Why I Started Following Macros
At the time of me writing this, I have 67 days left until my Spartan Sprint Race in October. One of my goals, when I signed up, was that I needed to lose some weight before race day. I was eating healthy and my exercise was consistent but I was spinning my wheels on weight loss. I wasn't following a particular diet so that's what I wanted to focus on. I have heard people talk about Macros and having a lot of success so I decided to go down that route. I figured it can't hurt!
What are Macros?
Before I talk about my review of the Macrostax app I think we should really quickly go over what macros are in a nutshell. Macros or macronutrients are essentially the building blocks of our diets that play a huge role in balancing our diet and managing our weight. The three macros you should focus on are Protein, Carbohydrates, and Fat.
Protein-Repairs the body and is essential for muscle growth.
Carbohydrates- Are the primary source of energy for your body.
Fats- These are essential for hormone regulation, cell health, and the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins.
Once you understand what each macro is you can start tracking them and tailor your diet for a specific goal. By adjusting your macros you can achieve weight loss, maintenance, or muscle gain. To track macros I decided to deploy an app to help me stay on course. I went with the macrostax app. I've been using it for a couple of weeks and I'll lay out what I think of it so far.
What is Macrostax?
Macrostax is a user-friendly app and its primary focus is to track your macros throughout the day. The app calculates what your macros should be based on your goals and activity levels. You can scan your food in with the bar scanner or manually enter it.
The app also includes a Robust Recipe section. All the recipes have the macros broken for you and you can even alter the ingredients based on what you like. It really gives you more options and keeps things flexible.
It also has a "My Progress" page. On that page, you can enter weight, body fat, and measurements. It will record those numbers and it will create charts to track your progress.
Macrostax Pros
I've been using the app for a couple of weeks and there are some real benefits.
Easy to track food- If it wasn't easy I would have quit the first day. Entering food is super easy and takes only a few seconds. You can scan it in or enter manually for less common foods. Once you enter it in the app it saves it under "Recently Used" as a shortcut for quicker entries.
Lots of Recipes- I have a bunch of go-to meals that fit my macros but if I'm bored Macrostax has a pretty extensive recipe database. Every recipe has a complete macro breakdown and you can transfer the recipe right into one of your daily meals. Don't like one of the ingredients? It has a customization feature so if you want to sub an ingredient go for it and it will adjust your macros.
Great display- The home screen like every other section of the app is clear and easy to understand. A few times a day I'll go to the home screen because it shows front and center how many carbs, protein, and fat grams I have left to eat that day.
Great Tracking- Macrostax has several different ways you can track your progress. You can enter your weight, body fat %, or measurements. Once you enter those in it will create charts so you can see how you've been progressing.
Facebook Community- Once you sign up you can join the Macrostaxers Facebook page. This is a great place to get reviews on new recipes as well as tips and tricks with the app.
Macrostax Cons
I've only been using Macrostax for a couple of weeks but I see one con so far. The price is 19.99 a month or 9.99 a month if you pay yearly. Since I wanted to try it out I opted for the $19.99 a month. If I decide to stay on board I'll pay the yearly to save some money! Still, at that cost, Macrostax is something you need to be committed to using for that price. For budget conscious people they might utilize free or cheaper options. I will update this post in a couple of months to tell you what my decision is.
My Results So Far
The first week was interesting. I logged in all my food and hit all my macros. I thought for sure that the app was telling me to eat way too many calories. I am 284 pounds and it is telling me to eat 3027 calories on training days. The macros for that are 327 carbs/225 protein/91 fat. In my head I can't eat that many carbs and expect to lose weight but that is exactly what happened. I was surprised when I lost 2 pounds that first week. I've eaten under 100 carbs a day and not lost a pound! This last week I was on vacation in the middle of nowhere so I didn't use the app. This week I'm back on and am anxious to see the results.
The Verdict
While it's still early in my usage of Macrostax I think it's an asset in my fitness journey. If you can afford the monthly cost this app is a great tool for counting your macros. It's really easy to use and keeps you on track. Since I've just gotten started using Macrostax I consider this part 1 of this review. In the next couple of months, I want to come back with part 2!
Part 2 Of My Review!
Roughly 40 days after this review I wrote part 2 of Macrostax Review. See my results along with my thoughts!