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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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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Keto Macro Calculator
hi Ted,
When I calculate the calorie intake required to maintain 23% bodyfat as opposed to 15% of bodyfat, the calorie intake, carb and fat is lower to maintain a bodyfat of 23% than that of 15% with all other content remaining constant. i.e. male, 35, 190lbs, height 183, moderate activity, protein normal. I’m aiming to reduce my bodyfat percentage from 23% to 15% but this is suggesting that I do this by eating more carbs and fat and increasing my calorie intake…please explain how this work?
Hi Steve, Lean muscle requires more energy than fat even at rest. If you get down to 15% body fat but stay the same weight, you would have replaced the fat weight with muscle weight. 1 pound of fat only uses about 2 calories per day to be maintained. You have to eat in a way that will burn the fat and for this you’ll have to be in a calorie deficit.
Hi Ted
I’m 30, 6’2 ~189lbs. I lift 6 days a week with a combo of stretching and cardio sprinkled in for ~100mins a day. And average ~9-10K steps a day. Would I be moderately active?
Also, I want to gain about 12 lbs of lean muscle, while also cutting up a little (everyones dream, right?) Gains would be the correct goal to choose, right?
I also wanted to maybe up the protein a little, too (not by too much, carbs and fats are your friend) to maybe help lean out? Is that the right approach?
Ive read in multiple places if you want to gain you need more than 1g protein : 1lb body weight.
Thanks a lot for your help!
Hi Ryan, It seems like you would be very active to me at 100 minutes plus all the walking. The gain setting won’t give you lean gains so you probably want to scale back. You’ll have to be in a slight deficit to burn fat. I would encourage you to check out the muscle gain edition of my book as it spells everything out for you in detail.( https://healthyeater.com/macro-solution ) As for protein, it’s really 1 gram per pound of lean muscle so if you consume 189 grams you are eating more than this. 200 grams would probably be the max.
Ted, I have been doing a Keto-style diet for the last 6 weeks. I am 29 years old 6’2 and started jan 1st at 265 lbs. I am down to 240 already but have seen big drops in strength. I would like to lose another 10lbs of fat but hate the loss of strength. these are the macro guidelines i am following now:
calories per day: 2751
carbs: 30g
protein: 241g
fat: 183g
Do you think i should get off this keto-stye diet and go less fat and more carbs?
Hi Kyle, Great job so far! Yes, definitely. Keto is only good short-term and lack of strength is a common complaint. You should have a workout day set of macros and a rest day set. No need to carb load as you’ll be now eating adequate carbs on your workout days.
Hello. I have just completed my 3rd round of Whole30 over the past year. I am feeling like I need a little something different at this point for weight loss and toning. I am around 132 lbs and 5’6″ and on a good week I run and workout about 4 days weekly. I am a SAHM. I feel good at preparing meals, eating health, and working out. What are your thoughts about my moving forward from this type of eating plan to what you offer on this website? Thanks in advance.
Hi Kelly, As I’m sure you know, the goal of whole30 is to identify which foods cause problems or sensitivities for you. You should be able to now switch to a plan like Flexible Dieting and just avoid the foods you identified and be free to eat everything else as long as the foods fit your prescribed macro. It’s a much more sustainable plan than whole30 because you are always aware of how much you need to eat and how much food you’re eating. I say, go for it!
Thanks, yes I started doing more research and tested the water today. But my question is about healthy fats. I barely had any today, cashews, almond butter and eggs and it put me over around 11g and I didn’t go over my calories at all. So how do healthy fats fit into this way of eating?
You really just have to cut back. Even healthy fats only need to be around 25%-30% of your calories. This is another problem with whole30. So many foods are forbidden that people get used to eating a higher than normal proportion of fat to get enough calories.
So I signed up with IIFYM months ago. When I did, I wasn’t nearly as active as I am now. Not only do I workout now, but I also walk a lot too, burning many more extra calories. Should I be eating more than what was initially prescribed? I am trying to lose weight.
Hi Stephie, Yes, you should have your macros recalculated and eat more to adjust for your increased exercise. I can do this for you if you want and I adjust them for free for a period of two months as part of our coaching package.
Hey there, I’m trying
To lose weight and
I’m sooooo confused with respect to all the articles out there from reputable
People but they are all contradicting each other! Eat more, but some won’t say how much more, carb cycle, fast, your body was designed to fast it
Is ok, eat all the time like6 times a day, don’t eat that much your body does
Not need it, if your fat u have fat sources that your body can use so u don’t need to eat more if u workout… blah blah blah. My god my head is spinning. Iam a type A personality and I just need to know cold hard facts and numbers. I think
This idea makes sense
To me and is a sensible way to lose weight.
It says my tdee is 1800 calories, so that is to lose about 1 lb a week?? If I wanted to lose a bit
More like 1.5 lbs would I reduce just a bit more to like 1600 cal or 1700 cal??
I finding it hard to eat 1800 cal some days….. now don’t get me wrong I could eat chocolate to make up for the extra calories lol but trying
To not do what I used to do!!
Please help!
Hi Carmen, Unlike other diets, flexible dieting uses a pretty straight forward and science-based approach. You calculate how much energy your body requires and then eat a healthy proportion of each macro to satisfy that. You really want to maintain a safe calorie deficit to ensure sustainable results and actually, a 1-2 pound loss per week is expected with a 20% calorie deficit which is used above. Also, you want to have a rest day set of macros for any day you don’t exercise since on these days your body needs less energy than it does on exercise days.
Hello Ted,
I’m a driver and student, I lift heavy weights 5 times a week, no cardio. What is my activity level? sedentary or very active?
Hi Nicolai, You would be sedentary on days you don’t lift and probably be moderate on days you do.
30
5.4
194lb
Female
Mother, student no time to workout
Ihave gym membership but i don’t go.
I wish if i could lose 60lb.
Use the calculator above and select “sedentary” or “light exercise” if you are pretty active with your kids and then simply eat at the TDEE and macros it gives you for “lose”. There are apps that can help you track and we have a lot of resources on this site to help you be successful like our books, guides, and coaching.
im 15
185-198 lbs
im 5’6
im home schooled so i really dont go out a lot but i leave the house everyday around 1:30-2;15 and walk to pick up my sisters
im starting to exercises but i need the right plan to get things done
Hi Kiera, Flexible Dieting is a great option for you. I suggest you start by reading a little more about how it works, then you can use the calculator to formulate your TDEE. https://healthyeater.com/flexible-dieting
Hi Ted im in need of your help.. 1 am 48 years old and trying to lose weight..Im looking for a healthy weight loss as opposed to a fad diet. I am having a hard time figuring out ratio and amount of calories i need to lose weight. I hope you can help
Hi Angela, I’m happy to help. What seems to be causing the difficulty?
Hello If you chose the lose weight option and the number given was 1635 is that number what I need to go by? Do we need to subtract calories like the bmr calculator tells you to do if you want to lose weight
Hi Abby, 1635 would be the number you are shooting for. No more math needed, this has all been done for you in the calculation.
Hi Ted! Thank you for an amazing job – i’ve enjoyed your site and articles and definitely buying a book – it deserves its place among my favs Lyle McD and Alan A and L Norton works!
I’m a lifter with 27 BF percentage, (160 cm height, 67 kilos bodyweight, I’m 27 y.o) I just want to have some fun and recreate myself into a better version of me with 15%BF. I train now in volume mode, 4-5 days a week with squat, bench, deadlift and squat again (and sometimes bench again) schedule day after day at about 60-70% of PM. with added accessory work (5-6 excessed at 12-15 reps) and cardio 4 hours weekly. I also enjoy walking a lot about t7-12 km daily. But I’m struggling with defining my activity level!
What is my activity level? Am i still on light activity or i definitely do enough to be a moderately active person?
THANK YOU!
Hi there, Thanks for the compliments and I’m glad you find everything useful. I think it would be helpful if you track your calorie burn for a typical day. It definitely seems more than lightly active. You seem to be moderately active to me, but it would be useful for you to know how many calories you burn on a typical day. MapMyFitness is a good tool to use.