Measure, plan and track
The same calculators and guides we use with every WITH ME client. Start here, and when you want someone to check the numbers with you, coaching is one click away.
1. Measure
Find your body fat percentage and how much muscle your frame can carry.
2. Plan
Work out your maintenance calories, then the macros for your goal.
3. Track
Log what you eat, then fill in the weekly check-in every 7 days.
Calculators
Interactive, right here on the site. Your result appears as you type.
Maintenance calories calculator
The calorie range that holds your weight, from your steps and training.
OpenBody recomposition macros calculator
Calories, protein, fat, carbs and fibre for fat loss, recomposition or muscle gain.
OpenReverse dieting and maintenance roadmap
How to come out of a diet without the weight coming back.
OpenFood preferences for your meal plan
Tell us what you like and what you don’t, for a plan you will actually follow.
OpenGuides
Guides to read online, written by Alexandra Lasconi.
Iron starting guide
How to take iron: what goes in one serving, the every-other-day plan, the timing window and the science.
Read the guide Online guideGut rebuild guide
Rebuild your gut one colour at a time: vegetables, fruits, legumes, seeds and gentle helpers, with a weekly tracker.
Read the guide Online guideThe cleanest protein powders
21 lab-tested protein powders ranked by their results for lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury and glyphosate, plus five vegan options.
Read the guide Online guideBlood tests for women who train
The tests worth doing before a fat-loss phase, with optimal ranges, not just “normal” ones.
Read the guide Online guideSleeping Beauty: the sleep guide
The physiology of sleep and the daily habits that support regular nights, summarised from 39 published sources.
Read the guide Online guideWeekly accountability check-in
A fillable form: steps, water, sleep, targets hit, and what was hardest this week.
Open the check-inYour iron starting guide
Dosing, timing, consistency. Iron works best when it is taken with the nutrients that help your body absorb it, move it and use it to build red blood cells, so the guide below treats them as one serving. You can buy each ingredient on its own and combine them.
01 · One serving: what goes in
One serving is the combination below. Each ingredient has a job; together they cover absorption, transport and use.
The mineral itself. In this chelated form the iron is bound to two glycine molecules: it is well absorbed and, in a 2023 meta-analysis of trials, caused fewer stomach side effects than ferrous sulfate and similar iron salts in pregnancy. [1]
Keeps iron in its absorbable ferrous form and counters inhibitors such as phytate in grains, so more iron crosses the gut wall. [2] Vitamin C contributes to increasing iron absorption.
The copper enzymes hephaestin and ceruloplasmin convert iron so it can leave gut cells and travel in the blood; low copper can cause anaemia that iron alone does not fix. [3] Copper contributes to normal iron transport in the body.
Helps release stored iron for red blood cell production, and in human studies vitamin A and beta-carotene improved iron absorption from cereal meals. [4] Vitamin A contributes to normal iron metabolism.
Low B2 can reduce how well iron is absorbed and used; in a randomised trial in young women with marginal B2 status, riboflavin improved haemoglobin. [5] Riboflavin contributes to normal metabolism of iron.
Iron needs stomach acid to dissolve; betaine HCl briefly re-acidified the stomach in a study of people on acid-reducing medication. [6][7] The amount here is small. Lipase is a fat-digesting enzyme with no proven role in iron absorption.
Not needed for iron. It is listed because it is part of the original serving, but biotin can distort some blood tests, including thyroid and hormone tests. [8] If you take it, stop it 2 to 3 days before blood tests, after checking with your doctor.
02 · Why every other day
A dose of iron raises hepcidin, the hormone that shuts the gate on iron absorption, for about 24 hours. Take the next dose the following day and less of it is absorbed. In iron-depleted women, giving iron on alternate days instead of consecutive days increased the share that was absorbed, and a single daily dose worked better than splitting it in two. [9][10][11]
Follow this plan only if your doctor confirms it for your blood results. Starting low helps your stomach adjust. If side effects persist, do not increase the dose; talk to your doctor.
03 · Your timing window
Best in the evening, about 2 hours before dinner, on an empty stomach with a full glass of water.
Caffeine: 2 hours before and after
Coffee, tea, matcha, energy drinks and cola. Their polyphenols and tannins bind iron: in human studies, tea, cocoa and other polyphenol-rich drinks taken with a meal reduced iron absorption by about 50 to 90 percent. [12]
Dairy: 2 hours before and after
Milk, yoghurt, cheese, kefir and calcium supplements. Calcium competes with iron for absorption, and the effect grows with the amount of calcium. [13]
Why the evening? Caffeine and dairy usually come earlier in the day, so a 2-hour gap before dinner is easy to keep. An empty stomach improves absorption but can bring on nausea; if it does, take it with a small dairy-free snack.
04 · What you get on a dose day
| Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3+ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Servings | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Iron | 29 mg | 58 mg | 87 mg |
| Vitamin C | 113 mg | 226 mg | 339 mg |
| Copper | 0.5 mg | 1 mg | 1.5 mg |
| Vitamin A | 300 mcg | 600 mcg | 900 mcg |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 5 mg | 10 mg | 15 mg |
05 · Building the serving yourself
- Iron: look for “ferrous bisglycinate” or “iron bisglycinate chelate” and check the label for elemental iron per capsule (25 to 30 mg is closest to one serving).
- Vitamin C: 100 mg of ascorbic acid per serving is enough; more does not add much.
- Copper: copper bisglycinate, 0.5 mg per serving, so at most 1.5 mg on a 3-serving day. Copper is often sold as 2 mg per capsule, more than one serving needs; look for a lower strength.
- Vitamin A: beta-carotene and/or retinyl palmitate. Stay within the amounts above, and avoid extra retinol if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy.
- Riboflavin: riboflavin 5′-phosphate works well; it is often sold as part of a B complex.
- Betaine HCl, lipase and biotin are optional. Skip betaine HCl if you have reflux, gastritis or an ulcer, or take anti-inflammatory painkillers or steroids.
06 · Small details, better consistency
- Stick to the every-other-day plan your doctor has confirmed, rather than taking iron daily.
- Same time, same routine: about 2 hours before dinner, with water.
- Taking medicines? Ask your pharmacist about spacing: thyroid medication, some antibiotics and acid-reducing medication interact with iron. [7]
- Arrange follow-up blood tests with your doctor.
Studies behind this guide
- Fischer JAJ et al. The effects of oral ferrous bisglycinate supplementation on hemoglobin and ferritin concentrations in adults and children: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutr Rev. 2023;81(8):904–920.
- Hallberg L, Brune M, Rossander L. Iron absorption in man: ascorbic acid and dose-dependent inhibition by phytate. Am J Clin Nutr. 1989;49(1):140–144.
- Collins JF, Prohaska JR, Knutson MD. Metabolic crossroads of iron and copper. Nutr Rev. 2010;68(3):133–147.
- García-Casal MN et al. Vitamin A and beta-carotene can improve nonheme iron absorption from rice, wheat and corn by humans. J Nutr. 1998;128(3):646–650.
- Powers HJ et al. Correcting a marginal riboflavin deficiency improves hematologic status in young women in the United Kingdom (RIBOFEM). Am J Clin Nutr. 2011;93(6):1274–1284.
- Yago MR et al. Gastric reacidification with betaine HCl in healthy volunteers with rabeprazole-induced hypochlorhydria. Mol Pharm. 2013;10(11):4032–4037.
- Hutchinson C et al. Proton pump inhibitors suppress absorption of dietary non-haem iron in hereditary haemochromatosis. Gut. 2007;56(9):1291–1295.
- Li D et al. Association of biotin ingestion with performance of hormone and nonhormone assays in healthy adults. JAMA. 2017;318(12):1150–1160.
- Moretti D et al. Oral iron supplements increase hepcidin and decrease iron absorption from daily or twice-daily doses in iron-depleted young women. Blood. 2015;126(17):1981–1989.
- Stoffel NU et al. Iron absorption from oral iron supplements given on consecutive versus alternate days and as single morning doses versus twice-daily split dosing in iron-depleted women: two open-label, randomised controlled trials. Lancet Haematol. 2017;4(11):e524–e533.
- Stoffel NU et al. Iron absorption from supplements is greater with alternate day than with consecutive day dosing in iron-deficient anemic women. Haematologica. 2020;105(5):1232–1239.
- Hurrell RF, Reddy M, Cook JD. Inhibition of non-haem iron absorption in man by polyphenolic-containing beverages. Br J Nutr. 1999;81(4):289–295.
- Hallberg L et al. Calcium: effect of different amounts on nonheme- and heme-iron absorption in humans. Am J Clin Nutr. 1991;53(1):112–119.
Good to know: a 2020 randomised trial found that adding vitamin C to iron tablets did not raise haemoglobin further in people with iron-deficiency anaemia (Li N et al. JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(11):e2023644). It still helps absorption from meals, which is why it stays in the serving.
Food supplement guidance for healthy adults, not medical advice. It does not replace diagnosis or treatment by your doctor.
1:1 nutrition coaching with Alexandra Lasconi
The tools give you a starting point. Coaching adapts it every week to your real data.
Evidence-based supplements
These tools give general estimates for healthy adults and are not medical advice. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, under 18, or have a medical condition or a history of disordered eating, talk to your doctor before changing how you eat.
