I started using Macros First to track macros about 3 or 4 years ago. Prior to using MacrosFirst, I was a MyFitnessPal user. As a macro coach and personal trainer, I am always looking for ways to help my Simply Strong App members make tracking quicker and less like a chore. 

I was introduced to Macros First by a mentor and was immediately excited to dive in and see if this macro tracking app was worth sharing with my clients and followers. In this article, I’m going to share my experience, what I like and don’t like about Macros First, and who I recommend it for.

Getting Started With MacrosFirst

I want to preface this article by saying that MacrosFirst has made some incredible upgrades and updates over the years. While I was instantly a fan of MacrosFirst when I first tried it a few years back, the app has only continued to get better and more user-friendly. One of the biggest struggles I hear about from clients who have nutrition goals is that they hate tracking their food, or that it takes too long to track. I totally get this and can resonate, but I also know the importance of tracking your food during certain periods, so it’s crucial that we have tools that can alleviate some of the pain of doing so.

For reference, as I am writing this article, I am not actively tracking my food/macros. I tracked for years and at this point have a great understanding of portions and how to maintain my weight and eat in alignment with my goals. So when I went to write this article, I decided to start fresh with Macros First, signing up for a brand new account so I could share my feedback as a brand new client with their most up-to-date app. 

I logged out of my current account and created a new account under a new email address. The first thing that happened was I was asked what my goal was (lose weight, gain weight, or maintain weight). I selected maintain weight. Then, it asked me for my current weight and height, and whether or not I lifted weights (so they can optimize protein target for your strength training routine). After that, I was given my target macros. They set my maintenance calories at 1804 and my protein goal at 107 grams. Personally, I found both of these numbers to be a bit low and not exactly what I would have calculated for myself, but here’s the thing: I didn’t come to MacrosFirst to get a macro count; I came to have a reliable macro tracker so I could easily track my food. The good news is that you have the option to edit your macros, so you aren’t stuck with the macros they give you.

I think if you’re looking for a base place to start with macros, Macros First will give you a decent place to start. However, I do recommend hiring a macro coach to help you calculate more precise macros when you’re ready. Macro calculators are only taking into account a few variables, like your height/weight and estimated activity level, and then spitting out a number based on a standard formula. A good macro coach will ask for more detailed information and hand-calculate your macros based on a deeper look into your habits and goals.

Moving on, once you get passed the macro calculator (which I don’t think you have the option to skip, unfortunately), you’re then inside the dashboard and ready to start tracking your food. MacrosFirst adds your recommended macros to your dashboard for you, so you know exactly what you have to work with. At some point in the onboarding process, the app asked me if I wanted to sync my Apple Health data, which I did, so all of that data was available in the app for me, too.

I joined as a free account and got access to pretty much everything I need to be successful with tracking. One thing that I noticed was that I wasn’t able to add any additional meals outside of the standard breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack that they give. I would prefer to be able to add another snack and/or a dessert, but it’s not a huge deal. If you upgrade to premium, you can do that. One thing that I absolutely love about MacrosFirst is how clean the app interface is. Coming from MyFitnessPal, you’ll notice the difference right away. MyFitnessPal is cluttered and messy, whereas MacrosFirst is clean and easy to navigate. 

Getting started with tracking is super easy; all you need to do is click on the little + button next to the meal that you would like to track a food for and either search for a food in their giant database or scan the barcode. More often than not, I use the search feature to find what I am looking for, as I have found the MacrosFirst library of foods to be very extensive; it’s rare that I have a food that isn’t loaded in there. Once you choose the food you want to track, you have full customization on how you want to track it, as far as the serving size goes. It’s insanely simple to edit your food to match the exact amount you consumed. 

MacrosFirst also has their “no more macro math” method that allows you to add the food you are going to eat to your meal and then enter your macro goal for that meal, and MacrosFirst will automatically calculate how much you need to measure out. I love this feature, especially when tracking a recipe. If I know that I have 500 calories to consume for a meal, I can log the recipe and ask it to tell me how much of that recipe I need to measure out to stay aligned with my calorie goals. This is such a simple but super helpful tool! Speaking of recipes, every one of our 500+ recipes is pre-logged in MacrosFirst for you, so if you’re using recipes from the Simply Strong App, all you need to do is look them up, and you’ll be able to easily log them. 

The app also remembers the foods that you recently logged and will pull those up for you quickly, which is great for those of us who tend to repeat a lot of the same foods. I’ve used a handful of macro tracking apps over the years, and MacrosFirst is truly the most intuitive and convenient one I’ve tried. It’s difficult to go over all of the features here. I think it’s far more useful to download the app and give it a try for yourself. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by how easy it is to use and navigate, and how it takes a lot of the tracking stress out of your nutrition routine.

Should You Upgrade to Premium?

My original MacrosFirst account is a premium account, and I definitely like having access to the handful of additional features that come along with being a paid member, like the ability to add as many meals as I want and to have unlimited daily macro goals (i.e., customizing my goals based on macro cycling days or different phases). If I were in a phase of serious tracking, I would definitely pay for the premium version to get the upgraded features. 

It’s only $6.67/month. One premium feature that is really convenient and will help with your accuracy a lot is “macro math.” Macro Math is basically where, instead of relying on nutrition labels to track your food (which we all know can be very skewed!), you can enable macro math, and MacrosFirst will calculate calories from the macros (i.e., 1g protein = 4 calories). This is a more accurate way of tracking and can be crucial for those who have serious goals and don’t want to inadvertently over- or under-eat because nutrition labels are off.

There are a few other features that make upgrading to the premium plan worth it, but that being said, if you’re just starting out, it’s not necessary to upgrade. It’s nice to have the additional features, and I do find that there’s value in the upgrade. I’m working on getting a code from MacrosFirst that will allow you to save off your premium membership!

Final Thoughts

From the first time I tried MacrosFirst, I have been a fan, and my appreciation for this app has only grown as the developers have added more and more features and functionality. MacrosFirst is by far the best macro tracking app I’ve ever tried, and I recommend it as a first choice to all of my clients in the Simply Strong App. Whether you go with the free version or upgrade to premium, you’ll be able to enjoy a simple, intuitive tracking experience that will alleviate a lot of the headaches that are commonly associated with tracking macros.

Have you tried MacrosFirst? If so, what are your favorite features? Anything that you dislike about it? Feel free to comment below so we can start the conversation and help others along the way!