Free Meal Plan Template: Weekly Planner for PDF, Excel and Google Sheets

We built this template for coaches who write meal plans for clients, and it works just as well if you are planning your own week. It is ours, so you can use it with clients and put your own name on the plan. Below you get the download, how to use the spreadsheet version, a simple method for filling the plan in, and a look at where a spreadsheet stops being the right tool. If you also program training, the matching workout plan template uses the same approach.

What is a meal plan template?

A meal plan template is a blank, reusable layout for planning what someone eats. The most common layout is a weekly meal plan template: seven day columns, a row for each meal, and a total at the bottom. A good one also carries the targets for the week and a place to list what to buy.

For a coach, the template does two jobs. It gives the client something concrete to follow, and it forces you to check the day add up to the targets before the plan goes out. Without that check, plans drift: dinner gets heavy, snacks get skipped, and the protein number you promised never shows up. For how to set those targets in the first place, see our guide to the personalized nutrition plan.

Where can I download a free weekly meal plan template?

Here. There is no email gate. The pack has the same layout in three formats so you can use whichever fits how you work.

The same grid is also in the printable meal plan template, which has no background colour. Pin it to the fridge and the client can tick off meals with a pen.

How do I use the meal plan template in Excel or Google Sheets?

The XLSX file is a normal spreadsheet with four sheets. It uses only simple SUM, IF and arithmetic formulas, so it behaves the same in Excel and in a meal plan template for Google Sheets.

1. 1.Open it. In Excel, double click the file. In Google Sheets, choose File, then Import, upload the XLSX and pick the option to create a new spreadsheet.
2. 2.Set the targets. On the Weekly plan sheet, type the daily calorie, protein, carb and fat targets in the shaded row at the top.
3. 3.Write the meals. Fill the grid with the meal and its portion, for example "Greek yogurt, 200 g".
4. 4.Log the numbers. On the Macro tracker sheet, enter calories and grams for each meal. The day totals and the gap to target update by themselves and flow back to the Weekly plan sheet.
5. 5.Make the grocery list. Use the Grocery list sheet to collect the items by category and tick them off while shopping.

The Example week sheet shows one filled in day, marked as an example. Delete it, or keep it as a reference. The numbers in it are made up to show the layout and are not a recommendation for anyone. To fill a real week, start from our macro friendly recipes.

How do I fill in a meal plan for a client?

Work from the targets down to the meals, not the other way round. This order keeps the plan close to the numbers without a lot of rework.

If you do not have targets yet, the free macro calculator turns a calorie goal into grams of protein, carbs and fat. The TDEE calculator estimates daily energy use and the protein calculator gives a protein range. Treat all three as a starting point and adjust from check-in data.

The arithmetic is simple. Protein and carbohydrate give 4 kilocalories per gram and fat gives 9. Here is a worked example for a 2,000 calorie day. It is an illustration of the sum, not a recommended split.

What does a balanced plate look like in a meal plan?

Macros tell you how much. They do not tell you whether the plan is made of good food. A quick check is the Healthy Eating Plate from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. On the Healthy Eating Plate page (read 7 October 2026), vegetables and fruit make up half of the plate, whole grains a quarter and healthy protein a quarter.

• Vegetables and fruit: aim for colour and variety. Harvard does not count potatoes as vegetables on the plate.
• Whole grains: oats, brown rice, quinoa and whole wheat pasta, rather than refined grains.
• Healthy protein: fish, poultry, beans and nuts. Harvard says to limit red meat and avoid processed meats such as bacon and sausage.
• Healthy oils and drinks: plant oils in moderation, and water, tea or coffee to drink.

You do not have to draw a plate for every meal. Glance down the lunch and dinner rows of the template and ask whether half of each is vegetables or fruit. If it is not, swap one item before the plan goes out.

What should a weekly meal plan template include?

The best template is the one your client actually uses, so keep it short. These are the parts that earn their space:

Can I use it as a monthly meal plan template?

Yes. Most clients do not need 28 different days. Build one week, copy it for the next, and swap two or three meals each week so it does not get stale. In the spreadsheet, duplicate the Weekly plan and Macro tracker sheets for each week and rename them Week 1 to Week 4. Keep one Grocery list sheet per week as well.

Why add a grocery list to the meal plan?

Because the plan fails at the supermarket, not on paper. When the client has to work out what to buy from a table of meals, they buy what is easy. A grocery list grouped by produce, protein, grains, dairy and pantry takes one pass through the shop. The template has it on page two of the PDFs and on its own sheet in the spreadsheet.

When should coaches move from a spreadsheet to a meal planner?

A spreadsheet is a fine start. It costs nothing and you control every cell. The cost shows up as you grow: you type each food by hand, look up macros yourself, rebuild the same plan for the next client, and send files that clients cannot log against.

Scraler's meal planner lets you build weekly plans from a recipe library and your own recipes, assign them to clients and bundle recipes into cookbooks. Macro management keeps the targets next to what the client logs, and on the Premium plan AI can draft a plan for you to edit. Plans and recipes live in the same client app as workouts and check-ins. If you are comparing options, see our guide to nutrition coaching software.

If you are also building your business around the plan, the personal training prices guide covers what to charge for nutrition coaching alongside training, and our PAR-Q template covers health screening before you start a client on anything.