Meal Planner

Building a Balanced Meal Plan

A well-structured meal plan ensures you meet your calorie and macronutrient targets while eating a variety of foods. It removes daily decision fatigue and helps you stay consistent.

Setting Your Daily Calorie Target

Start by calculating your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) using our TDEE Calculator. Then adjust based on your goal:

• Weight loss: TDEE minus 300–500 calories
• Maintenance: Equal to TDEE
• Muscle gain: TDEE plus 200–300 calories

Distributing Calories Across Meals

There is no single correct meal frequency, but most people do well with 3–4 meals per day. A common starting structure:

• Breakfast: 25% of daily calories — include protein to reduce morning hunger.
• Lunch: 30% of daily calories — balance carbs and protein for sustained afternoon energy.
• Dinner: 35% of daily calories — include vegetables, lean protein, and complex carbs.
• Snacks: 10% of daily calories — fruit, nuts, or yoghurt to bridge between main meals.

Macronutrient Balance

A balanced plate typically looks like this: half the plate non-starchy vegetables, a quarter lean protein, and a quarter whole grains or starchy vegetables. Use our Macro Calculator to find the exact gram targets for your calorie goal and diet type.