Macro Calculator
This free, easy-to-use macro calculator gives you your optimal macronutrients and calories. It serves as a weight loss or muscle gain calculator for both women and men.
Combine with macro counting, flexible dieting, or IIFYM to reach your goals faster.
How to calculate your macros for fat loss
The foods we eat are made up of three macros (macronutrients). These are carbohydrates (carbs), protein, and fat.
Chicken is high in protein but has no carbs; rice is high in carbs but has very little fat or protein.
The three macronutrients provide the body with energy and raw materials for growth and repair.
By calculating the appropriate daily calorie amount for you, we can then break this down into the best macronutrient ratios to achieve weight loss.
The calculator is based on sound science, combined with data from years of coaching hundreds of successful clients.
What is a good macro ratio for fat loss or muscle gain?
Your macros should be based on your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) and your goals.
The calculator defaults at the best macro ratio proven to work for most people.
This ratio is:
- 30% fat
- Protein is 0.65 grams per pound of body weight,
- The remainder is carbs.
Depending on your goal, this will be either a calorie deficit or a surplus.
You can go further and make more adjustments: Perhaps you’re an extreme endomorph and do better with fewer carbs. Or perhaps you have one kidney and need to eat less protein.
You can fine-tune your results for you with a bit of math. See how to change your macros here.
MACRO COUNTING
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- Achieve fat loss without starvation.
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What is a good protein ratio?
Rather than a percentage, proteins are based on your body weight.
Our calculator has three settings:
- Moderate adjusts the ratio to 0.65 grams per pound of body weight.
This is appropriate for sedentary individuals or people with higher body fat percentages. - High is for active people with moderate strength training and an average body fat percentage.
- Maximum will set the ratio to 1 gram per pound.
This amount is good for bodybuilding and gaining muscle mass. You must be doing intense training.
Find out how to fine-tune your protein ratios when counting macros
Fat macro ratio
Set fat at 30% of daily energy expenditure.
Most people do very well with this amount of fat. See more about choosing the best macro fats. Because of high-fat diets like keto, many people are now eating more fat than they need to.
Carbohydrate macro ratio
Once you’ve calculated protein and fat, the remainder of your daily calories should be from carbohydrates.
Carbs fuel your body and workouts and are the body’s preferred energy source.
If you are coming from a low-carb background, this may seem high. However, according to respected nutritional research, this is a moderate amount of carbs.
If you are eating according to your TDEE, the notion that carbs cause weight gain or stop fat loss is incorrect.
Using as a Calorie Deficit Calculator
As a weight loss calculator, this tool establishes a safe calorie deficit only.
The Lose option puts you in a 20% calorie deficit, promoting safe, steady weight loss.
The best macro ratio for body recomposition
If you want to recompose your body (lose fat and gain muscle simultaneously), then use the body recomposition calculator.
Macro ratio for maintenance
The Maintain button shows you the macro levels to maintain your current weight.
This is great if you have lost weight and don’t want to gain it back.
Macro ratio for muscle gain
The Gain button puts you in a 20% calorie surplus.
The macro breakdown is designed to build muscle fast in conjunction and must be combined with a comprehensive weight training program.
It can also be used by people who are underweight.
TIP: Try starting with the maintenance goal and then gradually increase calories from there if you want lean muscle gains.
Calculating macros using your body fat percentage
The calculator uses your body weight to determine calories and macros.
However, you can obtain superior results by using your body fat percentage. The calculator allows you to choose which method; Normal for body weight, Lean Mass for fat percentage.
When to choose the Lean Mass Formula
If you are lean (have a low body fat percentage), choose the Lean Mass formula, and enter your body fat %.
If you are classified as obese and have a lot of weight to lose, the lean mass formula is superior. You can read more about macro counting and obesity.
Help? Calculate your ideal body weight or get an assessment of your body fat percentage.
Why the difference? Muscle cells burn more calories than fat cells, so the more accurately we measure this, the better your results will be.
How to calculate macros per meal
Once you’ve calculated your daily macros in the calculator, you can break this down into meals.
Choose from 2 to 6 meals per day to see the macro ratio you can track for each meal. For some people, this is easier, but for others, this is too much detail.
Do what works for you.
Meal Plans
See a 5-day macro-based meal plan. It includes three meals and two snacks per day.
Macro calculator activity level settings
A higher activity level means a higher daily calorie goal.
For example – if you maintain your weight at 2,000 calories per day, adding vigorous daily exercise means you need more calories to maintain your weight.
If you are sedentary and trying to lose weight, adding exercise will increase your daily calorie goal.
The idea seems counter-intuitive, but more energy is required to fuel your workouts. More workouts lead to increasing metabolism; therefore, more fat is burned!
Undereating is one of the leading causes of the weight loss plateau.
So many of our clients previously “hit the wall” with dieting. They would continually reduce calories, stop losing fat and gain weight when they eat a little more.
Macro counting defeats this by prescribing the right food and calorie levels.
Which activity level do I choose?
- Sedentary: Just regular everyday activity like a bit of walking, a couple of flights of stairs, eating, etc.
- Light: Any activity that burns an additional 200-400 calories (females) or 250-500 calories (males) over your sedentary amount.
- Moderate: Any activity that burns an additional 400-650 calories (females) or 500-800 calories (males) more than your sedentary amount.
- Extreme: Any activity that burns more than 650 calories (females) or more than 800 calories (males) in addition to your sedentary amount.
Other options for determining your calorie burn
- Use our calories burned calculator – it accurately assesses over 380 activities.
- Use a fitness tracker – like a Fitbit or Apple Watch (note that they can overestimate calorie burn).
- Use a suitable app – like MapMyFitness
Why should I eat more when I exercise more?
High physical activity not fueled with enough calories will lead to muscle catabolism (breakdown of muscle fiber).
This lack of nutrition could stall your weight loss, so eat up if you love to exercise!
I’ve got my macros – now what?
Once you’ve identified your target daily macros, you must determine the macros in all the foods you eat.
By tracking them daily, you can reach your recommended macro targets that encourage fat loss, muscle gain, or whatever your goal may be.
You can learn more about the macro counting system and the flexible dieting philosophy. Many people use an app like Myfitnesspal to track macros.
For more specifics on what to eat – see a sample macro meal plan or a list of macros for familiar foods.
I've helped 14,000+ people lose thousands of pounds by tracking their macros.
Choose either my self-guided program or let me coach you.
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References
- Mifflin, M. D., St Jeor, S. T., Hill, L. A., Scott, B. J., Daugherty, S. A., & Koh, Y. O. (1990). A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 51 (2), 241-247. Link
- McArdle, W. D., Katch, F. I., & Katch, V. L. (2010). Exercise physiology: nutrition, energy, and human performance. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Link
- Jequier, E. (1994). Carbohydrates as a source of energy. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 59(3), 682S-685S.
- Lemon, P. W., Tarnopolsky, M. A., MacDougall, J. D., & Atkinson, S. A. (1992). Protein requirements and muscle mass/strength changes during intensive training in novice bodybuilders. Journal of Applied Physiology, 73(2), 767-775. study abstract link
- Grundy, S. M. (1999). The optimal ratio of fat-to-carbohydrate in the diet. Annual review of nutrition, 19(1), 325-341. abstract
- Conlin, L.A., Aguilar, D.T., Rogers, G.E. et al. Flexible vs. rigid dieting in resistance-trained individuals seeking to optimize their physiques: A randomized controlled trial. J Int Soc Sports Nutr 18, 52 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12970-021-00452-2
2,067 Comments
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Hi Ted, I’m 20 years old weight about 135, 136 I’m 5″3 and I do plyometrics training 3 times a week the other 3 days I power walk for 30 mins and do 15 mins on and off sprints. And Sunday is my rest day. I want to be more defined but also lose weight. Should I do lose 20% or lose 10%?
I only burn roughly to 200-240 a gym session
Hi Eva, It looks you have slightly more than 10 pounds to lose to be in your “ideal weight range”. Start with lose 20%. All the best!
Hi Ted,
Thanks I’ve been eating like this for a 5 months or so now and I’ve only gone down in weight by 5 pounds is there something else I should be doing ?
Hi lads, I’m a crossfitter and o train hard 3 hours per day 5 days a week with strength oly lifting and of coutrse cardio, I’m 6ft 1 and weigh 85kg but want to get more definition, what would be the best way to set my calories and my macros? I have my fitness pal app so all set to go thanks lads,
Paudie ?
Hi Paudie, It seems like you should do “very active” “lose” “high protein” on your workout days, and “sedentary”, “lose” “high protein” on your rest days. All the best!
Hi Liz, I’m wondering if you used cm instead of inches. Try again using inches for height.
Thank you, Diane! Guess I missed that step 🙂 It is now up to 1400 calories…yay!!!
Hello! I just used the calculator to map out my macros as I have been researching and interested in making this a lifestyle. So, I am 5’0 and 118 lbs 37 y/o female. My exercise consists of hiking, barre classes, treadmill. When I put my numbers in it said I should consume Cal: 622/day CHO: 19 Protein: 97 and Fat: 17 grams per day!!! My goal is to lose fat and gain lean muscle. I feel my best around 105-107. I had suffered from adrenal fatigue and gained weight and can’t seem to get the scale to budge. My guess is I consume 1200-1400 cal per day. I am a nurse practitioner so I work crazy hours and don’t always get to eat multiple meals. I often eat think thin bars as a meal. Does the macros make sense? Any suggestions for me? Thanks!! I plan on buying the book soon!
Hi Liz, Glad you got it sorted. A couple of suggestions. Your exercise seems pretty varied so you may want to use a more fluid approach. I talk about this in my book as well as this article. https://healthyeater.com/iifym-myfitnesspal-tutorial using myfitnesspal and mapmyfitness to do the tracking. Also, since you only have about 10 pounds to lose and are trying to build muscle, you may want to be in less of a calorie deficit. Say 10% instead of the 20% used in the calculator.
Hi, I was wondering what activity level I would select if on Mondays-Friday’s I walk to school, around school, back home then do 50minutes at the gym (3x liss 3x resistance) and then on Sunday I have a rest day but for Sunday I’m guessing I would choose sedentary?
Hi there, I’m not sure of the distance you walk, but it seems like you’d be safe with moderately active and yes on rest days you can do sedentary for enhanced results.
Hi, thank you for replying. It takes me around 20 to 30 minutes to get to school
That’s what I was thinking so stick with moderately active.
Also, I do not want to lose any more weight, I just want to tone up and burn any excess fat. Would I still use the same macro ratio that it gives me to maintain my weight on sendentary and moderately active ? Because they both give me the same amount of protein, just increased in carbs and fat
yes, but you’ll have to be in a slight deficit if you want to burn fat. You may want to go with “maintain” and lightly active to accomplish this.
Hi Ted, not sure if I’m calculating this right. I’m 26, 5’1″,124. I want to lose weight in my mid section mostly. I know I will lose weight in other places but my mid section is my concern currently. I do 40-50 minutes of 3.0-3.3 mph on the treadmill for three days and one day off then back to three days on. Are there any tips you can recommend to help me out. I stay in the 1000-1200 cal range and burn between 400-500 cal in one session. Is this good or bad? I don’t do much thought the day except a little house cleaning thanks for your help!
Hi Destiny, Use our calculator and come up with a customized TDEE and macro amounts for yourself that will promote steady weight loss. Your treadmill should tell you your estimated calorie burn per session. Use that info to pick the correct activity level. I’ll also tell you that with 1000-1200 calories you aren’t eating enough to support your workouts and healthy sustained weight loss which is why are struggling to lose. Also, check out my book as I think you’ll find it very helpful in understanding what flexible dieting is all about as well as how to be successful at it. https://healthyeater.com/macro-solution
Thanks I will do that
Hey Ted, I have a specific question about the macro-calculator.
I had around 220 kg (464 lbs) and lost 60 kg (132 lbs) over the past year. So I am at around 160 kg (352 lbs) right now while still having alot of fat mass. Is it really alright to go for “x by bodyweight” mesurements in my case? I calculated a daily need for around 3200 kcal … (Lose Mode)
I eat less than that daily and am on a plateau (Not losing anything) for like 2 months or more. Would be awesome if you could give me alittle “tip” or whatever, because it was a question which bothered me for a long time with these “kcal intake calculators”.
greetings
Hi Erich, Great job so far on your weight loss! How many calories are you currently eating and how much exercise do you do?
Thank you very much. I eat around 1300-2000 kcal a day. I drink just water and coffee. I go 3 times a week to the gym where I do 40 minutes of cardio (Heartrate at around 130-150) on a crosstrainer and subsequently do 20 minutes of weight training with around 12-15 reps per exercise. I was told about these plataus and actually experienced it once or twice, but never this long. Am I actually “undereating”? For my macros, I try to keep the carbs low, but ate around 100g of rice / noodles (dried) a day, but simultaniously kept my fat under controll and tried to reach a certain amount of proteins (Atleast 100g) I feel much much better now, but would love to see continous success in my journey. The “160 kg” mark seems to be a bad ass opponent.
Hi Erich, Thanks for more details. I think you should be eating more. I’m 165 pounds and my sedentary maintenance TDEE is 2000 calories. It looks like you are plateauing because you haven’t been eating enough and have slowed your metabolism. At least, eat at your sedentary “lose” macros and see how that works for you over the next couple of weeks. That should put you around 2500 calories a day. Try to be consistent with it as well. Keep me posted on how it works for you. Also, use the low protein setting since you really only need protein amounts based on your lean body mass, not total weight in your case.
Sounds good, thank you!
Hi Ted,
I was wondering, for nursing mom’s, would we calculate this differently?
Hi Lori, Yes, you would need to add an additional 300-400 calories to your TDEE and then proportioned to your macros at the percentages given.
Hi Ted!
Okay hit send before I meant to.
Anyways, I first found your site about 6 or 7 months ago and saw some great results but they have slowed down and I can’t seem to lose anymore body fat. I am not looking to lose “Weight” but more body fat and build muscle. I am 26 years old, 115lbs, 62 inches, I do Kayla Itsiness BBG Program, and according to my fitbit I burn around 2,000 calories a day (I usually hit at least 10k steps everyday even though I have a desk job.) On average I eat about 1650 cals a day. On days I do a HIIT workout or heavy lifting should I choose moderate activity instead of light and then use light activity on the days I do LISS?
Thank you!
Aimee
Hi Aimee, Great! I would say at 5′ 2″ you are pretty much at your optimal weight which is why your results have slowed. Secondly, have you measured your body fat percentage? Women in general, will have trouble getting to a really low percentage because of hormones etc. In my experience, the only women that really achieve a cut physique are those that do fitness as their full-time job or have a genetic predisposition to that body type. Thirdly, I find fitbit almost always overestimates calorie burn for its users. 2000 calories is a lot unless, again, you are a training athlete and are spending hours each day exercising. I had a quick look at Kayla’s program and if you want to start building muscle you’ll probably have to transition over to a comprehensive weight training program that will provide more stimulation to your muscle groups while doing less cardio. You’ll also have to increase your calories and be in less of a deficit to encourage muscle growth. Have a read of my article here as well. https://healthyeater.com/gain-muscle-lose-fat-iifym (also note the body fat percentage chart on that page)
Hi Ted, I am just looking to see if my numbers are correct. I am 26 168lbs 65 inches. I am a stay at home mother. I do crossfit 3-4x a week. I am looking to loose weight. I selected moderate activity, loose and high protien. Are those selections correct? Also thank you for this site. I appreciate it. I’m extremely new to nutrition and high intensity workouts like crossfit.
Thank you
Hi Jessica, You’re welcome I’m glad we could help. I got 1866 calories 182g carbs, 168 g protein 52 g fat for your CrossFit days. On days you don’t do CrossFit cut back to your sedentary macros or lightly active if you are pretty active with your kid(s) throughout the day. Please check out my book also as it offers a lot of help with flexible dieting and the nutritional aspects involved. All the best! https://healthyeater.com/macro-solution
Thank you very much! I will be sure to check it out!!
Hey Ted! I´m very glad I found IIFYM and specially this site, I´m so tired of crazy restrictive diets…Just calculated my macros and wanted to check if they sounded good to you. I´m 29 years old,1.60 meters and 62 kilos, jus started the Kayla Itsiness BBG Program, where you workout 6 days a week, 3 of them 50 minutes of fast pase incline walking and 3 sessions of resistance training (that always make me sweat a ton and are really hard). I want to burn fat and build muscle. So I got on active days 1445 cal C:135 P:136 F:40 and on rest days 1259 cal C:100 P:136 F:36. This sounds amazing to me because it will allow me to eat more, 1000 cal a day is just too litlle :/ So thanks a lot for your help, I´ll be buying your book for sure just to be more educated on this subject 🙂
Hi Zoe, Welcome and I’m glad you found us too. Your numbers look good, but since you’re trying to build muscle you may want to go with moderately active. You are a bit borderline between the two but this will help you be in less of a calorie deficit which is better for muscle development. Thanks for checking out my book and all the best with getting started!
Thanks for getting back to me, I`ll adjust that 🙂