It does all depend on your goals. But, for most people trying to lose some fat mass, understanding calories in/out, macros and calorie counting is enough stay at low bf levels indefinitely. Everything else is a distraction.
I grew up a vegetarian in the era of "Atkins". I was significantly deficient in protein and, it wasn't until I made a conscious effort to fix it in my 20s than my body composition changed for the better. No fad diets, just a basic understanding of macros.
You could tell the average person everything they need to know to manage their body composition for their whole life in the time it takes to drink a coffee.
I read the whole thing waiting for the punchline.
Initially, I assumed that the ideas were getting more and more complex guide the reader to the realisation that the whole premise of a 20-minute solution was flawed.
Bizarrely, it seems to be a genuine attempt at a product.
Following a meal plan is a form of tracking calories.
I tend to stick to a handful of "meals" when I'm cutting just to make the counting easier.
Once you have the meals entered in MFP, it takes seconds to log an entire day's worth of eating.
Eating out is always hard. It feels stupid to skip a good food choice (e.g. a food stall) just because I can't determine its macros. Still, I'd rather get the cut done and resume normal eating ASAP!
I'm fairly health conscious and spend weeks at a time logging calories in either a deficit or a surplus.
I do enjoy cooking but, day to day, it's more important for me to meet my macros with minimal investment.
I'm also a vegetarian. It's generally quite difficult to meet your protein goals without meat (especially when out) so I end up eating the same meals quite often.
On entering my calories, this app spun up a number of sensible high protein suggestions and has given me some inspirations for how I can make my diet more interesting.
tldr: I have an above average knowledge of nutrition and a lack of imagination. I found this app useful.
It does all depend on your goals. But, for most people trying to lose some fat mass, understanding calories in/out, macros and calorie counting is enough stay at low bf levels indefinitely. Everything else is a distraction.
I grew up a vegetarian in the era of "Atkins". I was significantly deficient in protein and, it wasn't until I made a conscious effort to fix it in my 20s than my body composition changed for the better. No fad diets, just a basic understanding of macros.
You could tell the average person everything they need to know to manage their body composition for their whole life in the time it takes to drink a coffee.