Okay, by now you’ve probably heard me stress the importance of a meal plan in every way possible. And I promise, I’m not trying to bore you! Meal plans are just that important. You know the benefits, the road blocks, and how to overcome them. Now let’s get into how to make a meal plan around your macros. Are you ready girl?

Step One: Don't bite off more than you can chew.

If you’ve never meal planned before, take baby steps. Plan one day at a time and work your way up to planning for 3 days, then 5 days, and then a week in advance. The habit will remain if you take your time and learn as you go. Don’t expect to plan or execute perfectly. Perfection is the enemy of progress!

Step Two: Break things up.

Let’s start at the beginning. A great way to plan to hit your macros is by dividing your total daily macros into individual meals so that you have a goal to hit for each meal. For example, if you are trying to reach 144g of protein each day, setting a goal to have 48g of protein in each of your three meals seems much more achievable, doesn’t it?

Step Three: Protein is king.

Using the example above as a guide, make your protein goal a priority over all else. For many women, protein can pose the biggest challenge in their diet and so making it a priority will not only help you achieve your goals faster (hello satiation!) but it will also give you peace of mind that you’ve got your protein on lock. Once you’ve got your protein down, divide and conquer fat and then carbohydrates.

Step Four: LOG. LOG. LOG.

If it’s not written down, it’s not going to happen. Okay fine, it doesn’t have to be physically written down, but it is so important that you log your meal plan in an app, spreadsheet, or on paper. Writing it down and committing to it is seriously 75% of the battle.

Step Five: Consistency compounds.

You’re going to fail. Yep, I said it. You have to be willing to fail in order to learn and be better the next time, so just keep going. Allowing yourself to fail at meal planning is proof that you are making yourself a priority and committing to reaching your goals. No one starts meal planning and perfectly sticks to it every day, I promise. Learn from your mistakes and be consistent in your willingness to keep trying.

I promise, you can do this! Feel free to leave a comment with your meal planning wins so that I can give you a virtual high five! Just starting deserves applause!