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.
Learn how to count macros in under 60 minutes
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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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Should I select Maintain if I am using MFP to track my activities? Or do I use the Lose option?
Hi Kathy, you would select “sedentary” and “lose”.
Hello Ted,
I was searching for “macros” and came across your site. I am a 49 year old female, 5″6 and weigh 144 lbs. I am trying to lose 10lbs and lean out. I work out 4-5 times a week, lifting weights and cardio.
Any help/advice is more than welcomed,
Hi Stephanie, glad you found us! I would advise you to enter your stats above and come up with a TDEE and macro amounts that will promote healthy weight loss. Since you don’t have much weight to lose, you also would want to have a “sedentary” set of macros to use during your rest days. For more help and the ins and outs of counting macros see my book as well as our members only support forum here. https://healthyeater.com/macro-solution
Hi Ted,
So happy to have found this site!
Over the past year, I followed the Dukan Diet (very low carb/low fat) and lost 25 lbs. After loosening up the reins, I have unfortunately gained back about 5-6 lbs and would love to lose those (plus another 5-10, if possible), but cannot fathom the idea of restricting food groups again. Cue IIFYM.
Current stats: 25 y/o F, 5’0″, 128 lbs. I participate in group fitness classes 5-6 times per week (burning ~350 calories/class according to my Polar watch/chest strap). According to the calculator, I should be at 1373 cal, 152C, 106P, 38F. Just wanted to run all of this by you, the professional! Does this sound right to you? Looking forward to diving in!
Hi Mel, Glad you found us, The Dukan Diet doesn’t sound fun at all! I just ran your numbers and I got the same, so you’re all good there. I would also recommend that you calculate a set of sedentary macros to follow on your rest day(s). This can help accelerate your results. All the best with getting started and keep me posted on your progress.
Thanks so much, Ted! Happy New Year!
Hi Ted,
I need some desperate help. 🙁 I have been hearing so much on flexible dieting and I want to try it. But was having a hard time figuring out my macros. I found your site and so far it seems pretty good. I just want to make sure that I understand all of this. So I am 44 years old, female, currently weighing in at 220 pounds. I am five feet five inches in height. Currently I am not exercising at all. However, I want to change all of that.
So just to lose weight, is this calculator telling me that I eat 116g c, 181 p, and 44g f? Meaning if I shoot to eat within those numbers every day I can lose weight without working out? But then when I do start working out, do those numbers adjust?
My goal is I am over weight obviously, actually according to the BMI I am obese. My goal would be to lose 2 lbs a week. I want to be lean, so how do I achieve this? If I am over weight, can I just start lifting the heavy weights and eating the calculations I mentioned above? Also I was an avid gym rat, so I am not new to exercising, I just let life get in the way, put me last and gained 30 lbs back from the beginning of June. I need to get back to being healthy and happy, but I just need a starting point. I get confused and do better with someone telling me, “Gina this is what you need to do to start, eat this amount of carbs, etc. and work out this much doing this”….I can do better when I am have someone guiding me at first. Can you help?
Thank you,
Gina
Hi Gina, I’m so glad you found our site. Yes, eat those macros and you’ll be in a healthy calorie deficit for weight loss. I would say a pound a week is a more realistic goal but some weeks you may lose two. When you start working out, you’ll have to readjust your macros based on the amount of exercise you are doing each day. Check out my book which explains everything in detail and we have a member’s only forum where I’m standing by to answer any question you have along the way! Good luck and happy holidays! Book link: https://healthyeater.com/macro-solution
Hey Ted, I am 24 years old, 116 lbs and 5’1 tall. I am a marathon runner but I focus on lifting pretty heavy when I am on my off seasons. When I train for marathons I follow a very low carb and very high fat diet because that’s what really works for me when I am running long, I am about to be on my off season and I really want to try flexible dieting… gaining muscle while leaning out…when I calculate my numbers it shows that I should be eating 150-200 g of carbs. At this time I am eating near 30 g… should I slowly add in these carbs? How much of an increase should I do week to week? I am just worried that the giant increase in carbs will lead to fat gain. Thank you!!
Hi Jamie, 30 grams of carbs a day? wow! First, carbs don’t make you gain weight (only if you eat too many and it pushes you beyond your weight matainance TDEE). Eating carbs again can be scary for serious low carbers such as yourself and as long as you are true to your established TDEE, you’ll be fine however you do it, but for your own peace of mind feel free to gradually increase them over a weeks time. All the best with flexible dieting and let us know how you progress. See this article for more insight as to your goal mentioned. https://healthyeater.com/gain-muscle-lose-fat-iifym
Hello Ted. I am really hoping you can help me? Everytime, I figure my macros for IIFYM I get different numbers. I am trying to lose weight! I am 167.5cm and 64.8 kilos. I am female at 41. I have used fibit for the last 2 years. As of today, my fitbit dashboard says my average calorie burn is 2705 for the last 30 days. This is my TDEE correct? Meaning, per the macros, I could eat 2295 total calories and lose weight? Can you please confirm this?
I figured 118g for protein, 75g for fat and 287g carbs based on your explanations above? These numbers all seem very high..whereas as before when I tried to lose weight I dropped to 1200 calories a day..which was basically unbearable.
Please help!! My last macros for IIFYM put me at 105g protein, 42g fat, and 96g carbs BUT I used my lean body mass of 104.50 and I did not know my TDEE of 2705 per fitbit. Unfortunately, these macros put me back at 1179 calories to lose weight. AGH! I am desperate for clarification, please! If my math is correct, the first macros would be so much better!!
Hi Teresa, The great thing about flexible dieting is that you get to eat more! I’m not sure how accurate your fit bit is. I calculated your sedentary TDEE and got 1581 calories/day for maintaining your current weight. This means according to your Fitbit you are exercising and burning an additional 1124 calories a day? That seems like a lot of exercise. Can you describe what you do for exercise?
Hello Ted. Thank you so much for getting back to me. Basically, I take my fitbit with me 24 hours. I do put it in sleep mode at night. Right now, due to a sore knee, I am laying off running and heavy cardio. I do however, use it when I walk on the treadmill for an hour, or if I do an hour toning class then I wear it throughout the day. I do keep it on me all the time. I start my mornings at about 6AM and until I drop around 11ish PM. I am a mother of 2 children, so I am always rushing around taking them to their activities, shopping, etc. So, even though, my workouts are milder these days, I usually don´t sit alot or rest as I get restless. If I am not rushing off somewhere, I am shopping for things or going to places. I usually meet my quota of 10k steps per day on an average. I hope this helps? Accordingly, to last week´s fitbit report: Dec 07, 2015 to Dec 13, 2015TOTAL STEPS
105,771
DAILY AVERAGE
15,110
steps
BEST DAY
18,868
steps
Please advise. I really need to figure out my TDEE so I can deduct the 500 and lose the weight!
That is a lot of movement, but it isn’t 1200+ calories worth. (The sedentary setting above already factors in casual movement) These devices can be inaccurate when it comes to correlating steps to a calorie burn. I would recommend starting out using the setting for “moderate exercise” above. This puts your weight loss TDEE at 1634 calories per day. 190c 116p 45f. Also do check out my book as I offer a lot of help and advice in there: https://healthyeater.com/macro-solution keep me posted.
Ted,
Please let me confirm this.
So if my TDEE is 1634 this is the crucial number, I must subtract 500 for weightloss? This means if I diet I am back to eating only 1134 calories or 1200 calories per day?
Or to make it easier, I could eat 1384 calories a day or 1634-250 less food calories and burn 250 calories in exercise?
Pretty please, confirm.
Thank you for the macros…I will give them a whirl.
Finally, after the holidays, I will start a weightlifting plan at least 3 days a week. Will these macros help me get in the right direction with weight training?
I will definitely look into your book!!
No, the calculator already does all of that for you when you click “lose”. 1634 is your weight loss TDEE. Just increase your protein when you start weight training.
Hi, I’m 23 years old and I am trying to gain more lean muscle. So is that considered gaining weight? I train with heavy weight lifting 6-7 times a week along with 30 minute cardio sessions after my heavy weight training.
Hi Alex, Yes, that’s correct. Are you already pretty lean or do you also have some fat to lose?
I’m a little more on the bulky/skinny muscle look (not sure if that makes sense to you?). I want to get more cut and add more mass and density.
Cool and yes that makes sense. You may not want to to go all the way with gain then. Have a read of this article of mine. https://healthyeater.com/gain-muscle-lose-fat-iifym
Hi Ted,
I am brand new to macro counting. I am 24 and 5’10”, I weigh 155. I haven’t been working out for the past few months but am about to start a new program doing heavy lifting and HIIT cardio, working out 5x a week. I would like to lose some fat and gain muscle. Should I calculate for losing or gaining? Does the protein level affect this at all? I would appreciate your advice! 🙂
Hi Ted,
I’m a 5’3, 297 lb, 27 year old female. I’m going to start the Strong Lifts 5×5 program this week. So, I was wondering if lifting 3x a week is considered light or moderate activity. My goal is to lose fat while maintaing muscle.
Hi Veronique, Usually weight lifting that is an hour in duration with short breaks between sets is moderate. In your case, you would want to have 2 sets of macros since you are exercising only 3 times a week.
Hi, I’m 38 years old and weight 298 lbs and am 5’11 Pacific islander so i’m pretty bulky for my height. I’ve been weight training 3-4 times a week doing moderate to heavy lifting. I have been trying to eat healthier with 4-5 meals a day and trying to cut out carbs as much as possible and increasing my protein intake. I have lost about 7 lbs but in past 3 weeks. Am i doing it wrong? I have heard about flexible dieting and considering macros. I spoke to an online coach and wants to charge me $300 for his svc but it was way too much for me to afford. The macros it calculated for me has a much higher calorie intake then my current daily calorie intake. How will Macros benefit me to lose more weight and build my metabolism and gain lean muscle. My goal is to be healthy at around 230 lbs so i can be taken off meds im currently on. your advice is greatly appreciated.
Hi Vincent, I’m glad you found us. Flexible dieting will change your life and get you eating carbs again! I suggest you take some time to read through some articles on our site and learn more about flexible dieting/ iifym as it’s a lot to explain in this space. But, I do believe it will really help you reach your goals.
1. Check out my book, it explains the whole process and guides you through step by step: https://healthyeater.com/macro-solution
2. The basics: https://healthyeater.com/flexible-dieting
3. Why eating more is better :https://healthyeater.com/eat-to-lose-weight
BTW 7 pounds in 3 weeks is great! A good realistic goal is 1 to 2 pounds a week.
Hi Ted, Thank you for your response. I’ll definitely read your articles and purchase your book. I’m excited to learn my macros and get started. I’ll keep you updated with my progress.
Sounds great and please do!
Hi, I’m 18 years old, weigh 51kg and am 5″4. I workout 4 times a week with about 15 minutes of cardio/HIIT in each session and then lifting moderate to heavy weights for the rest, I’m not sure how many calories I burn, would this be considered light activity? My goal is not to loose weight but to gain muscle. What would be my macros?
Hi Sofia, It seems like you would be moderate on your workout days. So, set the calculator for moderate and gain for your workout days. Your 3 rest days should be sedentary and gain.
Hello, I’m a 20 year old female. I weight 105 lbs and I’m 5’1 tall (155 cm). My goal is to gain weight and reach 115 lbs. I workout at the gym 4 days per week with moderate to heavy weights. I want to bulk so then I can cut. When I put my information on different calculators it gives me different results. I want the most accurate one please. In the iifym it gives me 2006 cal to bulk. carbs 323, protein 84 and fat 42. Here it gives me a different result. It says 1955 cal, 263 carbs, 102 protein and 54 in fat. Can you help me get my exact (or most accurate) macros?
Hi Jessenia, All calculators give you an estimate of your target TDEE and macros. No calculator can give you 100% accurate numbers because they can’t account for individual differences that exist in the human population. You’ll likely reach your weight gain goal with either theirs or ours but I think you would definitely want to increase your protein and ours is definitely better in that regard. All the best!
Ok! Thank you very much. 🙂