STEP 2: Nail Your Macros

40% PROTEIN, 35% FATS, 25% CARBS

By Chad | Updated 10/13/2025 

Each macronutrient serves a purpose.

I know, I know: Everyone insists you cut out something.

“No carbs!”

“No fats!”

“No fruit!”

I’m here to tell you to just cut everything.

📢YOU HEARD ME!

Don’t eat anything. That’ll shut up the haters.

Sure, you’ll die, but you’ll look terrific. And no one will be able to bother you ever again about cutting out a certain food item. (Disclaimer: Jokes, obviously… but people telling you to cut just about everything out of your diet can be super annoying…)

Why you’re fat

Nearly 75% of Americans are either overweight or obese (source). In 1960, that number was 45.8% (source).

Why? From less than half of the country being overweight to 75% is an enormous jump.

One possible explanation:

1. People are eating highly processed foods.
2. Which have low-nutritional value.
3. So people don’t feel full.
4. Which leads to overconsumption.

How do you avoid this trap?

This lesson will teach you the basics of nutrition. Internalize it, and you’ll only have to lose weight once. You’ll be set up for success the rest of your life.

Ignore it: you might lose weight with crash diets. But you’ll feel terrible, and your likelihood of gaining all the weight back is high.

Three key parts of this lesson:

1. How to balance your macros
2. How to get enough micro-nutrients
3. The importance of fiber

1. How to balance your macros

The truth is: each macro nutrient has a role to play in your health. Food consists of three major macronutrients that give you calories:

• • Protein
  • Fats
  • Carbs

The goal: get 40% of your calories from protein, 35% from fats, and 25% from carbs. Here’s each’s role:

Protein: The Builder

• • Helps you maintain muscle and keeps weight-loss focused on fat
  • Makes you feel full and satisfied
  • Supports recovery from workouts

Fats: The Hormone Helper

• • Supports hormones and brain function (reducing brain fog)
  • Helps absorbe fat-soluble vitamins
  • Adds flavor and fullness to meals

Carbs: The Fuel

• • Gives you energy for workouts and daily life
  • Helps performance and recovery
  • Often comes pacakged with fiber and micronutrients (fruit, oats, potatoes, beans, etc.)

Again: no macro is the bad guy. The goal is proper balance, not restriction.

Rules for basic nutrition

Even after you’ve reached your goal weight, your body just has ideal targets for these two macros:

• Protein: Your body needs 0.7-1g of protein per pound of goal body weight.
• Fats: Your body needs 0.3-0.5g of fats per pound of goal body weight.

But how do you hit those, still get carbs for energy, and stay within a calorie-allotment? It’s hard.

What’s more: doing the math to hit a 40/35/25 macro split is complicated, especially on a daily basis.

I wanted to simplify it for you.

The calculator below solves the problem.

It tells you exactly how much of each macro to eat a day. It’s calibrated for your body, and it’s designed for weight-loss. Use it and trust it.

Follow those numbers every day, you’ll feel full, satisfied, and healthy throughout your weight-loss journey and life. 

Macros are important to hit, at the end of this chapter you can find meal ideas and how to construct a meal plan to hit your macro goals. But macros are only one-third of this lesson on nutrition. Time for part 2.

2. How to get enough micronutrients

Micronutrients come from the food that make up your macro nutrients. These are vitamins and minerals that impact your overall health and how your body feels. On a diet, it’s more difficult to get enough micro-nutrients to maintain health. That’s why we need to talk about it.

I have three tips for getting enough micronutrients:

1. Eat enough fruit and vegetables. 
2. Eat eggs & other whole food.
3. Take a daily multivitamin

1. Fruit & Veggies

Every day, you need:

• • 2 cups of non-starchy vegetables.
  • 1 cup of fruit

For the veggies, non-starchy veggies include any vegetable except: Potatoes, corn, peas, pumpkin, plantains, squash. You can still eat those veggies (potatoes are particularly good for your diet), they just don’t count towards the 2 cups a day.

Instead, focus on:

• • Broccoli
  • Cauliflower
  • Spinach
  • Kale
  • Lettuce
  • Green beans
  • Zucchini
  • Bell peppers
  • Onions
  • Mushrooms
  • Asparagus
  • Cucumbers
  • Celery
  • Tomatoes
  • Brussels sprouts
  • Cabbage
  • Carrots (technically “moderate starch,” but still lean enough for this list in practical dieting)

For fruit: any fruit will do. I particularly like berries due to the high fiber. 

2. Eggs & Other Whole Food

Eggs have been called “nature’s multivitamin” by many… and for good reason. Egg whites are some of the best protein sources around, and egg yolks contain every essential vitamin and nutrient except for vitamin C.

Combining 1-2 eggs with 1-2 egg whites is as healthy of a meal as you can find (especially if you add some spinach, onions, or other veggies). 

As a rule of thumb, you get more vitamins and nutrients as you focus on whole foods.

Potatoes, eggs, meat, veggies, fruit, rice, bread, and the like will just provide better nutritional value than pizza, burgers, and ice-cream. 

Slowly replace the highly-processed foods with whole foods. You’ll feel better and be happier overall.

3. Multi-vitamin

As a safety net, I recommend taking a daily multi-vitamin: especially during the diet phase. 

Here are the three I’ve used in the past and like. 

• • Thorne Basic Multivitamin (the one I use now and like the most)
  • Nutricost Daily Multivitamin (inexpensive and great brand)
  • Kirkland Signature Multivitamin (also available at Costco)

3. The importance of fiber

Fiber is technically a carbohydrate, but it’s a very important one to focus on.

A 2015 meta analysis found each 10 g/day increase in dietary fiber reduced your all-cause mortality risk by 10% (source). It’s literally life-saving!

But there are so many other benefits:

1. Increased fullness / satiety – Because fiber adds bulk yet low calories, you stay full longer and are less likely to overeat.
   
2. Better blood‐sugar stability – Especially soluble fiber slows digestion and absorption of carbs; less spike & crash.
   
3. Improved digestive health – Fiber (especially insoluble) supports regular bowel movements, gut motility, lowers risk for issues like diverticular disease.
   
4. Supports gut microbiome / reduces inflammation – Fiber feeds good gut bacteria which produce beneficial compounds (short‐chain fatty acids) tied to reduced inflammation and better health.
   
5. Better cholesterol / heart health – Some fibers (soluble) help lower LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol, reducing cardiovascular disease risk.
   
6. Protective against certain cancers – Higher fiber intake is linked to lower colorectal, and in some studies breast cancer incidence.
   
7. Lower all‐cause mortality / longer life – As per research, higher fiber is associated with significantly lower risk of death from any cause.
   
8. Supports weight loss / maintenance – Because of the fullness + nutrient quality effects, fiber helps you stick to a calorie deficit and reduce risk of regain.

Fiber is massively helpful for digestion. But it’s foundational for fullness, health, and longevity.

Rules: get about 30g of fiber a day. Specifically:

• • Women: 20-30g of fiber a day.
  • Men; 30-40g of fiber a day.

If you jump from 3 grams of fiber a day to 30 overnight, your digestion will suffer. I recommend increasing by about 2-5 grams per week until you hit 30 grams a day.

Good sources of fiber:

• • Raspberries (1 cup): 8 g
  • Black beans (1 cup, cooked): 15 g
  • Lentils (1 cup, cooked): 15 g
  • Avocado (1 medium): 10 g
  • Pear (1 medium, with skin): 6 g
  • Apple (1 medium, with skin): 4 g
  • Broccoli (1 cup, cooked): 5 g
  • Oats (1 cup, cooked): 4 g
  • Popcorn (3 cups, air-popped): 4 g
  • Almonds (1 oz, about 23 nuts): 3.5 g

And of course, you can always add a fiber supplement. This one by Nutricost is my favorite, I can’t taste it in anything so I just put a few grams on all my meals (I supplement about 3-6 grams of fiber a day). Of course, I measured the grams with a food scale (never guess).

Bottom line: in addition to macro and micro-nutrients, get enough fiber.

Conclusion

There you have it, the basics of nutrition— especially in weight loss.

Hit your calorie target every day. In addition to that:

• Macros: Hit your macro target: 40% Protein, 35% Fats, 25% carbs. See the calculator for your numbers.
• Micros: Get 2 cups of veggies, 1 cup of fruit, and a multi-vitamin every day. Eggs and other whole foods are also highly recommended.
• Fiber: Get ~30 grams of fiber a day.

If you avoid crash diets and instead, in addition to a calorie-deficit, follow this nutrition advice: you’ll be able to lose weight and keep it off. You’ll feel healthier. And you’ll live longer.

Why not improve your life?

📌Notes to Keep From This Lesson 📌

• • My daily Calorie intake ________
  • My daily macro breakdown: 
    • _____ g Protein
    • _____ g Carbs
    • _____ g Fats
      
    • ~30g Fiber
  • Favorite fruits and veggies ____________________
  • The multivitamin I will take ___________________

Additional Resources

In this section, you’ll find:

1. How to Create a Meal Plan
2. What is  considered “High-Protein?”
3. A “Macro Cheat Sheet” – Good sources of each macro
4. Common Macro Mistakes to Avoid
5. A “Sample Daily Meal Plan”
6. Why high-protein, low calorie diets work (and the math)

1. How to Create a Meal Plan

Every meal you eat should contain: 1. A protein source (like meat). 2. Veggies and/or fruit. 3. A carb source 4. Some fat (often comes with the protein or with dressing/oil).

So a meal could be:

Steak & Potatoes

• • Protein – Steak
  • Veggies – Steamed Broccoli
  • Carb – Potato, lightly salted and light sour cream
  • Fat – Comes with the steak & light sour cream, but add 1/3rd an avacado if you need more.

Or:

Tacos

• • Protein – Ground turkey (with taco seasoning)
  • Veggie – Broccoli+Onions
  • Carb – Carb-balance tortilla (also has some protein)
  • Fat – Comes with the turkey, but add light sour cream if you need more.

Or:

Srambled Eggs

• • Protein – 2 egg whites scrambled with 2 eggs & low-fat cottage cheese, side of low-fat Greek yogurt
  • Veggie – Scramble in some spinich, onions, and kale
  • Carb – Scramble in some diced potatos
  • Fat – Comes with the egg yokes, but add 1/3 an avacado if you need more.

Or:

Chicken & Rice

• • Protein – Chicken (thigh or breast), egg whites in the rice, egg on top of the chicken
  • Veggie – Add broccoli and peppers to the rice
  • Carb – Brown rice (brown rice has more fiber)
  • Fat – Comes with the chicken (especially the thigh), but add chia seeds or avacados if you need more.

Those are just a few examples of healthy meals: There are so many healthy meals to choose from. Just avoid highly-processed junk, and every meal should have a protein, veggies, and carbs. You can even eat at restaurants if you follow that rule!

To get to the 40/35/25 sweet spot, you’ll likely need to have:

• 2 healthy meals a day (like the meals above)
• 2 high-protein snacks a day to increase your protein profile

How do you know if a snack is “high-protein?” 👇👇👇

2.What is Considered “High-Protein?”

Good sources of protein include:

• • Low-Fat Greek Yogurt (a variety of flavors of these come in 80-calorie individual servings and are delicious)
  • Low-Fat Cottage Cheese
  • Protein Drinks/Powder*
  • Protein Bars*
  • Egg Whites (mix with a real egg for more micronutrients/flavor)
  • Most meat (except deli meats)
  • Edamame
  • Protein chips
  • Protein cereal
  • Fairlife fat-free milk

* 🚨Rule🚨

Something is considered a *good* source of protein and can be used as a protein snack if it has at least 10 gram of protein for every 100 calories. To follow this rule:

Rule of Thumb: (Protein grams × 10) > Calories = Good protein source

For instance:

• • Protein Bar A
    • 150 calories
    • 28 g of protein
    • 280>150, so it is a good source of protein
  • Protein Bar B
    • 150 calories
    • 10 g of protein
    • 100<150, so it’s NOT a good source of protein

Use that rule of thumb any time you’re trying to add protein to your day.

3. Macro Cheat Sheet

Here’s a helpful cheat sheet so you’re not left guessing mid-meal:

4. Common Macro Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Not eating enough protein
❌ Cutting carbs too low (this leads to low energy)
❌ Treating fats like the enemy (healthy fats help you feel better overall)

5. Sample Daily Meal Plan

In a different blog post, we gave some simple recipes that follow this macro profile. Check it out.

Here’s a practical, delicious example day that perfectly hits these macros:

• • Breakfast: 2 whole eggs and 3 egg whites scrambled with ½ serving low-fat cottage cheese, chia seeds, 1/2 of an avocado, green/red peppers, onions, spinach, and kale.
  • Lunch: Grilled chicken thigh served over 1/2 a serving of rice, 1/2 an avacdo, side of Greek yogurt topped with blueberries, side of steamed veggies.
  • Snack: Protein shake made from 1 serving protein powder, 4 strawberries, 1/4 cup blueberries, spinach, kale, no-calorie sweetener, and water.
  • Dinner: Grilled 4-oz pork steak, baked potato topped with light sour cream, and salt. Steamed vegetables on the side.

Approximate totals:

• • Calories: ~1850
  • Protein: ~200g (~41%)
  • Carbs: 142g (29%)
  • Fat: ~63g (29%)
  • Fiber: ~34g

6. Why High Protein, Low Calorie Diets Work

The diet I recommend is a high-protein low calorie diet. Studies consistently show that high-protein, lower-calorie diets lead to the greatest long-term success (source). High-protein meals help you feel fuller, longer. Additionally, consuming ample protein helps preserve muscle and lean body mass as you shed fat (source).

You know the suggested breakdown:

• Protein: 40%
• Fats: 35%
• Carbs: 25%

But how does the math work?

• 1 gram of Protein = 4 calories
• 1 gram of Carbs = 4 calories
• 1 gram of Fat = 9 calories

Let’s say your daily calorie target is 1,800:

• Protein (40%): 720 calories → 180 grams
• Fat (35%): 630 calories → 70 grams
• Carbs (25%): 450 calories → 113 grams

Here’s the calculator from above again. Try it out and remember what your personal targets are.