How to Find Your Maintenance Macros: A Woman's Guide to Lasting Results

Macronutrients—protein, carbohydrates, and fats—are the foundation of energy, metabolism, and hormone balance. As you age, your macronutrient needs change. Your protein preserves and muscle mass start to decline at 40, while your body starts needing more carbohydrates for daily activities. Fats, often misunderstood, become more important for cellular health and hormonal balance.

Striking the right macronutrient balance helps you maintain weight, avoid energy crashes, and stabilize your hormones during certain times of the month or when you’re going through perimenopause and menopause.

Your life will change for the better if you adjust your ratios to match changing metabolisms, activity levels, and health goals.

Below, we’ll explain how you can adjust your macronutrient ratios for lifelong vitality.

Best Macro Ratios for Maintenance for Women

There’s no universal macronutrient ratio. It’s different for everybody. In fact, what worked for you before won’t work for you right now. Your body responds differently based on numerous factors, including your muscle mass, hormonal fluctuations, and lifestyle. But a balance starting point prioritizes higher protein intake, which, according to studies, is good for women of all ages.

Standard Macro Breakdown for Maintenance

A common maintenance ratio is 30% protein, 40% carbohydrates, and 30% fats. For a 1,800-calorie diet, this translates to 135g of protein, 180g of carbs, and 60g of fats.

Protein sources like lentils, Greek yogurt, or tempeh help meet higher needs as your metabolism slows in your later years. Emphasize fiber-rich options for your carbohydrates, like quinoa or berries, to stabilize blood sugar. Finally, eat healthy fats from avocado, almonds, or olive oil to aid hormone synthesis.

Research suggests higher protein intake (up to 35%) may benefit women over 40 by counteracting muscle loss linked to aging.

Adjusting Macros Based on Activity Level

Higher levels of activity require more carbohydrates for sustenance. If you frequently go on 45-minute runs or strength training, you’ll want to eat more carbohydrates, bumping your daily macronutrient ratio to 45% while lowering your fat intake. You can add more carbohydrates before and after working out, eating meals like sweet potatoes or brown rice with grilled chicken.

On your rest days, adjust your meals accordingly. You won’t need as much since you aren’t expending as much energy.

Just don’t forget to listen to your body. If you feel tired or irritable, that’s a sign that you aren’t getting enough carbohydrates or nutrients.

How Age, Metabolism, and Fitness Goals Affect Macro Needs

Menopause often slows metabolic rate by 5-10% due to declining estrogen. To combat this, your body needs more protein. Aim for 1.2-1.6g per kilogram of body weight, increasing your protein intake based on your priorities.

If you have insulin resistance, you’ll want to eat more fats (35%) and less carbohydrates (30%), focusing on non-starchy vegetables and heart-healthy omega-3-rich fatty acid sources like chia seeds.

What’s important is that you pair these adjustments with activity, preferably strength training, which amplifies the protein’s muscle-preserving effects.

How to Calculate Your Maintenance Macros

Calculating macros starts with understanding your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). This number reflects calories burned through basic bodily functions, daily movement, and exercise.

Determining Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)

Multiply your basal metabolic rate (BMR) by an activity factor using the science-backed Mifflin-St Jeor equation for BMR: (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) – (5 × age) – 161.161. For moderate activity (3-5 workouts/week), multiply BMR by 1.55.

So, for example, if you’re 45 years old, weigh 68 kilograms, and 165 cm tall, you would have a BMR of 1,345 calories, and your TDEE is roughly ~2,085 calories if you’re moderately active.

Setting Your Protein, Carb, and Fat Intake

Protein should be your priority. Returning to our earlier example, at 1.4g per kilogram, you’d need 95 grams of protein every day. Allocate the rest to carbohydrates and fats based on your preference.

If you’re following a 40/30/30 split, your carbohydrate intake would fall under 209 grams, while your fat intake should be somewhere around 70 grams. But this is more of a guide than a rule. You’ll want to tweak your ratios and intake every wee,k depending on how you’re feeling.

For better accuracy, use a food scale. You’ll learn to eyeball portions eventually.

Sample Maintenance Meal Plan for Women

Consistency matters most. Maintaining the right macronutrient ratio means sticking to your diet every day. But this doesn’t mean that you don’t make room for mistakes. You’ll overeat or undereat every now and then, and that’s okay. But what’s important is that you remember to focus on eating whole, nutritious foods with minimal processing. Afterward, you can rotate ingredients to keep meals exciting and prevent boredom.

Breakfast: Protein, Healthy Fats, and Fiber

Omelet with 2 eggs, 1/4 cup spinach, 1/4 cup mushrooms, 1 slice whole-grain toast with 1 tsp butter, 1 cup blueberries. Approx. 17g protein, 36g carbs, 14.5g fat.

Lunch: Balanced Carbs and Lean Protein

6 oz grilled chicken breast, 1 cup cooked quinoa, 1 cup steamed broccoli. Approx. 50g protein, 45g carbs, 7g fat.

Dinner: Nutrient-Dense and Satisfying

6 oz salmon, 1 medium baked sweet potato, 1 cup green beans. Approx. 36g protein, 30g carbs, 18g fat.

Snacks: Smart Choices for Energy and Satiety

6 oz Greek yogurt with 1/4 cup granola, carrots with hummus. Approx. 20g protein, 26g carbs, 5g fat.

Meal Prep Tips for Staying on Track with Your Macros

Planning meals in advance prevents impulsive choices, which is one of the many reasons why you’ll end up eating more than you should. You don’t want to have to settle for fast food just because you don’t have a meal prepared for when you’re hungry, or worse, skipping a meal even when you want to eat because you don’t feel like whipping something up.

Dedicate two hours every Sunday to preparing your proteins, chopping vegetables, and portioning snacks. Use clear, glass containers for better visibility, and when you’re eating, a quick visual guide is to fill half your plate with vegetables, a quarter with protein, and the rest with carbohydrates and fats.

How to Plan Balanced Meals in Advance

Learn what type of food you can batch cook and what’s best prepared fresh. For example, proteins like shredded chicken, cod, and lentils, are easy to prepare ahead of time. The same goes for sweet potatoes, beets, and zucchini. You can also pre-portion nuts or cheese into single-serving containers for snacks.

For busy days, keep frozen shrimp and pre-washed greens on hand—they cook in minutes and pair with any grain.

Best Protein, Carb, and Fat Sources for Maintenance

Don’t stick to one protein source. Keeping it diverse is better for your health, minimizing the risk of nutritional deficiencies, according to this study. So keep a bunch of proteins handy, like sardines, turkey, lentils, and hemp seeds. As for carbohydrates, you’ve got an embarrassment of choices, including oats, parsnips, and black beans. Finally, for healthy fats, nuts and seeds like walnuts, flaxseeds, and avocado oil are great. Flaxseeds, in particular, contain lignans, which mimic estrogen and may help balance hormones during menopause, as found by researchers.

Meal Timing Strategies for Energy and Recovery

Jumpstart your metabolism by eating protein within an hour of waking up. Then, before working out, get a banana or rice cake. These easily digestible carbohydrate sources can serve as fuel, allowing you to perform better and get more out of each session. Finally, grab a quick bite of a turkey wrap or Greek yogurt with berries post-workout so your muscles can rebuild and recover properly.

Proper meal timing might also help you manage blood sugar dips and energy crashes, which can become more common in your later years.

Common Mistakes Women Make When Tracking Macros

Feeling overwhelmed? That’s natural. Tracking macronutrients isn’t exactly beginner-friendly. Between balancing work with life, hormonal shifts, and sudden weight gain, the last thing you want to worry about is getting enough carbohydrates, protein, and fats in your daily meals. But it’s a necessary hassle if you want to live a healthier, longer life.

Knowing these common mistakes that can sabotage your progress can help you make this approach to nutrition more sustainable.

Not Eating Enough Protein for Muscle Maintenance

Maintain lean muscle tissue by aiming for 20 to 30 grams of protein per meal. Otherwise, you risk muscle wasting, slower recovery times, and unstable blood sugar levels. Although this figure might sound like a lot, there are ways to add more protein to your meals without making them feel like too much for you to handle.

For example, choosing a salad with grilled shrimp instead of a carb-heavy pasta dish adds 25g of protein. Also plant-based options like chickpeas or hemp seeds exist as well. You don’t need to rely on protein bars or whey protein either. They help a lot, but eggs and cottage cheese offer better nutrient density and are just as convenient.

Over-Restricting Carbs and Slowing Metabolism

Carbohydrates are not the enemy. They never were and never will be. Changing your view of carbohydrates is the first step towards eating right. If you don’t, you might end up severely limiting your carbohydrate intake, resulting in disrupted thyroid functionality and increased cortisol levels, leading to fatigue and weight plateaus.

Cutting carbohydrates below the recommended levels isn’t good either. You’re more prone to brain fog and irritability when you don’t eat enough carbohydrates, especially during your perimenopause and menopausal years. Instead of eliminating carbohydrates, you should switch sources and eat complex carbohydrates, pairing them with protein and fat.

According to this study, regular and healthy carbohydrate intake supports thyroid health and metabolic rate.

Ignoring Fats and Their Importance for Hormonal Health

Fats, like carbohydrates, are often vilified, but your body actually needs them. Your hormones, like estrogen and progesterone, rely on healthy fats for synthesis. Ultra-low-fat diets, which are unfortunately quite common, can make menopause symptoms worse, including hot flashes and mood swings.

Aside from this, avoiding fats often leads to you compensating somewhere else, like carbohydrates, resulting in blood sugar spikes. On the other hand, research links adequate fat intake to improved cognitive function and hormone balance.

So, eat fat. Just make sure that it’s the right kind. When choosing fat sources, prioritize monounsaturated and omega-3 fats like salmon, walnuts, and avocado.

Final Thoughts on Finding the Right Macro Ratio for Maintenance

Finding your ideal macro ratio is dynamic, not static. As hormones, activity, and metabolism shift, your needs will, too. Start with the standard 30/40/30 split, then adjust based on energy levels, workout performance, and how clothes fit. Remember that this isn’t about getting things right the first time or every time but more about what works best for you at a particular moment in your life.

Experiment with macro ratios, choose high-quality food sources, listen to your body, and work with a nutritionist.

In time, you’ll arrive at the right macro balance that lets you thrive through every life stage.

‍

‍