{
  "slug": "body-recomp",
  "name": "Body recomp",
  "aliases": [
    "recomp",
    "lose fat gain muscle",
    "recomposition",
    "maintain and recomp"
  ],
  "family": "size",
  "heat": "high",
  "talk": "Lots of talk",
  "mostDiscussed": false,
  "firstLine": "Body recomposition means trying to gain muscle while losing body fat, so scale weight alone may not describe the intended change.",
  "whyLine": "People compare waist measurements, photos, strength and weight trends, especially when returning to training makes those signals move differently.",
  "feelWords": [
    "recomp",
    "maintain and lift",
    "lose fat gain muscle"
  ],
  "commonPicture": [
    {
      "lead": "Comparison periods in reports: around 8–16 weeks",
      "why": "Food is often discussed around maintenance alongside progressive lifting. [community]"
    }
  ],
  "watchFor": "A two-week scale panic. Recomp is slow. Not a GLP card — that lives on Self/Research.",
  "whatPeopleSay": [
    "**The job:** both directions slowly, usually for people who are not at an extreme already. [community]",
    "**r/fitness and r/leangains-adjacent** still fight whether recomp is real. [community]",
    "**New lifters** recomp by accident. Advanced lifters wait longer. [community]",
    "**A mini-cut and a lean bulk** emphasize different directions of change from trying to lose fat and gain muscle during the same period. [community]",
    "**Muscle maintenance during GLP-1 medicine use** is a separate medical and nutrition discussion from what “recomp” means. [community]"
  ],
  "howPeopleRunIt": [
    "**Set calories near maintenance, protein high enough, lift.** [community]",
    "**Track change over time:** people compare tape measurements, photos or an occasional body-composition scan such as DEXA, rather than treating one daily weight as a verdict. [community]"
  ],
  "amountsPeopleUse": [
    "**Time discussed here:** **8–16 weeks** is an example observation window, not a deadline for proving a particular body-composition change. [community]",
    "**Calories:** around **maintenance**, not a contest cut. [community]"
  ],
  "howPeopleKeepIt": [
    "**Patience.** [community]",
    "**It fades when:** they slash calories in week two and call it a cut. [community]"
  ],
  "howItFeels": [
    "**The feedback can feel mixed:** a scale, waist measurement and lift log may move differently, which some people find encouraging and others find frustrating. [community]"
  ],
  "howLongPeopleRunIt": [
    "**A season.** [community]"
  ],
  "deepDive": [
    "**A cut, a bulk, a mini-cut and a reverse diet** describe different nutrition-phase goals or transitions. Naming the phase helps interpret what someone expects their measurements to do. [community]"
  ],
  "watchForLong": [
    "**Two-week scale panic.** [community]",
    "**Disordered eating is a clinician.** [community]"
  ],
  "related": [
    "a-cut",
    "lean-vs-dirty-bulk",
    "mini-cut",
    "reverse-diet",
    "progressive-overload"
  ],
  "researchPointer": [],
  "housePointers": [],
  "playPointer": null,
  "sources": [
    "r/fitness recomp threads",
    "leangains-adjacent maintain-and-lift talk"
  ],
  "disclaimer": "Community talk may be wrong. Not medical, training, or diet advice. Sharp pain, fainting, or disordered-eating concerns need a clinician.",
  "quickAnswerHistory": [
    {
      "field": "commonPicture",
      "rows": [
        {
          "lead": "Months, not ten days",
          "why": "The scale lies week to week. [community]"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "field": "definition",
      "rows": [
        "Body recomp is trying to lose fat and gain muscle in the same season, usually near maintenance calories with lifting."
      ]
    },
    {
      "field": "communityPicture",
      "rows": [
        "People wait months, distrust the weekly scale, and argue whether recomp is real for anyone past the beginner stage."
      ]
    },
    {
      "field": "howItFeels",
      "rows": [
        "**Boring.** That is the point. [community]"
      ]
    },
    {
      "field": "amountsPeopleUse",
      "rows": [
        "**Time:** **8–16 weeks** before they call it. [community]"
      ]
    },
    {
      "field": "firstLine",
      "rows": [
        "Recomp is trying to lose fat and gain muscle in the same season — the slow cousin of a cut and a dirty bulk."
      ]
    },
    {
      "field": "whyLine",
      "rows": [
        "Recomp is trying to lose fat and gain muscle in the same season — the slow cousin of a cut and a dirty bulk."
      ]
    },
    {
      "field": "commonPicture",
      "rows": [
        {
          "lead": "Near maintenance",
          "why": "Not a 1000-kcal slash and not a dirty bulk. [community]"
        },
        {
          "lead": "Lift is the engine",
          "why": "No lift, no recomp story. [community]"
        },
        {
          "lead": "First comparison: around 8–16 weeks",
          "why": "The notes describe a longer project around maintenance food intake and progressive lifting. [community]"
        },
        {
          "lead": "Tape / photos / DEXA if they have it",
          "why": "Weight alone is a noisy receipt. [community]"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "field": "whatPeopleSay",
      "rows": [
        "**Not a mini-cut** and not a lean-bulk. Those cards sit next door. [community]",
        "**GLP muscle-spare** is a Self/Research neighbor, not this plate. [community]"
      ]
    },
    {
      "field": "howPeopleRunIt",
      "rows": [
        "**Pick a slow receipt:** tape, photos, or a rare DEXA — not daily weight as a verdict. [community]"
      ]
    },
    {
      "field": "deepDive",
      "rows": [
        "**A cut / lean vs dirty bulk / mini-cut / reverse diet** are the neighbors. [community]"
      ]
    }
  ]
}