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From 1 episode and 4 videos

Can I just copy someone else's macros or meal plan?

Answered by Nikkiey Stott and her guests · Updated

The short answer

No. Nikkiey explains that another woman's macros or meal plan were built for her metabolism, muscle mass, hormones, activity level, stress, sleep and history, not yours. You need your own numbers, based on your age, weight, muscle mass, activity level and goals, and those numbers should be adjusted as your body changes.

Hear Nikkiey answer it

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  1. Nikkiey on why an influencer's meal plan was never built for your body

    Plays from 7:40 · Video: Why Fitness Content Fails Women Over 40: 5 Lies

  2. Why no two women should share macro numbers, and who should set yours

    Plays from 7:06 · Ep. 67: How to Build Muscle and Lose Fat During Menopause

  3. Why a woman over 50 can't run a 30-year-old's numbers

    Plays from 4:40 · Video: How to Personalize Macros and Workouts to Get Toned

  4. How to start building your own macros, beginning with protein

    Plays from 3:08 · Video: Menopause Belly Fat Meal Plan: A High-Protein Day of Eating

  5. Why her dinners only work once you know your own macro numbers

    Plays from 9:51 · Video: Quick High-Protein Dinners to Hit Your Macros After 40

The full answer

Nikkiey's example: a meal plan built for a 28-year-old influencer with 15 years of training behind her has nothing to do with a 53-year-old woman in perimenopause or postmenopause who started lifting six weeks ago. When the copied plan doesn't work, most women blame their discipline. Nikkiey's answer is that your body isn't broken. The plan was never built for it. She did this herself for years, stitching together keto, a metabolic program and bits of other diets. In her words, she had every piece of the puzzle, but they were all from different puzzles.

Age and goals change the math too. In her video on personalizing macros, Nikkiey says a woman over 50 doesn't burn as many daily calories as a 30-year-old, and her body's processes are different. That's why borrowing a friend's plan often works for about two weeks and then stalls. Your goal matters as well. Losing body fat calls for a different plan than holding your weight steady while you build muscle.

What she recommends instead:

  • On Ep. 67, Nikkiey says no one should have the same macronutrient numbers as someone else. She suggests working with a professional to set your starting numbers and adjust them along the way. That episode also shares the split WarriorBabe uses for women in menopause: 35% protein, 27% carbs, 38% fat. It's a ratio, not a set of numbers to copy, because your actual grams still depend on your body.
  • In her high-protein meal plan video, she suggests starting with about 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. You then fill in carbs and fats based on how active you are and how your body responds, using a macro calculator or, better, a coach.
  • Her own dinners are good ideas, but they only work once you know your own numbers. The macros you start with won't be the ones you end with.

From Nikkiey Stott and WarriorBabe's coaching. For education, not medical advice: talk to your doctor about your own health.

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