Eat Out Without Wrecking Your Macros
You don’t have to give up restaurants to hit your macros. You just need to know what to order.
Most “macro-friendly fast food” lists are useless. They list 12 options, none of them add up to a real day, and they all assume your day is exactly 2,000 calories. Yours probably isn’t.
This tool fixes that. Tell it your stats, your goal (lose fat, maintain, build muscle), how many meals you want, and which restaurants you actually go to. It builds you a sample day from real menu items at real chains — with calories and macros that actually work for you, not someone else’s body.
How this works
- It calculates your TDEE using the Mifflin-St Jeor formula — the most accurate one for the general population.
- It applies your goal — cut at 80% of TDEE, maintain at 100%, lean bulk at 110%. (We don’t do extreme deficits or massive surpluses. They don’t work.)
- It splits your calories across the meals you picked, with a slightly bigger lunch and dinner because that’s how most people actually eat.
- It picks real menu items from the chains you selected and combines them so each meal lands close to its target. Protein is weighted highest because protein is the macro most people miss.
Why we built it the way we did
At Train With Dave, we’ve coached thousands of people through fat loss, muscle building, and everything in between. The pattern is always the same: clients don’t fail because they don’t know macros. They fail because life happens — lunch meeting, kid’s practice, road trip — and they don’t have a plan for it.
This tool is for those moments. It’s not your everyday meal plan. It’s the “I’m at Chipotle and I have 700 calories left for the day” backstop.
Who this is for
- You count macros (or want to start) but don’t want to cook every meal.
- You travel for work and need to eat at airports / chains a few times a week.
- You’re social — lunches, family dinners, dates — and don’t want to skip the meal to stay on track.
- You’re overwhelmed by macro tracking apps and want a simpler starting point.
What this is NOT
- A meal plan you should eat every day. Real food, cooked at home, will always be the foundation.
- A weight-loss program. It’s a calculator, not coaching.
- An endorsement of fast food. It’s a tool for the days you’re going to eat there anyway.
Ready? Use the tool below.
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How accurate are these macro values?
Every number comes from the chain’s official nutrition disclosure (sourced links in our internal database, re-verified annually). They’re as accurate as the chains report — which is ±5-10% in real-world prep. Don’t treat any single meal as exact; treat the day as approximate. That’s how to track macros sustainably.
What if my favorite restaurant isn’t listed?
We start with the 12 highest-traffic chains for fitness-conscious eaters: Chipotle, Chick-fil-A, McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Starbucks, Subway, Panera, Sweetgreen, In-N-Out, Wendy’s, Five Guys, and Cava. We’ll add more based on what users actually search for. Email us if your spot should be on the list.
Why do you use a 35/35/30 protein/carb/fat split?
Because most people are under-eating protein. 35% protein hits the recommended 0.8-1g per pound of bodyweight for an average TDEE, supports training, and keeps you full. We’re not anti-carb or anti-fat — we just refuse to under-protein you. If you want a different split, that’s a coaching conversation.
Can I save my plan or share it?
Not yet. Right now the tool re-generates each time you load the page. Use the “Generate another option” button to see different combos, then screenshot whichever one you like. Saving + sharing is on our roadmap.
Should I actually eat fast food every day?
No. The cleanest, cheapest, most-controlled food is the food you cook. Use this tool for the 2-3 meals a week life forces you into a chain — not as a daily plan.
How is this different from MyFitnessPal or Cronometer?
Those track what you ate. This tool plans what to order. It’s for the moment before you’ve made the choice, not after.
Does the calorie target account for cardio / lifting on the same day?
Sort of. The activity level multiplier is the rough way exercise is folded in. If you train hard and have a big eating day, pick “Active” or “Very active.” If you have a sedentary day, pick “Sedentary.” You can re-run the tool any time you want a fresh target.
I’m vegetarian / vegan. Will this work?
Phase 1 of this tool is omnivore-default. We have plant-forward items (Chipotle Sofritas, Cava falafel, Sweetgreen build-your-own) but we don’t filter by diet yet. Coming in Phase 2.