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.
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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I’ve got a lot of information. That’s why I’v joined this website…
Hello Ted,
So I’m excited to say that I have lost little over 10lbs 😀 I think that’ll do it for me and I wouldn’t want to lose anymore lbs. I decided to punch in the numbers again to adjust my macros and used Maintain instead. I noticed, however, my protein intake is low compared to what i’ve been having (5’3”, 33, 131lbs, P108g, F48g, C219g) I selected high protein option. Does it look fine to you? I wasn’t sure if I should use maximum option as I don’t want to gain weight but I do instense workout for 3-4 days. Thanks for your time! You guys rock!!
Hi Naina, Great job! Glad we could help. It seems like 108 grams is pretty aligned with your estimated lean mass but you could increase the protein on days you do your workouts.
Got it!! Thank you again!
hey!
i’m working out 4 to 5 days a week to lose weight, i weight 216lbs i lost 55lbs so far and i wanted to know if that calculator result work for me or not?
If you do 40 mins weight lifting and 20 mins cardio 3 to 4 days a week which category of exercise does it fall into. Thanks in advance!
Hi Angelica, Use our activity calculator to figure out your burn for each type and then add the two together and compare it to the descriptions above.
Hi ,
I’m working out 3 times a weeks for chest and arms, 3times a week for legs, what’s the best meal plan for me and I weight 140 lbs. Trying to gain more weight and muscle!
Hi Chris, You can use the calculator above and set it for “gain”. This puts you in a 20% calorie surplus. If you feel you are also gaining fat at that amount, you can set the calculator at “maintain” and then manually add 10% more calories. Set the protein at “Maximum”.
Hi
I am doing weight training 5 times a week and not sure if you then could say that my activity level is “moderate” or “light” due to the fact that I am not doing any cardio training. Usually, each of gym sessions takes 1h- 2h (6-8 exercises, 3 sets, 12 reps). Furthermore, most of my time I am studying and during my leisure time I hang out with friends. So, except for working out 5 times a week, I am not active.
Thank you in advance for your answere!
Best regards, Theodor
Hi Theodor, Usually that duration of weight training would be moderate. Weight training continues to use energy even after the activity is finished as your muscle tissue is broken down and repaired.
Hi Ted,
I have been so frustrated calculating macros for every single formula gives me such a different result. My question is, would working out 5x for about 30 mins be considered moderate or light? I would highly appreciate the help!
Im 5’2 standing at 118 lbs.
-A girl trying to lose 2% body fat while building muscle.
Hi Lisa, First off, all calculators/formulas are giving you an “estimate” of your TDEE. Some are better than others and the formula we use is one of the most trusted. If you already have a low body fat percentage, you should use the “lean mass option”. Secondly, most of the time a 30-minute exercise session is considered light exercise. You probably also would want to use the “lose 10” setting based on your current weight and goals.
Im currently 22 % bf
I want to loose 30 pounds
You’ve come to the right place. Enter your details in the calculator above and it will tell you how much to eat to lose weight safely.
Need to drop to 12 % body fat
I calculated my macros but not sure if it should change on days that I don’t work out? I go to a crossfit gym and but not a pro as I have been doing this for year. I go 3-4 days a week. Thanks
Hi Shilpa, You have the best weight loss results if you eat according to how your body needs/uses energy. Therefore, on your rest days, you should eat at sedentary levels.
Hello,
I am trying to lose weight, but carbs are the highest goal, why is that? I though losing weight/fat meant eating less carbs.
Hi Ariana, Losing weight means maintaining a calorie deficit. Some people do this by reducing their carb intake. I suggest you read this article about flexible dieting so that you can understand the concept the calculator is aligning with.
How do i calculate the macros with everyday food?
Hi Rose please refer to this article or download our Macro Solution which takes you through the process step-by-step.