Hi all,

First off,

1. Age  33
2. Height  181cm / 5 foot 11 inches
3. Weight  76.8 kg / 169 lbs
4. Bodyfat %  18.67% using military method (89.5cm waist,  39cm neck)  - I don't look fat, no visible abs of course and a bit of a tummy
5. Goal (Muscle Gain, Weight Loss, Strength Gain, etc)  Lean Muscle Gain
6. How long you have been exercising  Lifting weights 3-4.5 hours a week since November 2015
7. Daily calories  Non workout days burn avg 2500,  Workout days burn avg 3000, current diet consume 2650 calorie average daily
8. Daily macros in grams (protein, carbs, fat)  198g / 265g / 88g
9. Injuries or restrictions  On chronic medication of heart arrhythmias (Concor 5mg - Bisoprolol based cardio selective type β beta blocker)

As you can see above, my carb intake is a lot higher than i'd like it to be and also the reason I feel pretty bloated somedays (sodium / potassium in check).  I've picked up weight slowly over the months with a reduction of waist size and increases chest, shoulders, thighs etc. but haven't really shedded a lot of abdominal fat.  I'm thinking of switching up my macros to the following PCF to keep building muscle but drop body fat quicker 240g / 150g / 100g which also brings calories down to 2460 eaten per day.  190 calories less than normal with the same routines etc.

Does this make any sense?  Will I stand to lose progress on any muscle gain this way?  Should I try something else first?  To be honest it's really hard for me to eat the 2650 already because time doesn't allow for me to eat many meals.  Shoving that down in 3 meals is tough - especially because I train from 7/8pm mostly and can't stomach food before.  Eating 2460 daily will definitely make things easier but getting that much protein is going to be tough too :-)

My supp stack is fairly normal.  Protein shakes (whey isolate blend), bcaa pre post workout, plenty of water and a multivit.

Hoping you guys can shed some light.

If there is any stats you guys still need to assist let me know. Either I continue with my current diet and try and bulk up slowly (and hopefully shed more abdominal fat) or make the switch. I am just concerned all the months of hard effort in the gym will be negatively affected at those macros and total calories.

Current training split is 4day, Tue/Wed and Fri/Sat with cardio of 40 mins on a Thursday or combined post legs on Saturdays. All other free days are walks etc. for around 2-5kms on average. All gym sessions done in around 65 - 75 mins on average.

Hey man.

Honestly, your first set of macros weren't that bad at all. If you are burning 3000 calories on average on the days you workout, then eating around 2700 calories a day would probably be OK to start with. I always recommend you start your cut as high as you can, so that you don't have to go super low on calories.

Your carbs aren't really that high, and protein is at nearly 200g which isn't too bad either - that's almost 1.2g protein per lb of bodyweight which is about right. You could increase it to maybe 205g-210g, and maybe make the fat 90g even. That would take you to 2700 calories.

What do you think about starting there and seeing what your weight does?

Also, if you are having trouble getting enough food in, try making shakes. Easy and convenient if you struggle eating multiple times in a day.

Hey there,

Reconsidering, yeah you're correct - looks like I had a good macro split going before. I've pulled my weigh ins for the past couple of months and there is a steady climb to where I am today. Didn't have a proper body fat caliper to measure with so went out and found one today.

Turns out I'm 18% now, after multiple re-measures to double check. Means I was heading in the right direction and increasing lean muscle which is what I was hoping for. LMB now 62.37kg, BF 14.22kg and FFMI 18.97 - still a ways to go...

Tweaked macro's going forward with those calories spent on average is now PCF 200g / 250g / 100g, 2700 bang on. I kick off training again this Tuesday, feel like I am 100% over the flu. Can't wait!

PS: was battling with shakes thrown in ;-) I really haven't been used to "eating" over the years.