Before diving into how to break down your goals, let’s quickly recap what calories and macros are:

Calories: Simply put, calories are units of energy found in the food and drinks we consume. The number of calories we consume versus the number we burn determines whether we gain, lose, or maintain weight.

Macronutrients (Macros): Macros are the three main nutrients that provide calories: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Each macronutrient plays a unique role in the body and has a specific calorie value per gram: 4 calories per gram for carbohydrates and proteins, and 9 calories per gram for fats.

Step 1: Figure out your calorie goal

The easiest way to determine your calorie goal is to use a TDEE calculator.

Your calorie goal is determined by a variety of factors including your height, weight, age and activity levels.

I’d recommend using the top 3 options that come up on Google and averaging the totals together.

I’d also take a look at my calorie calculator and average that into the calculation.

While the calculators will give you an average, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it is 100% accurate.

You may need to do some trial and error and test out a few different calorie goals to see how it effects your results.

I’d stick to one calorie goal for at least 3-4 weeks before making any changes.

Step 2: Figure out your macros

Depending on the calculator you use, it may give you macros as well as your calorie goal.

You can use the same method of averaging them together to get your goals for carbs, fats, and protein.

A general guide is –

Carbs – 45-65% of your total calorie intake

Fats – 20-35% of your total calorie intake

Protein – 10-40% of your total calorie intake

I recommend adjusting the %’s so that your protein goal is between .8-1g of protein per lb of your current bodyweight. The carbs and fats can be adjusted accordingly afterwards to add up to 100%. I recommend splitting the remaining % 60/40 or 70/30 carbs to fats.

For example (and this an the old school manual calculation method that you don’t have to use but just to understand):

You are 150 lbs and your TDEE was calculated to be 2000.

If your goal was to maintain, you’d eat 2000 calories a day and 120-150g of protein. For simplicity, let’s choose 1, let’s say 150g.

Each gram of protein is 4 calories so 4*150 = 600 calories.

That leaves 1400 calories remaining. Let’s say you choose to allocate the rest 70/30 carbs to fats.

1400 *.7 = 980 calories/4 calories per 1g/carb = 245 g of carbs

1400-980= 420 remaining calories/9 calories per 1g/fat = approximately 47g of fat

Your macros:

Protein – 150g

Carbs – 245g

Fats – 47g

This adds up to just over 2000 calories (2003 calories exactly). Again, not a perfect science but it’s close enough.

This is basically what macro calculators do on the back end based on your calorie goal.

So if you don’t feel like doing all this, which I agree, I wouldn’t either, then use a macro calculator.

The one that I linked above is a great option but make sure to read the instructions carefully to use it correctly.

Step 3: Dividing your goals into meals

This is the most important aspect of planning once you know what your goal is.

Let’s stick to the calories and macros we calculated above for example purposes.

The first thing I would do is allocate calories and protein to each meal. It makes it the easiest to do it equally for each meal and allocate some toward a snack.

The carbs and fats are not as important to hit as the protein (but they are important to have daily). You shouldn’t be just skipping out on one or the other completely but they come secondary in terms of planning.

If you eat 3 big meals a day (80% of your cal goal or 1800 calories in this case), it would make sense to break it down like this –

Breakfast – 600 calories, 40g protein

Lunch – 600 calories, 40g protein

Dinner – 600 calories, 40g protein

Snacks (20% of your cal goal) – 200 calories, 30g protein

Total – 2000 calories, 150g of protein

This way, you know you hit your 2 main metrics.

The way you decide to add in carbs or fat after this isn’t as important. For example, you may go way over your fats and not come close to your carbs one day and vice versa.

As long as you aren’t exceeding the calorie goal and hitting the protein goal, it’s fine.

I would recommend keeping an eye on it though to make sure you’re not severely under eating carbs or fats regularly. Having a balance throughout the week is important as both carbs and fats play an large role in the body.

Step 4: Preparing your plates

Photo creds

To get an idea of what a plate should look like at each meal, reference the photo above.

You want to have a healthy balance of whole grains, protein, and carbs/fruits/vegetables.

You want to also sprinkle in healthy fats, and pair your meals with water or a water substitute to supplement your water goal which should be a minimum of half your body weight (in lbs) in oz of water.

For example, a 150 lb person should drink 75 oz of water a day + some if they are regularly active or exercising.

Conclusion

Breaking down your calorie and macro goals into manageable divisions is a fundamental aspect of any successful fitness journey.

By understanding your total calorie needs, setting appropriate macronutrient ratios, and dividing your goals into meals and snacks, you can optimize your nutrition to support your specific fitness goals.

Remember that consistency and balance are key, so experiment with different approaches and listen to your body’s cues along the way.

With consistency and planning ahead of time, you’ll be well on your way to achieving your desired results.

It can all be a lot to handle at a time. If you don’t want to deal with it, I got you!

I will calculate your calorie and macro goal for you.

I may even give you a SMART meal plan to follow to make it even easier for you to take all the thinking out of how to hit your goal each day.

As a trainer, I’m not allowed to give you a personalized meal plan, but the SMART meal plan is great to reference or use for inspiration for recipes.

It’s not a “you are required” to follow this sort of deal.

To apply for my 1:1, click here.

Until next time,

Coach Emily