Out of a Macro for the Day? Here’s What to Eat

It’s 7:30 pm and you’re staring at the fridge, starving. You check your food logging app and see that you have 6 grams of carbs, 40 grams of protein, and 1 gram of fat left for the day. You’re gunning for those perfect macros and green thumbs up, but WHAT to eat?

Don’t worry, we’ve all been there! Some weeks you plan ahead and meal prep like a champ, and others you’re on the road, working late or the kids have sports. Life happens!

I’m here to help. It is possible to hit your macros no matter what numbers you’re facing.

Here are five easy, real-life tips for tackling those tricky “end of the day” macros!

1. Know your single-macro foods

When you’re facing unbalanced macros at the end of the day, it’s really helpful to familiarize yourself with single-macro foods, or foods that consist mainly of just one type of macro. Here’s a list to help:

Protein-Dominant Foods per 8 oz (227g) serving:

Boneless/skinless chicken breast	52 grams
Canned solid white albacore tuna	71 grams
Ahi tuna steak	56 grams
Lean turkey breast cold cuts (nitrate-free)	44.5 grams
Pork loin	47.5 grams
Lean ground turkey (99%)	54 grams
Egg whites	20 grams (5 eggs worth)
Whey Protein (depending on brand)	25 grams (per scoop)
Tilapia fillets	32 grams
Lean brisket	47 grams
Venison steak	67.5 grams
Beef jerky	120 grams
Turkey jerky	104 grams
Cod	40 grams
Lean ground grass-fed beef (96%)	48 grams
Salmon	48 grams
Canned chicken breast	30 grams
Lean bison	46 grams
Collagen Peptides	18 grams
Seitan	56 grams
The Plant Era protein powder	21 grams (per scoop)
Vegan protein powder (About Time brand)	24 grams (per scoop)
Tofu	27 grams
Tempeh	32 grams

Also, consider nuts (walnut, almonds, pecans) and pumpkin seeds – although they have a high amount of fat.

2. Fill in the largest remaining macro first, followed by the smaller macro targets.

The reason we want to start with your largest remaining macro is because even single-macro foods still may contain small amounts of other macros. Once you’ve taken care of your largest remaining macro, then tackle the next largest number.

For example if you have 30 grams of carbs and 10 grams of protein left, start by selecting a food from the carb list above. Next, move onto the protein list.

3. Choose a more macro-dense food for high numbers, and a less macro-dense food for low numbers.

To hit your carbs, would you rather eat three cucumbers or a small sweet potato? One banana or four rice cakes?

Macro “density” is the concentration of macros in a portion of food. Some foods (cucumber or rice cakes) have a low macro density, or less than about 5 grams of macros per serving. Other foods (like sweet potato or banana) have a high macro density, or more than 20 grams of macros per serving.

Most people who have 20 grams or more of a macro remaining should look for a macro-dense food because it’s more feasible to eat that quantity of food in a single meal. If you have less than 5-10 grams of a macro left to eat you may want to pick from the lower density list instead.

4. Embrace trial and error.

It may take a few attempts at tweaking the portion of your foods to find a quantity that works for your macros and that’s okay!

It may work best to combine several foods to hit your macros. Don’t feel like you have to find one single food that hits all three numbers perfectly on its own. Start with the biggest macro number and take it one food at a time.

It won’t take you long to find your favorite go-to foods for your “end of the day” macros. The trial and error is temporary, I promise!

5. Even if you’ve gone over on one or more macros, do your best to hit your remaining target.

I’d rather you go a little bit over on one macro than not hit another. For example, if you are already 4 grams over on fat but still need 30 grams of protein- drink that protein shake or eat that chicken breast, even if it has 1-2 grams of fat!