FROM MACROS TO MEALS

Persist Nutrition

So how do you take your macronutrient numbers and actually put them on a plate?

Our Look Good Move Well custom Macro and Calorie Calculator has been built to help you determine your target daily totals for both calories and macronutrient quantities. Be sure to read the Resource Library section for How Macros Are Calculated if you have questions on how this was built and the why behind the numbers you’ve received. Always remember that calculators online are designed to steer you in the right direction, but never assume they are 100% accurate. Accuracy like that is going to take work on your part to determine. You are going to need to start with these numbers, start tracking diligently, and refine over time.

Nothing about body transformation is linear. Everything happens in waves. Stay the course. I will tell you to trust in the numbers not because they are exact, but because over time your averages and intakes will NOT lie. They are a powerful tool to teach you about how your body works and what it takes to see changes.

 

Success in body transformation comes from consistency. Hitting as close to your target numbers as possible. The more days you can do this the more likely you are to reach your goals over time. A day off here and there will NOT derail your progress long term. Get back on the wagon and keep plugging away. Remain committed to high quality but also don’t get down on yourself for grabbing something low quality to hit your numbers or when you are in a pinch. Even large deviations from your numbers on a single day, or several days, will not make the difference in your long term goals. Get back on track and thrust in this long term process.

From Numbers to Meals – A Flow Chart For Success

PORTIONING & LEARNING WHAT YOUR NUMBERS LOOK LIKE IN REAL FOOD – As you read below you are going to see a number of different ways that you can go about having high quality foods on hand to fit within your numbers each and every day. One of the most challenging aspects of learning how to hit your macros is determining what Numbers look like in REAL food. For example, you did the math above and you have down that your meal needs to consist of the following:

  • Protein – 40grams
  • Carbohydrates – 25grams
  • Fat – 20grams

Now what the heck does that look like in food? Over time you start to get better at seeing this and knowing. Furthermore, as you recycle staple foods in your diet you will begin to remember what numbers equate to what portions sizes. However, I encourage variety and as the seasons change so do our foods often. This means you are always having to recalibrate what 40grams of protein is with new foods. 

 

Don’t sweat it too much. There is a learning curve here and once you get it down you are going to be able to do this fairly easily with the help of a tool like MyFitnessPal (MFP). Below you will read that on a weekly basis it is good to figure out what foods you are going to have on hand and be using to build your meals. People typically shop one day of the week and know what meat, vegetables, carbohydrates, and fats they will have on hand to build their meals. What you can do is spend a little bit of time plugging these staples into your MFP on a random day just to see how big a portion of ground beef for example you will need to fulfill your protein requirements.

 

We are providing resources to help you know what foods will help you fulfill certain macros more than others. Some foods like ground beef will deliver a large amount of protein and fat per serving and this may or may not fit your numbers that well. You might find yourself better served eating a leaner cut of poultry and then adding in fat with other foods that are predominantly fat.

 

BE PATIENT – this is the part of the process that bogs most people down. “I’m supposed to have 30grams of carbohydrates. Wait, that isn’t 30grams of rice? I have to do math? When I just added that rice, my protein number went up by 3? Now that number is off a little bit. AHHHHH!!!!”

This is why people often give up on tracking. It is a bit like learning complex math at first but it will eventually feel like simple arithmetic. There are other methods of measuring that are less exact, don’t involve a scale, and can get you pretty close. These methods include hand portioning and even eyeballing. I think it is worth learning the hard steps first and becoming competent in how to use a scale, enter foods into a food tracker, and portion out meals precisely for yourself. With that foundation, you can ease off in the future and use hand measurements and eye tracking with much greater accuracy.

Step #1 – Daily Macro Calculator

Our calculator will provide you with an email of your daily calorie and macro goals based upon the inputs you have provided. As your goals and body composition change, so should your calories and macros. Note that if you have selected Carb Cycling as your Carb approach, you will have two sets of targets for both a low carb and a high carb day. For simplicity we recommend eating high carb on Wednesday and Saturday, and low carb on the other days of the week.

Step #2 – Macros By Meal

Determine how many meals per day you would like to have. Are you a 3 meal a day person or a 5 meal a day person? Everyone is different here and there is no one right way.

 

3 MEALS A DAY – Example :

  • Daily total goals – 130g Protein, 100g Carb, 65g Fat
  • Daily protein macro goal divided by 3
  • Daily carbohydrate macro goal divided by 3
  • Daily fat macro goal divided by 3

Each Meal will Have Roughly:

  • 43 grams Protein
  • 33 grams Carbs
  • 22 grams Fat

Step #3 – Input Daily Totals & Macros By Meal Into MyFitnessPal

  • Meal 1 – 33%
  • Meal 2 – 33%
  • Meal 3 – 33%

*Once an example like this is set in your MFP, you then have to go and set yourself up for success by preparing your MACROS for the week. Note that the macro target by meal feature is only available with MFP Premium, but you can get a free trial for the month of the Challenge if you like at myfitnesspal.com/premium.

Step #4 – Choose Your Main Macro Staples For the Week & Have Them Ready

MEAL PREP vs PANTRY/FRIDGE

 

Meal Prepping – the act of getting yourself ready ahead of time for making meals for yourself that are more efficient or simply require reheating food. This can mean having meat cooked and portioned out or cooking a large quantity and leaving it in a large container to be portioned out later. See the Food List page for ideas of which quality foods will fill your macronutrients.

 

Protein – Pick 3 meats you want to have this week, either lean (you can add fat from other sources) or fattier (your meat encompasses both protein + fat).

  • Chicken Thighs
  • Pork Tenderloin

Protein + Fat 

  • Ground Beef
  • Bacon

Veggies – Pick 4-6

  • Sautéed Cabbage
  • Steamed Broccoli
  • Roasted Cauliflower
  • Sautéed Kale

Carbs – Depending on you carb needs you may want to have some starchy carbs on hand to add to some of your meals. Pick 1-2

  • Baked Potatoes
  • White Rice

Pantry/Fridge – the act of stocking your pantry and refrigerator with foods that are ready to grab and fulfill your macro needs easily and are of the highest quality.

 

Protein – Always have 2-3 ready on hand:

  • canned tuna
  • whey protein
  • low sugar jerky
  • cottage cheese or Greek yogurt
  • eggs and egg whites ready

Veggies – In your fridge have raw veggies bagged and easy to add to a meal 

  • Chopped or baby carrots
  • grape tomatoes
  • washed Persian cucumbers
  • washed and sliced bell peppers
  • raw spinach to add to any meal

Carbs – I like to have 2-3 different types on hand 

  • Fresh fruit 2-3 different types
  • Starchy option – simple plain corn tortilla in the fridge that is easy to grab and add to a meal.

Fat – these keep well and should always be stocked 

  • Couple of nuts – Mixed Nuts, Macadamia Nuts (BE SURE THE NUTS YOU BUY DON’T HAVE ADDED OILS)
  • unsweetened coconut flakes
  • whole avocados
  • coconut oil
  • olive oil
  • avocado oil
  • Filly’s homemade avocado mayo in the fridge

STEP #5  – Build a Meal Inside MFP Before You Construct Your Plate of Food

This will ensure you know exactly what your meal should consist of before you start eating. If you follow this order then you can get very specific and exact with your meal by simulating what it should look like before the plate is constructed.

1st – Pick a protein – input into MFP 

  • Tinker with the serving size in MFP to get as close to your target meal protein needs

2nd – Pick a vegetable & carb – input into MFP

  • Start by adding in your vegetable
  • Then add any additional carb that gets you close to your meal goal
  • Don’t forget to account for any fats you might have cooked your veggies in as part of the fat total for the meal (ex. 1 tsp of olive oil in your spinach)

3rd – Still need fats? – add in some fats

  • If your protein, veggies, and carbs were very lean (no fat) you may need to add some additional fat to your meal to hit your numbers. Add what you need at this point

4th – Did you go over on protein or carb? – reduce quantity

  • Review the totals and if you suddenly have gone over as a result of combining all your ingredients, then adjust portions slightly in MFP

MyFitnessPal Tips

  • Watch out for accuracy – try to go for verified foods (with a check mark) or scan labels directly, and compare a couple options if the numbers look off.
  • We recommend upgrading to the Premium version of MyFitnessPal (there is a one month free trial available) because it will allow you to input precise targets for each meal, and the overall user experience is better.
  • When searching for foods to input into your meals, always try to find one that allows you to input grams for serving sizes. This will allow you to weigh much more accurately.
  • Volume measurements like 1/2 Cup or 3 Tbsp can lead to inaccuracies. When reading ingredient labels and inputting foods into MFP, you will often see that TBSP is also accompanied in parenthesis a gram equivalent. Example 1 Tbsp Butter = 14 grams.
  • Meat will lose water as it cooks. Cooking to different levels of doneness will impact the final weight of the food, but will not impact the total calories/macros in an equal manner. Therefore, weighing precooked weights on all foods is advised.
  • Consistency in measurement techniques is MOST important. 10oz of cooked chicken vs 10oz of raw chicken will yield different total calories and macros. However, if you always use the same method, then over time you will learn what amounts (either cooked or uncooked) support your goals and you can adjust.