Diet Builder Pro Documentation
Everything you need to plan your meals, set nutrition targets, and organize your week.
Getting Started
Diet Builder Pro helps you plan meals for every day of the week. Here’s how to get started in under 5 minutes:
- Calculate your TDEE — Open the TDEE Calculator and enter your details to get your daily calorie and macro targets.
- Choose your protein target — Pick from three protein levels: moderate, standard, or higher.
- Choose your diet type — Select All Foods, Vegetarian, or Vegan from the Diet filter.
- Set food preferences — Click the sliders icon to choose which foods Smart Fill uses for your meals.
- Smart Fill your day — Click “Smart Fill This Day” to auto-generate a meal plan based on your targets, diet mode, and food preferences.
- Review and adjust — Swap foods, change quantities, or add items to match your taste.
- Plan the week — Switch between Mon-Sun tabs or use “Smart Fill All Days” to fill the entire week.
- Download your plan — Export as a clean PDF with grocery list (single day or full week).
TDEE Calculator
The built-in TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) calculator estimates how many calories you burn per day based on your body stats and activity level.
How to use it
- Click “Calculate TDEE & Set Macros” to expand the calculator.
- Toggle between Metric (kg/cm) or Imperial (lb/in).
- Enter your gender, age, weight, and height.
- Body Fat % is optional. When provided, the calculator estimates your energy needs using your lean body mass. If you don’t know yours, use our Body Fat Calculator to estimate it.
- Select your daily activity level and exercise frequency. Hover over the ? icons for guidance on which option fits you best.
- Choose your goal: Maintain, Gentle Fat Loss, Fat Loss, Lean Bulk, or Bulk.
- Click CALCULATE.
Rest Day vs Training Day
If you exercise, the calculator shows a Rest Day / Training Day toggle. Training days are set approximately 7.5% above your daily target and rest days approximately 7.5% below, so you can plan different calorie targets for training and rest days.
Protein target
After calculating, three protein target options appear:
- 0.8 g/lb (1.8 g/kg) — Moderate protein setting
- 1.0 g/lb (2.2 g/kg) — Standard protein setting
- 1.2 g/lb (2.6 g/kg) — Higher protein setting
Choose the setting you want to use for your plan. Changing the protein target recalculates carbs and fat to hold your calorie total steady. Carbs do not drop below 30g, so at very low calorie targets with a high protein setting the total can come out above the calculated figure. The units switch automatically based on your Metric/Imperial selection.
Applying results
- Apply to All Days — Sets the same macros for Mon-Sun.
- Apply to This Day — Sets macros for the current day only. Useful for rest day/training day splits.
TDEE History
Every time you calculate, the result is saved to your plan’s TDEE history (up to 20 entries). This stores each calculator estimate so you can see how your inputs and resulting targets have changed over time. It records estimates, not measured changes in your actual energy expenditure.
- Click “Your TDEE History” to expand the list.
- Each entry shows the date, training/rest calories, weight, body fat (if entered), and goal.
- Remove individual entries with the x button, or click “Clear All” to reset.
- If you calculate multiple times on the same day, only the latest result is kept.
Setting Macros
Set your daily macro targets in two ways:
Option 1: Use the TDEE Calculator
Calculate your TDEE, choose your protein target, and click “Apply to All Days” or “Apply to This Day.” Your macros are set automatically based on your body stats and goal.
Option 2: Enter macros directly
Type your Protein, Carbs, and Fat values in grams. The calorie field auto-calculates using the standard formula: Calories = (Protein x 4) + (Carbs x 4) + (Fat x 9).
Option 3: Enter calories first
Type a calorie target and press Enter. The macro fields adjust proportionally based on your current ratio.
Per-day macro overrides
Check “Customize macros for this day” to set different targets for individual days. This is ideal for rest day vs training day splits where you might lower carbs on rest days.
Smart Fill
Smart Fill auto-generates a complete meal plan based on your macro targets and food preferences.
Two modes
- Smart Fill This Day — Fills the current day with a meal plan based on your targets, diet mode, and food preferences.
- Smart Fill All Days — Fills Mon-Sun in one click, varying combinations across the week. Each day respects its own diet filter, meal count, food preferences, and targets.
What Smart Fill does
- Distributes your selected foods from the built-in database across your chosen number of meals.
- Picks foods that suit each meal, so breakfasts, main meals and snacks each look like what you would actually eat at that time of day.
- Balances quantities to get close to your calorie and macro targets. Plant-based diets may use larger portions where needed to help reach the selected protein target.
- Respects your per-day dietary filter and food preferences.
- Favors variety across meals while balancing your calorie and macro targets, and keeps treats to a sensible amount across the day.
Food Preferences
Choose which foods are available to Smart Fill when building your meal plans. Selecting a food makes it eligible; it does not guarantee the food appears in every plan, or that all your selections get used.
How to set preferences
- Click the sliders icon next to the Diet filter (or “Food Preferences” in the mobile menu).
- A panel slides out showing all foods organized by Protein, Carbs, and Fat.
- Check the foods you want. Each shows a diet tag: Non-Veg, Ovo-Veg, Vegetarian, or Vegan.
- Click Save Preferences.
Selection guidelines
- Protein: Min 3, Max 15 sources
- Carbs: Min 3, Max 8 sources
- Fat: Min 2, Max 6 sources
Your preferences are saved globally and work across all diet modes. When you switch to Vegan, Smart Fill automatically uses only vegan-compatible foods from your selections.
Meal Planning
Build meals manually or let Smart Fill do the work.
Choosing your meal count
Use the Meals: 2 3 4 5 6 pills to set how many meals you want for each day. This is per-day, so Monday can have 3 meals while Tuesday has 5. Each meal count comes with appropriate meal templates (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner for 3 meals; adds Morning Snack and Afternoon Snack for 5 meals, etc.).
Adding foods
- Click “+ Add Food” in any meal card.
- Select a category (Protein, Carbs, or Fat).
- Search or browse the food list. Each food defaults to a default quantity you can adjust as needed.
- Adjust the quantity in grams as needed. Macros auto-calculate in real time.
Swapping a food
Every food row has a swap icon next to the remove button. Swap suggests alternatives from the same food group, such as other meat options for chicken or other fruit options for a banana.
- Find the food you want to replace in any meal.
- Click the swap icon in that row.
- Review the suggested foods. Each option shows its macros and calories at a standard serving so you can compare them directly. The closest matches appear first, and options tagged “closest” are the same type of food.
- Click Swap on the option you want. The food is replaced and your totals update immediately.
- Adjust the quantity if you want a different portion.
Suggestions respect the day’s diet filter, so a vegan day only offers vegan alternatives. If your food group has few options on that diet, the list widens so you usually have several alternatives. If nothing matches, the panel tells you rather than showing an empty list.
Meal customization
- Rename — Click the pencil icon on any meal header to edit the name and time.
- Save edits — Click the teal checkmark button to confirm your changes.
- Reorder — Use the up/down arrows to move meals.
- Delete — Click the x icon to remove a meal (minimum 1 meal).
- Add meals — Click “+ Add New Meal” (max 8 meals per day).
- Copy Day — Duplicate one day’s meals (including meal count and diet filter) to other days.
Daily Summary
The sidebar shows real-time progress bars for Calories, Protein, Carbs, and Fat. Each bar shows how much you’ve allocated vs your target, with a percentage. Statuses include “On Track” (within 5% of target), “Almost there” (within 15% under to 10% over), “Over target” (more than 10% over), and “Needs more food” (more than 15% under).
Custom Foods
Add foods that aren’t in the 99-food database. Up to 10 custom foods, synced across devices.
- Click “+ Add Custom Food” in the sidebar.
- Enter the food name.
- Select the Category (Protein, Carbs, or Fat) and Diet Type (Non-Veg, Vegetarian, or Vegan).
- Enter measurement, serving size, and macros per serving (protein, carbs, fat, calories).
- Choose a Food Group. This lets your custom food appear as an option when you swap a similar food. Smart Fill still builds plans from the built-in database only.
- Click Save.
Custom foods appear with a Custom badge in the food dropdown and are filtered by diet type. If you set a day to Vegan, only custom foods tagged as Vegan will appear.
Settings
Click the gear icon in the top-right header to open the Settings panel.
Default Meals Per Day
Set your preferred number of meals (1-6). The quick-select pills on the planner cover 2 to 6. Choose 1 here if you eat once a day, or use “+ Add New Meal” if you want more than 6. This also becomes the default when you click “Clear All Days.”
Default Diet Type
Set your preferred diet type (All Foods, Vegetarian, or Vegan). When you change this setting, all 7 days switch to the new diet type. You can still override individual days using the Diet filter dropdown in the tool.
Live Fit, Save Nature Tips
Toggle eco-friendly fitness tips in the sidebar. These are small reminders about sustainable habits that align with your fitness journey.
Plans & Days
Multiple plans
Save up to 5 different meal plans: your regular diet, a cutting plan, a bulking plan, or plans for family members. Click the plan tab to switch, pencil to rename, x to delete, and “+ New” to create.
7-day planning
Switch between Mon-Sun tabs to plan each day. An orange dot appears on days with food entries. Each day independently stores its own meal count, diet filter, and food data.
Per-day overrides
Check “Customize macros for this day” to set different targets per day. Uncheck to revert to global macros. You can also set different diet filters (All Foods on Monday, Vegan on Tuesday) and different meal counts (3 meals on weekdays, 5 on weekends).
PDF Export & Grocery List
Download your meal plan as a PDF by clicking “Download Plan”.
Download options
- This Day — Current day’s meal plan with targets, achieved macros, target-achieved percentages, and a grocery list for that day.
- Full Week — All 7 days in a single document with a combined grocery list.
What’s in the PDF
- Meal pages: Each day shows food names, quantities, macros per item, meal totals, and daily target progress. A diet type pill (All Foods, Vegetarian, or Vegan) appears next to the targets.
- Grocery List: An auto-generated shopping list that totals all foods across your planned days. Foods are grouped by category (Protein, Carbs, Fat), sorted by quantity, with practical conversions (kg, lb, egg count, powder scoops).
- Nutrition note: A final page with dietary guidance, branding, disclaimer, and a link to natfitpro.com.
Empty days display a message: “No meals planned for this day. Use Diet Builder Pro to create your plan.”
Dietary Filters
The diet filter controls which foods appear in the food dropdown and which foods Smart Fill uses.
- All Foods — Full 99-food database including meat, fish, dairy, and plant-based.
- Vegetarian — Dairy, eggs, and plant-based. Excludes meat and fish.
- Vegan — Plant-based only. Excludes all animal products.
Per-day diet filters
The diet filter is per-day. You can set Monday to All Foods, Tuesday to Vegan, and Wednesday to Vegetarian. When you switch day tabs, the filter dropdown updates to show that day’s setting. Smart Fill All Days respects each day’s individual filter.
Cloud Sync
Your meal plans, custom foods, food preferences, TDEE inputs, protein target, calculation history, and settings all save automatically. When you are signed in, your changes sync across your devices.
- Multi-device: Access your plan from any device by logging in.
- Offline backup: The tool saves locally as a fallback if your internet drops.
- Status: Check the sync indicator below the Download Plan button (“Saved automatically” or “Saving…”).
Frequently Asked Questions
How accurate is the TDEE Calculator?
The TDEE Calculator provides an estimate based on the information you enter and the formula used by the tool. Your actual energy needs can vary, so treat the result as a planning starting point rather than an exact measurement. Adjust based on how your body responds over 2 to 3 weeks.
What do the protein target options mean?
After calculating your TDEE, you can choose between three protein presets: Moderate (0.8 g/lb), Standard (1.0 g/lb), and Higher (1.2 g/lb). Carbs and fat adjust automatically to keep your total calories the same.
How does TDEE History work?
Each time you calculate, the result is saved to your plan’s history (up to 20 entries). Multiple calculations on the same day replace each other, so you always have one entry per day. You can delete individual entries or clear the entire history. Each plan keeps its own separate history.
Do my TDEE inputs save when I close the tool?
Yes. Your gender, age, weight, height, body fat, activity levels, goal, unit system (metric/imperial), and protein target all save to the cloud with your plan. When you return, the TDEE section shows your last calculated result automatically.
Why don’t the calories exactly match Protein x 4 + Carbs x 4 + Fat x 9?
The 4-4-9 formula is a simplified way to estimate calories from macronutrients. Diet Builder Pro uses the calorie and nutrient values stored for each food, sourced from USDA FoodData Central, so small differences between the displayed calories and a manual 4-4-9 calculation can occur.
Why doesn’t Smart Fill perfectly match my macros?
Real foods don’t come in perfect macro ratios, so small variations are normal. Smart Fill is designed to get reasonably close to your targets, but the final result can vary based on your food selections, diet type, meal count, and available food portions. Plant-based diets with higher protein targets may show wider gaps because plant proteins generally have lower protein density per gram. You can adjust quantities manually for more precision.
Why don’t I see vegetables in the food list?
The tool tracks foods that meaningfully impact your calorie and protein targets. Vegetables contribute minimal calories and vary widely in preparation. Always include vegetables and greens in your meals for fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Can I use different diets on different days?
Yes. The diet filter is per-day. Set Monday to All Foods, Tuesday to Vegan, and so on. Smart Fill All Days respects each day’s individual filter when generating meals.
How do I change my profile photo?
Your profile photo comes from Gravatar. Create a free Gravatar account using the same email address you use for your Diet Builder Pro account. Upload your photo there, and it will appear automatically in Diet Builder Pro.
Is my data safe?
Yes. Your plans are associated with your account and stored according to our privacy and security practices. See our Privacy Policy.
How do I get a refund?
Diet Builder Pro comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Contact us within 30 days for a full refund.
Disclaimer
Diet Builder Pro is designed for informational and educational use only. It helps you estimate calories, macros, and meal structures based on established formulas, but it does not replace professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Your calorie and macro needs can vary based on factors such as genetics, metabolism, activity level, health status, and consistency. All results should be treated as estimates and starting points, not guarantees.
If you have a medical condition, food allergy, history of eating disorders, or are pregnant or nursing, please speak with a qualified healthcare provider or registered dietitian before making significant dietary changes.
For complete details, please see our Disclaimer and Terms of Service.