Been a lurker on this sub for a little while now and would appreciate some feedback. I'm currently looking to do a body recomposition with a focus on fat loss.
Male, 21, 6'1", 183 lbs, ~20% body fat, beginner lifting experience but moderate athletic base as I played sports in high school and do/did some physical activity year round but nothing too crazy or serious.
Last year I did a ketogenic diet at 2,000 calories a day strictly (95-98% of the time) for 8 months and went from 205 lbs at my heaviest to 170 lbs at my lightest. I did no form of physical activity or working out, just dieting for fat loss which was my main goal. While I lost fat in the process, I believe my caloric deficit was pretty catabolic in regards to my muscle mass since I wasn't getting in a high amount of protein or keeping my muscles stimulated with exercise. I estimate of the 35 lbs I lost 5-10 was water weight, 5-10 was muscle mass, and the remainder was actual fat. I realized my goal shouldn't have been solely to lose fat, it should've also incorporated gaining muscle as I want to achieve a lean and muscular physique. I regained weight to about 190 lbs give or take a few lbs. As of the the start of 2020 my goal is to do a body recomposition where I lose fat and gain muscle over the course of the year, with the first portion of the year focusing on cutting fat. In December of 2019 I did an upper/lower split 4 days of the week and ran a mile each of those days in order to get my body prepared for the new years goal I set for myself and to find out my limits and see where I was at, I also relatively ate 2,000 calories a day and tried to figure out macros and meal plans over the month (which was quite easy as I had experience counting macros from my keto diet). In January I switched to a 6 day push pull legs split where I ran a mile each day and had 1 rest day on Sundays. My macros were 2,000 calories, 200g protein, 175g carbs, 55g fats and I stuck to my diet and lifting plan religiously. At the end of January however, I was worn thin and felt like my lifting volume and caloric deficit was too much at once, it was fatiguing me quite noticeably. I had some nagging shoulder and lower back pain which I attribute to an excess of arm work involving my front delts and an excess of workouts that taxed my lower back (romanian deadlift, pendlay rows, and barbell back squat 4/6 days of lifting). And my 2,000 daily caloric intake left me a little empty and too hungry for my liking. I would wake up in the early a.m. morning hours because I was hungry for breakfast. I went from 187 lbs to 183 lbs, which I am content with as that's roughly 1 lb per week and I also feel like I gained a little muscle mass. I want to achieve my goals, but I also want to set up a system that is realistic and sustainable so I can implement it into my life for years to come. That being said, this routine didn't absolutely kill me or anything but I just knew I couldn't perpetually keep it this way. At the start of February I switched things up a bit, now I'm back to an upper/lower split with decent volume 4 days of the week including a mile run and an abs and stretching routine 2 days of the week including a mile run. I also bumped my calories up by 250 to 2,250 calories a day, 180g protein, 225g carbs, 70g fats. Most TDEE calculators put me at 2,750 daily calories, so I figured my TDEE was at least 2,500 and then reduced from there. I'm still in a caloric deficit and I'm stimulating my muscles with exercise as well as getting adequate protein and carbs to fuel and repair my muscles, so theoretically I should be burning fat and at the very least be retaining as much muscle as I can. I can see noticeable physique changes already (albeit small ones) so I know I'm on the right track, I guess I'm just looking for tips/advice/opinions on my strategy here. Once I get to a bodyfat % that I'm content with, I'll switch the a bulking phase with a focus on gaining muscle, then alternate between cutting and bulking after. Looking forward to a great 2020.
TLDR; Attempting a body recompostion, looking for opinions on my strategy.
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