If you enter your body weight, height, age, sex, and activity level, the generator calculates your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation for Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), multiplied by an activity factor (sedentary ×1.2, lightly active ×1.375, moderately active ×1.55, very active ×1.725). Your fitness goal then adjusts this: muscle gain adds 250–400 kcal, fat loss subtracts 300–500 kcal. The resulting target is used to filter meals by calorie density and portion size. You can override the calculated target manually if you prefer to use a value from your own tracking experience.

Macro values are calculated from standard nutritional databases (USDA FoodData Central and European Food Information Resource EUROFIR) for the listed ingredient quantities. They represent cooked weight where applicable (e.g., chicken breast cooked values, not raw). Actual values will vary slightly depending on cooking method, brand, and preparation. For tracking purposes, the generator's values are accurate to within approximately ±5–10% — sufficient for flexible dieting and macro tracking without a food scale. If you are tracking very precisely for competition or clinical reasons, weigh all ingredients raw and use a dedicated tracking app (MyFitnessPal, Cronometer) for exact values.

Yes. The "Custom Recipes" tab in the generator allows you to add your own meals. Enter the meal name, ingredients with quantities, and the generator calculates macros automatically from the ingredient database. Custom meals are saved to local browser storage and appear alongside the built-in recipes in the generator and daily plan builder. Custom recipes can be tagged with your dietary filters (vegan, gluten-free, etc.) so they appear correctly in filtered views. Note: custom recipes are stored in your browser only — they are not synced across devices. Use the "Export recipes" button to download a JSON file you can import on another device.

Current sports nutrition consensus (ISSN, ACSM 2024 position statements): 1.6–2.2 g of protein per kg of body weight per day is sufficient for muscle protein synthesis maximization in trained individuals. Going above 2.2 g/kg does not provide additional muscle-building benefit for most people, but is not harmful in healthy individuals. For older adults (50+), 1.8–2.4 g/kg is recommended to counter anabolic resistance. Protein timing matters less than total daily intake: distributing intake across 3–5 meals with 20–40g per meal optimizes muscle protein synthesis, but hitting the daily total is the primary goal. The "Protein Score" shown on each meal card reflects how much of your daily protein target that meal contributes.