Best Macros for Maintaining Weight - A Female-Specific Guide

There’s losing weight, gaining weight, and then there’s maintaining weight. These are all three drastically different from each other. What approach works for one won’t work for another without considering individual factors. But what’s universally true among these weight goals is the importance of balancing protein, fats, and carbohydrates to support your metabolism, hormones, and energy.

This guide breaks down how to personalize macronutrient ratios using science-backed strategies, helping you sustain weight without depriving yourself.

How to Calculate Your Ideal Macros for Maintenance

Calculating macros starts with understanding your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). This is the baseline of how many calories your body needs to maintain its weight. From there, you’ll distribute protein, fats, and carbs based on activity, age, and metabolic health.

For example, you might thrive on higher carbohydrate intake because of your active lifestyle, but if you have a naturally slower metabolism, your body might benefit more from higher protein intake to preserve muscle mass so you can stay full longer. Tracking tools like food diaries, journals, and apps can help, but intuitive eating also works for you. There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to this part, so feel free to try everything out until you find one that works best for you.

Using the TDEE Formula to Determine Daily Caloric Needs

Your TDEE combines basal metabolic rate (calories burned at rest) and activity level. To estimate it, multiply your BMR by an activity factor—1.2 for sedentary, 1.55 for moderately active, or 1.9 for athletes.

Let’s say you’re 45 and you weigh 150 pounds. Your BMR will be around 1,400 calories. If you exercise three times a week, your TDE will be roughly 1,400 x 1.55 = 2,170 calories. You need to eat at this level to maintain your weight.

For calculations, you can either use apps or manual formulas like the Mifflin-St Jeor. Either works, but you must always reassess your TDEE every few months.

Adjusting Macros Based on Activity Level and Age

As we’ve previously mentioned, higher activity levels mean that you need to eat more carbohydrates to replenish your glycogen stores. An ideal split for you would be 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 30% fats. But if you aren’t as active as you’d like, you can increase your protein intake to 35% to combat muscle loss and fats to 35% for better satiety while lowering your carbohydrates to 30%.

Your monthly hormonal fluctuations also matter, as do your perimenopausal and menopausal years. Declining estrogen, in particular, can drastically slow down your metabolism. This makes increased protein intake all that much more important for older women.

Studies have shown that adjusting your protein intake to 1.2 to 1.6 grams of `protein per kilogram of body weight daily is better for preserving lean muscle mass.

Tracking Macros vs. Intuitive Eating for Weight Stability

Tracking and precision go hand-in-hand. You need to track if you’re new or have a specific goal. Otherwise, you’ll take longer than you should to achieve your goals, such as when not eating enough protein for muscle repair and recovery. However, you should also make room for flexibility. Strict tracking can feel restrictive, leading to burnout.

Instead, work towards adopting a hybrid approach. This involves loosely tracking protein while letting carbohydrates and fats fluctuate. As long as you practice mindful eating and do what’s best for your lifestyle and psychological comfort, you’re more likely to succeed.

Remember, there’s no right or wrong way here. A busy mom might prefer intuitive eating, while a competitive athlete might prefer exact tracking for better performance.

Understanding Macronutrients for Weight Maintenance

Macronutrients work together. Not a single macronutrient is more important than the other. You need protein to repair muscles and keep your hunger in check. You also need healthy fats to support cell function and hormone production. Finally, you need carbohydrates to fuel your day-to-day activities. The right mix will depend on how your body responds to each.

Protein: The Key to Muscle Maintenance and Satiety

Your protein needs increase with age and activity. Hormonal changes in your later years make it extremely important to add lean meat and plant-based protein sources to your diet to retain lean muscle mass, as shown by this study.

Healthy Fats for Hormonal Balance and Energy

Fats are unfairly vilified for weight gain. But did you know that your fat intake (or lack thereof) might be why your hormones are almost always all over the place? You need fat to absorb vitamins, minerals, and nutrients and to produce hormones like estrogen. But you can’t just eat any fat and call it a day. Monounsaturated fats like avocado, polyunsaturated fats like chia seeds, and omega-3s from walnuts or salmon are all ideal and healthy sources with proven benefits.

25-35% of your total daily calories should comprise fats to keep your hormonal health in its best shape.

Carbohydrates: Finding the Right Amount for Your Body

Unless you’re on a keto diet, carbohydrates are the main fuel source of your brain and body, but quality matters. Choose fiber-rich options like quinoa or berries over refined grains, especially if you’re highly active. It isn’t unusual for active women to consume 45-55% of calories from carbohydrates, adding complex carbohydrate sources before and after working out, which is scientifically proven to yield performance benefits.

Best Foods to Include for a Balanced Macro Ratio

Building meals around nutrient-dense, affordable foods helps maintain macronutrient balance without overspending. The secret is stocking up on versatile ingredients you can stretch across multiple meals. For example, you can prepare a batch of lentils as chili, salad toppers, or as soup. Seasonal produce and frozen vegetables like spinach or broccoli also come at a lower cost without a nutritional trade-off. Canned fish, eggs, and bulk-bin items like oats or beans offer high nutritional value per dollar.

You don’t need to spend a lot to balance macros. You just need to be smart with your grocery list and learn how to make do with what’s available.

Lean Proteins for Satiety and Muscle Support

Protein-rich foods don’t have to break the bank. Canned tuna (25g protein per 5-oz can) costs less than fresh fish and pairs well with whole-grain crackers. Eggs provide 6g of protein each, and you can scramble them with frozen peppers for a quick breakfast. Chicken thighs, often cheaper than breasts, deliver 13g protein per 3-oz cooked serving. Plant-based options like lentils (18g protein per cooked cup) or black beans (15g protein per cup) add fiber and iron.

If you’re 150 pounds and your goal is to eat 120 grams of protein a day, two eggs, a chicken thigh, and a lentil stir-fry would cover over half of your daily needs.

Healthy Fats from Nuts, Seeds, and Avocados

Healthy fats can come from a variety of sources. Sunflower seeds, for example, contain 14 grams per ounce. You can even buy olive oil in larger bottles and use it exclusively for cooking. Flaxseeds and chia seeds supply omega-3s, and you can ground both into oatmeal. It’s a toss-up for salad additions between avocados and canned olives, although the latter is much more affordable and less prone to seasonal pricing changes.

An example of a 60-70 grams of fat daily meal might include two tablespoons of peanut butter, a handful of sunflower seeds, and a drizzle of olive oil roasted veggies.

Complex Carbohydrates for Sustained Energy

Oats (27g carbs per ½ cup dry) are a cost-effective breakfast base. Brown rice (45g carbs per cooked cup) pairs well with stir-fries, while canned pumpkin (12g carbs per ½ cup) adds fiber to smoothies. Frozen berries offer antioxidants at half the cost of fresh.

If you’re targeting 180 grams of carbohydrates a day, a morning oatmeal bowl, lunchtime rice bowl, and a roasted sweet potato at dinner is more than enough. Don’t fall for trendy “superfoods.” Keep things simple.

The best sources of carbohydrates are still the proven ones: potatoes, bananas, and whole-wheat bread and paste.

Common Mistakes Women Make with Macros

Many make the mistake of adopting rigid diets without considering their unique physiology. Hormonal fluctuations and metabolic shifts both impact macronutrient needs. For example, cutting too much fat from your diet can affect your hormone levels, making perimenopausal symptoms worse. On the other hand, if you eat too much carbohydrates without the associated activity required to sustain such levels, you’ll experience energy crashes and weight gain.

Also, don’t ignore your age. Your needs at 20, 30, and 40 are different. You should follow macronutrient guidelines based on your age.

Finally, don’t skip entire food groups unless you have a sound reason. Studies show that unnecessary diet restrictions are just as harmful as excessive eating. The reason? Certain nutrients are only available in specific food groups. If you skip them entirely, you’re creating a nutrient gap.

We recommend adjusting your ratios and diet based on menstrual cycle phases, stress levels, and workout intensity.

Underestimating Protein Needs

We can’t emphasize enough just how important protein is for your body. Unfortunately, it’s a common problem for many women to underestimate their protein needs. Because they’re afraid of building too much muscle or don’t think it necessary, many women lose more muscle than they should in their later years. This is all preventable with appropriate amounts of protein intake.

Studies suggest older women benefit from higher protein intake to maintain lean mass and stave off muscle loss. Further research shows that menopausal women on higher protein diets retain more muscle mass than those who didn’t make similar adjustments to their diets.

But we don’t have to just explain it to you. Try tracking your intake for a week to see for yourself. You’ll realize just how much less protein you’re eating than you should.

Fear of Healthy Fats and Its Impact on Hormones

Contrary to popular belief, hormones like estrogen and progesterone rely on dietary fats for synthesis, and deficiencies can trigger irregular cycles or mood swings.

Fear of weight gain from fats is misguided. Their satiating effect often reduces overall calorie intake. For example, adding a tablespoon of olive oil to roasted veggies slows digestion and stabilizes blood sugar. Avoid low-fat processed snacks, which replace fats with sugar, spiking cravings.

Overeating or Undereating Carbs Based on Trends

Carbohydrate intake is a polarizing discussion, with many swinging between extremes like keto or high-carbohydrate diet plans. Both approaches work, but it all depends on what fits your lifestyle.

For example, limiting your carbohydrate intake leaves you vulnerable to severe deficiencies if you're preparing to run a marathon or an active marathoner. Your body needs carbohydrates to fuel your long runs. But at the same time, if a 60-year-old with prediabetes ate just as much carbohydrates, they risk blood sugar spikes and other related health complications.

Match the carb quality and quantity with health and activity to avoid overeating or undereating carbohydrates. You can also try carbohydrate cycling, when you base your carbohydrate intake on exercise and rest days.

Sample Meal Plan for Weight Maintenance with Macros

This 2,000-calorie plan suits a 150-pound woman with moderate activity (40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat):

• Breakfast: Greek yogurt (1 cup) with ½ cup blueberries, 1 tbsp chia seeds, and ¼ cup granola (Carbs: 45g, Protein: 20g, Fat: 10g). Provides probiotics and omega-3s to kickstart digestion.
• Snack: Hard-boiled eggs (2) with ½ cup cucumber slices (Carbs: 4g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 10g). A quick protein boost without spiking insulin.
• Lunch: Grilled chicken (4 oz) over 2 cups mixed greens, ½ cup quinoa, ¼ avocado, and 1 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette (Carbs: 35g, Protein: 30g, Fat: 18g). Combines complex carbs and monounsaturated fats for sustained energy.
• Snack: 1 small apple with 1 tbsp peanut butter (Carbs: 20g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 8g). Balances simple carbs with fats to curb afternoon cravings.
• Dinner: Baked cod (6 oz) with 1 cup roasted broccoli and ½ cup mashed sweet potato (Carbs: 30g, Protein: 35g, Fat: 12g). Omega-3s from fish support hormonal health, while sweet potatoes replenish glycogen.

Recap of Best Macros for Maintaining Weight

Always personalize your macronutrient ratios. Your macronutrient ratios are different from everyone else. Even if you’re looking to maintain a similar weight with a close friend, your different body compositions and fitness levels, among other factors, mean that what works best for you is only for you and you alone.

Do regular self-checks, avoid dogmatic diets, and use tools like weekly meal preps and macro-tracking apps to stay adaptable.

The more you make your diet adjust to your lifestyle, the more likely you are able to maintain your weight and life a healthier life.

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