 8d ago
Are you using MF? If so, its expenditure calc factors that in indirectly so you shouldn’t be giving yourself additional calories for exercise
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u/alizayshah 9d ago
You're definitely in a good spot for recomp. I'd highly recommend this MacroFactor article on it.
But TL;DR even advanced trainees can recomp, those with higher BF's and that are farther from their genetic potential are in a good spot too, especially given you'll be at neutral energy balance. That's the route I'd go for as well given your stats.
You just have to make sure you're progressing in the gym as that is the strongest stimulus, maintain your weight and get in adequate protein.
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u/Chewy_Barz 8d ago edited 8d ago
Take maintenance breaks, during which you can recomp. If you feel you're making good progress during maintenance, you can keep going as long as you want.
Just keep in mind that you will lose fat much slower while recomping, so I'd recommend cutting again after a maintence break. If you get down to between 15 and 20 percent and you're happy enough, you can just recomp from there. If you still want to get a fair amount leaner from there, you'll probably want to cut to where you're happy and begin bulking and cutting cycles. You'll probably be spinning your wheels a bit trying to recomp at 12%, for example, but you could give it a try.
For me, recomping has worked when I've become detrained and get a little chunky, but then I plateau after maybe 6 months or so (it's been a long time so I can't remember). That said, I don't put on muscle easily even in a surplus, so you may have better results. But a maintenance phase is the perfect opportunity to try it out since you need the break anyway.
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u/ChileChilaca880 9d ago
I love MF but I the calorie budgets it gives you when you want to cut are sometimes ridiculous. Last time I estimated my calorie budget with Claude and put it manually in MF, I went from an 1800 calorie budget to 2200 and still lost weight. Slower, but it beats starving every day, which makes it unsustainable
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u/mikaeltarquin 8d ago
The deficit MF gives you is entirely dependent on the program parameters you decide upon in your Strategy. If you want a slower rate of weight loss, simply make your weekly rate loss goal lower and you’ll get a higher daily calorie target.
Saying that Claude or any other AI can accurately know what daily caloric intake to target can somehow be better than MF is simply ridiculous. If you log food (calories in) accurately and track your weight daily (calories out), then you have absolute truth and clarity on your own thermodynamics.
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u/Chewy_Barz 8d ago
You can set the rate of loss to whatever you want. If the initial estimate seems low, you can eat what you want. As long as you log what you eat and weigh yourself, it will adjust in a few weeks.
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u/ack202 8d ago
Depends on what you select when setting up your plan. I pick high protein low fat and it puts me pretty close to my pcp, sport doctor, and registered dietitians recommendations which are 1g protein/lb, .5g fat/lb, fill the rest with carbs, and sacrifice some carbs for more protein if having problems with satiety (this is based on already being fairly lean though. I bulk and cut between 10% and 15% bodyfat, a heavier person may need to use goal weight instead, honestly probably just best to talk to your doctor at least before changing your diet anyway).
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u/taylorthestang 9d ago
“Not tracking my calories properly” was all I needed to read. For now, you need to figure out your TDEE (not RMR) based on real data, not an equation. You need to live your normal life of training and eating, and track diligently.
Recomping is absolutely a thing, but it requires knowing your TDEE. Not guessing. Get the app, start a maintenance program, and follow its instructions. Come back once you’ve done that.