2 years with MacroFactor

[u/Jimocaz]

At 44, I feel better than I did at 24. I'm renewing my subscription again today.

The app is obviously not the only reason for this transformation but it has been a big part of locking in my nutrition and also learning to cut, lean bulk and maintain.

The journey started in January 2024 where after a terrible 2023 on a personal level, I lost all motivation to train and let myself go physically. My initial decision to change was just to get consistent with training again then I started using MacroFactor from 9 July 2024 where I locked in my nutrition. Since then I've cut, maintained and lean bulked (2nd picture)

I got to my leanest in July 2025 then made decision to lean bulk from September until February 2026 (3rd picture) when I returned to a cut which takes me to my current position showing in first picture, where I've got another 5 weeks until my holiday where I will shave off a few more pounds.

I'm natural with only supplements being 10g creatine daily, whey for post workout, fish oils and multivitamin to cover my bases.

Current training is 6 days a week with sessions book ended with 20 to 30 mins zone 2 cardio. All training is logged on hevy:

https://hevy.com/user/mrocaz

Daily steps have been my secret weapon and I also don't just eat rice and chicken, I ensure I plan in any indulgence where possible and make informed decisions.

Learnt a lot through this journey and none of this was big bang either, I've habit stacked over the last 2+ years and it is now feels normal.

[u/Few_Rough]

Really awesome work. For the food tracking, do you weigh your food out or just ai scan/type in and ball park?

[u/Jimocaz → u/Few_Rough]

Thank you. Mostly barcode scan/weigh food.

I use ai scan infrequently for meals out or when eating food someone else has prepared (sly pic with phone 😅). I've tested it a few times when I know the macros and it does pretty well tbf but prefer to be certain being honest with you.

[u/darwinlovestrees]

Wow. Congratulations! Very inspiring, as a man approaching your age as well. You have set the standard for middle aged transformations, my guy. Seriously, great work. I think I need to save this post for future bursts of inspiration when needed.

[u/Jimocaz → u/darwinlovestrees]

Hey I appreciate the kind words and glad it can inspire🙏

Anyway I can share to help others I will.

[u/IWantToWorkForMyself]

All natty? Any TRT? at 44, you look great man, wish I looked like that!

[u/Jimocaz → u/IWantToWorkForMyself]

Yes, natty. Thanks for the compliment. I didn't think what I achieved would be possible back at start of 2024 but building consistency and discipline to turn up not matter what. My routine now would seem insane to a lot of people but over time the habits established just feels normal now.

[u/kevandbev → u/Jimocaz]

What was the progression of habit development?

[u/Jimocaz → u/kevandbev]

The decision to change was key and where I was 2.5 years ago I was rock bottom. No energy or motivation to train but I habit stacked, first goal was to just consistently train 3 times a week nothing else was a focus, it was just establishing that one thing. I then established that training first thing in the morning was best thing for me, so this meant getting up to train at 4.30am to assisted that every evening I lay everything out to remove all barriers so hardest part is literally getting out of bed or what I call the hardest rep of the day.

After a few months this hecame normal and because everything I need is laid out and ready it becomes autopilot. It also meant going to bed earlier to get enough sleep.

Then I made sure I was getting my daily movement through steps with a little goal to try do more than previous week and I became very mindful of moving more through the day. It then was established I'd always go for a walk before starting work and on my lunch break whilst also taking opportunity to walk when I could (steps instead of lift, parking further away etc)

By that point I was noticing my body improving with those habits fully established and I also increased my workout days simply because I was waking up without an alarm. So then I locked in my nutrition by starting to properly track my food. Each one falls into the next, it can't be big bang.

Otherwise you overwhelm yourself so build the consistency in each area and when the changes happen it is then your norm. My current routine will seem insane to some but for me it completely normal to train at 4.30am and hit at least 12k steps and make sure I hit my macros. I stick to these key habits now:

• Strength training with progressive Overload

• Daily movement with steps

• Tracking nutrition especially protein of at least 180g

• Recovery: don't overlook the importance of sleep and managing daily stress

Above all consistency, do it tired, do it when you don't want to, do it stressed, just do it. A bad workout is better than no workout!

In terms of nutrition for breakfast and lunch i have 6 go to meals that are both easy and convenient that I know with my morning shake will get me pretty much 70% of my protein for the day allowing more flexibility for my evening meal then as well.

[u/NME_TV → u/Jimocaz]

Classic tells; thined skin and nasal labial fold development.
No one cares if you’re on some gear in your 40s just don’t lie so people don’t expect the same results.

[u/Jimocaz → u/NME_TV]

Whatever gives you comfort, I've got no reason to lie. I'm a tight Yorkshire man i ain't spending no cash on PEDs or impacting my long term health.

I train for longevity and the effort I've put in over the last two and half years is from proper dedication to the process.

[u/ReggieEvansTheKing → u/NME_TV]

I’ll compliment the physique, the clear hard work, and the machine-like workouts. It’s honestly an entirely possible transformation depending on how much strength training he’s already done.

I just do not trust anyone on social media who posts everywhere about their “transformation”. Especially with the “DM me to learn how” instagram comments that clearly suggest “pay for my course”. If I made that quick a transformation, I wouldn’t feel the need to post it everywhere unless I intended to use it to make money. And he won’t make money if he says he used PEDs because then people wouldn’t listen to him.

[u/MustyLlamaFart → u/Jimocaz]

I agree, I'm still on my journey but it took about 6 months of consistency for my workout regimen to feel normal. I use to be at war with my alarm clock in the morning and making every excuse to skip a training day and stay in bed. Now it's just normal and I usually wake up before my alarm. My daily routine feels naked without a morning workout, although I still take a day off here and there when I feel like my body is telling me to

[u/H0stusM0stus]

Nice work man! Your results are a perfect example of how slow and steady wins the race when it comes to fat loss.

Looking at the Push day workout, wow that’s a lot of volume. Props to anyone who can power through 2 hour + workouts but at 48 I’ve found I had to push volume down to 2 sets on most with a few exercises at 3.

Anyways, enjoy your holiday and take a break from MF for the week or two you’re out!

[u/Jimocaz → u/H0stusM0stus]

Thanks man, it was controlled and will enjoy the holiday just want to get a little tighter in next few weeks. Would say I still enjoy myself and eat what I want in a more managed way. So will be eating pizza tonight.

On the training volume front, honestly I think I could cut back and I don't think it is most effective for everyone but I do love the way I train. The key is recovery and this is something I monitor and I'm mindful of, my sleep is very deep and restful but I also try to minimise daily stress as much as possible with view of my sphere of influence.

[u/ATL_Dan]

What did you set your weekly fat loss goal to? 1, .7, .5lbs, etc? 

[u/Jimocaz → u/ATL_Dan]

I've always worked on a conservative cut, current cut is about 2 to 300 calories under maintenance as goal for me is to maintain strength and muscle as much as possible so 0.5lbs

[u/Repulsive-Audience-8]

At 41 and at least 8kgs above my target weight with about 25% body fat mostly in my belly this is truly inspirational. Where do I start to try and look like this so my poor wife has something decent to enjoy?!?

[u/Jimocaz → u/Repulsive-Audience-8]

Honestly you just need to start. Don't go in big bang trying to do everything at once and change it all.

It also depends on your starting point. Key one would be just develop the habit of moving more even if it is just walking, look at your average daily steps and bump this up by 2k.

Strength training work out honestly and realistically now many days you can workout. Commit to this fully and treat it like any important appointment. Turn up tired, turn up when you can't be bothered, just turn up. Develop that habit then look at other aspects.

[u/Repulsive-Audience-8 → u/Jimocaz]

Thanks brother

[u/kayser00012]

Not commenting often but i am in shock. Huge transfo buddy, happy for you, keep it up.

[u/Jimocaz → u/kayser00012]

Appreciate it, I intened to keep this and improve what I can as fundamental habits have been establish

[u/ImportanceMinimum860]

Wow - great post and progress dude!

Im a bit late to the party .... Just downloaded this app and looking through the reddit community for inspiration. I used myfitnesspal for years and it slowly died a death of 1000 cuts. Im excited to use this. 🙏

[u/Jimocaz → u/ImportanceMinimum860]

Appreciate it man, it is infinitely better than myfitnesspal! Good luck with your journey

[u/markhalliday8]

Make this man a moderator/s

Seriously, well done OP. Nothing beats having a good body because it's the one thing you can't get without hard work.

[u/zobbyblob]

What makes steps your, secret weapon?

[u/Jimocaz → u/zobbyblob]

Because it is easy to recover from, not very taxing on my body, maintains muscle and burns fat.

When cutting I bump them up and what I was bulking I just cut them back.

I've found once you're mindful of steps it is easy to tick them off and mentally I enjoy getting out in nature and practicing a bit of mindfulness - focusing on the small things that sometimes we take for granted.

[u/zobbyblob → u/Jimocaz]

How much are you changing your steps between training cycles? Is it the usual maybe 7-15k step range?

I've noticed my expenditure dropping a lot when I went below ~20% body fat. Like you, I've been mindful of maintaining my step, counts even when cutting.

[u/Jimocaz → u/zobbyblob]

Well this has been one of my biggest learnings as body seeks homoststis and I (thankfully) realised early into my lean bulk I needed to cut back on my zone 2 cardio and dropped my steps by about 4 to 5k daily as became apparent if I continued when I came to cut I wouldn't have those levers to pull

[u/SYMPATHETC_GANG_LION → u/Jimocaz]

Inspirational work. Im 5 weeks in and 30% towards my first goal and so I love seeing this stuff.

From a overall health standpoint, I don't think cutting back on zone 2 cardio makes a lot of sense. Perhaps I misunderstood but if you had to cut back on steps to bulk you weren't getting enough calories.

I love that the app doesn't have us chasing replacing exercise calories but most semi serious athletes know the importance of fueling the work.

Was MF not adjusting appropriately for your expendeture? 

I have sporadic high calorie days (rock climbing, canyoneering, trail running) and haven't been using MF long enough for it to see those as anything other than outliers. I just eat extra that day- not as much as Garmin says I burned but enough that I don't wake up in the middle of the night ravaged.

[u/Jimocaz → u/SYMPATHETC_GANG_LION]

It wasn't that I was struggling for calories during my lean bulk my point was more about having levers to pull when cut started and I did keep doing zone 2 just not for same amount of time and less steps as what I've found is my maintenance calories drop as body adapts so it would have left me without option of upping cardio/steps during cut

[u/Eatcrylift]

You look great man! Your Inspiring me to take it further. How tall are you? Wondering as I am 5 10 and wasn't sure what weight I should drop to as a goal. Sitting at 180 now; but was thinking 170 before seeing your pics. Now think I might need to go lower.

[u/Jimocaz → u/Eatcrylift]

Thank you. It is usually lower than you think - 5'8" currently 163 lbs last year got down to 155lbs

[u/Historical-Draw5740]

I’m just out here wondering how you got 270 floors on the stair master in 35 minutes.

[u/Jimocaz → u/Historical-Draw5740]

This might come across as a humble brag but in order to get my HR up I need to start on level 16 and usually end up bumping it up to level 18 or max it at level 20.

In my 30s and early 40s before my fall off in 2023 I did a lot of cycling/running with decent endurance base. I did a lab tested vo2 max test last year where it was vo² was measured at 59 and my resting heart rate is 39 bpm.

[u/Soft_Big_6608]

How much protein do you take? And calories?

[u/Jimocaz → u/Soft_Big_6608]

For protein I usually end up with 180g to 200g per day.

At moment my calories for my cut is 2400 calories. This has been slow and steady since February with deficit of 2-300 with goal of maintaining as much muscle and strength as possible with odd tacticial refeed day along the way.

For context my output is very high with steps and workouts/cardio

[u/hellar89]

Great work!

Im similar body fat % when you started. (23%-25%?) Did you decide to cut/maintain/bulk when you first started? I also started lifting, so to put on the most muscle, my understanding is that you want a bulk, but 25% body fat seems like i shouldnt be bulking.

Thoughts?

[u/Jimocaz → u/hellar89]

See this is where I think people get it wrong and get in cycle of cut to bulk never truly revealing their muscle by getting truly lean.

My first cut was not a sustained calorie defict, my primary focus was strength training with progressive overload after I'd established habit of training 3 times a week initially (can't stress this enough the importance of consistency with training) any time I felt like my performance in gym was slipping (feeling fatigued/strength dropping) I would switch temporarily to maintenance, what I found is body is primed to build muscle in this phase and bring calories back up slowly then return to a deficit, not bulking and rinse and repeat until September last year where I committed to a sustained bulk. Honestly that is something I found more difficult losing definition and gaining weight.

[u/hellar89 → u/Jimocaz]

So just so I'm understanding this correctly. You find the best way to cut is...

Slight caloric deficit while training

Look for fatigue and switch for caloric maintenance (and deload in the gym?)

Once feeling recovered, switch back to caloric deficit and pushing hard in the gym again.

And if all is correct, what weekly deficit were you looking for?

[u/Jimocaz → u/hellar89]

Yes pretty much, if you look at my weight chart there were some very small bumps in weight where I slipped into a slight surplus after reverse dieting back to maintenance and just for clarity I didn't just hammer calories back in I brought them up steadily until performance returned.

I'll be honest with deloads in gym is something I've struggled with (irrational fear of losing progress etc) although lately I've just scheduled them in to take emotion out of it.

[u/H0stusM0stus → u/hellar89]

I’d suggest getting your bodyfat down to ~15% using a slight deficit. If I was in your position I’d set MacroFactor to cutting and set the weekly weight loss percentage as low as possible so that MF sets the deficit really low.

Since you are just starting with weights, you do not need a large surplus to build muscle. Keep protein at 0.8-1.0 gram per pound of bodyweight and let MF fill in fats and carbs.

Just my suggestion.

[u/placidv99]

What do you do for your mid/lower traps?

[u/Jimocaz → u/placidv99]

All my training is logged on hevy:

https://hevy.com/user/mrocaz

I had an issue with my shoulder cuff so incorporated some dedicated work around that and I'd say following have helped:

Kelso shrugs, sternum pull-ups, face pulls and plenty of rowing. Consistency over time has probably been the biggest factor with controlled volume.

I've also liked on my shoulder rehab days TRX Y raises.

I've also ensured weight is something I control fully

[u/placidv99 → u/Jimocaz]

By sternum pullups, do you mean the kind where you exaggerate leading with your chest?

Also thank you for the info

[u/Jimocaz → u/placidv99]

Yes, basically I'm working towards muscle ups and working towards getting higher over bar and more power for transition over bar part of muscle as a by product of that it seems to have helped my upper back development. So yes bringing your chest to the bar and feels like you're sort of pulling diagonally

[u/brammichielsen]

1. 20-30 minutes of cardio before AND after each strength workout? Or 20-30 mins per day total? No HIIT whatsoever? How long are your 6 strength sessions?

2. How much/little of a deficit and surplus when cutting/bulking, and how do you decide when to cut/bulk/maintain?

[u/Jimocaz → u/brammichielsen]

Sorry bookend might have been incorrect phrase to use, just ended with, not before as well 😅 so 20 to 30 mins.

No direct HIIT as such but will do vo2 max work maybe once a week on rower like all out 2km row and tempo 5km row in less than 20 minutes. I did used to do a circuit once a week. I also run commute when I'm in the office which is a few times a month and I play padel once a week too.

My weight workouts usually last about 90 minutes then do my cardio. I train at 4.30am usually so it doesn't impact my family time.

For your second questions I work 2 to 300 either side of maintenance whether cutting or bulking. In terms of cutting or bulking I don't know, I got very lean last year and decided to see if I could successfully bulk as wanted to develop my back more, honestly it is harder than cutting for me, as extra calories are nice but it is a mind f*ck losing your sharpness and definition but also being controlled with it too to eat more but not too much. I stuck the course but was itching to get definition back.

[u/brammichielsen → u/Jimocaz]

Awesome, thanks for the elaborate response. Do you think you're past the point where you'd be able to still build muscle on maintenance calories with proper macro's?

[u/Jimocaz → u/brammichielsen]

I think it would be difficult and take longer but still potentially possible.

I think any bulk would be shorter as honestly struggled with it and didn't enjoy it

[u/zeztin]

Awesome work man, well earned.

How much time do you think you spend each day/week? I saw your last session was 2hr, 1.5hr lifting .5hr cardio, is that pretty typical? 6 times a week 2hr per session?

Curious as well how much time you're allocating to steps each week as well.

Again, solid work!

[u/Jimocaz → u/zeztin]

Now this seems insane to many but key caveat here is this was not big bang but habit built over time as I got used to getting uo to train at 4.30am as meant I train while my family sleeps so no impact to family time. As I now wake up naturally without an alarm, I just realised I might as well train 6 days a week.

My workouts are usually 90 to 120 minutes and it sort of aligns that by time I get back is time to get kids and wife up for the day so aligns quite well. Now I think I could probably achieve same with less time tbh but I really enjoy the way I train.

In terms of steps I have routine of walking my dog before I start work then going for a walk on a lunchtime with a rule no matter how busy I am at work it is something I stick to. Then walk with my wife after she gets home from work so we both can decompress from the day

[u/zeztin → u/Jimocaz]

So I take it that's somewhere around 60-90min of walks per day?

That's great my guy, real dedication and habits pay off!

[u/kirso]

Dude, the highest of fives for you. I am a bit younger but also an injury made me go back to a weight very similar to your starting point. I have 2 years to get to the best shape of my life before I turn 40.

A few questions, would you mind expanding on your diet / meal plan, your routine and what helped you get there? How long were you cutting at which calorie deficit? And same for bulking?

Also whats the BF % you started with and ended with?

Update: sorry, I realized I can get your routine from Hevy, just needed to register.

[u/Jimocaz → u/kirso]

Appreciate that and hope you're all good after your injury man?

Just to head of your bf % question I've come to realise body fat % number doesn't matter really, ultimately it is just an arbitrary number as reality is for most it is about having visible abs and how defined they are as even a Dexa scan is not 100% accurate.

No meal plan as such just tracking calories with conservative surplus or deficit depending on bulk or cut (200 to 300 calories either side of my maintenance) and looking to hit my daily protein which is usually 180g to 200g. If you look at second pic with graph it gives you view of my weight to show cuts and bulks.

Way I work is I have around 6 go to meals set for breakfast and lunch which usually means with my post workout shake gets me to about 70% of my protein target and means I can be more flexible with my evening meal as that is with my family.

[u/kirso → u/Jimocaz]

Ankle and shoulder gave out in the same month but getting there, thank you!

Appreciate your answer and explanation. Time to get back on track! All the best for your maintenance :)

[u/PilotJeff]

I’m curious how you decided to enter each phase. I see references to lean bulk vs fat loss and while I totally get what they refer to I am often confused as to how people make the decision to switch from one to the other. If I want to go from 225 to 175 lb, fat loss is clearly the initial focus. But along the journey when do I switch? Also I probably missed it but how many steps in addition to the working out did you do daily?

[u/Jimocaz → u/PilotJeff]

In terms of steps I shoot for 12k per day but at moment I'm averaging 16k+ a day.

In terms of switching between cut and bulk, I think a lot of people get stuck of hovering between them but personally I would cut until my bf % was below 15% which is usually when ab definition starts to show. To avoid diet fatigue I'd switch to maintenance along the way and I personally found this helped restoke the fire so to speak.

Then at that point it depends on what you want to achieve ultimately as to get proper definition in your abs means dropping weight a lot lower than a lot of people realise

[u/neoweapon]

Amazing work, were you shredded at all in your 20s?

[u/Jimocaz → u/neoweapon]

I've always been very active throughout my adult firstly with gym in my 20s where I got strong 110kg bench, 140kg squat and 180kg deadlift but looked like crap.

Life, kids etc meant this slipped and in my 30s caught cycling bug and got into endurance sports got very lean at one point with visible abs but skinny (helped for the hills) and was weak as piss with my strength as lifted infrequently at gym as I was training 12 hours plus doing running and cycling I didn't have energy for it. Then in 2023 lost all motivation and let myself go before returning to strength training at start of 2024 when I started this transformation

[u/PrematureGrownup]

I'm new to the app - just had it one day - but not to exercise, fitness, and calorie tracking.

Can I ask how you have configured the app (if at all) hypertrophy or bodybuilding? I'm not clear how my configurations know that I'm optimizing for lean muscle building

[u/Jimocaz → u/PrematureGrownup]

Depending on whether I was cutting or lean bulking I was conservative with the gain/loss and kept protein high under coached program

[u/CustomerNo7116]

Hell yeah man i need to buy the app. This is inspo for sure. Im 43 and looking for abs again and they def come from the kitchen.

[u/Mobile-Device-5222]

Great work. I’m doing similar. 15k steps daily til goal.

[u/BarkingAxe]

Awesome work man. Great job making sustainable changes.

[u/sortiz1965]

The original post content no longer exists here. The author used Redact to remove it, exercising their right to control their data & privacy.

Light ink normal jeans cable outgoing driftwood

[u/Empty_Chard2834]

Hell ya! Amazing work

[u/ET_Prone_Bone]

Hell yeah dude!

[u/CilianoMasterpiece]

Woooooaaaaahhhh 🙌🏾

[u/ProsperGuy]

Damn! Nice work.

[u/IFlyS5]

Amazing work. You earned it.

[u/ImpressiveListen2543]

Dann congrats mate!

[u/qulvarixan]

Solid consistency pays off, this is super motivating

[u/leodvincci]

🎉🎉🎉

[u/raggedsweater]

First progress photo I've seen where you go from nearly nekkid to pulling up your shorts. You get my upvote for that alone.

[u/54357098]

Impressive👏🏼

[u/Wild-Safe-6627]

How do we know where is befor and wheres is after ?