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.
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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.
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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
Calorie Deficit Calculator
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Keto Macro Calculator
Hi.. Im not sure what category I fall in..im.looking to maintain and build muscle but alsontey to follow eating well for inflammation from my thyroid issues. Can you suggest what I should follow. Im.5’7 and 145lbs ..workout 6.days a week. Thank you
Hi Chris, It. seems like you should start with maintenance and then add 5% if you aren’t adding mass. Keep checking progress and making small adjustments as needed.
Good evening,
Thank you for posting this informative article. I’m fat. I’m just going to call it like it is. I’m 5’2″, 156 lbs, and I PT about 3-4 days a week doing Crossfit or running. I’m still fat around my stomach and I know it’s due to poor eating habits. If I want to lose weight and gain muscle, should I choose the “lose” plan or the “lose 10%” plan?
Hi Maket, Thanks for visiting. You would want to start with the lose option which is a 20% deficit since you have more than 10 pounds to lose.
If I’m 14% and want to just get to 10% should I use choose lose 10% or lose 20%? Not sure if I have less than 10lbs to lose or not
Hi Leon, If you have 4% to lose then go with lose 20 to start with.
Thanks! So would you say around 11% or 12% that I should bump it to lose 10%?
Yes, that would be a good benchmark to use.
Hi, If I do 30 minutes on a stationary bike, which activity level should I choose?
Hi Sara, It depends on what your resistance and watt output are during the 30 minutes. Use our activity calculator to help you determine the calorie burn. Calories Burned and Activity Calculator
Hi
I have looked at the macros and want to lose some body fat and build muscle. I can’t quite do keto as find it difficult to stick to. However, I’m better on lower carbs and the 98 given for me is too high.
How do I bring this down and how much would I increase the fat and protein to. The fat was around 37 and then protein around 84.
I’m an endomorph so need lower carbs but
Your keto calculator gives me around 18.
I always hit around 50-60, except weekends when I’m around 100 which makes me feel more bloated. Do you have a calculator for endomorphs without going too low. But lose a bit of fat and build muscle. I think I’m skinny fat.
Hi KS, You can manually adjust everything with a little math. Cap your protein at 1 gram per pound of body weight and eat the rest as fat. How to Calculate Your Macros to Transform Your Body
Hi,
I’m looking for some help. I’m 5’3” and 33 years old, 134lbs. I workout 3 days a week (strength traning). My current macros are 1500 (P30C40F30) and rest days it’s 1200. I’ve tweaked the macros 3 weeks ago and following it since then. I’m looking to lose weight and gain muscle. When I’d started with the new stats, the scale went down to 133 lbs but recently I noticed my weight jumped to 138lbs. Is that even possible with these numbers?
Hi Norah, It doesn’t seem like fat storage would be possible with those numbers and your stats, so it’s probably related to a water retention issue. See if anything here makes sense: What Causes Water Retention and Weight Fluctuation?
How do you know the difference between the two? I’ve been consistently on 138 lbs for few days. I’m wondering if I should recalculate my numbers based on my new weight?
Hi Nania, You really should make decisions on macro adjustments based on about 2 weeks of data, not a few days. If your weight is stagnant for two weeks then, yes, some adjustments need to be made.
Hi Ted.
Thanks for this site and explanations. I’m a newcomer to fitness and I’ve been trying to lose weight and gain muscle at the gym for two years now with no results.
I do cardio three times a week and weight training three times a week. And while I feel stronger and healthier I am still fat around my stomach and chest and I can’t seem to shed that fat. I’m 6’3 and 200 lbs. I have lost 10 pounds in the last two years but I want to lose 30 in total. I also want to gain muscle. I have no muscle definition. I try to eat healthy – with meat and vegetables and I still can’t shake the belly fat. Should I place my settings on gain for muscle or for lose for weight loss ? And any other tips would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Mike, Glad you find our site useful. If you want to lose fat you need to be in a deficit. Since you’ve slowly been losing you probably have been in a slight deficit, but you’ll need to increase this if you want the fat loss to be faster but not too much so that you’ll deprive your muscles of nutrition. Consider coaching with me if you want to get your macros as dialed in as possible, I’d be able to help get you to your goals. Personalized Macros Coaching
Hi Ted!
I have finally reached my weight loss goal of 85kg from 112kg! I notice I still got some fat around my stomach and chest area. I decided 85kg is going to the ideal weight I’m gonna stay at. My goal from now is to start “body recomposition” through gaining muscle and losing fat whilst staying at 85kg. I am currently standing around ~25% body fat and hoping to convert that percentage to around 10-15%. I am 21 years old, 185cm and my activity level is sedentary. I do full body strength training in the gym generally 3 times a week and adjust my calories on those days. I have put the values into the calculator under the goal “maintain” and my macros for “maximum” protein intake are 2096 calories, 180g carbs, 187g protein and 70g of fat. I assume these are the macros for rest days.
My question is whether eating at that amount and adjusting on days I train (gym, sports) helps reduce and not “maintain” my body fat %? And if so, I assume I would need to progressively adjust my macros once I reach lower percentages like 20% and 15% until I reach my goal?
Thanks!
Edit: I’m 21-22% bf
Hi Peter, great job on your progress. That’s quite an accomplishment! You’ll need to be in a calorie deficit if you want fat loss to occur so maintenance won’t do that for you. You should probably use at least the “lose 10” setting. I’ve written a lot more about lean gains here: Macros for Gaining Muscle and Cutting Fat
Cheers coach!
Having trouble figuring macros for Leto diet. I’m 77 female 232 lbs 5,6” tall very moderate activity. Canto tell me how many carbs, fats and protein I should eat daily
Hi Janet, If you’re looking for keto macros, head over to our keto macro calculator.
Can this be done while breastfeeding? If so what adjustment needs to be made?
Hi Amanda, Yes it can and I’ve written an article about how to adjust for breastfeeding here: TDEE and Macro Calculations for Pregnant or BreastFeeding Women
Hello Ted!
Question for you! I have hit my weight loss goal after 6 weeks, but am now at a stand-still with losing further weight. I have lost a total of 16lbs. Should I recalculate my macros based off my new weight, or keep it at the original? My macros have been readjusted each week to keep losing weight, but feel like I need to change them up once again. What is the right way to proceed?
Thanks.
Hi Efrain! Great job! I’m a bit confused about what your new goal is. To keep losing or to maintain? If you want to lose you should calculate at your new weight and then select “lose”. If you want to maintain, calculate at your new weight and click “maintain”.
Appreciate the response! Overall, keep losing. This helps with recalculating my macros. Thanks again for the advise!
Hi,
How should I set the calculator if I’m trying to achieve a number of the goals (that are often presented as opposite)? My goals are as follows:
-Increase all over muscle definition and mass
-Decrease fat around the belly to decrease size and define current ab muscles
-Lower body fat by 11% from 26% to 15%
It gets complex because I both want to lose fat and increase muscle definition and mass, and while I’m not at all obese or even heavy, I’d still like to lose fat and gain muscle to get a ripped body type.
My activity level is fairly high, as I work at least 4 days a week with weights for about an hour, as well as another half an hour of calisthenics work every day and martial arts training twice a week. What activity level should I set the calculator at? I’m not sure how many calories this burns. Thanks so much!
Regards, Sara
Hi Sara, The goals you mention do involve a bit of balance and note that when you are trying to do both at the same time the results will be slower. Start by using the “lose 10” setting which puts you in a 10% calorie deficit. Next, because your exercise is a bit varied you may want to consider a more fluid approach where you track your exercise with an app like MapMyRun and then allow it to adjust your calories and macros based on how much you do on a given day. This keeps your deficit more consistent. This is explained in more detail here: How to Count and Track Macros Using MyFitnessPal: A Tutorial
Okay, will do! Thank you so much. Would it be more effective to simply focus on dropping my body fat percentage to 15%? If I do that, maybe I’ll achieve the other goals along the way. If so, how should I set the calculator to drop body fat percentage by about 11% to hit the 15% mark?
Sara
It would be quicker for fat loss. You’d use the “lose” setting which puts you in a 20% calorie deficit.
Awesome, thank you so much for the help! I really appreciate it.
Hi, I have a very petite frame at 151 cms height, 50.5 kilos of weight and a sedentary lifestyle. Age is catching up though and I have accumulated at least 5 cms of unwanted fat on my belly and another few cms everywhere else. Using the macros calculator I have been recommended a 1068 calorie diet with 36% carbs, 34% protein and 30% fat.
I am finding this carb balance very high, and protein fairly low esp being a type 1 insulin dependent diabetic. Please advise how I should be eating for optimal weight loss and gaining lean muscle.
Hi D, The calculator has given you the number of calories you should be eating for weight loss but since you have Type I diabetes you’ll have to adjust macro levels according to what is advised by your doctor. You just have to divide your calorie allotment differently. Here’s an article that shows you how to do this. How to Calculate Your Macros to Transform Your Body