Macro Calculator
Get your daily protein, carb, and fat targets in grams.
Macro Calculator
Splits your daily calorie target into grams of protein, carbohydrates, and fat based on your preferred diet style.
Protein & carbs = 4 kcal/g · Fat = 9 kcal/g. Adjust to food preferences and performance. A registered sports dietitian can fine-tune macros based on bloodwork and performance goals.
About this calculator
Macronutrient tracking — counting grams of protein, carbohydrate, and fat rather than just total calories — gives finer control over body composition. Protein (4 kcal/g) supports muscle retention and satiety. Carbohydrates (4 kcal/g) are the primary fuel for high-intensity exercise. Fat (9 kcal/g) supports hormonal function, including testosterone and estrogen production. Evidence suggests that total protein intake and total calories are the two most important variables; macro ratios beyond that have modest effects on fat loss or muscle gain. The "flexible dieting" or IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros) approach assigns a gram target to each macro and allows food choices within those targets.
How to interpret your results
Your macro targets show daily gram amounts for protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Prioritise hitting your protein target first — it is the most metabolically important macro and the hardest to adjust retroactively in the same day. Carbs and fat can be traded off with each other (9 kcal of fat = roughly 2.25 × 4 kcal portions of carbs) when needed. If you consistently fall short on protein, identify your highest-protein meal and add 20–30 g there. If you are over on fat, the most common source is oils and dressings used in cooking — tracking cooking fat is the single most overlooked tracking gap.
The science and formula
Macros are calculated by first fixing protein (1.6–2.2 g/kg × body weight), then allocating a percentage of remaining calories to fat (typically 25–35%), and assigning the remainder to carbohydrates. Protein: 4 kcal/g. Carbohydrate: 4 kcal/g. Fat: 9 kcal/g. Alcohol: 7 kcal/g (not a macro but calorically significant). Research by Helms, Aragon, and Fitschen (2014) on natural bodybuilders recommends protein at 2.3–3.1 g/kg lean mass during cuts to maximise muscle retention. Fat minimums of approximately 0.5–1.0 g/kg bodyweight are recommended to maintain testosterone and essential fatty acid status.
Important limitations
Macro tracking assumes accurate food labelling, which is typically off by ±20% (the FDA-permitted margin). Restaurant meals and home-cooked food are especially difficult to track precisely. The optimal macro ratio also varies by individual insulin sensitivity, exercise type, and dietary adherence preference — a low-carb diet that someone adheres to consistently outperforms an optimal ratio that is abandoned. Macro tracking is most useful as a time-limited calibration tool (4–12 weeks) to build food awareness, after which most people can maintain results intuitively.
Frequently Asked Questions
What macro split is best for muscle gain?
For muscle gain, prioritise protein at 1.6–2.2 g/kg bodyweight, allocate 20–35% of calories to fat for hormonal health, and fill the remainder with carbohydrates to fuel training. A common starting split is 30% protein, 40% carbs, 30% fat — but the protein target is non-negotiable.
What macro ratio works best for fat loss?
High-protein diets (35–40% of calories) consistently produce better fat loss outcomes than lower-protein diets at equal calorie deficits. Beyond that, carb-to-fat ratio can be adjusted for personal preference — both low-carb and moderate-carb approaches work equally well when protein and calories are matched.
Do I need to hit my macros exactly every day?
Hitting within 5–10% of your targets is practically equivalent to exact tracking. Protein is the macro most worth being precise about since it is hardest to overcorrect at the end of the day. Carbs and fat are more interchangeable when calories are fixed.
How much fat do I need per day for hormonal health?
Research suggests a minimum of 0.5 g/kg bodyweight per day in dietary fat is needed to maintain testosterone and hormone production. For most adults, this works out to 40–70 g/day. Fat below this threshold is associated with reduced testosterone levels in men and disrupted menstrual cycles in women.
Are carbohydrates necessary, or can I train effectively on a low-carb diet?
Carbohydrates are the primary fuel for high-intensity exercise (above 70% VO₂ max). Low-carb diets impair performance in glycolytic activities like sprinting, HIIT, and heavy strength training until full keto-adaptation (4–6 weeks). Endurance athletes at lower intensities can sustain performance on low-carb; power and strength athletes generally perform better with adequate carbohydrate.
What is the difference between net carbs and total carbs?
Net carbs = total carbs − dietary fibre − sugar alcohols. Fibre and most sugar alcohols have minimal impact on blood sugar and caloric contribution. For general fitness tracking, total carbs is the simpler metric. For people monitoring blood glucose or on strict ketogenic diets, net carbs matters more.
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