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
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Just getting started with this. How do you recommend dividing tbe 3 groups up? How many times a day should you eat? If i eat 5 times a day, would i divide each into 5? Try to have a goal of how many macros to have with each meal.
Hi Carla, You can divide by 5 but they probably would be small meals. I think it’s better to do 3 meals and two snacks. Also, it’s ok if some meals are larger and some smaller. Try to be flexible and not fall into some rigid form of dieting. Spend a couple days just tracking your food to understand better where you need to make adjustments and then adjust your meals as needed. It doesn’t have to be perfect from the start.
Hello . Are the carbs on this calculator net or total thanks
Technically they are the carbs that are providing 4 calories per gram so they would be net carbs, but for tracking purposes most people use the number as total carbs since not all nutritional info displays net carbs and there is debate as to how much energy fiber provides exactly. However, we do know that not all fiber provides the body with energy but remains indigestible so you can look at your fiber amount and understand you have a little buffer in case of overages.
can someone clarify this for me… should I enter my current weight in the macro calculator or my goal weight?
Hi Kim, You enter your current weight.
I lost over 220 lbs in the past 2 years. I am currently trying to figure out my maintenance macros. Does your calculator take into effect my slower metabolism and more efficient muscle energy use?
Hi Dalon, The calculator is based on averages so if you have a slow metabolism you may need to eat a little less than it tells you.
You should select high protein and then 45% carbs is acceptable since you are active. You can also read this article that explains how macros are calculated and you could add a little more fat to also bring your carb allotment down if you are uncomfortable with 45%. Don’t be afraid of eating carbs when doing so in relation to your goal TDEE.
I feel like the calories it’s telling me to eat are a lot … I weight 183 and am 5’5 and it’s telling me o consume 1740 calories a day … how long will this take me to lose a good amount of weight?
Hi Brooke, The calories and macros given are an estimate but there are other factors that may need to be accounted for. I really can’t give you a timeline, but if your macros are dailed in as best as possible you should lose 1-2 pounds per week.
This is exactly my height and weight. I was just curious how you are doing on the macros? I’m just starting today
Hi there ! Im a 6 ft, 168 lbs, 22 years old guy. The deal is: I do boxing 2 times a week, Muay Thai 1-2 times a week, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu 2 times a week. I have no idea how many calories these activities burn. Boxing usually last 90 minutes, I have elevated heart rate as I challenge myself and trying to do my best.
Muay Thai lasts 2 hours, same as boxing.
Obviosuly Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu doesn’t use the same cardio level as boxing and Muay Thai, but it still challenges your body due to the core strength activities.
How could I measure the burned calories ? I should eat about 1600-1900 calories daily (based on multiple calculators) without the exercises to lose weight (as I’m cutting), but it’s still hard to figure out the exact number. Thanks for the help.
Hi Laszio, It seems like you would be at least very active on days you exercise.
Hey, Im 55kg. 63cm tall and body fat of 19.1%. I go to crossfit 4 to 5 times a week. Sessions are one hour long and are a mix of cardio, weights and gym. Ive set my activity levels to very active with high protein. My goal is lose 3-5% more body fat. Is this correct?
Hi Louise, One hour of CF is a bit borderline depending on how intense your WOD is. You could start with very active and see how it goes, but if you aren’t losing fat you may have to cut back to moderately active in a couple of weeks.
Hi Ted, I’m struggling to determine my macros due to activity levels being drastically different day to day.
Monday and Friday are rest days…
Tuesday is 2hr swim squad training…
Wednesday, Saturday & Sunday gym 1hr swim squad 1hr…
Thursday gym 1hr swim squad 1.5hrs…
Due to this I’m confused on what I should set activity level at. Thanks for any help in advance.
Hey Nick, for someone like you I recommend the fluid approach. This means you use your sedentary macros as a base and then track your exercise. Your tracking app will adjust your macros based on how much activity to do. With this method, you will need to cap your protein on big days, but it fuels your body more specifically. I show you how to set it up in myfitnesspal here.
Hi,i need help. So basically I’m 5’4 & I weigh about 150. I’m trying to lose weight & I work out 7 days a week. So 5 days cardio and 2 days weights. I picked lightly active b/c I’m not sure how accurate my Apple Watch is so I don’t know how many calories I’m burning when I workout. Anyways my macros are carbs 170 G protein 124 g and fat is 43 g. Does that seem right? Usually when I use othe macro calculators, i get 150 p,131 c & 51 f. Am I doing something like wrong? Thanks for th help
Hi Nancy, How long are your workout sessions? You may be moderate on workout days. Other calculators use different default ratios and most are within an acceptable range. However, I would say that 150 g of protein is a bit too much for you because it should be based on your lean muscle mass, not just body weight. Looks like the other calculator is giving you 1 gram per pound. This is why our default is around .8 because we are accounting for additional fat tissue weight.
Hi, thanks for the response. I workout everyday for an hour. So should I be moderate for my workouts? Also , does 170 g of carbs seem right?
Yes, I would say moderately active and yes, 170g carbs on workout days seems right. Make sure you get a nice dose of them before your workout.
Hi, just wondering about the macro portions – I’ve been reading different things and it has all become a bit overwhelming (hard enough learning how to coin your macros let alone unsure if you’re actually eating the correct amounts) im not overweight but want to lose 4/5kg of fat and lean up again. I selected the lose 10% option and just worried that carbs is too high (50%). I really want to focus on getting rid of that stubborn fat and don’t want to lose any muscle from training so just worried its a little high?
Hi Carlee, Did you select high protein? 50% is a tad high unless you are a runner or are on the very active side of the exercise spectrum.
Hi Ted, tha ks for your reply. That was on normal protein. If it helps my current weight is 75kg, height 183cm abd i selected moderately active. My job im constantly on my feet and i train approximately 3 times/week. Protein came up as 24.6%, fats 25% and carbs 50.4%. This just doesn’t seem right to me. Also, If i select high protein it only adjusts carbs to 45.2% which still seems high to me.
I am trying to determine macro values for high carb/low carb days during carb cycling
Hi Shawn, With flexible dieting, your high carb days should be on your exercise days and lower carb days should be on your rest days. Eat carbs when your body needs them. This is a more natural approach. I’ve written a more detailed article here about carb cycling and flexible dieting.