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!
Thank you for such an amazing site and all well laid out/in depth articles!
Since January I have lost close to 30 pounds through exercise, calorie deficit eating, and Intermittent fasting (16:8) all at the same time. I’ve recently started my macros counting journey on top of everything, but have some quick questions to start streamlining/gaining a better understanding of my overall personal processes.
For the sake of efficiency, Ive listed most of my questions below all together. I did want to start off though by asking about the whole losing fat while gaining muscle process that you’ve detailed.
I am a 36 y/o male, 5’8” and currently weigh 175 lbs. My current body fat percentage is 24.09%.
My gym just recently reopened and I wanted to lose about 10-15 more pounds of fat while adding muscle simultaneously. I know that in your article ‘Macros for Gaining Muscle and Cutting Fat’ (https://healthyeater.com/gain-muscle-lose-fat-iifym) you mention on rest days that you eat your sedentary weight loss levels. I plan on doing the same, but wanted to know given my current stats should I set the macros calculator to sedentary while selecting the Lose option or Lose 10% option? Also, on those rest days should I also drop the protein from High back down to Moderate?
I’ve included the rest of my short questions below. Looking forward to hearing back and thanks again for the great site Ted!
Remaining questions:
Can I continue with Intermittent Fasting (16:8) while counting my macros?
Since net carbs are our true energy metric, should I consume my current 168g of carbs on the calculator in net carbs or total carbs for an accurate carb macro?
Since you mentioned that our bodies can only absorb so much protein in one sitting (25g-35g) what is the appropriate time between meal times/protein intake as to avoid loss/inadequate usage of protein?
In addition to protein, are overall macros more efficient when consumed in specific time periods? IE Every couple hours…having a certain amount of protein, carbs, fat, and/or calories pre or post workout, etc? Or is it unnecessary as long as you get your macros numbers in for each day?
Thanks,
Tony
Hey Tony, Great job on your progress so far, that’s really a great accomplishment and you should be proud of yourself. As you can see from other comments, I’m more than willing to give some pointers or answer a question but your number of and level of questions are reserved for my clients. Thanks for understanding, but it’s not fair to those who are paying for my expertise.
Hi Ted i’m excited and over whelmed at the same time. I’ll be 55 in November but inspite of my weight feel like I’m 30. I’m 5’4” and 232pounds which I hate. But I’m going to do this. My questions is what can I do to understand this new word of Macros, TDEE, ENDOMOPH ETC.?? what advise can u give me
Hi Jacqueline, Glad you’re motivated to keep getting healthier. I have tons of free resources on this site (I suggest look under the counting macros heading) but here’s a good starting point: Counting Macros for Losing Weight Without Starvation and of course I have my book for sale called the Macro Solution. So, I suggest you take some time to read up on everything before jumping in.
Hi I’m looking at burning 300 calories 3x a week with exercise. Which activity level should I use?
Calculate a sedentary set for days you don’t exercise and then a light exercise set for days you do.
Hi Ted ! Im a female 5’2 age 38 weight 130. i lift weights 3 times a week fullbody. no cardio. I sit at a desk for 4 to 6 hours. my daily steps range from 4k to 10k. I want to lose 15 pounds. what should I set the calculator too ?
Hi Jasmine, How long are your weight lifting sessions?
60 min
On days you lift set to moderate activity and lose. For days you don’t, set it to sedentary and lose. If your lifting sessions are more casual meaning you rest a lot between sets then set it to Light exercise.
Awesome. Thanks. 🥂
hi Ted i am men 23 years old and have skinny fat so what type of nutrition you recommend? i also want to lose fat and build muscles
Hi Bilal, I’d recommend starting with “lose 10” on the calculator. There are some more tips in the muscle building article I’ve written here: Macros for Gaining Muscle and Cutting Fat
Hi Ted! I weight 137lbs, I am 5’4 and exercise about an hour 4 days a weeks. Currently I am eating 1700 calories per day. I want to lose a little bit of fat but mainly gain muscle. Any recommendations? do I need to be eating more?
Hi Judith, Since you still want to lose some fat, you’ll have to be in a calorie deficit to accomplish this. But, since you also want to gain some muscle the deficit can’t be too much. This is what the “lose 10” setting is for. Give the calculator a try but I’m also available to help you with your macros as part of my coaching services. All the best with your goals!
Hi Ted! So many thanks for what you are doing and especially for how you are doing it: with devotion, passion and love.
I can tell from a mile that you are a pro but also a modes lovely person by replying free of chare toanyone asking for advice. Thumbs up ! You inspired me to do the same on my field 🙂
Hi Petra, That is so kind of you to take the time to tell me that. No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care. All the best with your endeavors and goals!.
Hello,
My name is vidhi. I hava a question guys how can i loss my weight about 15 kg without doing any exercise…….. Can anyone suggest me best diet and i am pure vegetarian…….
Hi Vidhi, Sure, use the calculator above and set it to sedentary, “lose”, and low protein.
Hey Ted,
I’ve been counting macros for close to a year now and I’ve hit a plateau. So, I tried dropping my calorie intake to 1200 and did that for about 2 months. Then I read that I probably wasn’t feeding my body enough. I’ve read your TDEE website and have read the site on your take on macros and I guess I just need some guidance. You can read so many different opinions on the internet and it’s starting to confuse me! I weight about 128 lbs and am 5’1. I’m trying to get around 118. I exercise 3-5 days a week and live a pretty active lifestyle. Which is why it’s so frustrating that I’m maintaining but not loosing anything. Any suggestions?
Hi Lindsay, I’ve coached over 1000 individuals and about 50% of them had stalled their weight loss by not eating enough to support all the activity/exercise they do. It’s really common because the message that most people are given is that if you aren’t losing, you have to eat less. This is bad advice for active people. Muscle tissue needs to be supported with enough nutrition and healthy muscle tissue is key to a healthy metabolism. If you need help calculating everything to get things moving again, please reach out.
This is GREAT!!
Hello,
My name is Starlette. I have a question. I do Intermittent Fasting; the Warrior Diet, 20/4. How would I be able to calculate my macros using an app with only eating in a 4 hour window? My 4 hour window of eating is from 2:30-6:30. I weigh 130 and desperately trying to get back to my ideal weight which is 115. I would love the advice.
Hi Starlette, Whether you eat in a 4-hour window or a 9-hour window, your body’s energy requirements are the same. Use the calculator, set it for “lose” and eat all the macros recommended within 4 hours. IF can be good because it teaches you to listen to your body and have a dedicated fasting period each day which is a natural rhythm of our bodies, but a 20 hour fast each day would be out of the scope of a “natural rhythm”. It’s too severe in my opinion. Perhaps try a less severe approach. You’ll get the same results with an 8-10 hour eating window.
As a bodybuilder is it okay to have my protein at high instead of maximum when trying to lose weight? I find that when my proteins at 147 instead of 178 I lose weight. When I keep it at 178 I usually stay around the same weight. Which is weird because my total calorie stay the same for both intakes.
Hi Leon, It would be wise to see what your body composition is doing when you lower your protein. Are you losing muscle weight or is it fat tissue weight? Start tracking your body fat percentage to give you some insight. To me, it seems like it would be a lean mass drop.