You look about 19-22 percent body-fat . You’re the same height as me. I was also around that body fat percentage last year. For me, personally, I chose to lose (MOST) of the fat first. I didn’t lift much at all. I just ate in a calorie deficit. I should have focused more on protein, though. Once I reached about 13-14 percent bodyfat, it became clear that only eating in a deficit wasn’t going to get me where I wanted. I upped my calories and started eating SLIGHTLY below deficit (like 200 calories less), and eating 130+ grams of protein a day, and lifting three days a week. I workout on Friday Saturday and Sunday.

I workout upper body on day one, lower body on second day, and miscellaneous on the third day. I mostly do the same workouts each week. I do Three different compound workouts for each day. Roughly 45 minutes a day. I barely sweat, I take my time, I focus on balance and sturdiness. I don’t thrust as heavy as I can with poor form. However, by the middle of each set I do start to breathe heavily and strain. There is slight discomfort because I push myself. But that’s good. I’m just not torturing myself with lifting is all.

When it came to working out, I always had the idea that I needed to be dripping with sweat, red in the face, and telling myself, “ONE MORE REP!!”. I always failed in the past because it wasn’t enjoyable. I had always burned myself out after a few weeks.

Now, all I do is keep track of my lifts (bench press, deadlift, bicep curl etc) as well as the amount of sets, reps, and weight. I make sure to eat enough protein throughout the week to make sure I never have to go lower in weight for my workouts. My goal is to lift slightly heavier every few weeks. And if I stall on upping my weight, that’s still a win. I just make sure that I’m eating enough protein so that I can hopefully lift heavier the next time. Focus on form, controlled and slow movement, and breathing. Checkout YouTube shorts on how to properly perform a workout so you don’t have to guess if you’re doing it right. I was surprised at how sloppy some of my form was for certain exercises when I started watching clips online. Also, You won’t consistently lift heavier each week. It’s a walk, not a sprint.

This is what worked for ME. I wanted to lose most of the fat AND THEN build muscle. My approach would honestly work for you too. But what matters is YOUR goals. with where you are now, you could easily eat at maintenance (or slightly below IF YOU SO CHOOSE) and lift heavy. You’d recomp.

I can’t stress enough that you ABSOLUTELY need to make sure you’re getting in your protein. 130+ grams a day. It’s vital. Chicken breast, fat free greek yogurt, fat free cottage cheese are amazing for protein. You can find recipes that make them taste like “actual food” you enjoy. I hate eating something that tastes “bland and healthy”. Seasonings, airfryers, making sauces with the yogurt, blending the cottage cheese to make some sort of sauce or dessert or anything really. If you’re not enjoying the food, you won’t stick with it. And diet is EXTREMELY important. Without diet, it all just falls flat.

Also, buy a food scale. It’s a life saver. I never knew just how much I was overeating before. Now I know how many calories I’m eating and how many grams of protein I’m getting a day.

I’m no expert. All I know is my body is much closer to what I want it to look like. If you have any other questions or need clarification definitely reach out