Based on the 40 40 20 macros, following the diet involves consuming 40% of your daily caloric intake from carbohydrates, 40% of your daily caloric intake from protein, and 20% of your daily caloric intake from fat.
If you’ve ever heard of the Zone diet or have time with anyone steeped in the world of bodybuilding, you’re probably heard the term “macronutrient ratios” tossed around.
Macronutrients refer to the three primary classes of nutrients—carbohydrates, proteins, and fats—while micronutrients, for comparison, refer to vitamins and minerals.
Macronutrient ratio diets dictate that a specific proportion of the diet should be dedicated to each of the three macronutrients. Depending on the particular macronutrient ratio diet, the relative percentage of the calories you consume from carbohydrates, proteins, and fats can vary widely, but the total will always sum to 100%.
The 40 40 20 diet, also written as the 40/40/20 diet, is one such macronutrient ratio diet. Some believe that the 40 40 20 diet is an effective means to lose weight and improve body composition.
In this guide, we will discuss the pros and cons of the 40/40/20, how to follow the 40/40/20 macros, and a sample 40 40 20 diet meal plan.
We will cover:
What Is the 40 40 20 Diet?
How to Do the 40 40 20 Diet
Pros and Cons of the 40 40 20 Diet
Is the 40 40 20 Diet Good for Weight Loss?
Is the 40 40 20 Diet Good for Muscle Building?
Sample 40 40 20 Meal Plan
Let’s jump in!
What Is the 40 40 20 Diet?
The 40/40/20 diet is a dietary eating pattern that can be used to promote weight loss, weight maintenance, or body composition changes like gaining lean muscle mass.
As a macronutrient ratio diet, the 40/40/20 diet involves partitioning your daily caloric intake into the three macronutrients as follows:
40% of your daily caloric intake from carbohydrates
40% of your daily caloric intake from protein
20% of your daily caloric intake from fat
The 40/40/20 diet is popular among bodybuilders trying to build muscle mass, because it provides more muscle-building protein than most macronutrient ratio diets while still having enough carbohydrates to fuel vigorous exercise.
How to Do the 40 40 20 Diet
Based on the 40 40 20 macros, following the diet involves consuming 40% of your daily caloric intake from carbohydrates, 40% of your daily caloric intake from protein, and 20% of your daily caloric intake from fat.
Therefore, to determine the number of grams of each macronutrient you would need to eat, you would multiply your daily caloric intake by 0.4 for carbohydrates and proteins and 0.2 for fat to calculate the number of calories for each macronutrient.
Then, divide the number of calories allotted to carbohydrates and protein by 4 because there are 4 calories per gram of carbohydrates or protein and divide the number of calories you should eat from fat by 9 because there are 9 calories per gram of fat.
This is much easier to understand through an example.
Let’s say you want to consume 2000 calories per day for your weight goals, you would partition your calories as follows:
Carbohydrates: 2000 calories per day x 0.4 = 800 calories per day from carbohydrates
Protein: 2000 calories per day x 0.4 = 800 calories per day from protein
Fat: 2000 calories per day x 0.2 = 400 calories per day from carbohydrates
Then, to calculate grams of each macronutrient:
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Carbohydrates: 800 calories per day from carbohydrates / 4 calories per gram of carbohydrates = 200 grams of carbohydrates per day
Protein: 800 calories per day from protein / 4 calories per gram of protein = 200 grams of protein per day
Fat: 400 calories per day from fat / 9 calories per gram of fat = 44 grams of fat per day
Thus, the macronutrient breakdown would be 200 grams of carbohydrates, 200 grams of protein, and 44 grams of fat per day.
There are no specific foods to eat or avoid on the 40/40/20 diet as stipulated by the diet, giving dieters complete freedom to make their food choices as they wish as long as the macronutrient breakdown fits without the 40 40 20 diet construct.
With that said, your weight loss results, body composition changes and muscle building, as well as your overall health, will largely depend on the quality of the foods you eat as well as the total daily caloric intake you choose to consume.
In other words, you can follow the 40/40/20 diet by consuming the right macronutrient ratios, but if you are trying to lose weight but are eating 3,000 calories per day and you only need 1,800, the diet will not work.
Similarly, even if you are consuming the right number of calories and partitioning them appropriately, if your carbohydrates are coming from processed toaster pastries and sugary boxed cereals, your protein from salami, hot dogs, and sausage links, and your fat intake from fried oils, your nutrient density will be poor and your health and body composition will suffer.
Pros and Cons of the 40 40 20 Diet
There are several benefits of the 40/40/20 diet but also some potential drawbacks.
Benefits of the 40/40/20 diet include:
#1: Flexibility
The 40 40 20 diet is a very flexible approach to eating since dieters can choose any foods they want to eat as long as the overall daily macronutrient ratio and calorie limits are precise.
#2: Satiety
Protein is a very satiating nutrient, and this is a high-protein diet.
As long as the quality of the protein you are consuming is good and you’re spreading out your protein intake throughout the day, the 40/40/20 diet has the potential to help control appetite.
#3: Supports Athletic Performance
The macronutrient ratio in the 40/40/20 diet can support athletic performance because it has a lot of muscle-reparative protein to promote muscle protein synthesis and carbohydrates to fuel intense exercise and replace glycogen stores after heavy resistance training or endurance workouts.
Drawbacks of the 40/40/20 diet include the following:
#1: No Specifications for Diet Quality
As mentioned, there aren’t guidelines as to what types of foods you should eat for each macronutrient, so it’s possible to follow the 40/40/20 diet while eating a diet that is not nutritious.
Food quality matters as much as food quantity.
#2: Low Fat
Some people argue that 20% of the daily calories from fat is really on the cusp or below the level of what it should be for health.
Fats are necessary for cell membranes, the health of your skin and hair, and hormone production.
Is the 40 40 20 Diet Good for Weight Loss?
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As long as you’re consuming the appropriate number of calories for your weight loss goals, the 40/40/20 diet can be a great way to lose weight.
It is high in protein, helping you stay full, and the fact that you have to keep track of the number of grams of each macronutrient you are consuming helps you stay mindful of what you are eating and how much you are eating.
Keep in mind that you need to be in a caloric deficit to lose weight.
You will lose one pound of body fat for every 3,500-calorie deficit you generate (eating fewer calories than you burn).
If you want to lose one pound of fat per week, you will want to consume 500 fewer calories per day than you burn.
Is the 40 40 20 Diet Good for Muscle Building?
The 40/40/20 diet is a popular dietary approach for strength athletes and bodybuilders because of the high protein content and modest carbohydrate intake.
In most cases, the 40 40 20 diet provides more than enough protein.
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that athletes consume at least 1.2–2.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.
Let’s look at an example of a male athlete weighing 190 pounds (86 kg).
We can estimate the daily caloric needs with an online calculator.
If our subject is 5’10” (70 inches) tall and is 30 years old, his estimated daily caloric intake is 3,290 calories.
If we apply the 40 40 20 diet macronutrient ratio for protein to his energy requirements, we get the following:
Protein = 3290 x 0.4 = 1316 calories per day
1316 calories / 4 calories per gram = 329 grams of protein
Now, we divide the grams of protein by his weight in kilograms:
329 grams / 86 kg = 3.8 grams per kg
This is well above the recommended levels, so it is certainly adequate for muscle building.
It may even be too much, but we aren’t sure if our hypothetical subject is actually consuming the entirety of his estimated daily caloric needs (3290 calories) or if he’s in a deficit to lose weight.
He would be able to maintain a moderate caloric deficit for weight loss while still getting enough protein.
Sample 40 40 20 Meal Plan
Here is an example of a 40/40/20 meals plan for a day for someone eating 2000 calories per day:
Breakfast: 3 eggs, 1/2 cup of oatmeal, 1/2 cup blueberries
Snack: 8 ounces of cottage cheese and a peach
Lunch: Whole-grain tortilla and 6 ounces of chicken breast, arugula salad, apple
Snack: 1 cup low-fat Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup oats, 1 tablespoon of peanut butter
Dinner: 6 ounces of turkey breast, 1 ear of corn on the cob, baked sweet potato, wilted spinach with slivered almonds
Snack: Protein pudding
If you’re looking to alter your body composition, consider the 40 40 20 diet. Just make sure to eat the appropriate number of calories and make nutritious food selections.
For other diet options, check out our other nutrition guides for runners.
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