Macro Calculator

Calculate your optimal daily macronutrient intake — protein, carbohydrates, and fat — for your fitness goal.

Age (years)

Weight (kg)

Height (cm)

Activity Level

Goal

Fill in all fields to calculate your macros.

How to Use

Enter your details

Provide sex, age, height, and weight for Mifflin-St Jeor BMR calculation.

Select activity level

Choose how active your typical week is to calculate TDEE.

Choose your goal

Select lose fat, maintain, lean bulk, or maximize muscle for goal-adjusted calories.

Review macro breakdown

See protein, carb, and fat targets in grams with calorie percentages.

What Are Macronutrients?

Macronutrients — protein, carbohydrates, and fat — are the three classes of nutrients that provide calories. Each gram of protein and carbohydrate provides 4 calories; each gram of fat provides 9 calories. The right macro split varies by body composition goals, activity type, and individual metabolism.

Real-World Examples & Use Cases

Structuring a Fat Loss Diet

During fat loss, high protein (2.0 g/kg) preserves lean muscle while the calorie deficit burns fat. Combining the macro calculator output with a food tracking app allows precise nutritional planning. Knowing you need 150g protein, 180g carbs, and 60g fat at 1,850 calories transforms abstract goals into concrete daily numbers.

Muscle Building Nutrition

Maximizing muscle gain requires both adequate calories (slight surplus) and optimal protein distribution throughout the day. The calculator shows exactly how much protein is needed based on body weight, avoiding the common mistake of under-eating protein during a bulk and gaining disproportionate fat.

Athletic Performance Fuelling

Endurance athletes (runners, cyclists) use higher carbohydrate percentages to fuel glycogen-dependent aerobic exercise. Strength athletes prioritise protein. Adjusting the macro split to match your training type — rather than following generic diets — supports performance and recovery more effectively.

Ketogenic Diet Planning

Keto macros (~70% fat, 25% protein, 5% carbs) require calculating very specific gram targets to stay in ketosis. The macro calculator shows how to configure intake by goal and activity to produce a keto-compatible split, rather than guessing gram targets.

How It Works

Calorie calculation: Mifflin-St Jeor + TDEE (see Calorie Calculator) Protein by goal (g per kg body weight): Lose fat: 2.0 g/kg (muscle preservation in deficit) Maintain: 1.6 g/kg Lean bulk: 1.8 g/kg Maximize muscle: 2.2 g/kg Fat: 25% of total calories Fat grams = (calories × 0.25) / 9 Carbohydrates: remaining calories Carb grams = (calories - (protein × 4) - (fat × 9)) / 4 Caloric values: Protein: 4 cal/g Carbohydrates: 4 cal/g Fat: 9 cal/g

Frequently Asked Questions

How much protein do I actually need per day?▼

For sedentary adults, the RDA is 0.8 g/kg body weight — the minimum to prevent deficiency. For people exercising regularly, research supports 1.6–2.2 g/kg for muscle maintenance and growth. During fat loss, 2.0–2.4 g/kg is recommended to prevent muscle catabolism in a calorie deficit. Higher intakes (up to 3 g/kg) show no additional muscle-building benefit and are typically unnecessary.

What is a good macro split for weight loss?▼

Research supports high protein (30-40% calories), moderate fat (25-35%), and moderate-low carbohydrate (25-40%) for fat loss. The exact split matters less than total calories and protein adequacy. High protein splits preserve muscle during a deficit and reduce appetite through satiety effects. Extreme low-fat or very low-carb approaches work for some individuals but offer no universal advantage over balanced macros.

Does the fat macro type matter (saturated vs unsaturated)?▼

Yes. Total fat grams matter for calories, but fat quality matters for health. Prioritise unsaturated fats (olive oil, avocado, nuts, oily fish) over saturated fats (butter, red meat) and minimize trans fats entirely. A macro target of 60g fat/day is most healthful when most of those grams come from unsaturated sources. The macro calculator provides total gram targets; your food choices determine fat quality.

How do I track macros practically?▼

Use a food diary app (MyFitnessPal, Cronometer, Macrofactor) and log everything you eat. Weigh food with a kitchen scale for the first few weeks to calibrate your visual portion estimation. After 4-6 weeks of consistent tracking, most people develop accurate eyeballing ability. Focus on hitting protein targets first; fat and carbs can be more flexible within your calorie budget.

Should carbs be cut at night for weight loss?▼

No — the timing of carbs has minimal effect on body composition when total daily calories and macros are controlled. The 'no carbs after 6pm' rule is a myth. Insulin sensitivity is slightly lower in the evening, but this difference is physiologically insignificant for most people doing moderate exercise. Total daily carbohydrate intake matters far more than the time of day you eat them.

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