So, you’re happy with your weight, but still want to eat healthy & exercise. Hell yeah. You’re in luck, because this is by far the most natural thing for your body to do. Let’s talk through how you should go about it.
Determining Your Timeframe
Before we dive in, we have got to iron out some details. That is, you kinda have to know what your weekly workout plan is going to be. Because you burn calories when you work out & that will affect your numbers.
I have a pretty consistent weekly schedule when it comes to working out, & this is a habit I HIGHLY recommend. I take a look at work & other duties, & try my best to find a reasonable way to fit in 4 consistent 60-90 minute sessions each week (bonus points if you can mix in a 5th session every once in a while. But remember… above all else it’s critical that you find a time commitment that you can STICK to. Consistency is absolutely crucial when it comes to habits & hitting your goals.
Nutrition Goal Formulation
With that out of the way, lets talk macros. If you know your weight & how often you expect to work out weekly (based on the above), you can find your maintenance calories with this handy dandy link right here. That’s the calorie number you’re going to want to ballpark hit on a daily basis!
This is the way to think through it, using myself as an example:
Let’s say, hypothetically, I weigh 170 lbs… & I’m going to have 4-5 consistent training days per week. That means I’m going to burn ~2500 calories per day (using my aforementioned link). That’s it. That’s all there is to it. Now you just need your macros split!
As far as macros go, when maintaining, you’ll want to focus on a ratio that ensures you’re getting balanced nutrients to support energy, recovery, and overall health. This looks something like:
- Protein:Â 25-30% of total daily calories. High protein supports muscle repair and maintenance, keeps you full, and sustains metabolism.
- Carbohydrates:Â 40-50% of total daily calories. Carbs provide energy for your workouts and fuel recovery.
- Fats:Â 20-30% of total daily calories. Healthy fats are essential for hormone production and overall health.
Based on the above, my target for ~2500 calories looks like:
- Protein:Â 30%. My goal is ~180 grams per day.
- Carbohydrates:Â 40%. My goal is ~250 grams per day.
- Fats:Â 30%. My goal is ~90 grams per day.
My priority list is:
- Make sure I am ballpark 2500 calories each & every day.
- Hit ~180 grams of protein every day.
- Go for ballpark ~250g carbs & ~90g fats. #3 is by far lowest priority.
With the above math (kudos to this link & MyFitnessPal), I have my macros goals sorted out. I like to keep things simple, so here’s my nutrition plan:
Nutrition Plan (based on goals formed above).
Breakfast
~600 calories (~70 grams of protein)… usually is just a protein shake.
I am NOT a morning person so I like to basically get this all in with a protein shake of sorts (easy to take down on the road & put together… & its usually the same thing every morning because I do not have the brain capacity to get creative before 7:00am.
Lunch/Dinner
~800 calories (~50 grams of protein each… meaning recipes with a protein ratio of 25%<)
For maintenance, this is kind of light work. You’ve really got free reign to choose any of the recipes on my blog since almost all of them are 25% protein or well above. Honestly, I’d pick any of the two that your heart desires, & then adjust your breakfast or snack on a weekly basis to fine tune your calorie intake. I’m all about making things easy!
Snack
~300 calories (~10 grams of protein)… usually need to target a protein-rich snack like a meat stick.
That’s literally everything you need to know about maintenance! Nutrition is quite literally half the battle. Rest is another 30%… but training is still very important. I recommend pairing your maintenance with literally whatever you want. Cardio, lifting, both, or a triathlon! Maintenance gives you a ton of flexibility, so do whatever your heart desires!