Nutrition
Meal Planner
Build a sample meal plan based on your calorie and macro targets
Build a sample meal plan based on your calorie and macro targets
This planner generates a sample meal plan based on your calorie and macro targets. It's a starting template, not a rigid prescription - swap meals, adjust portions, and adapt it to what's available and what you enjoy.
The macro targets use the same bodyweight-first logic as the Macro Calculator: protein is set from your body weight and goal, fat has a minimum floor for hormonal health, and carbs fill the remaining calories.
Use the Recipe Calculator to build specific meals that match your per-meal targets.
Protein is set from your body weight, not from a fixed calorie percentage. This ensures adequate protein regardless of how high or low your calorie target is.
| Goal | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Fat Loss | 2.0 g/kg | 1.8 g/kg |
| Maintenance | 1.8 g/kg | 1.6 g/kg |
| Muscle Gain | 2.0 g/kg | 1.8 g/kg |
High-protein diet type adds +0.2 g/kg. Protein is capped at 2.4 g/kg (male) or 2.2 g/kg (female).
Fat never drops below 0.8 g per kg body weight to support hormonal health. The diet type controls how much additional fat is allocated from remaining calories (balanced 30%, low-carb 50%, high-protein 25%).
Carbs fill whatever calories remain after protein and fat are set. This means low-carb diets naturally produce fewer carbs, and balanced diets produce more.
When you select a workout time, carbs are shifted toward the meals closest to your training - slightly more before and after your workout, slightly less at other meals. On a rest day there is no shift: carbs follow the same split as calories.
Here's how 2,000 calories would be distributed across different meal frequencies:
Breakfast: 600 kcal (30%)
Lunch: 800 kcal (40%)
Dinner: 600 kcal (30%)
Breakfast: 500 kcal (25%)
Lunch: 700 kcal (35%)
Afternoon snack: 200 kcal (10%)
Dinner: 600 kcal (30%)
Breakfast: 500 kcal (25%)
Morning snack: 200 kcal (10%)
Lunch: 600 kcal (30%)
Afternoon snack: 200 kcal (10%)
Dinner: 500 kcal (25%)
Breakfast: 400 kcal (20%)
Morning snack: 200 kcal (10%)
Lunch: 500 kcal (25%)
Afternoon snack: 200 kcal (10%)
Dinner: 500 kcal (25%)
Evening snack: 200 kcal (10%)
No, research consistently shows that meal frequency doesn't significantly affect metabolism or fat loss when total calorie intake is the same. Choose a meal frequency that helps you stay consistent with your calorie targets and fits your lifestyle.
Ideally, have a meal 2-3 hours before training for energy, or a small snack 30-60 minutes before if needed. Post-workout, aim to eat within 2 hours to support recovery - though the "anabolic window" is much larger than previously thought.
Not necessarily. While spreading protein evenly (every 3-5 hours) is beneficial for muscle synthesis, carbs and fats can be distributed based on preference and activity. Focus on hitting your daily targets first.
Not very strict for most goals. The meal times shown are suggestions, not requirements. What matters most is hitting your daily calorie and macro targets consistently.
Use the Recipe Calculator to create specific meals that hit your per-meal targets, or explore our other nutrition tools.
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