The macro diet, also known as the macronutrient diet, macro eating, macro tracking, or the If It Fits Your Macros diet (IIFYM diet), is a balanced eating style. It can be tailored to help you reach any health or fitness goal. On this program, you track the amount of protein, carbohydrate, and fat you consume each day to reach personalized targets for optimal health. So, if you’re looking to lose weight, gain muscle, get fit, or simply feel stronger and more focused throughout the day, this evidence-based eating plan has you covered.
Understanding Macros
"Macros", short for macronutrients, are the 3 main building blocks of food: protein, carbohydrates, and fat. If you know how many grams of each macro are in what you're eating, you can calculate how many calories are in your meal. There are 4 calories per gram of protein and carbohydrates, and 9 calories per gram of fat.
Why Macros Matter
Balancing macros isn't just a dietary trend. It's a foundational approach to nutrition. A well-balanced macro intake can lead to sustained energy levels, improved mood, and effective weight management. Unlike crash diets, it can help you lose weight consistently without regaining it. It's about fueling your body with the right proportions to support your daily activities and long-term health goals.
- Protein: Proteins repair and build tissues. Examples of foods rich in protein include meat, fish, eggs, beans, tofu, and nuts.
- Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates provide energy. Examples of foods rich in carbs include potatoes, rice, pasta, fruit, beans, and oats.
- Fats: Fats support cell function and hormone production. Examples of high fat foods include butter, oil, avocado, nuts, fatty fish, and meat.
Getting Started with Macro Meal Planning
1. Determine Your Macro Needs
The first and most essential step in macro meal planning is figuring out how many calories your body needs each day. This depends on your current weight, activity level, age, and health goals-whether that’s losing fat, building muscle, or maintaining your current weight.
Online calculators, such as the popular If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM) BMR calculator, can estimate your daily caloric needs. You can also calculate your calories yourself using the Mifflin-St. Jeor equation:
Read also: Comprehensive Macro Meal Plan for Effective Weight Loss
- Men: calories/day = 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) - 5 x age (y) + 5
- Women: calories/day = 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) - 5 x age (y) - 161
Then, multiply your result by an activity factor:
- Sedentary: x 1.2 (little or no exercise; desk job)
- Lightly active: x 1.375 (light exercise 1-3 days a week)
- Moderately active: x 1.55 (moderate exercise 6-7 days a week)
- Very active: x 1.725 (hard exercise every day or exercise twice a day)
- Extra active: x 1.9 (hard exercise twice a day or more)
The final number is your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). People who want to either lose or gain weight can slightly increase or decrease their calories, although they should do so gradually.
2. Determine Your Macronutrient Ratio
Once you’ve calculated your daily caloric needs, you can break that number down into macronutrient percentages. A common starting ratio is 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 30% fat, though this can vary depending on your specific goals.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) recommends the following ratio:
- Proteins: 10-35% of total calories
- Fats: 20-35% of total calories
- Carbs: 45-65% of total calories
However, this ratio may not fit everyone’s goals. For example, endurance athletes may need more carbs, while a person with metabolic disease may thrive on a lower intake of carbs.
Read also: Comprehensive Macro Diet Plan
3. Calculate Grams
When you know how much of your daily calorie intake should come from each macronutrient, you have to do a bit of simple math to get the number of grams to consume each day. To calculate how many grams of each macronutrient you will consume per day, use the following formula:
(Total daily calories x macronutrient percentage) / calories per gram
So, if a person eating 2,000 calories per day wanted to know how many grams of carbs they should consume, and they aimed to get 50% of their daily intake from carbs, they would calculate:
(2,000 x 0.50) / 4 = 250g carbohydrate
4. Track Your Macros
After determining the macronutrient ratio, a person needs to track their food. Tracking macros means logging the foods consumed and paying attention to the macronutrients eaten. The easiest way to keep track of your macro intake is to use a smartphone app, like MyFitnessPal or Cronometer. Others prefer to do the math by hand, although this takes more time.
Read also: The Hoxsey Diet
It’s also recommended to purchase a digital scale and weigh your food in grams, in order to get the most accurate macronutrient calculations.
Sample Macro Meal Plan
Here's a 7-day macro meal plan that combines flavor with nutritional balance. Each day includes breakfast, snacks, lunch, and dinner, ensuring you meet your macro goals without sacrificing taste:
Day 1
- Breakfast: Greek Yogurt Parfait With Mixed Berries And Granola
- Snack: Apple Slices With Almond Butter
- Lunch: Grilled Chicken Salad With Quinoa, Cherry Tomatoes, And Vinaigrette
- Dinner: Baked Salmon With Steamed Broccoli And Brown Rice
Day 2
- Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs With Spinach And Whole-Grain Toast
- Snack: Cottage Cheese With Pineapple Chunks
- Lunch: Turkey Wrap With Lettuce, Tomato, And Hummus
- Dinner: Stir-Fried Tofu With Mixed Vegetables And Soba Noodles
Day 3
- Breakfast: Overnight Oats With Chia Seeds And Sliced Bananas
- Snack: Hard-Boiled Eggs And Carrot Sticks
- Lunch: Quinoa Bowl With Black Beans, Corn, Avocado, And Grilled Chicken
- Dinner: Lean Beef Tacos With Lettuce, Tomato, And Salsa
Day 4
- Breakfast: Protein Smoothie With Spinach, Berries, And Almond Milk
- Snack: Rice Cakes With Peanut Butter
- Lunch: Lentil Soup With Whole-Grain Bread
- Dinner: Grilled Chicken Breast With Roasted Vegetables
Day 5
- Breakfast: Whole-Grain Waffles With Strawberries And Greek Yogurt
- Snack: Trail Mix With Nuts And Dried Fruits
- Lunch: Chickpea Salad With Cucumbers, Tomatoes, And Feta
- Dinner: Baked Chicken Breast With Sweet Potato Mash And Green Beans
Day 6
- Breakfast: Avocado Toast With Poached Egg On Whole-Grain Bread
- Snack: Smoothie Bowl With Assorted Fruits And Granola
- Lunch: Tuna Salad Wrap With Lettuce And Tomato
- Dinner: Vegetable Stir-Fry With Tofu And Brown Rice
Day 7
- Breakfast: Almond Flour Pancakes With Blueberries
- Snack: Yogurt With Mixed Nuts
- Lunch: Grilled Vegetable Sandwich With Hummus Spread
- Dinner: Spaghetti Squash With Marinara Sauce And Turkey Meatballs
Tips for Successful Macro Meal Planning
- Prep In Advance: Macro meal prep saves time, reduces stress, and makes it easier to stay on track. Prepare staples like proteins, grains, and chopped veggies ahead of time. Store them in containers so you can easily mix and match throughout the week.
- Monitor And Adjust: Macro meal planning isn’t a one-and-done deal. It’s important to track how your body responds and make changes as needed. If you feel sluggish, are constantly hungry, or notice changes in performance or body composition, you may need to tweak your ratios.
- Keep Meals Simple And Repeatable: Find a few go-to meals you enjoy and that fit your macro needs, then rotate them throughout the week. This makes grocery shopping easier, reduces cooking time, and helps you stay consistent with your goals.
- Focus On Food Quality: A diet made up of whole, minimally processed foods will support your overall health far better than one that relies on ultra-processed convenience options. Choose fresh produce, lean proteins, whole grains, and healthy fats when possible.
Sample Macro Foods
Most foods contain more than one macro. For example, cottage cheese is a good source of protein, but it also provides fat and carbohydrates.
Benefits of the IIFYM Diet
- It Can Be an Eye-Opening Experience: Since IIFYM focuses on macronutrients, rather than calories, it can be a great educational tool for people who are unfamiliar with the macronutrient composition of foods.
- It Helps You Achieve Your Weight Goals: Since the IIFYM diet reduces calories by 15-25% for people who want to lose weight, following the diet should result in weight loss. For those who wish to gain weight on IIFYM, increasing calories and consuming higher amounts of protein should result in weight gain.
- There Are No Forbidden Foods: No foods are forbidden on IIFYM, as long as they fit into your macros. Allowing all foods can also remove some of the pressure and guilt associated with other more restrictive dieting methods, making for a more enjoyable experience.
- It’s Flexible and Easier to Stick To: With IIFYM, it’s easy to plan your meals around your lifestyle without feeling limited. This flexibility can make IIFYM easier to stick to since you’re less likely to feel restricted.
Potential Downsides of the IIFYM Diet
- It’s Still a Diet: While IIFYM may be more flexible than other diets, it is still a diet. An abundance of research has found that diets do not work over the long term, and the vast majority of people end up regaining at least some of the weight they lost.
- No Emphasis on Micronutrients: With so much focus on macronutrients, the importance of micronutrients like vitamins and minerals is somewhat ignored.
- Does Not Take Health Conditions Into Account: IIFYM may not be appropriate for everyone, especially people with health conditions that require special diets.
- Could Increase the Risk of Disordered Eating for Some: While macronutrient tracking can help people reach their health goals, it may trigger disordered eating in some individuals.
Considerations Before Starting a Macro Diet
Before starting a macro diet, a person should consider the following:
- Takes time: Tracking macros takes time. Unlike tracking calories, following a macro diet requires a person to pay close attention to the macronutrient ratio of everything they eat.
- Lack of nutrient diversity: A macro diet could lead to a lack of nutrient diversity. It can be easy to overlook essential micronutrients because the diet focuses on protein, carbs, and fat.
- Socially restrictive: Some people may find a macro diet socially restrictive. For example, a person may be less likely to go to dinner with friends because it is difficult to count the macros of food prepared by someone else.
- Potential for disordered eating: Perhaps the most significant risk associated with counting macros is disordered eating.