A macro diet brings a lot of benefits to the body. It helps you balance the nutrients in your body and helps you lose weight effectively. The 40 40 20 diet is one of the most widely used Macros. You can follow this diet to lose excess fat and gain muscle.
However, setting up 40 40 20 meal plan is not an easy thing. Calculating the percentage and calories in each substance will be a problem for many people. Follow our sharing below to help you better understand the 40/40/20 meal plan!
About 40 40 20 Macros Diet
To implement the 40 40 20 diet effectively, you need to understand what it is, how it can help you lose weight and do it the right way.
The 40/40/20 diet is a macro diet. That’s why I will share with you the knowledge of both of these famous diets.
What Is Macronutrient Diet?
Macro mode is an acronym for “Macronutrients”. Macro for sports is understood as the three most essential nutrients, including carb (sugar), protein (protein) and fat (fat). These are the three types of nutrients that provide key functions, helping to add energy to the body.
The calorie index measures the nutritional value of the above substances. For each gram of basic nutrition, there will be a completely different number of calories. E.g.:
- 1g protein = 4 calories
- 1g carbs (sugar ingredients) = 4 calories
- 1g fat = 9 calories
Accordingly, the total amount of Macros of a normal person in a day will be calculated by the formula:
Macro = weight of protein x 4 weight of sugar x 4 weight of fat x 9
This recipe has been created for a long time and is applied by many gymers and dieters.
Because each person will always have a different Macro mode index, you need to calculate the Macro. You will not be able to train successfully and get a desirable body if you use other people’s reference Macro indicators but not yours. Therefore, you need to understand your own body.
How much is your Macro and how much food do you need to eat to achieve the body you are aiming for? It’s your own business, with Macro stats calculated from the body.
How does it relate to the 40/40/20 diet?
The 40-40-20 diet is a diet that includes only the indicators calculated according to the formula of the Macro diet. There will be 3 ‘macro’ in this plan: protein, fat, and carbs. The metrics will be broken down as follows:
- 40% comes from protein
- 40% comes from carbs
- 20% comes from fat
As mentioned above, when calculating the amount of substance in grams for you to load into the body as a percentage, you will have your formula. Eg:
- 1g protein = 4 calories
- 1g carbs (sugar ingredients) = 4 calories
- 1g fat = 9 calories
40% Protein
To get 40% protein in 2000 calories from protein foods, we would take 2000×0.4=800.
Since each 1g of protein contains 4 calories, we will divide 800 by 4 to get the number of protein we need to eat each day: 800/4=200g
Since then, we have needed to eat 200g of protein every day.
40% Carbs
Similarly, the percentage and number of calories of carbs are the same as that of protein, so we will also load 200g of carbs into the body per day.
20% Fat
The fat will be slightly different. Each 1g of fat will contain 9 calories so the formula will calculate differently.
For fat, we only use 20% of 2000 calories only. So the formula will be 2000×0.2=400.
We have each gram of fat contains 9 calories, so 400/9=44g
So you need to eat 44g of fat per day with 40 40 20 meal plans.
Why is the 40/40/20 diet so effective?
Many people have proven that 40 40 20 diet meal plans are so effective. The exact reason is that 40 40 20 helps balance the amount of Protein and Carbohydrates in your body.
To have a healthy body, you should supplement and tolerate the necessary nutrients. Their purpose is to help you provide adequate nutrients for the body. From there, the body can function normally.
Macronutrients help the body grow, develop, repair and fuel our bodies to function. Each macronutrient has its own role and function in the body, and all macronutrients are collectively referred to as macronutrients.
Marco’s macronutrients, or simply put, are the three essential components of any nutrition plan:
- Carbohydrates
- Fat
- Protein
Macronutrients are the 3 main nutrients that make up all foods. They are the source of nutrients and the bulk of the ingredients in the composition. Compared to micronutrients, micronutrients are very small, such as vitamins and minerals.
If you follow the percentage of such substances for a long time, you will lose weight and improve your state of health significantly. To help you see that more clearly, follow our detailed analysis!
Carbs
Carbohydrates are composed of starch and sugar chains, broken down by the body into glucose. It is also the body’s main energy source and is responsible for most of the basic brain, cardiovascular and BMR metabolic functions. Carbohydrates are essential for storing glucose (as glycogen) in the liver and muscles.
One carbohydrate molecule provides 4 calories for the body. Good sources of carbohydrates from natural foods include:
- Whole grains (brown and wild rice, oats, amaranth, whole wheat).
- Starchy vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, beets).
- Legumes (beans, lentils, hummus), Beans, peas ).
- Common fruits (oranges, strawberries, bananas, apples, pears,…).
Specifically, we have the 2 most common and important types of carbs:
- Complex carbs (slowly absorbed carbs): Found in oats, barley, brown rice, brown bread, etc., these are fiber-rich starches. This fiber will keep you full for longer and eliminate cravings so that you will eat less.
- Simple carbs (fast-absorbing carbs): There are many white starches such as rice, fresh bread, or candy, cakes of all kinds. With fast-absorbing carbohydrates, the body will digest them faster. You will not feel full for a long time, quickly crave food, want to eat more, but the old calories are not consumed.
Fat
Fat is a macronutrient essential for the development of neurotransmitters in the brain. They help produce hormones and absorb fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K). At the same time, they have the highest calories per gram, peaking at 9, which means they need more energy for the body to burn.
However, healthy fats like Omega 3-6-9 are also very helpful in increasing satiety, keeping you full for longer and maintaining a healthy body.
Good sources of fats include olive oil, full-fat dairy products, avocados, and organic butter, nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashews, chia seeds, pumpkin, seeds) flax), fatty fish (salmon).
Protein in Marco’s Diet
During digestion, proteins are broken down into small, train-like chains, wagons called peptides, and other individual units called amino acids. Twenty-two amino acids make up protein, of which 9 are called essential amino acids because the body cannot synthesize it but must get it from food.
Protein is the foundation of cell and muscle structure, especially helping muscles recover after exercise. In addition, protein supports the body’s immune system, growth and maintenance of the formation of our hair, nails and skin!
The foods that fit into this diet are high in protein and low in calories. When you want to apply this diet, eat many vegetables, chicken breast, eggs, fatty fish, and legumes to achieve the best effect quickly.
The calculation can be quite tricky because Macro mode requires a great deal of patience. Sometimes you will be tempted by fast food that looks extremely attractive, or sometimes barbecues or party nights. Therefore, if you successfully apply this mode, you are indeed a person with great determination.
The food prep sample
Food preparation is the best method for you to have healthy meals. During the 40 40 20 diet meal, the best way to maintain the stability of each meal is to maintain the stability. Some foods that can be applied for 40/40/20 low carb that you can refer to are:
- Ground Turkey: Cooking on the stove
- Chicken: Cook chicken breast in the oven with unsalted seasoning
- Sweet Potatoes: Sweet potatoes have been cooked in the oven for a time at 350 degrees.
- Rice: Rice is cooked in the microwave in the right amount for your meal. Cook for 5 minutes on high heat. After 5 minutes, microwave at 50% for 15 minutes. Then leave the rice outside for 5 minutes.
Sample of 40 40 20 meal plan (1500 calories) for 1 day
Using all of the prepared foods above you get the calories and macros for a 40/40/20 diet weight loss meal with 1463 calories, 151 grams of protein, 151 grams of carbs, 33 grams of fat. You can absolutely eat meals during the week with the same menu. This represents the consistency and convenience of being able to use the food of the week.
Breakfast
Breakfast includes 314 calories, 25 grams of protein, 27 grams of carbs and 11 grams of fat with the following ingredients:
- 1 cup egg white
- 1 thinly sliced Sargento Cheddar cheese
- 50 grams of butter
- 1 medium banana
Snack
After breakfast, you can snack with an energy level of: 210 calories 23 g protein, 25 grams carbs and 2 grams fat, according to the ingredients to prepare below:
- 1/3 cup oats
- 1 scoop of Clean Simple Eats protein powder
- 1 teaspoon sugar-free syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Lunch
At lunch you will load into the body 250 calories 28 g protein, 26 grams carbs, 3 g fat with ingredients:
- 3 ounces cooked chicken breast
- 1 large cucumber
- 100 grams sweet potato
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- Miss Dash Chicken Seasoning
Snack
After lunch, also eat a snack with 157 calories, 18 g protein 27 g carbs 3 g fat:
- 85 grams of grapefruit
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 Mint Brownie Built Bar
Dinner
Dinner to lose weight, people need to cut calories, specifically with 354 calories 28 g protein 42 g carbs 10 g fat. Some ingredients that can be used for dinner are as follows:
- 3 ounces ground turkey, cooked 93%
- 1 cup grilled broccoli
- 1/3 cup white rice
Related: Cutting diet plan PDF for weight loss
Snack
The last meal of the day in 40/40/20 diet meal plans should include about 150 calories, 26 grams of protein, 2 grams of carbs, and 3 grams of fat:
- Legion Protein Powder
- 6 ounces almond milk
- Ice
This is the meal you can apply for the first week that you can refer to. During the week, people can completely repeat the same dishes so that it does not take too much time each day. In addition, people can also substitute dishes with the same calories for new flavors.
7-Day 40 40 20 Meal Plan: 1500 Calories
Many people will feel confused about how to design 40 40 20 meal plans appropriately and effectively. I will give a sample plan that includes many 40 40 20 meals in 7 days. You can refer to the dishes to make a suitable macro diet plan.
Some notes
Before going into the detailed plan, you should keep a few things in mind. It will help you do this 40 40 20 in a much more comfortable and efficient way. All sharing is based on what I have experienced. We hope it is useful to you.
- Change foods every day. It is recommended to eat different foods in a day to supplement many nutrients
- You can use Whey instead of protein foods
- Use nut milk instead of animal milk. You can choose almond milk like me, it contains 30 calories per cup
- Use chicken breast meat. If you want to eat beef, you should use lean beef
- Limit the use of artificial sugars and stimulants
To enrich your daily diet, we will provide a detailed sample plan.
Monday
Breakfast (547 calories, 41/58/14)
- 1 boiled egg
- 2 slices of toast
- 1 banana
Lunch (391 calories, 45/22/9)
- 1 chicken salad
- Cheese
- Toasted bread
Snack (180 calories, 10/25/4)
- Sugar-free protein pudding
Dinner (413 calories, 8/29/54)
- Ground beef
- 1/2 cup white rice
- 1 peach
Total calories: 1531 calories, 140/144/35
Tuesday
Breakfast (388 calories, 33/35/12)
- 1 egg
- 1/3 of oats with cheese
- 1/2 cup blueberries
Lunch (425 calories, 40/55/6)
- 1 tortilla and chicken breast
- 1 vegetable salad
- 1 apple
Snack (315 calories, 12/46/9)
- 1 protein pudding
- 1 cup fat-free Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter
Dinner (371 calories, 30/39/12)
- 1 spaghetti
- 250g zucchini
- 1/2 bowl of Vegetable Salad
Total calories: 1499, 149/141/39
Wednesday
Breakfast (313 calories, 32/39/3)
- 1 egg
- 1 cup Greek yogurt and oats
- 1 cup raspberries
Lunch (457 calories, 54/29/13)
- 1 chicken salad
- 1/2 ounce feta cheese
- 1 peach
Snack (204 calories, 5/26/17)
- Strawberry smoothie with protein
- 1 cup of almond milk
Dinner (578 calories, 41/61/20)
- 1 beef burger
- 1 fried sweet potato
- 1 cup of almond milk
Total calories: 1552, 153/146/41
Thursday
Breakfast (577 calories, 29/68/23)
- 1 Kodiak pancake with peanut butter
- 1 banana
Lunch (400 calories, 44/43/5)
- 1 chicken sandwich (4 ounces chicken)
- 1/2 cup blueberries
Snack (270 calories, 42/21/1)
- 2/3 cup greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1 spoon of protein
Dinner (331 calories, 30/24/14)
- 1 beefsteak
- Vegetable salad
Total calories: 1578 calories, 145/155/43
Friday
Breakfast (448 calories, 40/56/7)
- 1 egg
- 1 sweet potato pancake
- 2/3 cup greek yogurt
Lunch (414 calories, 36/25/21)
- 1 tortilla with tuna, 1 slice of smoked turkey
- 1 vegetable salad
Snack (234 calories, 26/25/4)
- 1 cup of almond milk
- 1 bowl of blueberries
- 1 spoon of protein
Dinner (393 calories, 40/39/8)
- 1 chicken teriyaki
- 1/2 cup rice
- 1 cup of almond milk
Total calories: 1492 calories, 142/145/40
Saturday
Breakfast (377 calories, 33/45/5)
- 1 egg
- 2 slices of bread
- 1 banana
Lunch (380 calories, 50/27/8)
- 1 chicken salad
- 1 cup of strawberries
Snack (253 calories, June 29/25)
- 3 cups of popcorn
- 1 cup of almond milk
- 1 scoop of protein
Dinner (509 calories, 39/49/36)
- 1 Pizza
- 1 cup greek yogurt
- 1 apple
Total calories: 1519 calories, 151/146/36
Sunday
Breakfast (443 calories, 39/44/12)
- 1 low-fat pancake
- 1 egg
- 1 cup blueberries
Lunch (409 calories, 31/42/14)
- 1 turkey salad with cheese
- 1 cup of strawberries
Snack (250 calories, 43/16/2)
- 2/3 cup greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon pudding and protein powder
Dinner (395 calories, 27/40/14)
- Stir-fried beef tenderloin with broccoli
- 1/2 cup rice
- 1/2 cup pineapple
Total calories: 1497 calories, 140/142/42
See more: Macro Diet Recipes That Taste Yummy
Alternative Macro Ratios
Many people love to include more fat in their diet, then it is very important to learn about Macro-Replacement Ratio. You can replace according to the following ratio that has also been applied and succeeded by many people (P% / C% / F%):
- 35/35/30
- 30/50/20
- 37.5/37.5/25
The most important thing and you must do it right with those rates, you will get the desired success. If the body does not provide enough protein, it will lead to a condition that affects the physique as well as the diet, so it is necessary to pay more attention to this ingredient. At least 0.8 grams of protein per pound of body weight is the gold standard for protein selection that you can base your calculations on. In fact, people prefer a ratio of 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight, so you can eat this as well.
The 40 40 20 meal plan provides a nutritious diet so that your body can be healthy but still ensure effective weight loss. Just follow the principles in Macro surely after a while you will get extremely great results.
Related: Get in the Zone with a 40 30 30 macros meal plan
Implementing a 40 40 20 meal plan is not difficult. The detailed sample plan above will become an excellent suggestion to help you easily lose weight and improve your health. 40/40/20 macros will definitely support you both physically and physically. Consistently following the plan and exercising will help you have better health and energy.
Don’t forget to find out more Diet plans and Recipes on Kerriannjennings.com
References Links:
1. https://healthbeet.org/1500-calorie-macro-meal-plan/
2. https://www.leanwithstyle.com/40-40-20-diet/
