Field notes
Opinions, hot takes, product updates, and behind-the-scenes from the TrakMac team. Posts are dated and reflect what we think now — they're not the encyclopedia. For evergreen nutrition answers that don't change month to month, see TrakMac Knowledge.
Why your macro calculator is wrong if you lift
Every macro calculator asks your age, height, weight, and an activity slider. None of them ask what you can actually lift. For people who train, that is the number that matters.
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AI calorie tracking apps that actually work
Most AI calorie apps are photo-guess gimmicks. The ones that work share one trait: the estimate is calibrated to you, not to an average stranger.
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Fastest way to track macros at restaurants
Restaurant food is the meal database apps fail hardest on. The fastest way to track it is to describe the plate out loud and let the estimate do the rest.
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Best macro tracker for lifters
The best macro tracker for lifters is the one you still use in week ten. What to look for, how to log macros for lifting, and why generic targets fail.
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Alternatives to MyFitnessPal for serious lifters
MyFitnessPal is a database built for general dieters. Lifters need fast logging and training-calibrated targets. Here is what to use instead and why.
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Macro tracker that estimates from voice
Say what you ate and get the macros back, no database, no scale. How a voice-first tracker estimates a meal to a target we hold above 90% true to you.
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How to log Huel and Orgain by voice
Apple's speech recognizer keeps mishearing 'Huel' as 'fuel.' Here's how to log protein brands by voice without typing the whole thing yourself.
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Should you set your own macros?
Most macro trackers fight you when you want to enter your own targets. We don't. Here's how to decide when to trust your own math and when to trust the app.
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Voice logging vs barcode scanning: which is faster for real meals
Barcode scanning is perfect for packaged food and useless for everything else. Voice logging handles real meals in real time. Here's the speed comparison.
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Why most athletes get their protein target wrong
The one-gram-per-pound rule is fine if you're average. Most people who train seriously aren't. Here's why training style should drive your protein number, not just bodyweight.
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3-ingredient banana protein cookies
Two spotty bananas, three scoops of protein, a bag of PBfit. Out of the oven in ten minutes and somewhere between cake and cookie.
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Coming Off a GLP-1: Keep the Weight Off Without Losing Strength
The exit ramp is harder than the medication. Most people regain weight after stopping a GLP-1. Here's how to hold the loss and the capacity you built.
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Why Your Macro Targets Should Change as You Lose Weight on a GLP-1
Most tracking apps set your calorie and protein numbers on day one and leave them there. After 25 pounds gone on a GLP-1, those numbers are obsolete. Here's what should be moving.
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The Tracking Trap: Why Photo Calorie Apps Fail on a GLP-1
Snap-a-photo calorie apps work on big plated meals. They don't work on the small dense protein servings GLP-1 users actually eat. Here's why, and what to do instead.
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Staying Strong on a GLP-1: Most Apps Get Protein Wrong
Mainstream guidance puts GLP-1 users at half a gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. For active people losing weight quickly, that floor is too low. Here's the math.
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Pickleball, Hiking, Heavy Bags: Staying Capable on a GLP-1
Most GLP-1 advice frames muscle loss as a frailty problem for later. For active people, it's a capacity problem now. Here's how to keep doing the things that matter to you.
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How to track macros without weighing every meal
Food scales are accurate. They're also the reason most lifters quit tracking by week three. Here's how to hit your macros without weighing every bite.
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Voice-first macro tracking: why talking beats scanning
Barcode scans and manual entry slow training down. Describing a meal out loud and letting AI estimate macros gets you from plate to logged in under ten seconds — accurate enough, fast enough to actually keep doing.