Trying to maintain your nutrition goals while eating in a cafeteria can feel challenging, but with a good approach, these dining spaces can actually be helpful in providing food choices that are aligned with your goals! Whether you're rushing between hospital rounds, balancing college classes, or managing a classroom of students, cafeterias offer consistent meal options that—when navigated strategically—can support rather than hinder your health, fat loss, and body composition goals.

Choosing the right “macro-friendly” protein bar can feel like spotting a snowflake in a blizzard—especially when marketing doesn't make it clear whether the product is actually a protein bar or more of a glorified candy bar. Protein bars can absolutely have a place in your daily intake, but it’s important to know what you’re really buying. 

Tracking your macros is a fantastic tool for understanding your food intake and making intentional choices that align with your goals. But let’s be honest—it’s not always straightforward. In time, you will be able to track macros like a pro. But mistakes happen, and that’s ok. We need to acknowledge they will be part of this experience. The goal is to learn from them and make small, sustainable improvements over time.

The holiday season often means packed calendars, filled with family gatherings, work parties, and festive get-togethers. Right now, we’re in the thick of it. But how do we approach these events without feeling either deprived or overly indulgent? How do we navigate our nutrition in a way that aligns with our goals instead of calling it quits and just “starting over in January?” Let’s talk about it…

Choosing the right tracking app can make or break your nutrition goals, and MacrosFirst stands out for all the right reasons. Let's jump into why MacrosFirst is superior to popular options like MyFitnessPal (MFP) and Cronometer and why it best fits your tracking needs.

There will always be periods of time, whether it’s weeks, months, or years, where you may not be able to maintain your leanest or fittest point, and that’s normal. But if you take time to build foundational skills and habits, you can keep that maintenance range in a place that feels good to you. And you can always return to some of those more time-intensive skills and practices when capacity allows. 

The holiday season often conjures images of festive gatherings, joyous celebrations, and, inevitably, alcohol. For many, these moments include a glass of wine, a cocktail, or a beer to toast the occasion. However, an increasing number of people are becoming "sober curious," re-evaluating their relationship with alcohol. This movement isn't about outright abstinence but about mindfulness and understanding how alcohol impacts our bodies, especially concerning health and fitness goals. Let's explore how alcohol affects our health, particularly in the realms of fat loss, sleep, and overall wellness.

With grocery prices rising, getting high-quality food (especially protein!) can be challenging. In this blog post, I’m breaking down some great budget-friendly grocery options by macronutrients that is perfect for those tracking macros and looking to eat well without breaking the bank.

At its core, counting calories is about ensuring you consume a specific number of calories each day. It's a straightforward approach focusing solely on energy intake versus energy expenditure. While this can be effective for weight management, it doesn't address the quality or composition of the food you're eating. Tracking macros, on the other hand, involves breaking down your calorie intake into three key nutrients: protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Each of these macronutrients plays a unique role in your body. By paying attention to the specific amounts of each, you can optimize not only your overall caloric intake but also support your body's functional needs.

At KLN, we require a six-month commitment from our clients, and there's a good reason for it. When you first join us, we take the time to get to know YOU – your habits, history, and what makes your daily life tick. This isn't something we can rush through-- it takes TIME! Time need to see how you live, how you interact with food, and how different factors affect your eating patterns. Getting to know you as an individual - your lifestyle, your needs, and what keeps you motivated - is crucial for providing the absolute best guidance and support from your coach.

If you’re in a calorie deficit and working towards fat loss goals, a main goal should be minimizing any feelings of restriction or hunger so you can maximize adherence to your deficit. This is why we, as coaches, take a strong stance against aggressive and unsustainable deficits. If our hunger is through the roof each day, it’s not very likely that we’ll be able to adhere to that calorie deficit for long. Luckily, there are tools that can help us minimize hunger and, luckily, those same tools also keep us well-fueled and promote our overall health as well.

We work within a framework of tracking macros to facilitate sustainable progress and, eventually, move away from tracking completely. However, while tracking, there are some ways we can make it easier on ourselves! In this blog post, we’re sharing our favorite tracking tips as “macro coaches,” experienced trackers, and coaches who help our clients make tracking work for them.

Welcome to your go-to guide for protein-packed snacks designed to keep you energized and satisfied throughout your busy day! When working with busy clients, we like to introduce the idea of an “Adult Lunchable” as a completely valid option for a high-protein snack that helps you meet your macro targets and keeps you fed even on the busiest days. Packed with protein and convenient enough to fit into your hectic schedule, these snacks will ensure you stay fueled and focused with at least 20 grams of protein, without compromising on taste or health. Dive in to discover both smart and delicious solutions for snacking at home or on the go!

Navigating the aisles of Trader Joes to find high-protein options can be manageable, even with the vast array of calorie-dense novelties and goodies. You can easily incorporate more protein into your diet by focusing on items with lean meats, plant-based proteins, and convenient prepared foods. This guide should be handy to help you make informed choices that align with your nutrition goals. And soon enough, you might find yourself a Trader Joe's connoisseur.

Let's face it, life often gets chaotic, leaving us little time to complete all of our errands, let alone cook all of our meals from scratch. Popping into Starbucks for a drink or a meal might seem like it will throw our nutrition goals “off track,” however if we understand the nutritional content of the food we're choosing, we can choose foods that help us work towards our nutrition goals.  Believe it or not, Starbucks DOES have some food options that keep us fueled and feeling good, proving that even in the midst of a busy day, we can make choices that support our health.

In an ideal world, we'd all have time to cook Tupperware meals with perfect macros, but life is rarely ideal, and sometimes, grabbing a quick bite is all we can manage. Eating out, even at fast-food burger places like McDonald's, Wendy’s, and Burger King, might seem like it goes against our health goals, but here's the thing: fast food can be a practical option when time is tight and cooking seems impossible, and believe it or not, there are some macro friendly choices at Mcdonalds, Wendy’s, and Burger King that can help you eat for your nutrition goals.

Restaurant nutrition information can be inaccurate at times, but planning ahead and choosing menu options that align with your macro targets can help you work towards your nutrition goals even when on the go and not eating at home. Today, we’re sharing a few of our favorite options at Chick-fil-A that can help you hit your macros while eating out - whether you’re on the road traveling or just need a quick bite while navigating your busy day.

As someone who reentered the dating world a few years ago, I never fully understood the concept of red flags. And then, suddenly, I understood the dialogue. It seemed like I was in a parade, and red flags were readily available and in abundance. But dating doesn't have the monopoly on red flags. Our bodies often wave a giant red flag in front of us, and we seem to be colorblind to it. But I want to draw your attention to calorie deficit red flags, how a reverse diet can address those red flags, and whether a reverse diet may be appropriate for you.