Nutrition Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated
If you’ve ever Googled “how to eat for fitness,” you’ve probably seen thousands of conflicting articles, meal plans, hacks, and formulas. But the truth is simple: your body responds to consistent habits, not complicated rules.
Building a nutrition plan that actually works — one that fuels your training, supports recovery, and fits your life — starts with understanding macros.
At Mercer Performance, we teach nutrition as a skill, not a temporary fix. When you learn macros, you learn how to direct your calories with purpose.
1. What Macros Actually Are (and Why They Matter)
Macros — short for macronutrients — are the three major nutrients that make up all food:
- Protein → builds and repairs muscle
- Carbohydrates → primary fuel for training
- Fats → support hormones, joints, and brain function
Every calorie you eat comes from protein, carbs, or fat.
Understanding macros is like learning the language your body speaks — once you get it, everything becomes easier.
2. Step One: Set Your Daily Calorie Target
Before assigning macros, you need your daily calorie goal.
Maintenance Formula:
Body weight (lbs) × 14–15 = maintenance calories
From there:
- Want to lose fat? Subtract 350–500 calories.
- Want to build muscle? Add 250–350 calories.
- Want to maintain while improving performance? Stay at maintenance.
Example:
A 165 lb athlete → ~2,300–2,450 calories maintenance.
3. Step Two: Set Your Protein Intake First
Protein is your anchor macro — it keeps you full, repairs muscle, and supports strength gains whether you’re cutting or bulking.
Optimal Range:
- 1g per pound of bodyweight (active individuals)
- 1.2g if cutting and wanting to preserve muscle
- 0.8g if lightly active or recovering from injury
For 165 lbs:
→ 165g protein (≈ 660 calories)
This single step improves performance, reduces cravings, and stabilizes energy. Most people under-eat protein by a wide margin — correcting that alone can transform your progress.
4. Step Three: Assign Carbs to Fuel Training
Carbs aren’t the enemy — they’re your primary training fuel. When you restrict carbs too much, your lifts suffer, your recovery slows, and your energy tanks.
General Carb Targets:
- Fat loss: 1.5–2g per lb
- Maintenance: 2–2.5g per lb
- Muscle gain: 2.5–3.5g per lb depending on training volume
For 165 lbs:
→ 275–330g carbs (≈ 1,100–1,300 calories)
Why carbs matter:
- Replenish glycogen (muscle fuel)
- Improve power output
- Enhance recovery
- Reduce fatigue mid-session
- Support protein absorption and utilization
When in doubt, fuel heavy training days with more carbs and dial them down slightly on rest days.
5. Step Four: Fill the Remaining Calories With Healthy Fats
Fats are essential for hormone production, brain function, and long-term energy. But because they’re calorie-dense, balance is key.
Target:
- 0.3–0.5g per lb of bodyweight
For 165 lbs:
→ ~50–80g fat (≈ 450–720 calories)
Focus on whole, nutrient-dense fat sources:
- Avocado
- Olive oil
- Eggs
- Nuts and seeds
- Fatty fish
- Grass-fed meats
- Nut butters (be mindful — calories add fast)
6. Your Finished Macro Blueprint (Sample)
Let’s assemble the sample athlete’s plan:
Daily Calories: 2,350
- Protein: 165g → 660 calories
- Carbs: 300g → 1,200 calories
- Fats: 55g → 495 calories
This adds up almost perfectly:
→ 2,355 calories total
This is a high-performance macro layout anyone could follow for strength, energy, and body composition improvements.
7. How to Distribute Macros Throughout the Day
Once you know your daily targets, the next step is dividing them into meals.
Ideal Structure:
4–5 meals per day, each containing:
- Protein: 30–45g
- Carbs: 40–70g
- Fats: 10–15g (except pre/post-workout, keep fats lower)
Why this works:
- Reduces hunger swings
- Supports stable blood sugar
- Helps muscle repair throughout the day
- Improves digestion and nutrient absorption
Eating 1–2 giant meals can work on paper, but it’s rarely optimal for athletes or anyone trying to perform consistently.
8. Pre-Workout and Post-Workout Timing: The Only Timing That Really Matters
You don’t need to eat every two hours, but timing before and after your workout makes a real difference.
Pre-Workout Meal (1–2 hours before)
- Easily digestible carbs (rice, oats, fruit)
- Lean protein (chicken, eggs, Greek yogurt)
- Minimal fats
Goal: Fuel performance and prevent mid-workout crashes.
Post-Workout Meal (1–2 hours after)
- Quick-digesting carbs (rice, potatoes, fruit, bread)
- Lean protein (meat, whey, cottage cheese)
- Minimal fats
Goal: Begin the muscle repair and glycogen refill cycle quickly.
9. Macro-Friendly Meal Templates (Copy & Use)
These templates make macro targets easy — plug in ingredients, adjust portions, and hit your goals effortlessly.
Breakfast Templates
- Oats + whey + berries
- Eggs + egg whites + toast + fruit
- Greek yogurt + granola + honey
Lunch / Dinner Templates
- Chicken or lean beef + rice or potatoes + greens
- Salmon + quinoa + roasted veggies
- Ground turkey + pasta + marinara + spinach
Snack Templates
- Greek yogurt + fruit
- Cottage cheese + honey
- Rice cakes + peanut butter
- Protein shake + banana
Build repeatable meals and tweak portions — consistency matters more than variety.
10. Tracking Your Macros Without Losing Your Mind
Tracking is a tool, not a life sentence.
Here’s Jake’s recommended approach:
For the first 2–4 weeks:
Track everything. Learn portions. Understand your habits.
After that:
Track loosely:
- Protein intake (non-negotiable)
- Pre/post-workout meals
- Overall calories
Eventually:
You’ll be able to “macro estimate” by eye — and still progress.
That’s when nutrition becomes freedom, not restriction.
11. Adjusting Your Macros Over Time
Your macro plan should evolve with your goals and your progress.
If your weight isn’t changing:
→ Adjust by 150–200 calories (add or subtract mostly from carbs).
If you’re losing strength:
→ Increase carbs, improve sleep, or reduce deficit slightly.
If digestion feels off:
→ Reduce fats slightly and diversify carb sources.
If hunger is extreme during fat loss:
→ Increase lean protein or add more vegetables/fiber.
Small adjustments keep your plan sustainable.
12. Common Macro Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
- Not eating enough protein → Leads to muscle loss and cravings.
- Overestimating portion sizes → Use a food scale for the first few weeks.
- Ignoring recovery and sleep → Macros don’t work if recovery is poor.
- Under-eating carbs → Causes fatigue, irritability, and stalled lifts.
- Relying too much on “healthy fats” → They add calories fast — measure oils and nut butters.
- Being too rigid → Life happens; missing a macro target isn’t failure.
13. Sample Macro Day (2,350 Calories)
| Meal | Example | Calories / Macros |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Omelet + fruit | 450 |
| Snack | Greek yogurt + granola | 300 |
| Lunch | Chicken + rice + veggies | 600 |
| Pre-Workout | Rice cakes + whey | 250 |
| Post-Workout | Beef + potatoes | 550 |
| Evening Snack | Cottage cheese + berries | 200 |
Macros spread evenly across the day → stable energy, strong workouts, and effortless tracking.
14. The Mindset: Keep It Simple, Not Perfect
The goal of macro-based eating isn’t to obsess over numbers — it’s to build habits that align with your goals.
If you hit:
- Calories within 5–10%
- Protein within 10–15g
- Carbs and fats relatively close
…you’re on track.
Consistency creates results.
Perfection just creates stress.
Final Thoughts
A good nutrition plan doesn’t feel restrictive — it feels safe, predictable, and empowering.
Macros give you control: you know what supports your body, how much fuel you need, and how to adjust when life changes.
Whether you want to build muscle, lose fat, or maintain a high-performance lifestyle, mastering macros is the cornerstone.
Build the foundation once — and the results follow.