Turn your custom numbers into real meals.
Your personal macro targets are in the email that came with this guide. This guide shows you how to turn those numbers into real meals, without giving up the foods you love.
Here is the whole system in three steps:
Aim for consistency, not perfection. Hitting your targets 80% of the time beats a perfect week followed by giving up.
Macros are the three nutrients that give food its calories: protein, carbs and fat. Your targets tell you how much of each to eat per day.
| Macro | Calories per gram | What it does | Main sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein | 4 | Builds and keeps muscle, keeps you full longest | Chicken, fish, eggs, Greek yogurt, lean beef, tofu |
| Carbs | 4 | Fuels workouts and your brain | Rice, oats, potatoes, fruit, bread, beans |
| Fat | 9 | Supports hormones and vitamin absorption | Avocado, olive oil, nuts, cheese, salmon |
Calories are simply the total: protein grams × 4 + carbs grams × 4 + fat grams × 9. That is why fat adds up fast. A tablespoon of olive oil is about 120 calories.
Fiber is a type of carb your body doesn't fully digest. Your email lists a daily fiber goal. Vegetables, fruit, beans and whole grains get you there and keep you full.
Water matters too. Your email lists a daily water target in ounces. Drink more on training days and in hot weather.
You can track exactly with an app, or eyeball with your hand. Start with an app for 2 to 3 weeks, then switch to hand portions once you can see what your numbers look like on a plate.
Your hand is sized to your body, so portions scale naturally. Each portion below is approximate.
| Portion | Food type | Roughly equals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 palm | Protein (chicken, fish, steak, tofu) | 20 to 30 g protein |
| 1 cupped hand | Carbs (rice, pasta, potatoes, fruit) | 20 to 30 g carbs |
| 1 thumb | Fats (oil, nut butter, nuts, cheese) | 7 to 12 g fat |
| 1 fist | Vegetables | Mostly fiber, very few calories |
A balanced meal for most women is 1 to 2 palms of protein, 1 to 2 cupped hands of carbs, 1 to 2 thumbs of fat and 1 to 2 fists of vegetables. Most men need about double.
Your email splits your day into equal meals. Hitting the protein number at each meal is the single easiest way to reach your daily total. Breakfast is where most people fall short, so build it around eggs, Greek yogurt or a protein shake.
Build every meal by picking one item from protein, one from carbs, a little fat and a fist of vegetables. Values are approximate; your app has exact numbers for your brands.
| Food | Serving | Protein | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken breast, cooked | 4 oz | 35 g | 185 |
| Nonfat Greek yogurt | 1 cup | 23 g | 130 |
| 93% lean ground turkey, cooked | 4 oz | 28 g | 220 |
| Shrimp, cooked | 4 oz | 27 g | 115 |
| Salmon, cooked | 4 oz | 25 g | 235 |
| Egg whites | 1 cup | 26 g | 125 |
| Whey protein powder | 1 scoop | 24 g | 120 |
| Low-fat cottage cheese | 1 cup | 28 g | 180 |
| Canned tuna in water | 1 can | 25 g | 110 |
| Whole eggs | 2 large | 12 g | 145 |
| Extra-firm tofu | 4 oz | 11 g | 100 |
| Food | Serving | Carbs | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| White or brown rice, cooked | 1 cup | 45 g | 205 |
| Oats, dry | 1/2 cup | 27 g | 150 |
| Potato or sweet potato | 1 medium | 26 to 33 g | 115 to 160 |
| Black beans, cooked | 1/2 cup | 20 g | 115 |
| Banana | 1 medium | 27 g | 105 |
| Berries | 1 cup | 15 to 20 g | 65 to 85 |
| Whole wheat bread | 1 slice | 12 g | 80 |
| Corn tortillas | 2 small | 22 g | 105 |
| Pasta, cooked | 1 cup | 43 g | 220 |
| Food | Serving | Fat | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olive or avocado oil | 1 tbsp | 14 g | 120 |
| Avocado | 1/3 medium | 7 g | 80 |
| Peanut or almond butter | 1 tbsp | 8 g | 95 |
| Almonds | 1 oz (about 23) | 14 g | 165 |
| Cheese, cheddar | 1 oz | 9 g | 115 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp | 12 g | 100 |
Eat as many of these as you like: spinach, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, peppers, cucumber, tomatoes, green beans, asparagus, mushrooms and onions.
This example day lands at about 1,480 calories with 127 g protein, 158 g carbs and 38 g fat. Scale it up or down to match your own numbers using the tips below.
| Meal | What to eat | Protein | Carbs | Fat | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | 1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt, 1 cup berries, 1/2 oz almonds | 27 g | 29 g | 7 g | 280 |
| Lunch | 4 oz chicken breast, 1 cup rice, roasted veggies, 1/3 avocado | 43 g | 59 g | 11 g | 520 |
| Snack | Protein shake (1 scoop whey) and a banana | 25 g | 30 g | 1 g | 225 |
| Dinner | 4 oz salmon, 1 medium potato, a big salad with 1 tsp olive oil | 32 g | 40 g | 19 g | 465 |
| Total | 127 g | 158 g | 38 g | about 1,480 |
When you can't measure, fill half the plate with vegetables, a quarter with lean protein, a quarter with carbs, and add a thumb of fat.
A weekly cart that makes hitting your macros easy.
Protein: chicken breast or thighs · lean ground turkey or beef (93%) · salmon, white fish or shrimp · eggs and liquid egg whites · nonfat Greek yogurt · low-fat cottage cheese · protein powder · canned tuna or chicken
Carbs: rice (or microwave rice cups) · oats · potatoes and sweet potatoes · whole wheat bread or wraps · bananas, berries, apples · black beans or lentils
Fats: avocados · olive oil or avocado oil spray · almonds or mixed nuts · peanut or almond butter · light cheese or feta
Vegetables and extras: bagged salad and spinach · frozen broccoli, green beans and stir-fry mix · peppers, onions, tomatoes · salsa, hot sauce, mustard, spices (nearly zero calories)
No food is off-limits. The goal is to fit the foods you love into your numbers, not to avoid them.
Most people stay on track Monday to Friday and undo it all on Saturday and Sunday. Two fixes:
Give your numbers 2 to 3 full weeks before changing anything. Weight swings 1 to 4 lb day to day from water, salt, hormones and digestion, so single weigh-ins mislead.
| Your goal | What you see after 2 to 3 weeks | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Lose fat | Losing 0.5 to 1% of body weight per week | Change nothing |
| Lose fat | Weekly average not moving | Cut 100 to 150 calories, from carbs or fat |
| Lose fat | Losing more than 1% per week and feeling drained | Add 100 to 150 calories |
| Maintain | Weight steady within 2 lb | Change nothing |
| Build muscle | Gaining 0.25 to 0.5% of body weight per week | Change nothing |
| Build muscle | No gain | Add 100 to 150 calories, from carbs |
| Build muscle | Gaining faster than 0.5% per week | Cut 100 calories |
Always keep protein the same when you adjust. Recalculate your macros after every 10 to 15 lb of change, since a smaller body needs less energy.
After 8 to 12 weeks of dieting, spend 1 to 2 weeks at maintenance calories. It helps with energy, hunger and staying consistent long-term.
Do I have to hit my numbers exactly? No. Within 5 to 10 g on each macro and 100 calories overall is a great day.
What if I go over on carbs but I'm under on fat? That's fine. As long as protein is hit and calories land close, swapping carbs for fat (or the reverse) doesn't change your results much.
Do I count vegetables? If you track in an app, log them. If you use hand portions, leafy and green vegetables are free.
Do I eat back calories burned in workouts? No. Your activity level is already built into your calories.
Does meal timing matter? Not much. Spreading protein across your meals and eating something with protein and carbs within a few hours of training helps, but your daily totals matter most.
What about alcohol? Alcohol has 7 calories per gram and no macros your body needs. If you drink, log it and take the calories mostly from carbs and fat, never protein.
When should I recalculate? After every 10 to 15 lb of change, when your activity changes a lot, or when your goal changes.
This guide is general education, not medical advice. Your targets are estimates based on standard equations and the information you provided. Talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian before changing your diet if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have diabetes, kidney disease, a history of disordered eating or any other medical condition, or take medication.
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