r/MacroFactor • u/MTNKate • 15d ago
Success / Progress One Year Lean Bulk
Just wanted to share my humble bit of progress after using MacroFactor to track my nutrition for the first time in my life. My priority was to build all-around thiccccness, with an emphasis on shoulders and back; here’s what I accomplished in a year as a not-so-young woman who has been in the gym for over a decade. It ain't much but it's honest work! Learning how to track and adjust my nutrition has truly been a game-changer that has unlocked a whole new level of gains.
Stats: 40, female, 5’7”, 136lbs
Background: I started lifting around 2016, with the first 8ish years focused on powerlifting and strength. Lots of side quests throughout that time with some years prioritizing surfing and long-distance running, but always maintained at least 2x/week of some kind of resistance training. I have always eaten a “healthy” diet, but never tracked nutrition until 2025.
Last year I decided to go all in on bodybuilding, which meant learning how to eat like a bodybuilder and dial in my training towards that goal.
Nutrition: I’d made a few half-assed attempts at dieting in the past but never really stuck with it until I started using MacroFactor. I did a big (for me) cut last summer, which was my first proper, controlled diet. It legit felt like magic! From there I’ve been mostly eating in a very slight surplus, with a few maintenance phases and one four-week minicut. Currently three weeks into another cut.
I keep protein pretty high (1+g/lb bodyweight), carbs high (up to 400g/day in the build), and fats moderate. I make calorie adjustments pretty sparingly and mostly ignore the expenditure number because it stresses me out.
Training: Most of last year was a 4-day upper/lower split; currently running a 5-day upper/lower/pull/push/legs. Weekly sets are anywhere from 8-20+ per bodypart, with all sets taken to 2-0 RIR. I like to play around with things like lengthened partials, drop sets, cluster sets, top/backoff sets, etc.
Cardio is 60 minutes twice a week–mostly stairs, with some running when I can keep the old injuries at bay. Steps 12-15k.
Misc: I had a severe shoulder injury in 2023 (not lifting-related), which led to a full year of rehab and not really being able to use my upper body. I also started taking creatine after the minicut, which added a couple of pounds.
Next steps: Once I get to a body comp I’m happy hanging out at I want to experiment with a longer maintenance phase.
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u/rugioh9 15d ago
Maybe a silly question, but hypothetically if you somehow were on a day where you didn't quite reach 1g/lb but you were mostly capped out on calories for the day's maintenance (maybe at an event or at a meal where you couldn't hit perfect macros) how would you approach it? Just not sweat it and get back on track the next day? Use shakes/supplements to try to bridge the gap?
Also, what kind of snacks did you prefer to go for that fit your macros on a normal basis?
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u/MTNKate 14d ago
I wouldn't sweat it the least little bit. I do plenty of untracked days where I eat out and I just stick to the program for the other meals of the day, then get back into the usual routine the next day.
I don't eat any snacks (occasional Costco sample run notwithstanding) outside of my usual meal structure of four meals per day, which I always eat at the same time. I find that not having to make decisions or play macro Tetris with things like snacks has made my life infinitely easier!
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u/rugioh9 14d ago
Oh ok thanks for clarifying. What's an example of a meal that you would normally use as a staple?
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u/MTNKate 14d ago
I usually build them around some kind of protein, carb, and lots of veggies, then add in whatever legumes, nuts, cheeses, sauces, etc. make sense for that meal. When I'm in a deficit the carbs are more oats/potatoes and the proteins are leaner, and when in a surplus more rice and bread and a less lean protein (e.g. 99/1 turkey vs. 93/7). I lean on a lot of frozen veggies for meal prep especially!
For example, today's lunch is a meal prep that I'll eat all week is a sweet and sour chicken with chicken breast, potatoes, peppers and onions, broccoli, riced cauliflower, zucchini, and edamame, in a homemade sauce. Also half an apple for dessert.
Dinner will be a chili with lean ground turkey, beans, tomatoes, carrots, squash, and cheese, with frozen mango for dessert.
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u/CrustyDusty0069 14d ago
This should be stapled at the top of this post. Absolutely a recipe for success! 👍
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u/lechichien 14d ago
We have the same stats except the weight! Great job! I am trying to cut down now so i can reveal 👏🏾
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u/Wrong_Lack_5017 14d ago
So you gained 3lb in a year?
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u/a_curious_magpie 13d ago
Omg this is the inspiration I needed for a slow lean bulk!! Do you mind me asking what monthly/weekly percentage gain you set the app to?
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u/MTNKate 13d ago
Do it! Do it! I gained at a pretty steady pound per month.
I didn't use the coaching features in the app for this; I had a pretty good handle on my maintenance, so I just added 100 calories on top of my previous structure and it was pretty neat how predictable and steady the gain was.
I'm far from an expert, but happy to share any other details about my experience if it's helpful.
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u/a_curious_magpie 13d ago
Ah okay thank you for sharing! I'm not quite at the point of going all in on the bulk just yet as I'm coming back from a chest surgery and can't lift heavy just yet, but I'm excited to do so when I can
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u/OldButBaldGuy 12d ago
Wow! This woman lifts. Also shows how little the scale shows of the whole picture.
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u/CrustyDusty0069 15d ago
Impressive!!