Body recomposition: lose fat and build muscle at once

Body recomposition means losing fat and building muscle at the same time, so your shape changes even if the scale barely moves. It's real, it works, and it works best for some people more than others.

Who it works for

• Beginners: new muscle comes quickly, even on maintenance calories.
• People returning after a break: muscle you've had before comes back fast.
• People with more fat to lose: stored energy helps fuel new muscle.
• Experienced, lean lifters: much slower. A dedicated gaining phase then a cut usually works better.

How to set it up

1. Eat near maintenance, or a small deficit of 200 to 300 calories a day. Work out your number with the TDEE calculator.
2. Eat plenty of protein: around 1.6 to 2.2 g per kg of body weight a day. See how much protein you need.
3. Lift hard and progressively three or four times a week. The training is the signal to keep and build muscle.
4. Sleep 7 to 9 hours. Short sleep tips the balance towards losing muscle.

How to tell it's working

The scale is a poor guide here, because it might not move. Look at these instead:

• Your lifts going up while your weight stays about the same.
• Your waist getting smaller.
• Body fat readings trending down over several weeks, if you have a smart scale.
• Progress photos in the same light, every few weeks.

Tip: Give it 8 to 12 weeks before judging. Week-to-week changes are too small to see through normal water and food swings.

Tracking it in Liftsmith

Liftsmith tracks your weight trend and, with a smart scale through Health Connect or Apple Health, your body fat and lean mass. It recalculates your daily calorie burn from your weigh-ins and the days you actually train. A coach's note flags body fat creeping up or weight dropping faster than 1% a week, and your one-rep max trends show whether your strength is keeping up. If you're losing faster than planned, read how to keep your strength while losing fat.