{
  "slug": "meal-planner",
  "title": "Meal Planner",
  "category": "Macros & Intake",
  "category_slug": "macros-intake",
  "tier": 1,
  "summary": "Build a day of meals from 300+ common foods and see calories and macros add up against the targets you set.",
  "description": "This interactive planner turns a calorie goal and a macro split into concrete gram targets, then lets you assemble an actual day of eating against them. Choose from more than 300 common foods — proteins, grains, fruits, vegetables, snacks, drinks and takeout staples, each with energy and macronutrient values derived from USDA FoodData Central — and place them into six meal slots from breakfast to an evening snack. Portions adjust in half-serving steps, and every change updates the day's calories, protein, carbohydrate and fat totals instantly, alongside a per-meal breakdown and a macro-split chart. A week view stores finished days to weekday slots so patterns across a training week become visible. Finished plans export as a PDF in either of two formats: a detailed report of the open day, or a landscape week calendar laying all seven days across the six meal slots on one printable page. On a phone each meal card carries an add button that opens the pantry with that meal already selected. Everything is calculated and stored in your browser only; nothing is uploaded, and the maths behind the targets is shown on this page.",
  "page_url": "https://fitmetriclab.com/en/tools/macros-intake/meal-planner/",
  "api_url": "https://fitmetriclab.com/api/tools/meal-planner.json",
  "formula": {
    "id": "meal_planner",
    "expression": "g_{macro} = \\frac{\\text{Goal} \\times \\text{pct}_{macro}}{k_{macro}}, \\quad \\text{pct}_f = 1 - \\text{pct}_p - \\text{pct}_c, \\quad k_{p,c} = 4, \\; k_f = 9",
    "variables": [
      {
        "symbol": "\\text{Goal}",
        "description": "Daily calorie goal in kilocalories"
      },
      {
        "symbol": "\\text{pct}_p",
        "description": "Protein share of daily calories"
      },
      {
        "symbol": "\\text{pct}_c",
        "description": "Carbohydrate share of daily calories"
      },
      {
        "symbol": "k_{macro}",
        "description": "Atwater factor: 4 kcal/g for protein and carbohydrate, 9 kcal/g for fat"
      }
    ]
  },
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "calorie_goal",
      "label": "Calorie goal",
      "type": "number",
      "unit": "kcal",
      "default": 2000,
      "min": 1000,
      "max": 6000,
      "step": 50
    },
    {
      "id": "protein_pct",
      "label": "Protein",
      "type": "number",
      "unit": "%",
      "default": 30,
      "min": 5,
      "max": 60,
      "step": 5
    },
    {
      "id": "carbs_pct",
      "label": "Carbs",
      "type": "number",
      "unit": "%",
      "default": 40,
      "min": 5,
      "max": 70,
      "step": 5
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": {
      "calorie_goal": 2200,
      "protein_pct": 30,
      "carbs_pct": 40
    },
    "expected_output": "165 P / 220 C / 73 F (g)"
  },
  "result_summary_template": "With a {calorie_goal} kcal goal split {protein_pct}% protein and {carbs_pct}% carbs, the day's gram targets work out to {result}.",
  "methodology": "Gram targets apply the Atwater general factors — approximately 4 kcal per gram of protein and carbohydrate and 9 kcal per gram of fat — to the calorie shares entered, the same conversion used on nutrition labels worldwide. Food energy and macronutrient values in the library are rounded reference figures derived from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy and FNDDS survey data) for generic descriptions of each food, using cooked or prepared values where noted; per-serving figures scale the per-100 g values by a typical serving weight. Planned totals are straight sums of the serving-scaled values for every food added. Real foods vary by brand, variety and preparation, so results illustrate a plan rather than measure a diet.",
  "sources": [
    {
      "label": "USDA FoodData Central — food composition database",
      "url": "https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/"
    },
    {
      "label": "FAO — Food energy: methods of analysis and conversion factors (Atwater system)",
      "url": "https://www.fao.org/4/y5022e/y5022e00.htm"
    },
    {
      "label": "NIH Office of Dietary Supplements — nutrient fact sheets",
      "url": "https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/list-all/"
    }
  ],
  "faqs": [
    {
      "question": "Where do the food nutrition values come from?",
      "answer": "Each food carries rounded reference values per 100 g derived from USDA FoodData Central, the public food-composition database maintained by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Cooked foods use cooked values, and each entry includes a typical serving weight — for example one large egg at 50 g — used as the default portion. Brands and preparations differ, so treat the figures as representative rather than exact."
    },
    {
      "question": "How are the gram targets calculated from my calorie goal?",
      "answer": "The planner multiplies the calorie goal by each macro's percentage, then divides by the Atwater factor for that macronutrient: 4 kcal per gram for protein and carbohydrate, 9 kcal per gram for fat. A 2,000 kcal goal at 30% protein becomes 600 kcal ÷ 4 = 150 g of protein. Fat is always the remainder of the split, so the three percentages sum to 100%."
    },
    {
      "question": "Is my meal plan uploaded or shared anywhere?",
      "answer": "No. The whole planner runs in your browser. Plans, saved week days and your targets are kept in the browser's local storage on your device only — nothing is sent to a server, and there is no account. Clearing your browser data removes saved plans."
    },
    {
      "question": "Why don't my planned calories exactly match protein × 4 + carbs × 4 + fat × 9?",
      "answer": "Food databases list measured energy values, which can differ slightly from the Atwater arithmetic because of fibre, sugar alcohols, rounding and the way individual foods were analysed. Small gaps between the calorie total and the macro-derived total are normal and appear on packaged-food labels too."
    },
    {
      "question": "How do I choose a calorie goal and macro split in the first place?",
      "answer": "The planner deliberately leaves that decision open — it measures a plan against whatever targets are entered. A TDEE calculator estimates total daily energy expenditure as a starting point, and the Macro Split Calculator on this site converts percentages into grams for any calorie level. Common splits in sports-nutrition literature range from roughly 25–35% protein, 35–55% carbohydrate and 20–35% fat, but individual needs vary; a registered dietitian can advise on specific goals."
    },
    {
      "question": "Can I plan more than one day?",
      "answer": "Yes — build a day, then save it to any weekday slot from the Today tab. The Week view stacks all saved days side by side against the calorie goal line and shows weekly averages for calories, protein, carbs and fat. Saved days can be loaded back into the planner and edited at any time."
    },
    {
      "question": "Can I print or download my meal plan?",
      "answer": "Yes, in two formats. The detailed report is a portrait PDF of the open day: every meal item by item with servings and macros, your gram targets and how they were derived, the macro charts, and per-100 g reference values for each food used. The week calendar is a landscape PDF laying all seven days across the six meal slots as a printable wall chart, with grams and calories against every food and a calorie subtotal on each meal. Both are built in your browser from the plan you see, so nothing is uploaded, and both can be printed directly instead of downloaded."
    }
  ],
  "related_tools": [
    {
      "slug": "macro-split",
      "title": "Macro Split Calculator",
      "api_url": "https://fitmetriclab.com/api/tools/macro-split.json",
      "page_url": "https://fitmetriclab.com/en/tools/macros-intake/macro-split/"
    },
    {
      "slug": "tdee-calculator",
      "title": "TDEE Calculator",
      "api_url": "https://fitmetriclab.com/api/tools/tdee-calculator.json",
      "page_url": "https://fitmetriclab.com/en/tools/body-composition/tdee-calculator/"
    },
    {
      "slug": "calorie-deficit-planner",
      "title": "Calorie Deficit Planner",
      "api_url": "https://fitmetriclab.com/api/tools/calorie-deficit-planner.json",
      "page_url": "https://fitmetriclab.com/en/tools/macros-intake/calorie-deficit-planner/"
    },
    {
      "slug": "protein-intake",
      "title": "Protein Intake Calculator",
      "api_url": "https://fitmetriclab.com/api/tools/protein-intake.json",
      "page_url": "https://fitmetriclab.com/en/tools/macros-intake/protein-intake/"
    }
  ],
  "last_updated": "2026-08-04",
  "price": {
    "value": 0,
    "currency": "USD"
  },
  "runs_in_browser": true,
  "disclaimer": "Educational estimate produced from a published formula. Not medical, nutritional, or training advice. Calculations are deterministic — apply the formula to the inputs to reproduce the result."
}