Body recomp: Hacking bad genes

[Marco N Cognito]

One of my major goals for this year is to find ways to effectively recomp (drop bodyfat and retain lean mass or increase) for both wellness and cosmetic. In my case I need to lose ~ 30 lbs total while trying try to retain LBM and get to no more than ~16.5% bf. No small feat for me, especially when I've never been on any TRT, AAS, GH, etc.

This has always been a dilemma even in my younger years. When gaining weight/bulking, I attain more strength and less joint pain, but at a cost of increased bodyfat. Not good for blood pressure, glucose, insulin, T, estrogen, lipids, etc., not to mention aesthetics.

So, how the hell did I manage to accumulate more bf when my energy intake (calories), macros and energy expenditure (training) stayed 100% consistent the last several years? This would indicate that there's way more than just exercise and calories to consider in this equation.

Poor genetic predispositions aren't always a slam-dunk damnation, but they definitely influence as to why we are the way we are and there's only so much we can do. All of us have our share of some.

In my case, genetic markers (see below) are making it a challenge to try to recomp (basically, retain lean mass, decrease bf). I attribute a less than ideal nutrient partitioning to two things: genetics (my phenotype has tendency toward higher fat mass, etc.) and hormones (low thyroid, low normal total T, low free and bio T, slight insulin resistance, low estradiol, low GH, etc.). These limitations also decrease protein synthesis (especially thyroid hormones, T and GH).

No wonder it's been so damn difficult all these years to reduce bf to healthy levels! No change with doing more cardio or training, just keeps me in check. Calorie restriction and intermittent fasting yields moderate reduction in bf. Increasing training volume/cardio just raises cortisol and makes appetite/joints even worse and more CR/IF can be counterproductive and crash my thyroid - double-edged sword.

I'm sure some of us all share similar challenges that are beyond diet/exercise. So, how do we hack genetic predispositions? Only thing left I can think of is aggressive chemical intervention. Perhaps something like this for starters:

1) GH and/or GH secretagogue peptides
2) TRT
3) increase NDT

What's worked for some of you that are up against similar genetic curses?
The Truth About Bodybuilding Genetics | T Nation
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Genetic challenges/predispositions verified by genomic testing and other health conditions:
- increased body fat mass: Box
- stronger tendency for a larger waist: Box
- stronger tendency to have more subcutaneous adipose tissue than visceral adipose tissue: Box
- several variants for T2D/insulin resistance (managed by diet, exercise and supps)
- hypothyroidism (recently increased NDT from 1 grain to 1.50 grains; plan to keep increasing until my levels are optimized and I feel better)
- hypertension (managed with meds)
- thrombosis (had DVT in 2012; unknown cause; on anticoagulant prophylaxis)
- moderate dyslipidemia (elevated LDL-P, pattern B, APOB, Lp(a)) managed by diet, supps
- loss of BMD (as per last DEXA scan)

BF Distribution/storage (as per last DEXA scan):
[https://themusclemechanicuk.com/fat-patterns-android-and-gynoid-fat-distribution/]
Android (trunk/abdomen): 40%
Gynoid (hips, glutes, thighs): 33%

 

[djpreef]

The only thing that's ever worked for me was a strict keto diet with macro limits (lost 75 pounds between June and Thanksgiving 2017). There's a Facebook group called Ketogains where people are having tremendous success doing what you want to do by following calculated macros and lifting. I stopped about 15 pounds short of goal because I couldn't continue restricting fat so much, I kept planning to and then having more than I should have. I suspect I was very low on energy and my body won the battle, not me. I'm doing carnivore now, which is fantastic for maintenance, but I haven't lost an ounce on it; I keep losing and regaining the same 5 pounds.

 

[Marco N Cognito]

The only thing that's ever worked for me was a strict keto diet with macro limits (lost 75 pounds between June and Thanksgiving 2017). There's a Facebook group called Ketogains where people are having tremendous success doing what you want to do by following calculated macros and lifting. I stopped about 15 pounds short of goal because I couldn't continue restricting fat so much, I kept planning to and then having more than I should have. I suspect I was very low on energy and my body won the battle, not me. I'm doing carnivore now, which is fantastic for maintenance, but I haven't lost an ounce on it; I keep losing and regaining the same 5 pounds.

Only problem w/ strict keto is it can crash your thyroid and alter your gut flora if you stay on it longer than 2-3 weeks. I've been doing LCHF/modified keto already (~75g carbs/day) just to keep balanced somewhere in the middle.

 

[djpreef]

Only problem w/ strict keto is it can crash your thyroid and mess up your gut flora if you stay on it longer than 2-3 weeks. I've been doing LCHF/modified keto already (~75g carbs/day) just to keep balanced somewhere in the middle.

Was on it for all that time, gut flora changes in a couple of days, it's really a non-issue. Companies who sell you probiotics for a small fortune would love for you to think otherwise. I've been carnivore since last July. That means no plant based foods whatsoever. I'm fine. As for thyroid, there's information out there that it may be that on a lower carb diet, less of the hormones are actually needed, so it's not a crash but an adjustment. That I don't know as much about and still need to read up more.

But like I said, I lost 75 pounds in that amount of time and yeah, I went a little harder than I maybe should have, but I'm just saying it's possible if you want to do it. Just don't cut the fat as much as I did and take it slower.

 

[LTChris]

Only problem w/ strict keto is it can crash your thyroid and alter your gut flora if you stay on it longer than 2-3 weeks.

keto is not for everyone, But to get the benefits of it, you need to be on it for longer the 2-3 weeks

 

[djpreef]

keto is not for everyone, But to get the benefits of it, you need to be on it for longer the 2-3 weeks

Yeah, you're not likely to lose more than water weight and maybe 3-4 pounds in three weeks if that.

Check out this short article:

Effect of low-carbohydrate diets high in either fat or protein on thyroid function, plasma insulin, glucose, and triglycerides in healthy young adults.

The takeaway here is the last line of the abstract. Just because T3 level drops doesn't mean it's a problem; they could be artificially high because of poor diet to begin with, and that's my suspicion. I was hypothyroid before I started keto in 2017. I've had no problems since. I haven't tested my numbers, so if they went lower, it didn't cause any issue. T4 doesn't drop and reverse T3 doesn't go up, which would seem to indicate that the body is not producing and converting as much T4 to T3 or rT3, probably because it simply doesn't need as much.

 

[Marco N Cognito]

Yeah, you're not likely to lose more than water weight and maybe 3-4 pounds in three weeks if that.

Check out this short article:

Effect of low-carbohydrate diets high in either fat or protein on thyroid function, plasma insulin, glucose, and triglycerides in healthy young adults.

The takeaway here is the last line of the abstract. Just because T3 level drops doesn't mean it's a problem; they could be artificially high because of poor diet to begin with, and that's my suspicion. I was hypothyroid before I started keto in 2017. I've had no problems since. I haven't tested my numbers, so if they went lower, it didn't cause any issue. T4 doesn't drop and reverse T3 doesn't go up, which would seem to indicate that the body is not producing and converting as much T4 to T3 or rT3, probably because it simply doesn't need as much.

I have been doing LCHF for the last 10 years and it is not working too well I'd say. Chronically restricting carbs does not seem to be the answer in my case. In fact, it may even be counterproductive. Going over ~75g is likely counterproductive as well unless I increase insulin sensitivity by doing things like IF and using chemical assistance. The theory of reduced need for T3 during a VLC or keto diet looks nice on paper but is inconclusive. I think it depends on individual responses. In my case, fat storage, rT3 and LDL gets worse when the body thinks it's in starvation mode as a natural reaction to stress.

Outside of the "bad genes" I posted, the only other factors that have made any difference in body recomposition difficulty are not eating at a caloric deficit regardless of macros and suboptimal hormone levels that influence basal metabolism, lipolysis and insulin. My thyroid is still not optimized and neither is my free T. I don't know how much more I can tweak diet. Unless I eat at a caloric deficit, all bets are off. Exogenous hormone optimization and calorie restriction but maintining high protein intake seems to be the only way to fight my genetic legacy and aging.

 

[djpreef]

Maybe you should try carnivore. It's working great for me.