how to track macronutrients with food tracker apps

Macronutrients, which include protein, carbohydrates, and fats, are essential for maintaining a healthy diet and achieving your fitness goals. Tracking your macronutrient intake can help you ensure that you are meeting your nutritional needs and making progress towards your fitness goal. However, tracking your macronutrients could be too much work, complex and hard to continue. Fortunately, there are several user-friendly apps available that can assist you in tracking your macronutrients. You may also want to read HOW TO TRACK YOUR MACRONUTRIENTS NEEDS for your reference.

With the abundance of nutrition tracking apps available, it’s important to choose one that suits your needs and preferences.
Here are a few factors to consider when selecting food tracker apps:

Table of contents:

• What to consider when selecting food tracker apps
• Tips for successful tracking
• Food tracker apps examples

What to consider when selecting food tracker apps

1. User-friendly interface: Look for an app that is intuitive and easy to navigate. A clutter-free interface will make it more enjoyable to track your macronutrients. 
   
   You have to track your macronutrient intake every day. The easier you can use the app, the longer you can stick with it. Test a few different apps and find which one you can work with most easily. The app, which can make a list of foods or items you consume very often, will be easier to use since you tend to have preferred foods or items you consume very often if you are watching what you eat.
   
2. Database of foods: Ensure that the app has a comprehensive database of foods, including both generic items and branded products. This will make it easier for you to find and log the foods you consume.
   
   If the app has a barcode reader, that is definitely a plus. That makes it much easier to log your food. The larger the database of foods, the easier it is to log your foods and items because if you cannot find the item you are about to consume or are already a consumer, you might lose motivation with the extra work you have to put into creating new items with nutrition facts by yourself.
   
3. Customization options: The app should allow you to set your macronutrient goals based on your individual needs. It should also provide the flexibility to adjust these goals as necessary.
   
   Customization could be a little more advanced. I suggest you start with the numbers given by the app first to get familiar with it, and most importantly, try the numbers and see if that works out for your body. If you have gotten used to tracking your macronutrients and want to customize your numbers, it could actually be harder to find an app that allows you to do it with no charge. For me, I wanted to customize my numbers, so I tried to look for one that allowed me to do it with no charge, and I found one! I will show you in a later section.
   
4. Integration with other apps and devices: If you use other fitness or health apps or devices, check if the macronutrient tracking app can integrate with them. This integration can provide a more holistic view of your health and fitness data.
   
   People may get motivated to see all their diet and fitness progress on one app. This is totally up to your preference. For me, I track my fitness goal just separately and it works out better for me, so this is not a high priority for me.
   
5. Community support: Some apps offer a community feature where you can connect with like-minded individuals, share your progress, and seek support. If this is important to you, look for an app that offers such a feature.
   
   Sharing your progress and fitness goals with others might definitely help you and boost your motivation. This is also based on your preference, but if you think you can work harder with community support, you want to count this as one condition for the app you will be using.
   

Tips for successful tracking

• Be consistent: Make it a habit to log your meals and snacks every day. Consistency is key to accurately tracking your macronutrients.
  
  At first, you might feel troubled logging your food every time. However, once you get used to logging your food, it gets much easier, based on my experience. Sometimes you might log the same foods or items over and over, so it is nice to have a food tracker app that can copy your previous log. 
  
• Plan ahead: Pre-plan your meals and snacks to ensure that you meet your macronutrient goals. This can help you make healthier choices and avoid impulsive decisions.
  
  Pre-planning always helps me a lot. I sometimes even put my food a day before. I then know what to prepare in advance, and it is sometimes easier for me. Also, if you have a plan with your friends, for example, to go out and eat, it is a good strategy to log foods based on what you might eat at the restaurant. If I go out to eat at a restaurant, I sometimes check the menu and decide what to get. In that way, it is easier to log other food items.
  
• Use a food scale: To accurately track portion sizes, consider using a food scale. This will provide more precise measurements than estimating by eye.
  
  This could sound overwhelming, but using a scale is actually key to food tracking. If you are eating pre-packaged food, you do not have to scale it, but you will need a scale if you are cooking or eating any single item, such as bananas, granola, breast chicken, and so on. You can tend to overeat if you do not use the scale.
  
• Listen to your body: While tracking macronutrients is important, it’s also essential to listen to your body’s hunger and fullness cues. Use the app as a tool, but don’t become overly fixated on numbers.
  
  This is the most important thing. You always have to listen to your body, how your body looks, how your body feels and how YOU feel.

food tracker apps examples

One big piece of advice for you when tracking your macronutrients with the app is to keep this in mind: it could interfere your fitness goal if you think, “If I move more, I can eat more.” Some of the apps I used have “calories consumed,” “calories burned,” and “net calories (calories consumed minus calories burned).” One example of this app is “MyPlate.” This app is very simple and easy to use to log food, and I was using it for a while. However, this app subtracts calories burned from your calorie needs, which makes me think that I am able to eat more. This technically makes sense but this could lead to overeating and exceeding your calorie intake. The number of calories you burn tends to be higher than the actual number in general, so if you are eating more just because you think you burn lots of calories, you can easily overeat, and that could interfere with your fitness journey. That is what actually happened to me, and I stopped using the app.

This is another app, “MyNetDiary,” that I was using for a while. I really liked this app because it was very easy to log food and also because it was very easy to see my numbers. You can also select multiple food items and add them all together, or just copy from one meal to another if you have the same meal. It was just so simple and easy.

I recommend this app, especially if you are new to food tracking. You can just follow the numbers provided by the app after you set your fitness goal.

I just stopped using it just because I wanted to customize my numbers. For example, the amount of protein the app gave me in terms of losing weight was 76 grams. Since I want to gain muscle and also do strength training, I want my protein to be at least 90 grams. I just found out that there will be a charge if I want to customize my numbers. Therefore, I started looking for another app. 

I found this app, “Macros” which allows me to customize my numbers for each macronutrient with no charge. I started using the app and I have got used to the app. Let me share one of my day as showing how the app works.

My calorie needs to lose weight slowly = 1,475 kcal
Carbohydrate = 45% of 1,475 kcal = 664 kcal = 166 grams
Protein = 26% of 1,475 kcal = 384 kcal = 96 grams
Fat = 29% of 1,475 kcal = 432 kcal = 48 grams

“Meals distributions” is recommended amount of each macronutrient in each meal.

For that day, I took 88 kcal less calories, 2 grams less carbohydrate, 1 gram less protein, and 1 gram less fat. (If you are wondering why the number of calories and the number of macronutrients do not match, I will explain it later.) I think I did a pretty good job that day, and I do not mind being off by this little amount, but it is all up to you as well. But I personally think you do not have to stress yourself out with a little difference, especially if you are about to start tracking your food intake.

Let’s look at each meal!

For breakfast, I had a banana protein pancake. (You can find the recipe in HOW TO MAKE A PROTEIN PANCAKE.) I put 1 tablespoon of peanut butter and 1 cup of blueberries. I use peanut butter in my meal because I like it so much and also because it adds good fat to my diet. I love berries, and they tend to have fewer calories in the fruit group.

For a snack, I had Clio Bar (zero-sugar Greek yogurt bar, vanilla flavor). The bar is one of my favorites for snacks. It is very creamy and dense, so it always gives me satisfaction. It has vanilla and strawberry flavors, as far as I know. They are both good! I also had “Yokan,” which is a Japanese snack. It is made of red beans, and this is also my favorite. This snack has no fat, so when I need more carbohydrate, I eat this one.

For lunch, I had salmon, brown rice, and cucumbers. I put soy sauce on my salmon sashimi to add flavor. I love a combination of salmon and avocado. I may add avocado if I have a low intake of fat for that day.

For dinner, I had sweet potatoes as my carbs, chicken, and olive oil. I needed to add some more fat to my diet, so I decided to add olive oil, salt, and black pepper to add some flavor and good fat to my meal.

I really like how each food/item lists how much of each macronutrient right next to it. It easy easy to follow the numbers.

There is sometimes off data in the food tracking app. For example, after putting all the foods and items for that day together, all of your macronutrients need to match, but you are off by 60 kcal. This happens in those apps, maybe because of the content of the fiber, sugar alcohol, actual alcohol and so on. I would not mind that, so I just keep using the food tracker app I like. 

You should definitely try out different apps and see if they fit you. It depends on what you prioritize and your fitness goals. Since you have to log your food every day, I recommend picking an app you find easy to use to log your food.

Determining your exact macronutrient needs is a personalized process that requires careful consideration of various factors. By taking into account your BMR, activity level, goals and preferences, health conditions, and engaging in some trial and error, you can find the macronutrient ratios that work best for you. 

Tracking your macronutrient needs with an app can be a game-changer when it comes to optimizing your nutrition and achieving your health and fitness goals. By choosing the right app, setting realistic goals, and consistently logging your meals, you can gain valuable insights into your diet and make informed decisions about your nutrition. Remember to use the app as a tool to support your overall well-being and listen to your body’s needs.

You do not want to stress out with macro tracking, but I want you to enjoy it as you try it and see changes in your body. I will definitely share more tips for you on our fitness journey! Let’s take it step-by-step.