Most women I coach are eating too little protein and too few calories to build muscle. Let's find your numbers.
It depends on your body, your daily activity and your goal, which is why the calculator above asks about all three. As a starting point, most active women do well with about 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per pound of goal body weight, roughly 25 to 30% of calories from fat, and the rest from carbs.
For fat loss, calories usually land 10 to 20% below maintenance. To build muscle, slightly above. The calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation for women, adjusts for your steps and training, and never sets you below your resting needs.
Your hand-portion guide follows the Precision Nutrition method: roughly a palm of protein, a cupped hand of carbs, a thumb of fat and a fist of veggies per meal.
Most women I coach aim for about 0.8 to 1 gram per pound of goal body weight each day. Higher protein helps you keep muscle while you lose fat and keeps you fuller between meals.
Eating too little for too long lowers your energy, your training quality and how much you move during the day, so you burn less without noticing. Many women I coach finally lose fat once they eat more protein and enough total food to train hard.
No. Hand portions are a simple way to start and get most women close. Weighing food is more precise when you want faster, more predictable progress.
Yes. As your weight, training and schedule change, your needs change too. That's why I review and adjust macros every week with my 1:1 clients.
The calculator won't set a calorie deficit if you're pregnant and adds extra calories if you're breastfeeding. Always check your numbers with your doctor or midwife.