Macro Calculator
Calculate daily protein, carbohydrate, and fat targets from your TDEE, fitness goal, and preferred diet type.
Supports cut, bulk, maintain, and keto macros.
Macros is short for macronutrients — the three categories of food that supply calories: protein, carbohydrates, and fat. (Alcohol is a fourth source of calories but isn’t a nutrient.)
This calculator splits your daily calorie target into grams of each macro, based on your goal and diet style.
How It Works
Step 1 — Adjust calories for your goal:
Target Calories = TDEE × Goal Multiplier
| Goal | Multiplier |
|---|---|
| Lose weight (moderate deficit) | × 0.80 |
| Maintain weight | × 1.00 |
| Gain muscle (lean bulk) | × 1.15 |
TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure — your daily calorie burn including activity. Use our TDEE calculator if you don’t know your number.
Step 2 — Split calories by macro ratio. Each diet style has different percentages:
| Diet Style | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balanced | 30% | 40% | 30% |
| High-protein | 40% | 30% | 30% |
| Low-carb | 35% | 20% | 45% |
| Ketogenic | 25% | 5% | 70% |
Step 3 — Convert calories to grams using the calorie value of each macro:
- Protein: 4 kcal per gram → grams = (target cal × protein %) ÷ 4
- Carbs: 4 kcal per gram → grams = (target cal × carbs %) ÷ 4
- Fat: 9 kcal per gram → grams = (target cal × fat %) ÷ 9
The Protein Minimum
Most sports nutrition research supports at least 0.7 to 1.0 g of protein per pound of body weight during weight loss to preserve muscle. For someone at 150 lb, that’s 105 to 150 g of protein per day — non-negotiable if you’re cutting and want to keep muscle.
This is why high-protein splits (like 40/30/30) tend to outperform balanced 30/40/30 for fat loss: the extra protein protects lean mass.
Worked Example
30-year-old woman, 145 lb, moderate activity, TDEE = 2,100 kcal. Goal: lose weight. Diet: balanced (30/40/30).
- Target: 2,100 × 0.80 = 1,680 kcal
- Protein: 1,680 × 0.30 ÷ 4 = 126 g (0.87 g per lb — meets the minimum)
- Carbs: 1,680 × 0.40 ÷ 4 = 168 g
- Fat: 1,680 × 0.30 ÷ 9 = 56 g
Spread across 3 meals, that’s 42 g protein, 56 g carbs, and 19 g fat per meal. About a chicken breast, a cup of rice, and a tablespoon of oil per meal.
Picking a Diet Style
- Balanced is a safe default if you don’t have a strong reason to deviate. Easy to follow long-term.
- High-protein is what most fitness coaches recommend for fat loss. Higher satiety, better muscle retention.
- Low-carb can work well for people who feel bloated on high carbs, or who prefer fewer/larger meals.
- Ketogenic is highly restrictive — under 50 g carbs per day. Real benefits for some people (epilepsy, certain metabolic conditions), but not magic for general fat loss. Hard to sustain socially.
The best diet is the one you’ll actually stick with. Macro percentages matter far less than total calories and total protein.