So a big reason for going this route with Macbuilt instead of going at it alone was stress. Mac gives me the meal plans and training and I just buy the stuff I need. I can focus on going all out in the gym and not wondering if I’m doing it right.
Take for instance I’m supposed to have sirloin for a meal, well sirloin prices are through the roof and couldn’t even find it at some local stores for what ever reason so I asked about substitutes, Mac was worried about fat/ protein content and wanted me to check nutrition facts. Well I’ve spent 3 hours today looking up the nutrition of different cuts of beef vs cost. I even went off on a tangent comparing deer and bear because I have some in the freezer. PS: venison has 20% more protein and 1/5th the fat content of sirloin beef. But you’ve either got to hunt yourself or pay out the ass for it.
Anyway, I ended up down a rabbit hole (the most lean meat there is which comes with some interesting problems of its own) of fat and protein content, sourcing, vitamins, and cost. I ended up studying research papers about the different proteins and muscle fibers in each cut of beef talking about micron level shit using electron microscopes.
3 hours later, what did I find out? Round steak; either top, bottom, or eye of round all contain more protein and less fat per serving compared to the sirloin cuts, and 30-50% cheaper. The difference? Tenderness. Round is a locomotive muscle and sirloin is more supportive so the round(thigh) cuts are much, much tougher, that’s the difference. So if you don’t care about the tenderness of the beef, round is actually a better source than sirloin.
Point is this is a single thing and I spent hours on it. If I had done this for every aspect of diet and training I’d never get anything done. That’s a big thing people overlook when working with a coach; it’s not that anyone is too novice or too stupid to do it on their own, it’s that the coach takes the stress out of things so you can put all of your focus on getting the best results. We’re already spending hundreds, if not thousands on training, diet, gear, etc. and you’re going to deny yourself the best results over the cost of a good coach?