Tracking macros gets tricky when you didn’t make the meal yourself. Learn how the Surrogate Method can help you estimate macros for restaurant meals, family dinners, and homemade food without weighing every ingredient or aiming for perfection.

Freezer-friendly lego lunches make meal prep more flexible by letting you freeze proteins, carbs, sauces, and other meal components separately. Learn what foods freeze well and how to build a mix-and-match freezer stash for quick meals without eating the same thing all week.

What if flexibility was built into a healthy diet all along? The 85/15 approach uses the USDA's discretionary calorie allowance to end all-or-nothing dieting for good.

If tracking macros taught you the basics, this simple framework helps you maintain your protein intake using meal patterns you can eyeball—no app required.

Costco can make busy weeks easier, or it can leave you with random bulk snacks you don’t even like. This post breaks down macro-friendly Costco picks that actually get eaten: a few protein-now options, a couple fridge staples that become meals, one crunchy snack you enjoy, and one pantry or freezer backup for low-energy nights.

If you’ve ever opened a tracking app and felt like it immediately tried to shove you into “eat less, try harder” mode… same. After 15 years on MyFitnessPal, I finally tested MacrosFirst —and I get why so many of our KLN clients love it. Here’s what stood out, what I’d change, and how to set up tracking so it stays helpful (not obsessive).

Your gut health doesn’t need a cleanse or a cabinet full of supplements. Here are simple, evidence-informed habits that support digestion (fiber, hydration, meal pace, stress support, and food-first probiotics) plus when to see a GI doc.

Protein is showing up in everything — from candy to water — but is this focus on “high protein” actually about health, or just diet culture in a new form? This evidence-based guide breaks down what protein does, who benefits from higher intake, and how to navigate the hype without overthinking your food choices.

Fat loss can still happen when life feels chaotic, and without tracking macros. Here’s how to focus on the few priorities that actually matter when routine isn’t an option.

A calorie deficit doesn’t have to mean hunger or burnout. Learn how sustainable fat loss works and how to approach a deficit in a way that fits real life.

Tired of tracking every macro? You don’t need perfect numbers to make progress. Learn how flexible macro targets can help you hit goals without burnout.

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.

Reverse dieting is the practice of increasing a person’s total daily caloric intake after a period of prolonged caloric restriction (aka a diet). Reverse dieting is all the rage on the internet, with social media promoting specific “Reverse Diet Coaches” and overly complicated reverse diet protocols to follow after time in a calorie deficit.

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.

‘Tis the season for feeling both under the weather after a month or so of extra socializing and yearning for comforting foods, yet likely feeling a push from the temporal landmark that is the New Year as well. But who says comforting foods can’t also be goal-aligned? This chicken noodle soup recipe checks all the boxes when it comes to flavor, warmth, and nourishment and is sure to become a winter go-to to help boost your protein intake!

In the world of nutrition, tracking food intake can be a popular tool for building awareness of our eating habits and helping us to reach more specific goals (eating within a deficit, reaching a certain bare minimum for fiber intake, or even fueling for specific athletic-based performance). But what happens when we reach our goals? Do we continue tracking forever? The answer is absolutely not. Our goal isn’t to obsessively monitor every bite but to use tracking as a temporary tool to cultivate a deeper understanding of our relationship with food.

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.