Alex Hager

If tracking calories feels annoying or hard to stick to, read this.

These are my biggest tips after 10+ years of tracking:

1. Create custom meals�Stop logging every ingredient over and over. If you eat similar meals, save them once and track in seconds.

2. Track BEFORE you eat�Way less stressful. You’ll actually hit your targets instead of guessing at the end of the day.

3. Use AI when eating out�No more guessing or “close enough” entries. Just take a photo and get a solid estimate instantly.

4. Keep breakfast light (if cutting)�Blowing half your calories by noon makes the rest of the day miserable. Stay under ~500 early and give yourself flexibility later.

This makes tracking 10x easier and way more sustainable.

Save this and send it to a friend who sucks at tracking.

And if you want the easiest way to do all of this, download Intake. Use code “HAGER” for 30 days free.

I get a lot of questions about staying on track when away from home, so I figured I’d share exactly what I do 👌

“Processed foods are why you can’t lose weight.”

That sounds right… but it’s not.

A nutrition professor, Mark Haub, put this to the test.

For 10 weeks, he ate strictly junk food — Twinkies, chips, sugary snacks.

Not “clean.” Not “healthy.”

Just controlled calories.

The result?

• Lost 27 pounds�• LDL (bad cholesterol) ↓ ~20%�• HDL (good cholesterol) ↑ ~20%�• Triglycerides ↓ ~40%

Let that sink in.

This doesn’t mean junk food is healthy.

It means calories matter more than people think.

In fact, research like the NIH ultra-processed food study shows the real issue with processed food…

Not that it magically makes you fat —�but that it makes it easier to overeat calories.

And that’s what actually leads to weight gain.
This is why people:�• Eat “clean” and stay stuck�• Cut out foods they love and quit after 2 weeks�• Follow extreme diets that aren’t sustainable

Because they’re ignoring the one thing that actually drives fat loss:

Calorie balance.

You don’t need a perfect diet.

You need a diet you can stick to.

And yes — that includes foods you enjoy.

That’s exactly why I built Intake.

So you can track your calories in seconds
�and stop overcomplicating fat loss.

I wanted to share my personal fitness journey…the highs, the low, and what I’ve learned along the way 🫡

Creatine isn’t magic… it just optimizes your body’s energy system.

More ATP = better performance, more strength, more growth, better recovery, even better brain function.

One of the few supplements that actually lives up to the hype.

I personally take 12g of creatine daily to help with muscle growth, endurance, and brain function.

I tracked my calories every day for 60 days using .app

Here’s everything I eat in a day to stay lean 🫡

When my days are busy, this is what it looks like a lot of the time. Nothing special or creative, just finding a way to hit my nutrition goals while still getting to eat foods I actually love.

This is why tracking is so important. It gives you the confirmation that you’re headed in the right direction, but gives you the flexibility to make room for foods you like.

If you’re ready to start tracking the easy way, I built an app called Intake to make it effortless. .app

Can my roommate guess calories accurately?

We’re putting that to the test with the 🫡