Why I’m Creating A Macros App
Posted by Michael Vacanti
Note: If you hate reading, skip to the bottom for a video of this post.
The most important skill in fitness is learning how to track macronutrients.
Unfortunately, it’s not always clear how many grams of protein, carbs and fats you should be eating for your goal.
Yes, there are currently apps that do this for you. But I don’t like any of them.
Myfitnesspal Sucks
Okay, it doesn’t suck.
But their macro calculator sucks. And so do most apps on the market.
They do silly shit like:
- use body weight to predict BMR
- overestimate activity multipliers
- add back exercise calories (at alarming estimates)
- assign insufficient protein
- lack ability to separate training and rest days
- and most importantly, accost you at every swipe to buy their damn premium version
And if there is one thing in life I hate more than that traitor farm boy Olly, it is constant and abusive up-selling.
“Hi. I’m a backstabber. And I don’t lift.”
Basically, the apps I have seen that are user-friendly have shitty calculators.
And the apps with decent calculators have poor flow or ugly design.
So, I created the app I would want.
An app I can recommend to the 20 people per day emailing how do I calculate my macros?
An app with with equations that I trust.
The primary purpose of this app:
to make my equations available to the public for free, and to do so in a way that is extremely simple and user friendly.
What This App Does:
- Calculates your macros using my equations
- Separates training/rest day intake
- Saves your favorite meals
- Tracks your weight, measurements, body fat percent, and progress pictures
- Provides helpful informational and motivational bits
What This App Does NOT Do:
- It does NOT have a food database
- It is NOT a workout tracker
If a food database is important to you, I completely understand. You should use a different app. Given the cost and work necessary for a good food DB, I sadly could not include it in this version.
FAQ-Time
Is this revolutionary??
No.
In fact, it’s quite the opposite.
The OTR App is a simple tool I created to make my equations public.
Do you guarantee my macros will be accurate?
Absolutely not.
Even the best equations of all time – the Mike Crowley’s and Brian Bonin’s of calculators – are just a starting point.
There are countless factors that could make your intake too high or too low. And it is imperative that you track progress and adjust your intake based on your results.
So why even use equations if they might not be accurate?
Let me tell you a story:
Suzy is an extremely motivated woman who saw an article about ‘macros’ and decided to give the ‘macros diet’ a shot.
The first calculator she used was horribly inaccurate; it had Suzy eating above maintenance for fat loss.
Understandably, she gave up after two weeks and moved on to some random 300 calorie liquid detox.
What If Suzy Had Decent Starting Numbers?
My equations could have put her close to a good intake for fat loss. This would have allowed her to continue tracking, making progress, and incorporating foods she loves while “dieting.”
So, rather than changing the way Suzy looks at foods indefinitely, the poor equations kept her in a cycle of hopeless, unsustainable crash dieting.
Equations are just estimates, but a good estimate make a huge difference.
Isn’t giving away your equations for free bad for business?
Maybe. But I don’t think so.
Coaching isn’t about assigning macros and sending a client on their way. If that’s all the value I’m adding as a coach, I am the Olly of fitness.
There are countless individual factors that dictate what a client’s intake should be:
- tendency to binge
- specific food likes/dislikes
- activity level and athleticism
- training type and frequency
- meal timing for their lifestyle
- and hundreds of others
Not to mention: setting up training, monitoring progress, working through psychological and lifestyle issues related to food and everything else that goes on in coaching.
This app is simply a scaleable way for me to help people get the best possible initial macros.
What makes “your equations” so special?
Well, first, remember you don’t have to use this free app.
But given your overbearing, demanding skepticism (thank you, by the way, for the positive impact your personality has on the world), these are equations that I have created over the last 10 years based on:
- My experience coaching thousands of clients
- Brainstorming with coaches and athletes who are smarter, stronger, and leaner than I am.
- Tracking my own intake and progress
They are more accurate than a high level estimate, like a bodyweight multiplier. And they are more accurate than any existing app that I have used.
But if you prefer another calculator, that’s cool with me.
Where can I download it??
Unfortunately, the app is not available yet.
It will be released in early October.
No, the state fair did not fit my macros. And yes, I forced my sister to take a side angle pic while I curled dessert in a tank top.
Mai G
I would love to use the app but I own an android! May be you should come to the other side and see it has wonders too! Sad I can't have the free app though :/September 8, 2015 at 9:43 pm |