How to Plan Your Meals to Fit Your Macros

One of the most commonly asked questions we get from clients after they receive their customized macros is, “What do I do now?!”

We empathize with that question whole heartedly. We specialize in working with beginners because we know exactly how it feels to get a set of arbitrary numbers and wonder where to go from there.

Let’s break it down…

Step 1: Input your numbers into MyFitnessPal or another macro tracking app of your choosing. Watch this short video clip that explains how.

Step 2: It’s time to plan. Plan by logging your food in your macro tracking app for the following day the night before. You won’t always have to do this, but in the beginning it’s a game changer for success. You want to keep fiddling with your macros until you get within range. We call +/-2g of fats, +/-5g of carbs, and +/-5g of protein within range. A good idea is to think protein with every meal and snack to ensure you’re hitting your protein goals (that’s typically the most challenging macro to hit for most women). As you continue on your macro journey, learning which foods have which macros will become second nature. Until then check out our Macro Hacks post HERE to use a cheat sheet for identifying foods with protein, carbs and fats. After you import your food, it’s just a matter of sticking to the menu!​​​​​​

Step 3: Enjoy your FOOD FREEDOM! This is one of the biggest perks of macro tracking. You DO NOT… I repeat… you DO NOT… have to eat chicken, rice and broccoli all day long. You get to program in the food you love as long as it fits! No guilt. No regret. All while you move closer to your goals!

I’ve included a few days of macro balanced meals below so you can get a good idea of how this can look practically. Remember that every person’s macros should be specific to them. Also remember that you can manipulate portion sizes to get so much of these foods to work.

Need more protein? Have 5 oz of chicken instead of 3. Need more carbohydrates? Add toast with jam to your breakfast. Need more fats? Add a side salad with dressing to your dinner. Altering portion sizes is one of the most under utilized tools when it comes to tracking.

When you plan your meals in advance it gives you the ability to manipulate portion sizes much easier. It also gives you the freedom to program in a fun treat. Notice that dessert is on my menu EVERY. Single. Day. It is only for this reason, that I’ve been able to make macro tracking work for my life for the long haul.

Ready to dial in your nutrition and jump into our next 1 on 1 coaching group? Click HERE. Our 6 week coaching program includes one on one nutritional counseling, starting custom macro count, weekly check in/ analysis of progress photos, frequent macro adjustments, meal ideas, live videos, as well as high levels of accountability and support in the privacy of a closed Facebook group.  We start new groups the first of every month and it runs 6 weeks.  Our program allows us as coaches to dive in to see EXACTLY what your body needs to get that metabolism thriving and responding.