How to build a 7-day meal plan based on your macros

1. Gather your targets before choosing recipes

Write down your energy target and your protein, carbohydrate and fat targets in one place. Add your sporting goal, planned training sessions and dietary restrictions. Use this information to check each day, not to impose a different recipe at every meal.

If you do not have targets yet, first read the guide to choosing a macro calculator app for your sport. This page focuses on organising meals once your targets are defined.

Avoid mixing targets from different methods without checking that they are consistent. If your targets come from personalised guidance, use them as your reference when building the week.

2. Fit meals into your actual week

Before looking for recipes, open your calendar. Identify packed lunches, training evenings, meals out and times when you can cook.

Then divide your planned intake between the meals you actually eat. Each meal does not need to provide the same amounts: a light breakfast and a more substantial lunch can be part of your routine. Then check the day as a whole.

Keep simple dishes for busy slots and save longer recipes for when you have time. Include any snack in your calculations rather than automatically adding it to the menu. For example, fromage blanc with a piece of fruit could be an option to consider, depending on your remaining intake targets and restrictions.

References: [3]

3. Adjust portions before adding more recipes

Take a specific meal, such as chicken with rice and courgettes. To bring it closer to your targets, work on its ingredients rather than looking for a recipe described as “perfect for your macros”.

• Describe the whole dish: chicken, rice, courgettes, oil and any sauce. Side dishes and cooking fats count too.
• Enter your proposed quantities, based on your habits or recipe, using the corresponding nutritional reference data.
• Log the food in the state in which you weighed it, then check the unit and portion size in the entry you use. The USDA cooking yield data describe changes in the weight of meat and poultry during cooking.
• Add up the day's meals, then change one ingredient at a time and recalculate. After each adjustment, check the calories and each macronutrient in the daily total again.

For a shared dish, calculate the whole recipe, then assign your meal the share actually served. The guide to calculating meal prep portions and groceries explains this task in detail.

The following menu is an illustrative selection of meals, with no calculated nutritional values. Portions, substitutions and any snacks still need to be personalised. It is not a plan already matched to your macros.

References: [1]

4. A 7-day set of meal ideas to personalise

5. Adjust a day without rebuilding the whole menu

These suggestions are ways to adjust meals; they do not establish nutritional equivalences.

6. Turn your chosen portions into a grocery list

Make the final list after adjusting your meals. Add up the quantities of each ingredient across the week, include what is needed for other people sharing the dishes, then subtract the usable food you already have at home.

In this example, rice appears in several recipes: combine the amounts needed on a single line, using a consistent unit and food state. Do the same for chicken, carrots or yoghurt used at breakfast and in sauces.

To prepare for shopping, note the pack size you intend to buy next to each ingredient. Check the available sizes, their prices and the stock you want to keep after the week.

If the basket exceeds your budget, first replace an ingredient or recipe, then recalculate the affected meals. To compile your list without duplicate entries, see the dedicated meal prep grocery list guide.

7. Keep your plan usable when the week changes

An unplanned lunch does not make the rest of your schedule useless. Record what you actually ate, then review what is still planned for the day without trying to correct every difference down to the gram.

If a meal is postponed, update your calendar and planned purchases. The EPA advises freezing food or leftovers that will not be eaten in time. This menu does not specify storage times for your prepared dishes.

At the end of the week, focus on recurring difficulties: meals that take too long to prepare, portions that do not suit your appetite, or foods left unused. Adjust your organisation before routinely changing your targets.

References: [2]

When Sthenia can simplify this work

If calculating meals and compiling groceries takes too much time, Sthenia offers a personalised 7-day plan, a grocery list with quantities and an integrated budget through paid Pro.

In Sthenia, targets are estimated from your profile, sport, training frequency and goal. The app takes allergies and dietary restrictions into account. The food diary and manual calorie and macro tracking are free and unlimited, unlike Pro planning.

Targets remain estimates, not measurements of your metabolism. Meal values depend on quantities and the available reference data; unrecognised ingredients can make the calculation less reliable. Sthenia's nutrition methodology explains these limitations.

Your budget is an ideal target, not a guaranteed spending cap. Under the rules checked on 23 October 2026, a plan may exceed the target by up to 10% without a warning, and may still be offered above that threshold with a warning. Cost estimates use manually entered reference prices for France, without store synchronisation. Ingredients without a matched price can lead to an underestimated cost; whole packs can also change the checkout total. Read the grocery budget estimation method before using this amount to plan your purchases.

Guide by JB Labs, publisher of Sthenia.

References: [5][6][7][8]