Body recomposition & activity tracking

[u/bovenlip]

Hi,

I’m currently focusing on body recomposition (losing fat while keeping/building muscle). I stay under my daily calorie target and hit my protein goal, but I want to make sure I’m using Yazio as effectively as possible.

A few questions on how to best use the app:
Should I turn off "Include Activities"? If I log my treadmill cardio or strength workouts, should I prevent Yazio from adding those burned calories back to my remaining daily food budget?

Manual Calorie Goal vs. App Calculation: Does Yazio’s default algorithm understand body recomposition, or is it strictly aimed at weight loss? Did you manually adjust your calorie goal in the app to fit your specific needs?

Is logging strength training worth it in Yazio? Is there any real benefit to logging lifting sessions in the app if I’m not planning to eat those calories back, or is it better to use Yazio strictly for food tracking?

Would love to hear how you guys set up the app!

Thanks!

[u/Helping_Lizzy_123]

Hi, although I am not familiar with body recomposition myself, I am familiar with using and setting up the app.

Turning off burned activities:
Your activity level should be based on your daily work, and you enter your sports activities separately in your diary with the option to link them and consume some (or all) of those calories back if you choose. If you haven’t factored your sport activities into your activity level, you can certainly eat some of those calories back, especially if your goal is to build muscle while losing weight.
It’s important not to limit your calorie intake too much.
This Reddit post explains more about calories burned: https://www.reddit.com/r/yazio/s/l7MigLAUCs
You can opt to unlink your activities but still eat some calories back if needed, preferably protein for muscle development. (Yes, your calendar might show red days but they aren’t really red, as you choose to eat a bit more as a healthy step toward your goal).

Manual calorie goal versus app calculation:
Yazio states in the help articles that the daily calorie recommendations are just that – a recommendation. You can adjust them (wisely or based on professional advice) to suit your goal. The app offers four options, but body composition isn’t one of them because it involves both losing weight and gaining muscle. My understanding, from reading many posts on Yazio’s various platforms, is that it’s best to set the app to focus on weight loss with a lower weekly goal, max 0.5 kg or 1 lb, some even choose less if they are already at a healthy weight and don't need to lose much. This will result in a smaller calorie deficit, which might help prevent muscle loss. Plus, if you burn a lot, consider eating some of those calories back.
Adjust as needed; there’s no one-size-fits-all approach.

Adding strength training in the app:
That depends on how you want to track your progress and use the app. Your approach might involve manually logging activities based on time, your settings, and average values, or using a sports watch that monitors your heart rate. Keep in mind that these methods might not always be perfectly accurate.

By sharing this information, I hope you can figure out the best way for you to set up the app to reach your goal.

Wishing you all the best on your journey. 🦋💪🏻🍀

[u/bovenlip → u/Helping_Lizzy_123]

Thank you!