Macro Calculator
Your protein, carbs and fat in grams a day for your calorie target, split over your meals. Pick balanced, higher protein or lower carb, or set your own.
How active you are
Lightly active · 5,000–7,500 steps a day. A desk job with some walking, or 1–3 workouts a week. × 1.55
More optionsMifflin-St Jeor
From a body-composition scan or scale. It lets you use Katch-McArdle, which works from lean mass.
BMR equation
Why sex? The equations were fitted on people recorded as male or female, so they need one. If neither fits your body, try both: you are likely between the two.
ExampleA 35-year-old woman, 72 kg, 165 cm
115 · 200 · 60g protein · carbs · fat
Balanced, to lose 0.36 kg a week (1,800 kcal).
Protein at 1.6 g/kg, where extra stopped adding muscle in trials; fat at 30% of calories; carbs the rest.
- Protein115 g26% of calories30 g a meal
- Carbs200 g44% of calories50 g a meal
- Fat60 g30% of calories15 g a meal
- Fibre to aim for
- 25 g a day
- Protein per kg
- 1.6 g/kg
General information from published research, not a diagnosis or medical advice. Talk to a doctor before changing medication or treatment. An estimate for adults, not for pregnancy or breastfeeding; if eating feels hard or stressful, talk to a doctor. Terms
Calories for your goalTo lose 0.36 kg a week: 1,800 kcal a day
1,800 kcal a day · 400 below maintenance
65 kg in about 19 weeks. Maintenance moves with your weight: about 2,090 kcal at 65 kg, so re-check every few weeks.
The page never goes under 1,200 kcal for women or 1,500 for men, or faster than 1% of your weight (at most 1 kg) a week.
How much protein115–160 g a day for your goal
115–160 g a day (1.6–2.2 g per kg of 72 kg). Your macro plan has 115 g.
With kidney disease, ask your doctor before eating more protein.
Adjust from your real resultsAfter 2–3 weeks, let your scale correct the estimate
Every equation is an estimate. After a few weeks of eating about the same each day, your weight trend shows your real maintenance: each kilogram lost is about 7,700 kcal your body took from its stores. Use the average of several weigh-ins at each end, since water moves the scale day to day.
Over the last
How this works: Method, 8 sources, Checked against 3 worked examples,
How this works
Method
Protein first, because it is the one with a target in grams per kilogram rather than a share of calories. Then fat, as a share of calories, never under the 20% floor in the Dietary Guidelines. Carbohydrate fills what is left. Each gram of protein or carbohydrate is 4 kcal and each gram of fat is 9. Full method
Sources
- Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020–2025, Appendix 1 (USDA and HHS)
- Morton et al., Protein supplementation and resistance training: a meta-analysis of 49 trials (Br J Sports Med, 2018)
- Jäger et al., International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: protein and exercise (JISSN, 2017)
- 2013 AHA/ACC/TOS guideline for the management of overweight and obesity in adults (Circulation, 2014)
- A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals (Mifflin et al.) (Am J Clin Nutr, 1990)
- The Harris Benedict equation reevaluated (Roza and Shizgal) (Am J Clin Nutr, 1984)
- Comparison of predictive equations for resting metabolic rate: a systematic review (Frankenfield et al.) (J Am Diet Assoc, 2005)
- Human energy requirements: report of a joint FAO/WHO/UNU expert consultation (FAO, 2004)
How it’s tested
3 worked examples for this page are checked by automated tests before every release: given the inputs, the tool must show the expected answer.
Limits
General information from published research, not a diagnosis or medical advice. Talk to a doctor before changing medication or treatment. An estimate for adults, not for pregnancy or breastfeeding; if eating feels hard or stressful, talk to a doctor.
Changes
- First published: maintenance calories as a range, calories for your goal with a week-by-week timeline, macros and protein, with calorie, macro, BMR and protein calculator pages.
How your macros are set
Protein first, because it is the one with a target in grams per kilogram rather than a share of calories. Then fat, as a share of calories, never under the 20% floor in the Dietary Guidelines. Carbohydrate fills what is left. Each gram of protein or carbohydrate is 4 kcal and each gram of fat is 9.
Worked example: the man from the calorie page, 88 kg and eating 2,580 kcal a day to lose 0.44 kg a week, on the balanced style. Protein: 1.6 × 88 = 140.8 g (563 kcal). Fat: 30% of 2,576 = 773 kcal ÷ 9 = 85.9 g. Carbs: the remaining 1,240 kcal ÷ 4 = 310.0 g. Rounded: 140 g protein, 85 g fat, 310 g carbs.
Balanced sets protein at 1.6 g/kg, the point beyond which more protein added no muscle in a meta-analysis of 49 trials. Higher protein uses 2.0 g/kg, the top of the ISSN’s range for people who exercise, which can help you feel full on fewer calories. Lower carb holds carbs at 130 g, the RDA and about what the brain uses in a day, and lets fat make up the rest. With a BMI over 27.5, protein is set on the weight at a BMI of 27.5 for your height, since grams per kilogram of full weight can overestimate it.
Protein = g/kg × weight; fat = share × calories ÷ 9; carbs = (calories − protein × 4 − fat × 9) ÷ 4
- Acceptable ranges for adults: protein 10–35% of calories, carbohydrate 45–65%, fat 20–35%; the carbohydrate RDA is 130 g a day; fibre 14 g per 1,000 kcal. Source: Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020–2025, Appendix 1 (USDA and HHS).
- Protein supplementation beyond a total intake of 1.62 g/kg a day gave no further gains in fat-free mass with resistance training. Source: Morton et al., Protein supplementation and resistance training: a meta-analysis of 49 trials (Br J Sports Med, 2018).
- An overall intake of 1.4–2.0 g/kg a day is sufficient for most exercising people. Source: Jäger et al., International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: protein and exercise (JISSN, 2017).
- Diets with 25% of calories from protein lost about as much weight as typical-protein diets at the same calorie deficit. Source: 2013 AHA/ACC/TOS guideline for the management of overweight and obesity in adults (Circulation, 2014).
Macros at common calorie targets
Grams a day for a 70 kg adult: balanced (protein 1.6 g/kg, fat 30%, carbs the rest) and lower carb (carbs 130 g where calories allow, fat the rest). Rounded to 5 g.
| Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat | Lower carb: carbs / fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,400 | 110 g | 135 g | 45 g | 130 g / 50 g |
| 1,600 | 110 g | 170 g | 55 g | 130 g / 70 g |
| 1,800 | 110 g | 205 g | 60 g | 130 g / 90 g |
| 2,000 | 110 g | 240 g | 65 g | 130 g / 115 g |
| 2,200 | 110 g | 275 g | 75 g | 130 g / 135 g |
| 2,400 | 110 g | 310 g | 80 g | 130 g / 160 g |
| 2,600 | 110 g | 345 g | 85 g | 130 g / 180 g |
| 2,800 | 110 g | 380 g | 95 g | 130 g / 205 g |
| 3,000 | 110 g | 415 g | 100 g | 130 g / 225 g |
Frequently Asked Questions
What macros should I eat to lose weight?
Total calories decide the loss; macros decide how it feels and what you keep. Enough protein (1.6 g/kg or a little more) helps hold on to muscle while you lose, especially with strength training. Beyond that, the split between carbs and fat is up to you: guideline reviews found similar weight loss across many diet patterns at the same calorie deficit.
How do I count macros?
Use the grams, not the percentages. Read protein, carbohydrate and fat in grams from food labels or a food database, add them up over the day, and aim to land near each target. Getting protein right and calories roughly right matters more than hitting carbs and fat exactly.
Is a high-protein diet safe?
The ISSN’s range for people who exercise runs up to 2.0 g/kg, which is where the higher-protein style sits, and the page caps protein at 35% of calories, the top of the acceptable range in the Dietary Guidelines. With kidney disease, ask your doctor before eating more protein.
Should I eat low carb?
It is a preference, not a requirement. Lower-carb and lower-fat diets lose similar weight at the same calories. The lower carb style here keeps carbs at 130 g, the RDA, rather than going to keto, and says so when fat rises above the 35% the Dietary Guidelines suggest.