At the moment I weigh 170, 6ft tall, 31.5 inch waist…49 years old.
I’ve been cutting since the end of March, after putting on a pound or two of muscle over the winter. I check my body fat using 7 point caliper formula (with an assist for the hard to reach areas) weekly and have been watching the percentage get lower on a very reliable and steady basis. I’m hovering at around 9% now, my arms and shoulder look like a roadmap, my abs are visible – but now I want to take it a bit lower, to get that sharp muscle separation, especially in the abdominal area.
I would say I’ve been “winging it” so far nutritionally up to this point with good progress. I haven’t lost any muscle size or a whole lot of strength. I have noticed my squats and bench press took a hit, but strangely I seem to be getting stronger on my deadlift, hitting 315 x 8 reps yesterday.
I’ll get to the question in a moment…
Diet-wise I eat clean, whole foods about 90% of the time. I count calories for everything that gets eaten, even the creamer in my coffee or a handful of nuts. Basically I make sure I hit 150-170 grams of protein with mostly cod, eggs and protein shakes. The rest of my calories are filled out with carbs and fats, not necessarily with any priority of one over the other, unless it’s a gym day in which case I go heavier on the carbs.
So my question is, as long as I prioritize my protein intake, does it matter that I don’t pay too much attention to the fats and carbs? I’m almost always on target with my calories, I have steady fat loss progress…but will getting extra obsessed about my macro intake be necessary to get that shrink-wrapped look I’m after?