- Enter your personal stats. Gender, age, height, and weight are used to calculate your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) via the Mifflin-St Jeor formula. These must be accurate for the macro targets to be meaningful.
- Select your activity level honestly. Sedentary is a desk job with little exercise. Lightly active is 1-3 workouts per week. Moderately active is 3-5 workouts. Most people overestimate this, which leads to calculated targets being too high.
- Choose your goal. Lose Fat applies a 500-calorie daily deficit for approximately 1 lb/week of fat loss. Maintain sets calories at TDEE. Gain Muscle adds a 300-calorie surplus for slow, lean muscle gain. Aggressive bulking (500+ surplus) typically adds more fat than muscle.
- Select a diet type. Balanced distributes macros at a moderate ratio. High Protein allocates more calories to protein, useful for fat loss and muscle retention. Low Carb reduces carbohydrates. Keto is very low carb (under 50g/day). Choose based on what you can sustain.
Macro Calculator
Calculate your daily protein, carbohydrate, and fat targets based on your goals.
ft
in
lbs
Protein205g
Fat91g
Carbs273g
| BMR | 1,760 kcal |
| TDEE (maintenance) | 2,728 kcal |
| Target Calories | 2,728 kcal |
| Protein | 205g (820 kcal) |
| Fat | 91g (819 kcal) |
| Carbohydrates | 273g (1092 kcal) |
How to Use the Macro Calculator
Macronutrient Ratios by Diet Type
Macros are tracked in grams. The calorie density: protein = 4 cal/g, carbohydrates = 4 cal/g, fat = 9 cal/g. The typical macro distributions this calculator uses:
| Diet Type | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balanced | 25% | 50% | 25% |
| High Protein | 35% | 40% | 25% |
| Low Carb | 30% | 25% | 45% |
| Keto | 20% | 5% | 75% |
Example for a 2,000-calorie High Protein target:
Protein: 2,000 × 35% = 700 cal ÷ 4 = 175g protein Carbs: 2,000 × 40% = 800 cal ÷ 4 = 200g carbs Fat: 2,000 × 25% = 500 cal ÷ 9 = 55g fat
Protein is the most important macro to hit consistently. Research consistently shows that 0.7-1.0g protein per pound of bodyweight (1.6-2.2g/kg) maximizes muscle retention during cutting and muscle gain during a surplus. Carbs and fat are more flexible: adjust the split based on preference while keeping protein high.
Frequently Asked Questions
For active people, the evidence-based recommendation is 0.7-1.0g of protein per pound of bodyweight (1.6-2.2g per kg). At 175 lbs, that is 123-175g of protein daily. Higher protein (closer to 1g/lb) is recommended when cutting calories to preserve muscle mass, and when doing heavy resistance training to support muscle repair and growth. Sedentary individuals need less: about 0.36g/lb (0.8g/kg) is the minimum to prevent muscle loss.
No single ratio is definitively best, but high protein diets consistently outperform lower protein approaches for fat loss because protein is the most satiating macronutrient and preserves muscle mass in a deficit. A ratio of 35-40% protein, with the remaining calories split between carbs and fats based on preference, works for most people. The specific carb/fat split matters less than total calories and hitting your protein target.
A ketogenic diet uses approximately 70-75% fat, 20-25% protein, and under 5% carbohydrates (typically under 50g net carbs/day). This puts the body into ketosis, burning fat for fuel instead of glucose. Research shows keto produces faster initial weight loss (mostly water from glycogen depletion) but equivalent long-term fat loss compared to other calorie-controlled diets. Keto works for people who find it easier to adhere to than calorie counting. It is not inherently superior for fat loss at equal calorie intakes.
Use a food logging app (MyFitnessPal, Cronometer, or Lose It) to scan barcodes or search food databases. Weigh food with a kitchen scale for accuracy; measuring cups and volume estimates can be off by 25-50%. The biggest tracking error is underestimating fats: one tablespoon of olive oil is 14g fat and 120 calories. Track everything including cooking oils, condiments, and beverages for the first few weeks until you have a strong sense of portion sizes.