Are there apps/templates that support a "chill" approach to nutrition tracking?

Seeking Advice

I've been lurking in this sub for forever but decided to finally log in and make a post to ask for help.

Been a casual gym-goer for the last few years and have decided to get more serious about strength + weightlifting goals. I am following a strength-training program (Caroline Girvan) but I know the quickest way I'll drop out of something is if it's too rigid. So while I am doing her workouts, I'm not following her exact calendar so that I can add swimming, power yoga, running etc. and the other fitness activities I really enjoy. Having some structure has been helpful but I also don't want to feel locked in to a regimen.

I am having the same issue with nutrition tracking. My nutrition is pretty good but could be better, and I have been tracking my meals to make sure I'm getting enough protein (I skew pescetarian-ish). I'm mostly using one-off recipe analyzers. I've tried a ton of the popular apps – MyFitnessPal, Cronometer, MacroFactor etc. — but have found the friction in logging really, really frustrating. I made veggie spring rolls this week with about ten different veggie ingredients (carrots, cucumbers, baby corn, mint, basil, bell pepper, etc. etc.) and entering in everything was such a pain in the butt that it made me not want to do it. Similarly, I am traveling for work next month and don't want a big hole in the dashboard reminding me to guess the calories in the veggie snack plate I got at the hotel.

I tried using a chatbot which was surprisingly helpful but it also hallucinates and doesn't remember everything day-to-day — and I have a ton of ethical issues with AI.

I'm fine with rough estimates, and I don't want to feel like I'm chained to a calorie count and worrying if my banana was "big" or "medium sized." I just want to know if I'm getting close-enough to my macro goals.

I'm guessing that a custom Notion/Google Sheet/Airtable is probably the way to go but I would appreciate any thoughts + advice from folks who have successfully taken a "chill" approach to working out while still progressing in their goals. Thanks~

Posted Jun 12, 2026, 12:41 PM UTC

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