Are strength training and protein the biggest secrets to body recomposition?
The past couple years I was focusing on small weight loss goals; at my heaviest I was 144 pounds at 5’3’’ and just started to feel really uncomfortable in my clothes/how I looked in photos.
I started to get into a good home work-out routine and in 7 months dropped 10 pounds where I plateaued for a long time. Then I focused more on nutrition and lost another 10 pounds and felt great. I was 124 lbs at that point with a goal of 120 lbs.
Here is where it gets tricky. (TW) I went through some pretty big life stressors and my eating habits became unhealthy. I had to become my dying father’s primary caregiver and due to the stress plus lack of sleep I was barely eating. I dropped down to 112 pounds and looked sickly.
I want to get back up to 120 pounds and focus on becoming stronger. When I lost the weight not only did I lose all feminine curves that I had but also any muscle I had put on from working out consistently.
Are dumbbells and resistance bands enough for basic strength training? Is 100 grams of protein a day a good goal? Finally, do you eat in a caloric surplus to build muscle? I’m playing a guessing game that my maintenance calories are around 1800 a day, should I aim for more than that? Bonus points if everyone would want to share their favorite protein meals/snacks.
Thank you for any and all advice!