r/MacroFactor

Hello, I have been using macro factor for a while now. I joined it after a cut because I wanted to find my maintenance calories! I am not upset at the amount of calories the app is allocating but I’m wondering what time it took your expenditure to settle. Should I expect a lot more allocated calories or is this around where it usually caps? This is from March 20th to now.

I started cutting at the end of January, starting with a scale weight of 158.8 lbs. My goal trend weight is 140 lbs. This morning, my scale weight was 140.2 lbs. with a trend weight of 142 lbs. I’ve been using MacroFactor since the second week of February, mostly running around a 500 calorie/day deficit, and it has completely transformed my relationship with food as an habitual yo-yo dieter. I plan to use it for the rest of my life, as I’m just someone who responds well to tracking and goal setting.

I used tubed resistance bands until March, one 50 lbs. dumbbell for all of March, and I’ve been in the gym since the second week of April, although I’m rehabbing my lower body, so upper body only. Previously, 10+ years ago, I reached an intermediate level of lifting in terms of strength progress, with some pretty decent lifts for someone in the 140s.

Once joining a gym, I started to do two sets to failure, but started to slow down in terms of progression for lifts like low incline dumbbell bench press. I’ve switched to MacroFactor Workouts, and I’m currently on week 2 of a hypertrophy program. It’s too early to tell if I’m truly stalling, but my bench has stayed more or less put, although it’s possible that I will respond better when reps decrease.

The last few days I have really started to feel the cut. It’s not unbearable, and I can definitely keep going for two to three weeks in order to lose the final two pounds, but I’m just lethargic. My wife also said she heard my stomach rumbling throughout the night and in the morning. 😂

I’d like to get rid of some more lower belly and lower back/love handles fat, but I’m not sure if the final two pounds will achieve that, or if I will end up looking too skinny (which might already be the case).

Questions:

- Is it worth it to cut two more pounds, or do I risk looking too skinny?

- I am nowhere near my previous strength levels. With my body composition in mind, do you think it’s possible to recomp at maintenance, or do I need to lean bulk to get close to previous strength?

- Should I maintain or lean bulk after I end the cut? Summer is near in the northern hemisphere, and my biggest fear is putting on too much fat during summer when I’ve worked so hard to get where I am.

After 6 months I have just noticed this at the bottom. So much easier to log (a tap or two less anyway)

5’11, 33M. Started cutting end of December from ~183 lb. Current morning weight is around ~164–169 depending on post-cruise water/food weight, so I’m waiting a few days for that to normalize. Progress photos attached, including starting point.

Question: based on current visuals, how much longer would you cut before starting a lean bulk?

My goal is to get lean enough to start a long lean bulk and stay roughly 10–15% year-round. Plan would be to bulk around ~0.25–0.3 lb/week once I’m done cutting.

I’ve historically stopped cuts too early because I thought I was leaner than I actually was, so I’m trying to be more objective this time. I was losing around ~1.1 lb/week before a cruise/travel break. Considering another 3–6 weeks depending on how I look once weight normalizes. Training intensity stays high, volume moderate. I'd aim for 1.5lb/wk for the short cut window/

Appreciate any honest feedback.

Hi, I had a question about auto progression on trap bar farmers carries. I did 3 sets of 225lbs for 20yds in my last session (first screenshot). I was expecting the auto progression to set a weight and/or yard target for me for the next session but the auto progression suggestion is blank.
This hasn't happened for any other exercises that I've tried. Is auto progression not available for farmers carries or am I doing something wrong?
TIA!

week old post! Old post Ranting about low calories (still are!!!)

I did a reset to start calculating from when I started being really solid on tracking.

MacroF increased my calories for the next week! lets hope for the best. still think they‘re low as hell but whatever…

of course today I had a slip pre exam and went above. I tracked everything so don’t blast me saying I don’t track correctly.

Is this the wrong way to track ground beef? I ask because the fat is 30g, but I always thought that once you cooked it, it cooks a lot of that fat out? Is it really just way less?

Anyone have budget friendly Costco alternatives?

Preface: Not freaking out, not panicking, very happy, just intellectually curious.

M/5-7/134.5lb — Used MacroFactor for the first time and did a very successful cut down to ~135 from ~162 from January 20ish to April 20. Got to around 11% BF, no strength lost in the gym.

I have never successfully practiced maintenance or a small surplus, just usually cut down every spring, have an active summer with no food tracking which leads to 5-10lbs gained and then another 10lbs when I slip into winter depression in Nov/Dec. Loved MF so much for the cut, thought I’d really try to dial in what my actual maintenance is, and try a deliberate ~200 cal surplus from there.

I started the “bulk” at around 200 cals, and have religiously tracked pretty much everything and weighed in every day and ate pretty close to MF’s recommendations, if anything going a bit over on more active days, but never under.

Gained that initial bump in glycogen/food contents (134.2 to 137) but since then weight settled rock solid at +/- 136, and weighed in today at 134.5.

Have been checking in early whenever it prompts me, started the bulk around 2200 cal, now up to 2600 for the last week or so.

I’m definitely not depleted, eating around 350g+ carbs a day 140ish protein and 80ish fat. Gym sessions have been awesome, probably look leaner than I did at the end of the cut. Not complaining/bragging/etc, just intellectually curious what could be happening physiologically? I never dreamed my actual maintenance would be this high? Going to keep following the program as it goes, very I’m in no rush, just interested to see when I actually start gaining that .5 lb a week it promised haha.

I have been using Macrofactor since 27th April. I am a 6"2 26yo who's 119kg (35-40% BF). Taking an average over multiple other formulae I am expending around the 3000 cal mark everyday. Why is Macrofactor so much lower than the average? My calculated expenditure is going up very slowly but based on the average of the other formulae, I am currently eating in a 1200 calorie deficit as Macrofactor has determined I need to eat 1800 ish, which is a ridiculous deficit. Even with the macrofactor deficit, it is an 800 calorie deficit. I stuck with it just in case the algorithm was quick to change, which initially it was. However, it has slowly plateaued.

I know I have a lot of weight to lose but surely this is, even at my stats, is an unhealthy deficit. This is past a calorie deficit and is likely removing muscle at a rate of knots even if I am eating the 190g of protein required (according to macrofactor) each day.

How do I go about changing this? Or will it eventually be mildly accurate?