Eating for recomp

I’ve been lifting for about 1.5-2 years now, and over that time I went from very overweight (~200lbs at 5’10") down to 165lbs. I don’t want to lose too much more weight, because I like my size, but I’m trying to figure out how to recomp at this point. I know I still have a lot of muscle to put on if I don’t want to be “skinny-fat,” but it often seems like I have to gain weight (including fat) to do so.

I’m halfway through the Hypertrophy I program right now, and while I’ve definitely put on some muscle, my body fat percentage has also gone up (obviously, so has my weight). I’m thinking of using the pivot and second half of the program as an opportunity to work at a slight caloric deficit to cut back on some fat. Is this the best way to do things? I’d definitely like to be leaner than I am, but more muscle would be nice too.

Yea I think if you’re wanting to reduce body fat then a slight deficit is the best way to do it, e.g. ~ 250kCal or so.

I’d also make sure you’re doing the recommended conditioning and eating ~2grams of protein per kilo bodyweight per day.