Free tool
Macro Calculator for Women Over 40
Your calories, protein, carbs and fat in under a minute, worked out the way WarriorBabe coaches 21,800+ women over 40: start from maintenance, protein first, and never a crash diet.
Your daily macros
1,575 calories
- Protein
- 160g
- Carbs
- 110g
- Fat
- 55g
Aim for about 30 g of protein at each of 5 meals or snacks.
A gentle 15% below maintenance, never below what your body burns at rest. Big cuts backfire after 40: they cost muscle, energy and sleep.
Burned at rest: 1,347 · Maintenance: 1,850 calories a day
Get a coach to adjust these with youNumbers are a starting point. A coach changes them as your body answers.
How your numbers are worked out
- 1Calories start from your maintenance: what your body burns at rest (the Mifflin-St Jeor formula) times how active you are. Why
- 2To lose fat, a gentle 15% below maintenance and never below what you burn at rest. 1,200-calorie diets cost muscle and backfire. Why
- 3Protein is about 1 gram per pound of your goal weight, 1.2 if you strength train, and it stays the same through menopause. Why
- 4Spread it over meals of 25 to 30 grams or more, so it builds muscle and keeps you full. Why
- 5Fat is 30% of your calories and carbs are the rest. You don't have to cut carbs to lose fat: they're fuel. Why
- 6Coming off years of dieting? Eat more first: raise calories 50 to 150 a week until you reach maintenance. Why
For education, not medical advice. On a GLP-1 medication, pregnant, or managing a medical condition? Set your numbers with your doctor.
Questions women ask
How do I calculate my macros as a woman over 40?
Start with your maintenance calories (your resting burn times your activity), set protein at about 1 gram per pound of goal weight, put fat at around 30% of calories and give the rest to carbs. To lose fat, eat about 15% below maintenance, not a crash diet.
Should my macros change in menopause?
Your protein shouldn't go down. Nikkiey Stott, WarriorBabe's co-founder, explains that women need about 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight through menopause, because muscle gets harder to keep. Calories come from your size and activity, not from cutting harder.
How many calories should a woman over 40 eat to lose weight?
It depends on your size and activity, which is why this calculator starts from your maintenance. A gentle 15% below it, never below what your body burns at rest, protects muscle and energy. Very low diets like 1,200 calories usually backfire.
Do I need to eat less carbs after 40?
No. Carbs are fuel for your workouts and energy. Fat loss comes from your overall calories, not from cutting one macronutrient. This calculator keeps carbs as the rest of your calories after protein and fat.
How accurate is a macro calculator?
It's a starting point. Formulas estimate what an average body burns, and yours may run higher or lower. Track for two to three weeks, watch your weight trend, energy and hunger, then adjust. That's what a WarriorBabe coach does with you each week.
Go deeper
Metabolism, Eating More & Reverse Dieting
When should I stop dieting and eat at maintenance?
Nikkiey says it's time to move to maintenance when you've reached your goal, hit a plateau that won't budge for weeks, or your body starts pushing back. That means energy and gym performance drop, hunger is constant, mood or sleep suffer, or you're mentally burned out from dieting, often after months in a deficit.
Read the answer →
Building Muscle After 40
Can I build muscle in a calorie deficit?
Yes, you can build some muscle in a calorie deficit, especially if you're newer to strength training or have more fat to lose, but not as much as at maintenance or in a surplus. Nikkiey explains that a modest deficit, enough protein and a real lifting program work. Crash-level calories like 1,200 don't.
Read the answer →
Protein for Women
How much protein do women over 40 need?
Most guidance on The WarriorBabe Show lands at about 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day for women over 40, based on goal weight if you have a lot to lose. Nikkiey says strength-training women may need 1.2 or even 1.3. Some episodes and guests cite 0.7 grams as the floor.
Read the answer →