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Macrolab Nutrition Co.

Macro and Nutrition Coaching

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The day I started playing the guitar was the same day I became enthusiastic about guitar tools and accessories that could help, speed up, and amplify my success. I would go into Guitar Center and look around at the different guitars I’d eventually buy before stumbling into the amps, cases, and other tools that every career guitar player owns. Sometimes I’d pick up a tool that I didn’t really need as much as I wanted, but the cool thing was that whether or not I needed it, the tool helped some aspect of guitar care or guitar playing.

It’s basically the same process with any hobby or interest I pick up.

When I’m helping in some home repair project, you will eventually find me at Lowe’s or Home Depot going through the tool section looking for things that can give me the transformation I want. The nutrition & fitness world is the SAME. The great thing about this hobby or lifestyle, though, is that each tool drastically helps with compliance or measuring. It’s not so much a want now, it’s a need.

Here’s a curated list of the top nutrition tools that will help you RIGHT NOW, and I personally own each one, so I can vouch for them.

We’ll cover:

  1. Bodyweight Scale
  2. Food Scale
  3. Flexible Measuring Tape
  4. Nutrition Journal

Disclosure: As an avid nutrition and fitness enthusiast, I love to mention and link to various products I use and recommend.  Please assume those links are affiliate links which means I may earn a commission if you click and buy.  As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

BODYWEIGHT SCALE:

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RENPHO Body Fat Scale

Key Features:

  • App Versatility – You can connect your Fitbit, Samsung Health, Apple Health, or Google Fit to track your progress on your phone.
  • Tracking – It tracks up to 13 areas of interest, including weight, BMI, and body fat percentage stores. Now, remember, it’s estimating these numbers. The true value is obviously the weight in order to track whether you’re maintaining, decreasing, or increasing in weight. These metrics are then paired up with other metrics we track in order to make sure we’re on the right track (caloric deficit, adding lean muscle, etc).
  • Auto calibration – I like the four sensors here because they give you a visual reference for your feet and they’re extra sensitive to movement.
  • Highly-rated – At 192,503 ratings and 4,000+ reviews, it’s one of the top 4 and 1/2 star scales on Amazon right now.

PROS:

  1. Operates perfectly right out of the box.
  2. It’s visually appealing with a smooth modern look to it.
  3. Anecdotally, I feel like it works better than some scales I’ve used. The four sensors seem more sensitive to changes.

CONS:

  1. I don’t think the other metrics it gives you are all that accurate (certainly not your bodyfat percentage), but I suppose it doesn’t hurt as a rough estimate.
  2. The scale only displays your weight – for any other metrics, you have to download the Renpho app to view it (I don’t personally use their app).

FOOD SCALE:

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NICEWELL Food & Kitchen Scale

Key Features:

  • Multifunctional – Easily measure up to 22 pounds in different formats (grams, kilograms, pounds, ounces, fluid ounces, and milliliters).
  • Tare Ability – Press the tare button to remove the weight of any plate or container your food is in while measuring.
  • Precision Weight – Four load sensors with accuracy levels of 0.1oz/1gram increments when adding ingredients.
  • Highly-rated – At 24,322 ratings, it’s an easy 5 star winner.

PROS:

  1. Sleek, minimal design with a large graphical interface for easily changing your measurements.
  2. Highly accurate, with any different format of weight you could want or need.
  3. The tare ability is amazing! Being able to remove the weight of the container or bag my food is in is a lifesaver.
  4. Easy 5 star winner from Nicewell.

CONS:

  1. No cons! You NEED this scale yesterday.

FLEXIBLE MEASURING TAPE:

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RENPHO Smart Tape Measure

Key Features:

  • App tracking – Using the Renpho app, you can easily measure your progress over time if you prefer instead of writing it down.
  • Multifunctional – Use for recording weight loss or muscle growth.
  • Retractable Easy-lock Hook – No more fumbling around with a tape. This one slides over any bodypart with ease.
  • Highly-rated – At 8,191 4 1/2 stars rating, it’s a low-cost tech solution for any measurement.

PROS:

  1. The Retractable tape and lock system is amazing! This is a KEY feature if you don’t have someone able to help you accurately measure you.
  2. Being able to quick measure muscle growth, or if your waistline is slimming, is essential. This makes is so simple.
  3. The app features a nice graphical interface and you can keep your measurements recorded there.
  4. This drastically cuts down on measuring error by yourself with traditional tape.

CONS:

  1. I LOVE the retractable hook, but it can take a minute to unlock or lock it if you’re measuring hard to reach places.
  2. It’s highly accurate, and therefore extremely sensitive. It can be difficult (by yourself) to stop moving enough to see which number it’s calculating.

COMPACT DIGITAL KITCHEN SCALE (For Travel)

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Joseph TriScale Compact Folding Kitchen Scale

Key Features:

  • Folds down to a compact size for easy store.
  • Easy to read LCD display with touch-sensitive controls.
  • Measures in grams, pounds, fluid ounces, and milliliters.

PROS:

  1. Traveling? Staying at a hotel? This guy can fit anywhere, allowing you to track and measure your food easily no matter where you go!
  2. Simple design and small, compact size.
  3. Easy to use the tare ability here by pressing the zero button.

CONS:

  1. Holds less weight than other scales (5kgs or 11 pounds), but it’s compact and travel-ready so who cares? Haha.

FITNESS JOURNAL

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Fitness Logbook

Key Features:

  • Multiple color options as well as regular or large print.
  • Simple, clean, and sleek layout. Plus, plenty of room to write down whatever you need.
  • Essentials only! No filler, quotes, or useless pages. This is all for you.
  • Durable and laminated cover that can survive the gym, gym bag, or home use.
  • As of May 2021, features an app that can transfer data from notepad to digital if so desired.

PROS:

  1. I love the essential designs inside. No filler or tips. Just straight up tons of space for writing down your workouts.
  2. Durable and flexible, can take it anywhere without it getting too beatup.
  3. Has a place to record body measurements, plenty of space for exercise reps and sets, along with a big blank box to record anything else (maybe nutrition?)

CONS:

  1. It can be used to record your nutrition goals or macros, but it is not specifically designed to be a food log. Straight exercise and gym utility.
  2. The binding is great and tough, but if you take it to the gym everyday, it will eventually break down.

And that’s it! The essential tools you need, that can accelerate your progress, and give you a plan on where you’re going. If you can’t measure it, it doesn’t exist! I absolutely love these specific tools for my own use, but there are plenty of options out there! Make sure you take advantage of them!

Until next time,

Beau