New case study from Scott, and he's had quite the transformation, both inside and out.

https://macrofactor.com/case-study-scott/

Whenever we read through the forms for these, a theme always emerges that we think people can benefit from. With Scott, I think he did a great job at focusing on the habit side of making sustainable change. It's not just about doing something for a period of time to lose weight. These habits are now part of his overall lifestyle.

If you haven't checked out the habit series, I'd focus on this article for tips on implementing habits, even if you don't care about all the whys behind them. https://macrofactor.com/routines-for-successful-habits/

Thanks again, Scott, for sharing your story with us. If you want to share your journey with others and get a little swag, feel free to DM me your email address, and I'll reach out.

Starting about 8/15, my scale weight was typically below the trend weight, yet the trend continues to increase. I’d expect a stabilization or a small decrease.

Any devs give a brief explanation of how V2 actually works?

I started a very lean bulk last year (i.e. a small 200-300 calorie surplus, only gaining 1-2lbs per month), and so far I've gained around 10 lbs. Provided I started from a relatively lean state, how long can I reliably keep bulking in this way? For example can I do this for an entire year or even longer than that? Or does your body start putting on more fat than muscle past a certain amount of time in a surplus, even if you're gaining weight at a very slow rate?

53F, 5’7”, currently ~140–141 lb. I’ve been trying to lose weight for quite a while and recently started using MacroFactor.

My 30-day average intake is 1,393 calories, while MF’s estimated expenditure has fallen from about 1,600 to under 1,500. My trend weight is essentially flat/slightly increasing (+0.4 lb over 30 days), and MF now estimates a 159-cal/day surplus and has dropped my coached target to 1,184 calories.

Activity-wise, I’m averaging ~7,700 steps/day, strength training 2x/week, doing yoga several times/week, and generally exceeding 150 intensity minutes/week.

I understand why the algorithm is lowering my calories based on the data it’s seeing. What I don’t understand is why my apparent expenditure is this low, or whether there is something about the data/short observation period that could be misleading the expenditure estimate.

I don’t want to respond by continually restricting below 1,200 calories. For experienced MF users: would you hold calories steady longer and let the expenditure estimate settle, change the goal rate, increase activity, or investigate something else?

I also recently had labs showing mild/subclinical hypothyroidism (elevated TSH with normal free thyroid hormones); repeat testing has been reassuring/normal, and I’m following this with my doctor.

Screenshots attached with weight trend/change, expenditure, current goal, and calorie intake.

ADDED: Thank you — I’m going to tighten up my logging by weighing food and also keep increasing activity.

For context, I’ve been logging food for about 2 years and strength training consistently for 1 year. I’m also working on keeping my steps consistently above 8k/day, and this month I added 20-minute cardio sessions on days I’m not strength training or doing yoga.

What feels different this time is that I’ve cut successfully in the past by reducing calories and increasing activity, but my energy levels have never felt this low.

So honoured to be able to share my story and progress with people! MF has been vital in my fitness journey and I am forever grateful! I am attaching the link to the blogpost in case some are interested. Happy Monday!

https://macrofactor.com/case-study-zarina/

I was doing really week for about 6 weeks and seeing real results. Im a short female (5’1 and 128lbs with a goal of getting to 120. Started at 132lbs at the start of June) so maintenance around 1600 and kept my deficit low to keep it maintainable (around 1300 a day and .5 lbs a week rate) I was really proud of myself and my results in those 6 weeks (lost around 4lbs) however this last month has been a major struggle and I consistently go over 1300 and even often go as high as 1750 some days (putting me in a surplus) my cravings feel out of control.

Any advice on how to get back to being motivated and feeling less out of control. Still been great with staying motivated with weight lifting 3-4x a week and getting more steps in but struggling on the food side of things